Ella

Eternal beauty, strength, and love...beguiling and sweet but full of thorns. Does the rose scorn? Does the rose know its beauty is coveted? Does the rose understand the nature of man? The rose is not without knowledge of the forlorn, protecting herself from being picked on to picked up, tooted and booted, uprooted. She escapes the worms and twists her roots and outstretch, bursting past the darkness. You'll find her between a rock and hard place or alone amongst a sea of crabgrass. Guided by the Son's light. No matter what she'll find her way. Hook or crook, hell or high water she grows. The rose, symbolizes love but do you don't love her? Appreciate not manipulate or else get stuck....shit outta luck. Look but don't touch, just smell me...smell me? Nose wide open, yearn then burn cause love loves no one but bleeding hearts never learn.

Soldier's Story

Quietly...he sips aged Brandy and begins to clip a cigar tip. I watch as he inhaled the past once again and exhaled memories, with a puff characters came alive like phantoms unfurling. Ebony eyes pondering passersby with a distant gaze. Follow him down memory lane, if you're brave. Sips Brandy akin to skin, deep mahogany, strong spirit, and aged of life's fermentation. Seen days without air when America inhaled war and exhaled gun-smoke...a story told again and again and ever sobering. "To God be the glory, I'm still here", he simply says. Today, I sat still listening to my father reflect upon his days in "Nam" amid the countless prayers said in Saigon six ways from Sunday. These moments and the lessons therein never ceases to amaze. My eyes have never witnessed fallen friends join the ranks among fields of poppy, nor the pain of coming home to an ungrateful nation. No job Joes. War heroes drifting train stations by day and sleeping in shadow by night. It wasn't right. No amount of words can amend. Only a soldier can comprehend. Yet, with sincere thanks America gives tribute. I ‪‎salute to the end our veterans and troops, as we uphold stories of strong spirit, aged of life's fermentation to be told this day again and again...ever sobering.‪

Reflection: Borderlands

In June of 2014, America watched as thousands of Central American children sought asylum after being trafficked across the Mexican border into the United States. 

Many Honduran families – mostly women and children – risk crossing a grueling 1,500 mile migration through dangerous drug lands in hope of escaping abject poverty, organized crime, and violence in their country. It became painfully obvious that comprehensive immigration reform is far more than a logistical challenge. It is part of a transcontinental, humanitarian crisis – whereby women and children’s lives hang in the balance. As a result, U.S. President Barack Obama called executive action to override Congress and pass immigration reform bills. In a recent report, CNN: Latin America interviewed the first lady of Honduras, Ana Garcia de Hernandez and her husband, President Juan Orlando Hernandez. Both spoke out about the immigration crisis and are making concerted efforts to resolve it. Mrs. Hernandez is passionate about the plight of women and children in her country, and spearheads a commission created by her husband to stop traffickers. In addition, both acknowledged the underlying issue and state equally strong efforts to eradicate the country’s high crime and unemployment rate. In the meantime, they've requested the U.S. provide all necessary provision unaccompanied children may need to encourage a successful transition. 

First lady of Honduras, Ana Garcia de Hernandez
speaking with U.S. border patrol agents. | REUTERS

In an ideal world, there would be no such thing as borders. However, it’s not. Therefore I support immigration/reform because the current legal immigration process is convoluted and outdated. All things being equal, I don’t excuse illegal immigration. However, it’s not equal. Likewise, as the Hernandez family pointed out, matters should be considered on a case by case basis. Besides, it’s always a raw deal when kids become collateral damage. Over the summer, I was privy to lunch with the Deputy Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I asked him blunt questions on the matter, and appreciated his candor. He agreed that this is a compound issue and contrary to popular belief, he and the department work hard to balance improving the immigration process while not compromising the first priority: homeland security. However, it’s hard to give a vote of confidence when bureaucracy is the only thing standing between you and your future. It poses a quandary. In the end, I suppose we’re all trying our best to work around the parameters of politics, policies, and a post 9/11 world. 

Source: 

Flores, Rosa. "Honduran First Lady on Immigration: Each Case Is a Different Story." CNN. Cable News Network, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 4 Oct. 2014. <http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/25/world/americas/honduras-first-lady-immigration/index.html?hpt=ila_c2>.

Recognize Who You're Dealing With

There are spiritual forces at play in our day to day lives. I don't claim to be innocent, nor religious. Lord knows I am unpolished brass. Yet for some reason God granted me the gift of sight. Honestly, it is a gift I ran from for years. Only recently have I mustered the courage to embrace it. All the same, sometimes I find myself caught up in the matrix...illusion...and forget that this life is not even a fraction of all that is. God  reminded me that much of what we experience is not of this material world. Likewise, I am reminded I too am a spirit, and this body is but a temple. We are in the flesh but not of the flesh. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).  At some point or another, all have experienced some form of demonic attack, whether we realize it or not. Anxiety, depression, lethargy, unexplained body aches, and just an overall general feeling of heaviness (like something is pulling you down) are some of the ways the body reacts to demonic attack. The flesh is not immune to energy, albeit negative or positive. If someone or something is conducting negative energy, themselves and those around them experience stress and strife. Eventually that energy will cause a person or place to erode from within. Negative people drain us of our life force.

"On Earth as it is in Heaven."

My only message -- stay woke and remain vigilant. Beware of the influences at work in and/or around your life. Far as I understand, spiritual warfare and attack occur in one or two ways: curses or spirits. Curses are verbal contracts; they are words that bind you or others (e.g., generational curses) to a dark energy/spell. When someone is speaking to you, not only hear but LISTEN to what is being said. The tongues of snakes are venomous and flap about in matters to detect foul. Discern whether or not you will internalize (give power and meaning) the words of others. God warned us that there is power in the tongue. Overstand. We can curse others (knowingly or unknowingly) with our words. Not to say all criticism is unfounded or unwarranted. Sometimes the truth hurts. On the contrary, the devil is a liar and you'll recognize it as such because his words are empty. Anytime someone tells you that you are stupid, useless, good for nothing, or professes you to be anything that is outside of your character -- realize that you are being cursed. Do not bow to the lashes of a careless tongue, or internalize words. If so you are giving their curse(s) power and authority in your life. Over the course of several years, someone dear has professed me to be everything from a liar to thoughtless, and thrice professed negative karma over my life for the sake of my actual and perceived short-comings. It is painful and offensive to be confronted with condemnation and judgement. Yet, afterwards I forced myself to push past the emotion and examine -- not the words -- but myself and then the messenger. Ironically, before this incident I asked God to restore sight and reveal to me what is hidden. Yet before He granted my request, my heart had to be in the right place. It doesn't come easy. Taking that good, long, hard look at the man in the mirror but we all fall short. No one under the sun nor moon is perfect and divine. Therefore, if we are to see, we must be willing to recognize our own "inner demons" first: 

By the the power of the almighty God, our Savior Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit, I rebuke Satan and your influence over my life and the lives of those I love. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. In the name of Yahweh, and his son Christ our Savior, Ase.

Last night, I asked God for forgiveness and truth, Yeshua for guidance and protection, and the Holy Trinity to remove any curses or deceptive influences blocking my sight, light, and hindering me from receiving the lesson. Undoubtedly, I recognized shortcomings within myself, aspects and areas of my life I need to work on. Likewise, for some time I buried my head in the sand and ignored or dismissed lessons God put right in front of my face. I was afraid and had no desire to see beyond the surface of people and situations, including myself. There I was stagnant on my path, because I put off polishing up my act: mind, body, and spirit. Ironically, while trying to avoid demonic influence, my unwillingness to embrace truth made me susceptible to attack. At the end of day, the collective stress and strife we experience within ourselves or with others --  is in one way or another -- the result of spiritual warfare. Personally, there is a particular demonic presence I've struggled with on more than one occasion throughout my life: Jezebel/Beelzebub. When dealing with a man or woman covered by this spirit, you will find yourself in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" relationship or situation. I first encountered this spirit as a child, then later recognized and rebuked it from upon myself during a period of depression in my mid-twenties, and now I find it has shown back up in my life in another form while I wasn't looking (third eye blind). I am far from my potential as a light worker; right now I'm just grateful for God's grace and mercy...allowing me to recognize who [and what] I'm dealing with...be it upon myself or others. Although, mortals are behind the veil (temple) -- as spirits ourselves -- we are not immune to the immortal desires and influences of those in the astral plane (which grows thinner and thinner by the day).  If we remain honest with ourselves, the reality of this realm (above) and our current situations (below); God will reveal to us that which is hidden (in between), and protect and empower you against all manner of curses, negativity, and deception.

Plausible Perspectives: Adask's Law on Dark Matter

Literally just finished reading the blog post (below) written by profound writer and self-proclaimed watchmen, Alfred Adask.  His take on "dark matter" is an interesting hypothesis to say the least...

The Longest Standing Problem in Astro-Physics

Originally posted on Adask's law:

Dark Matter
[courtesy Yahoo Images]

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. He’s intelligent, humorous, likable and a little bit smug.  So far as I know, he’s an atheist.  Therefore, he’s troubled by a particularly difficult and long-standing problem:  “dark matter“.

Gravity is presumed to be a consequence or characteristic of all matter.  Every gram of matter results in a fixed and knowable amount of gravity.  Scientists have measured the total amount of both gravity and matter in the universe and found a problem. The total amount of gravity appears to be about 25 times greater than the perceivable quantity of mass and energy should produce.

Scientists have been aware of this discrepancy since the 1930s but unable to offer a “scientific” (Godless) explanation.  Scientists (who often doubt the existence of God…

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