standing on the cliff

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and
their splendor.
"All this I will give you," he said,
"if you will bow down and worship me."
Matthew 4:8-9

I believe that at certain times we are led to the cliff where we must decide who we are and what we are willing to do. For some, the cliff is a pivotal moment where we either live up to our potential or give into our base desires. For others, it is an opportunity that we seize or we shy away from because of doubt and fear. Sometimes what we see over the cliff is what we truly want, but other times the cliff only shows a seemingly easier path that our soul knows is wrong.

I've been on the cliff quite a few times -- sometimes I've fallen over into regret and sometimes I've been true to myself. But lately, I have found myself at that point frequently and now I am wavering. Wavering because of uncertainty. Wavering because I cannot look over the cliff and then back down the mountain and see a right and wrong path.

I now look back down the mountain and see only mistakes. The straight path is lost to me and I fear that I cannot find it again. The cliff is inviting because the lowlands are shrouded in fog and I cannot see the troubles that I've encountered before. Uncertainty has become attractive.

I never knew why some psalms ended with a certain word and still I do not know the precise meaning of the word. But it seems appropriate at this moment. Selah.

the divine measure

First, let me say that I'm not Jewish. Still, the thought of any man (or council of humans), finding me or you acceptable unto God (or a religion) troubles me greatly.

JERUSALEM -- Raised without religion in Maryland, Shannon sought to make a new life for herself as a Jew in Israel.

In a rigorous conversion process, she studied religious law for a year, took a Hebrew name and changed her wardrobe to long skirts and sleeves as dictated by Orthodox Jewish custom.

Finally, a panel of rabbis pronounced her Jewish.

But five years later, she and some 40,000 like her have suddenly had their conversions annulled by Israel's Rabbinical High Court. The court says the rabbi who heads a government authority set up to oversee conversions is too liberal in approving them.
Full article on washingtonpost.com

If you consider "religion" a club, then a person's commitment can certainly be judged by humans. But if you believe religion to be the spiritual relationship between a person and God, then men don't have anything to say about it. It matters not if the person meets our definition or criteria for a Jew (or Christian)... only God can accept or reject them from His fold.

6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6: 6-9

sugar baby mama

Here's a simple question. Should a teenage girl who's about 6 months pregnant go trick-or-treating in a short dress (really a tee-shirt) that says "sugar babies"? (The question is not rhetorical... she came to my house tonight!)

We (at least some of us) decide!

MSNBC has a nice widget and since I'm a geek...

Vote for God

I've posed this question on a number of forums and it is met with complete, unadulterated silence. Post about Obama's economic plan and you'll get a flood of responses. Mention Sarah Palin's latest outfit and again a storm of replies. But suggest "God for president" and you may get two or three sheepish replies and neither will seriously address the post.

Here's the suggestion in a nutshell:

...start a movement to write in GOD (of Abraham) for president.
All Christians and Jews should support it and since the majority
of both the Democrats and Republicans claim to be Christian or
Jewish, GOD should win easily. Even Muslims should be on-board
since Allah is a reference to the same GOD recognized by Abraham.
Both major candidates are men of faith so they should certainly
be willing to step aside for GOD. And if GOD won, we could finally,
truthfully say we are one nation under GOD with liberty and
justice FOR ALL. And if GOD loses, we can finally stop the
pretense of being a righteous nation but keep doing things as we
always have. It's a win-win situation.

Think about it for a moment. According to adherents.com, the US is nearly 77% Christian. Add in Jews and Muslim/Islamics and the percentage grows to nearly 80%. So GOD should carry the popular vote in a landslide.

The after-effects of GOD's 'win' shouldn't worry anyone of faith (and certainly cause some folks to find faith quickly). But a frightening question to consider is what would happen if GOD lost?