wrath of a nation

So, judging from the dates of my fellow authors they have been waiting for quite some time for my contribution to our little experiment. For that, I apologize.

This entry will vary in some ways to my others in that I lack the concentration needed - and health at the moment to be around for long this evening.

Wrath.

I have not had anything to say on this topic which is why nothing has been written. Even now, I fear my interpretation will be on a road that you will not say is one of wrath - but it as close as I know.

Today I had a man sit before me and pour out his heart. He showed me a card that gave him tax free status as a disabled veteran in the state of Oklahoma. It all began by us discussing the benefit - than led to how he obtained it in the first place. This day several years ago triggered the PTSD that had been lurking since his time in Vietnam. He told me story after story. I listened. As we finished I stopped him from just leaving and thanked him for his service and sacrifice. His eyes searched mine, as though he were dreaming - - - perhaps he heard me wrong - but no. He knew what he heard was true and as our eyes teared up together he shook my hand and walked away.

And I remembered the man last month who told me he had only been told "thank you" three times since Vietnam.

And the man who cried on my shoulder at the VFW fearing his daughter would return to the same fate as he: the wrath of a nation.

I can't help but think of the deliberate choices that were made toward our American Service men and women as they have returned from duty. There have always been those who support - - there have always been those who have not. It is easy to think of the horrible stories associated with the return of soldiers from Vietnam - -but it still occurs. I have had many a friend return from Iraq the last few years and have the term "baby-killer" thrown at them.

What causes this sort of wrath? I don't have an answer. To me, these men and women deserve all the respect and honor that one can receive. How their sacrifice can be made such an ugly thing I will never understand.

Invidia

en·vy
1. a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc.

Tafas: [talking of Britain] Is that a desert country?
T.E. Lawrence: No: a fat country. Fat people.
Tafas: You are not fat?
T.E. Lawrence: No. I'm different.

Aeryn Sun : I have always been a Peacekeeper. It's all I know, its what I am.
John Crichton : You can be more.

Some are born to move the world
To live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about
The things we'd like to be
Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee...


Every problem in this world can be traced to one of two things:

1. Usurpation of the place of God by man.
2. Selfishness.

We envy because we think we have been denied something we deserve without putting in the work necessary to get it. In other words, lazy. To put it another way, selfish. Selfishness is the foundation of our base natures. We want the world to revolve around us, to come easy to us, to bow to our will; and we don't want to pay the price. The price exacted by poor choice, or by what must be done to achieve our goals.

As a culture we have tried again and again to kill God, or at least marginalize Him. We have created a bubble of altered reality through legislative and legal fiat, acting as the small child shaking its fist at the universe, claiming it isn't there. When, in our shortsightedness we think we have banished Him, we laugh, cheer, pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves. We proceed on our merry little way, blithely disregarding the swirling storm around us, unaware of the debt which will one terrible day be called into balance.

So much is offered to us. So much that seems so little, but on closer examination is so great a treasure that we cannot fathom it. Yet, we choose to be niggardly with our dreams and focus on that which is fleeting, and even as we grasp it in our hands it disappears and we are left with nothing. We turn our eyes on ourselves, and wonder why we are so empty. We concentrate on our own desires, even to the point of cloaking them in piety, in good works, in appearances of sainthood, but in the end we are no different than the abject narcissist, save that we lack the integrity to be honest with ourselves.

All of this leaves us empty, wanting and bitter; thus the seed of envy is sown and harsh is its fruit. Rather than lifting our eyes and aspirations to higher things, we turn to ourselves and finding that lacking, we turn on others. "Things" become our aspirations, position our highest goal, and the fawning of others becomes our creed. The drive to fulfillment and happiness is strong indeed, but our thirst for these is only slaked by contentment, and contentment is a choice that only we can make, independent of circumstance.

Ira

Dies Irae

So much style without substance
So much stuff without style
It's hard to recognize the real thing
It comes along once in a while

Wrath is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as "Forceful, often vengeful anger". We indeed live in "Days of wrath". Anger has become the coin of the realm in politics and much of the public discourse. So many seem to want to own the problems, yet avoid, if not outright ignore the solutions. So often it seems its more important to feed the anger, like some sort of internal furnace to keep the heart warm, than to actually address the issue at hand. However, this is phenomena is not solely relegated to the body politic, it seems to have now spilled to the body catholic.

It doesn't matter who you are, or what, or how, you believe, it's apparently more important to simply be angry than to actually contribute anything of consequence to a stiuation. This is by no means limited to either end of the political, cultural or religious spectrum. So many rant and rave, and at the end of they day, their words are hollow and pointless. It would appear that the point of discourse is simply to rail against something or someone, and never offer any substantial alternative. When finally pinned down, those who prefer argument over discussion have no rational basis for their diatribe.

Anger is no better substitute for rightness of thought than conviction of belief is for truth.

Substituting cowarldy acts of violence or vandalism for converting minds has become the norm for so many, they think nothing of vandalizing someones vehicle if they believe that it is a detriment to their environment, rather than discussing it with the owner, and simply leaving if they fail to convert them. They feel it is more effective to simply skulk in the dark of night, and smash windows and scratch poorly spelt, tired slogans into the paint.

Once again, we seem to be losing grasp of reality.

Some of our views are spaciaous,
Some are merely spaced....

Expression of Hatred

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate, and Hate leads to suffering. - Yoda

Be angry, and do not sin.
Psalm 4:4 (NKJV)

Whenever I hear the word, "wrath," I picture God describing how He will "pour out" His wrath on whoever is deserving on that specific occasion. Wrath, in that case, is obviously not sin, and sometimes a man's wrath is not sinful depending on how the word is used.

It would figure that as I prepare to write this, I would have the concept of sinful wrath illustrated for me in my own life. I had it sort of defined for me. One thing sinful wrath is not is a product of love. I don't think it can even coexist with it. One thing I believed I've learned is that wrath I'm not capable of real wrath against someone a care a lot about. Remember that we're talking about man's wrath here, not God's.

I've also learned, much to my surprise, that I am very capable of wrath against folks I don't much care for. I think of a moment recently where a picked up an iron bar outside the building I work at and thought, "I'm gonna make you famous," as I imagined myself turning the rod on my lazy ass coworker. Now, I was being humorous, and would (probably) never physically attack someone who wasn't directly threatening me. But is was an example of wanting to pour my anger, maybe even my hatred, out on this man's unfortunate bald head.

So what's the difference between healthy anger and sinful wrath? Reasonable anger is something that occurs because of love, not outside of it. It is a reaction to perceived injustice, however slight, and seeks to be understood. Wrath is also a reaction to perceived injustice, but is void of compassion. It seeks to destroy its subject, or at least be rid of it. As is often the case, the good seeks reconciliation, the bad seeks separation.

I've come a long way in controlling my emotions in my adult life. But I find that I still must be wary of the "little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV). If I don't, I may find myself bouncing a yardstick of the skull of that lady in receiving one day.

#4 - asleep in the light

The Seven Deadly Sins


Sin #4


Sloth


...a little sleep, a little slumber.....a little folding of the hands.....

In the time that I have putting off writing this entry - all the way making jokes to my collegues about skipping it all together as an example of true sloth, I have been thinking of it only in the sense of our wordly deeds:  work, play, friends, family.  How many ways can I bail on it all?  Then last night I read two words that made it all clear:  apostolic sloth.  

As Christians we love the potluck, but hate the cooking.  We love to go to a church that is known for serving in its community, but don't show up to serve.  We say we will pray for our friends and then turn away and forget.

A friend who calls while you are crying and prays for you right then and there on the phone is a friend.  That person, at least at that moment has avoided the sloth that is most dangerous to his soul.

Those who are unbelievers see those signs of apostolic sloth even before the Christians do.  They are watching closer - to see if there is a reason to believe - to trust - to listen.  

In Keith Green's song he says "the world is sleeping in the dark, and the church just can't fight, cause it's asleep in the light.  How tragic is that?  Why shouldn't we be seeking to be what Christ is to us?  Why do we fill up our schedules with so much worldy stuff that we are too tired or too busy to give to the body of Christ?  Have we considered how shameful it would be to arrive in Heaven and for the Father to say "wake up," when all along we could have been awake, and instead be greeted with "welcome, my beloved?"

Lazy Ass

That's been me. To be honest, I'm a little ashamed of myself. When I joined the shift I'm currently on, I got caught up in this culture of doing a couple hours of work, and then it's lay-about city. Seeing how much I'm getting done now, I can't believe that I let my integrity slip like that.

For those of us in the world of the employed, sloth is exactly that, and integrity issue. By not working my full eight hours, I was stealing from my employer. And you know what, next time I wanted something from them, I still would've been pissed if I didn't get it.

Proverbs 22:13 tells us, "The lazy man says, 'There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!'" (NKJV). That's what I did. I made excuses. My basic job was done, and I was going to school full time. I had a right to take it easy. And then I'd complain when my coworkers were slacking.

Of course, I feel better now that I've straightened up a bit. I'm giving what I'm worth, and I know the jobs of those around me will be easier because of what I do. It's a relief knowing that you don't have to worry about what others are thinking about you. Now if I can just apply that attitude toward blogging...

Acedia

A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

The common perception of sloth, or laziness, is an active avoidance of that which is physically strenuous. I wonder though, how many of us make it a point to be lazy? Do we have the backbone to petulantly shake our fist at the world and say "This I will not do, no matter the need!"? Genereally, no. We lack the wherewithall to do even that. So, we blame it on others.

We lay the blame at the feet of others, of our "schedules", of a universe aligned against us and the clocks we run our lives by. We blame our jobs, the ubiquitous "Honey-Do" list, and all manner of things, but it seems we cannot take our own selves in hand and get the job done. Somehow we all seem to talk so big of "Living our lives for no man but ourselves..." but as soon as it is convenient, we foist the blame for our own shortcoming, our own faults, our own failures on someone else. So much for being the master of our own destiny eh?

It is far past time for us to stop confusing motion for action, activity for productivity and words for actions. It is time to quit using others, and more importaintly our poor choices, as excuses for not doing what we say we will. Our days are numbered, and its not a very large number. Let us not get to our own "End of days" and not have done the things of value we had said we would.

When we are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that were only immortal --
For a limited time

Avaritia

Sometimes building ivory towers
Sometimes knocking castles down
Sometimes building you a stairway --
Lock you underground
Its that old-time religion
Its the kingdom they would rule
Its the fool on television
Getting paid to play the fool
Big Money
-Rush

How do we define avarice, or the colloquial term, greed? What separates a healthy desire to improve ones lot in life and a mind bending, life distorting pursuit of wealth or possessions? Is it amounts or percentages? Portfolios and account balances? As is usually the case, the obvious answer is no, but what lies beyond the obvious?

The real cost of greed may well have nothing to do with money, power or wealth, but with loss; and not the loss experienced by the one consumed with greed. To some extent, its not even the loss experienced by those around someone consumed by greed. There is a huge collective loss
in the fulfillment of that greed.

We try to pass off sleight of hand to create a reality that is not ours to have. We charge, lease, finance, mortgage, gamble, pawn, and steal what we cannot rightly own. Upon these, our economy has been laid, slowly supplanting pride of ownership with pride of possession. Then when we can no longer make the payments, we consolidate, start all over again and another foundation stone of our economy is replaced with a playing card. This process is repeated nationwide until we are all living in a teetering house of cards, that inevitably must fall. But even so, the damage goes deeper.

Because we all seem to play make believe with reality, our judgement of value and values are clouded. When nearly anything can be within what appears to be our grasp, nothing means anything any more. While that sounds like simple wordplay at first glance, it is true. We simply objectify everyone and everything, tangible or not, and put it down on our mental balance sheets. We try to buy love with money (real or fake) or possessions which are not really ours in the first place, and thus the object of our desires is devalued.

When nothing we possess is owned, it has no value. Ask any teenager with their first car. "A car, bought and paid for, is polished. A car given is driven and wrecked." We sub-contract our lawn mowing, because we work too much to mow the yard, because the yard is so big, we don't have the time, because the mortgage is too large. It's not our yard anymore. If we don't care for it, its not ours.

All that show is for naught, because the yard in front of the house we don't own, is just like every other yard on the street, that is mowed by the same landscaper, because everyone is at work on Saturday evening.


And the children are home.

Alone, with a babysitter.

#3 - money is only paper and ink

The Seven Deadly Sins

Sin #3

Greed

This is a hard topic for me.

I am a woman who desires simplicity bordering poverty but is blessed by a nation which thrives on capitalism - so, I will address both - briefly.

Rich Mullins will forever be my modern example of...so much. He was a seemingly wealthy man. He sold millions of albums - and had for a decade. Yet, he chose to live in humble settings accepting only the average income for an American. All of his other money was given to the poor and to the church. He chose what to do with his wealth.

give me neither poverty nor riches....

I do not believe however, that this makes him a better man or less of a man. It is simply something I aspire to.

Then there are men like Bill Gates or Donald Trump, and perhaps we see those names or see them on the television and we think "greed." If a man or woman is wealthy does that make them greedy? Or does it mean they are hard workers who have had great ideas and produced great incomes for themselves? Is a company that hires thousand of Americans a greedy company, or are they simply successful? Who is the greedy one: the million-dollar corporation, or the individual who wants to see them limit production out of "fairness to smaller business?" They are simply men and women who, like Rich, choose what to do with their own wealth.

I have witnessed far more greed in the undeserving. Those looters who yap about how the big business they work for is the great evil of our time - how they should be shut down to give others a chance to succeed. Suck it up you big stinkin' crybabies. Work your ass off and let's see you make it. If you can't, maybe you will be so fortunate to be hired by one who can, but my guess is you couldn't stop sniveling long enough to make it through an interview.

Bread

There once was a king of an small dominion who took great pride in his frugality. He often boasted that unlike the rulers of neighboring kingdoms, he bought his food in person at the local market instead of hiring a royal cook.

One day he was making his rounds when he noticed something that had escaped his attention before. For years, there had been one man who'd been his favorite breadmaker, who made the most enormous loafs of bread so soft they could be used as a pillow. What the king had failed to realize until today was that this man was blind.

A sly thought crept into the king's mind. He looked around at his attendants with a grin and a wink, and placed the customary three coins in the tin sitting on the counter. However, instead of taking just the one loaf he had purchased, he quietly took a second. Then, in a moment of inspiration, he turned to the breadmaker and said, "My good man, allow me to give you an extra token of gratitude for all the years you've put good dough on my table." With that, he put another coin into the tin, dropping in from an exaggerated height to ensure it made the loudest noise possible. Speechless, the breadmaker smiled broadly and nodded in appreciation.

This deed quickly became habit for the monarch, and this habit became a new boast. At the royal table, the king would gleam over his bargain bread, anticipating the adoration of his wife, the queen, and his only son, the prince. The queen would listen and smile graciously, but the prince could see the pain in her eyes. He knew that this was not as he had been taught. The closer to manhood the prince grew, the more ill it would make him to eat the king's bread.

As things go, time marched forward, and the day came when the king passed away, and his only son, the prince, ascended to his throne. The new king continued his father's legacy of thrift, but not in his greed. One day he called upon the blind breadmaker.

"Kind sir," the new king said, "I brought you here to confess and make recompense for my father's sin toward you . . ." He told the man how his father would steal an extra loaf from him after paying for only one, and how after this his father would feign charity by dropping the extra coin. The breadmaker's face sunk as he listened, and by the time the confession was finished, he had broken into deep sobs.

Just as the ruler was ready to make a move to comfort his subject, the blind man quietly answered, "If I had known my king was in such great need, I'd have given him both loaves for free." Upon hearing this the king approached the man, put his hands on his shoulders, and pressed his cheek to the poor breadmaker's. For several minutes, the two men wept together.

"Have no worries, my good man," the king whispered. "Today, you have shown my family more generosity than we could ever repay."

#2 - I just can't get enough

The Seven Deadly Sins

Sin #2

Gluttony

I was a latchkey kid. I haven't heard the term in a decade or more, so some of you youngin's may not be familiar. Being a latchkey kid meant that from age 7 or so, I would walk home from school, remove a key from a "hiding place in our front yard" and let myself in the house. Once inside, I could not answer the door, answer the phone or watch TV. I was also very limited on what I could eat. From the time I was a toddler I was not allowed artificial colors, sugar, dyes, you name it - all in an attempt to control my "hyperactivity." In a way I was honored to be trusted with the responsibility of being left alone.

My mother was a fan of ice cream sandwiches. One day I decided to have one myself and removed it from the box, peeled off the thin paper surrounding it and took my first bite of that cool treat. I was enchanted. I was so enchanted I had another, then another, and another - until I had eaten all but one. I looked at the box - the lone sandwich lying on its side knowing mom was going to kill me when she found out. Still, I reached in and took the last one. It was as though I could not control myself. Regardless of the consequences, I was going to have what I wanted.

And I look around and I see it everywhere today. Americans deciding "to hell with it all, I'm having it my way" and eating themselves into the health care system.

We have a parent (GOD) who loves us, and wants us to be healthy- providing good things to eat and the knowledge necessary to be healthy - but also giving us the responsibility to look after ourselves. If we choose to eat the whole box of ice cream sandwiches - or super size ourselves - He won't stop us. But it isn't what is best. It isn't what is good.

If we allow ourselves to become sick as a result, we risk not being able to work.

He who does not work, does not eat.

That should motivate you.

Gula

"It is a fat nation, of fat people.."
T.E. Lawrence

I find it odd that we always seem to want an out. We want to participate in "The Exception That Proves The Rule", while still holding onto our ability to berate others for violations that are often little more than personal affronts. We seem so happy to call out others indulgences of excess, but only when we can heave ourselves away from the table, wipe the stray crumbs from our mouths, swallow the last of our drink and clear our throat.

As if the excess of calories and libations aren't enough we seem to make the worst of choices in what we consume. We graze our cupboards, looking for that morsel so satisfying, and as soon as our eyes light upon a "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bomb" we tear into it, consuming the whole thing as a starving man; which it would appear indeed we are.

We are not starving for calories or nutrition, we are starving for content. We are starving for relevance. We are starving for substance. We self-medicate with food and drink, bloating our bodies and emptying our souls. How is that different from the addict on the street or the stranger in the bar, trolling for their next fix, be it drugs, alchohol or meaningless sex? Gluttony seems to be the "Acceptable Sin" in the church. Apparently it's alright to starve our lives of meaning, but pack our bodies with worthless or excess food and drink in the name of "Fellowship", then pray for healing from our diabetes and heart disease brought on by morbid obesity.

Would that we as an Evangelical Culture would develop the same appetite for filling our hearts and souls that we have for filling our stomachs; and for once be willing to let our bodies hunger just a bit.

Remember the Sabbath

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NRSV)


Do you want to avoid the sin of gluttony? Observe the Sabbath. Stop. Think about what you are doing. No matter what the activity is, whether it is work, eating, watching TV, stop and think. Think about the purpose of the activity. Think about whether you honor God by doing it. And be thankful for the privilege of doing it. That is how one avoids the sin of gluttony.

The irony of gluttony is that it is a passive sin that is committed by activity. When God created the heavens and the Earth, He was doing what was natural to Him. To stop on the seventh day took an act of will. In the same way, when a man works, he is doing what comes naturally to him since the fall. It doesn't take any thought to work every day, especially when one's survival depends on it. To take a day off is an active choice. We are naturally gluttons for work.

The most obvious way this can be tied together is with food. It is natural for a man to eat even past the point of satisfaction. It takes an act of the will to stop and think. A choice must be made to take pause and thank the Master of the Universe for His supply. So in saying grace we are, in effect, observing a Sabbath.

Now I'm going to take a break from writing. And I pray that in doing so that I will honor God in the act of writing itself.

Luxuria - The Lust of The Flesh, the Lust of The Eye

Well, I feel
Like I have to feel
Something good all of the time
With most of life I cannot deal
But a good feeling I can feel
Even though it may not be real
And if a person, place or thing can deliver
I will quiver with delight
But will it last me for all my life
Or just one more lonely night

Lust.

The vapid desire to be constantly stimulated, to be pleasured, to be entertained, to have something to fill our eyes, ears and minds so that we do not have to come face to face with the reality around us. In order that we not spend time contemplating our lives and confronting our own shortcomings and limitations, we create an artificial bubble through social convention and "quick-fix" laws. We think we are circumventing that most distasteful of all conditions, "Hard Work" and pat ourselves on the back at our own genius. We think we have bootstrapped ourselves to a higher plane of existence through confabulation, developing a freer, more open society and wonder why we are being sucked into the abyss faster than we can legislate, condemn and ignore our way out of it.

We self medicate our way to pseudo-euphoria through alcohol, drugs, self-delusion and all manner of perversion and wonder why one day we wake up and find ourselves not worthy of even a placemark in the lives of others, having done nothing to build them up and indeed often degrading the quality of their lives by the waste of ours.

Conversely, why do we seem to at the same time, wallow in self-pity; that most cancerous of emotions? We seem to have no balance. We are unwilling to accept the fact that life does not come forth without great agony, sustenance cannot exist apart from back-breaking work and peace is not the absence of war.

Why are we deluded into thinking we must always "Feel good"? Can we not shut off "American Idol" (Whose title alone should give us great pause), and "Dancing With The Stars" long enough to listen to the voice of reason over the cacophony of madness? Can we not shut off "Wife Swap" (Are we seeing a pattern here?) and "SuperNanny" long enough to peer into our own hearts and rectify what is wrong there before we gloat over how much better than others we are?

"For the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it?"

#1 - I can't get no satisfaction

The Seven Deadly Sins

Sin #1

Lust

We all gotta die of something.

Nigel Barker; photographer, model and judge on America's Next Top Model. Nigel Barker is most likely the sexiest man I have ever seen - yes - even poor Colin would take a back seat of that bus. Nigel, sweet beautiful Nigel....my oh my..... Yummy.

Moving right along, because that is what we do - or do we?

Say we don't.

Say that all I can think about is Nigel - every thought in my day is spent thinking of him - every part of my being demands it.

Wow. Lust sucks.

And you know - I know this one well. I know most of you may not want to hear that. You have this other idea of who Keely is - but if you don't know that side - than you are seeing the side I want to be. The truth is, I have been a slave to lust on and off during my lifetime. And you know, in our American society today, I am welcome to be a slave to lust - except that we celebrate it, and say I am not a slave, rather I am liberated. Some freakin' liberation.

The crappy thing about lust is that in it you can never be satisfied. You are in a constant search and hunger to fulfill your ever increasing need. Lust can never be fulfilled - it can never be satisfied. It can only be fed, and the more it is fed, the larger the beast becomes.
And they call this liberation, and confidence - and sexy.

I would rather search and be satisfied.

Deathtrap Daisy

For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
For by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
Proverbs 6:23-26 (NKJV)

It's such a sad story. The woman in these verses was not born a seductress, nor was she meant to become one. In the same way, desire was not originally lust, nor was it ever meant to become that. God gave us this wonderful gift of sex. We've perverted it. I have to wonder what we've lost by doing that. How would we experience romantic love, even erotic love, today if it was still as God created it? Who would this woman be if her purpose hadn't been twisted somewhere along the way?

What's ironic is that we think we've pulled one over on God. We wave our fornication, our adultery, our hedonism in His face as if He's the one who has lost something. I can see this woman called Lust joining us in our derision of the Creator, not knowing that her contempt is for us as well. We have paid the price for buying into her deception. Now that we've given ourselves over to her, she's gained a part of us, a part we can never recover. Just as the young man who gives into temptation has his vision of women forever dimmed, so has humanity's idea of sexuality been permanently colored by Lust.

The answer provided in this passage, however, is not to disengage from our desire. It is to approach it with wisdom, which can be learned from God's commandments and guidance. We must acknowledge that our own vision is obscured, and that we should move forward only with the help of the One who sees rightly. It is in our despair at having become a whore that we look to Him and regain the hope of becoming His pure bride.

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Genesis

It is said that some people march to the beat of their own drummer. We are those who kick the drummer in the mouth, take his drum, and create our own beat. We are drawn together by rhythms we find at once familiar and exotic. The reader of this blog will at times hear us resonate with masterful precision and at others rage in a disturbing cacophony. Rest assured that even if we're not smiling, we're enjoying the music. We hope you will as well.

Leaving the magical world of metaphor behind, it is enough to say that we are friends. We share many values, ideas, and tastes. That said, we are as different as we are the same. Things just wouldn't be as interesting otherwise. Things wouldn't be as fun.

Our task here is to surprise and challenge each other. To that end we will agree on a topic, write on it without consulting each other, and post the results here. Readers are also encouraged to visit the individual blogs kept by the writers. Links, if not up already, will be up soon.