Building Blocks of Thought

I want to write something basic.
Something small, nothing profound or large.
Just something like:
I think Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda
and it seems to be getting
more popular
among others too.
or,
I enjoyed my time watching
the Broncos game with my friend Brad today.
or,
I saw two white doves fly
above my car
as I was driving with my friend Chris
a few weeks ago,
or,
I like Naked juice.

Even these things seem forced
and the fact that I have to say that
makes the statements
lose their intent.

I like the smell of wet woodchips
after a rain
or soaked cedar
even dried,
but I can't stand
the smell of a paper mill.

I like pressing the edge
of exposed pages
of a book
against my lips.
Or pressing an open book
against my face
to smell,
to feel.

I like massaging
the gap between
my forefinger
and middle finger
with my thumb
or something soft
and smooth.

I stopped for a beetle to cross my path.

And I can't help but think deeply
about these things I've said,
it's in my nature
and my nature
has a head.

Woops, That's Your Horse...Let me Get Down.

As I continue my time at school and as I continue my consumption of knowledge, my knowledge in the Spirit has brought up these verses, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him." (1 Corinthian 8:1-3) These verses have popped up before in my life. The depths of them I have yet to know completely, but the thing that convicted me was the first part.

One of my classes at school is Philosophy of Art and the class straight up captivates me. I love it. However, in my gathering of new knowledge I can't help but notice the fact that I sometimes like to parade it around like a scepter. This is arrogance. And when I become arrogant I lose sight of others and focus on my understanding and knowledge above everyone else's, thus disobeying the commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," and even the greatest, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your might." I've made knowledge an idol, which is why I think Paul says,--right before "Knowledge makes arrogant..."--"Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge." I don't completely understand this statement, but I'm sure it has to do with the fact of making knowledge an idol.

So, in my pursuit to be who God has made me to be in His image I must keep in mind that above everything else He asks of me I must first seek Love. I'm not saying knowledge is bad. No, what I'm saying is that what you do with knowledge can be. First is love, then knowledge for those who need edification in education. I consider the intellectual part of my be, a gift and when I began to idolize the gift instead of the Giver, the gift no longer has the same meaning. I am no longer grateful because I took away the reason of the gift: Love.

May I love you first, in faith, in hope, in humility, and in truth. May these things be pleasing in the sight of God and may you glorify Him on behalf of our King, Christ Jesus.

Love,
fletcher

Because I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

This is an excerpt--a quote--from The Gay Science by Frederick Nietzsche. It's known as the "God is dead" statement. It captivated me when I heard it from Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias in a lecture called "Deliver Us From Evil" from The Veritas Forum at bethinking.org. Listen to this:

Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: "I am looking for God! I am looking for God!"
As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances.

"Where has God gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him - you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us - for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto."

Here the madman fell silent and again regarded his listeners; and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern to the ground, and it broke and went out. "I have come too early," he said then; "my time has not come yet. The tremendous event is still on its way, still travelling - it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds require time even after they are done, before they can be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the distant stars - and yet they have done it themselves."

It has been further related that on that same day the madman entered divers churches and there sang a requiem. Led out and quietened, he is said to have retorted each time: "what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchres of God?"

Chew on that for a bit. Find its relations to culture and the world. "Secularization."

Love,
Fletcher.

Service.

Not sure what to write, really, but feel I should update myself on recent activity.

Service. Yes, service. Applying my faith. "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead..." and, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." Now, if I did this according to works of the law in order to be justified, I'd toil for nothing. First came the faith, then came the works. For I am moved to work through the Spirit in Christ by faith. If I work, but do not believe, then what will my work obtain for me? Will my work justify me? No! I am justified because I believe God. So I work for God in faith, not to be justified, but to grow, for "A generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered." And If I say I believe, but do not listen, nor do I trust who I listen to, and do not abide by my proclamation, then am I saved?

This is my recent development. I'm trying to start paying a little better attention to His word. To hear and do. To take commandment. To take direction. To go towards the light. Pray I'm lead to Him, for Him, with Him, by Him, in Him, through Him, in thanks to Him.

That's it for now. I'll let James, Paul and Solomon's words sink in a bit.

=--}->

The above brought to you by God. (James 2:17, 18; Romans 4; Proverbs 11:25)

Some Things Just Need to End.

If I told you the truth,
would it ring true?
Or would it ring something
wrong within you?
When I say what's happened
And I say what's been
Will you observe
without prior judgment?
If I told you a story,
of a boy and his mistakes
Would you love the character
Or would he leave a bad taste?

One chilly night, high in the night
a boy named Fletcher
dipped his heart in to lies.
As he sat before a fire
he began to shake.
He felt a chill blowing at him
as he drank and drank.
He saw a devil blowing cold air
"Guilty"
he whispered with his sock puppet
With angel hair.
Fletcher crouched and shook,
Cold, he looked
like the weight of his sins
had collapsed on him again.
So he searched for protection,
he searched for warmth.
The fire before him
was not warming his heart.
"My faithfulness is your shield
and your bulwark"
he heard in his mind.
He was being loved despite this time in his life.
Fletcher knew he tripped
and stumbled again,
but this didn't stop him
from being loved with sin.
With a devil like Jack Frost
pulling him with a string
Fletcher remembered
that Love conquers everything.
So he clung to the words
that his Father gave,
stood up straight and
smiled, "I am saved."

Though I let myself
take the bait
I am not defeated
nor will I accept this fate.
For God is true
and He is kind,
Yes, He is love
and love does not die.

On The Steed Towards The Horizon

So, I'm back in school as of August 31st. Some thoughts that have found me quite pleased in this new adventure have arrived in faith in Christ through His Spirit...thanks to Dad.
It has only recently--within this last week--been reminded to me as to who I am. Simply, an image of God...in His likeness. For he made man in His image, according to His likeness. As an artist this truly struck me. After only a small (I admit) amount of study in aesthetics, I already get a--vague--sense of my calling, my life, my love, and most importantly a sense about God and our holy, sacred, eternal relationship in Christ.
To put it simply (again), I am a piece of artwork (...and sometimes a piece of work) by, for, of, in, through, and to God. I am His expression and His creation. He is the True Artist of the universe. Now that I see this, ever-so-lightly, I can begin to see myself through His eyes as an Artist. I can relate with Him on a very different, fresh, but familiar level; one I never looked too closely at before. There is little I can say to begin describing how this looks and what it feels like...mainly because I don't really get it myself. It's just a light gesture drawing of the master-piece being created/completed.
Art is the ultimate expression of who I am. I write music, write poetry, write thoughts, draw, paint, and make symbols in order to show what and how I feel and who I am. Sometimes I use them to figure myself out and to observe my patterns. I look at a tree, or a human being, or a relationship between a cat and her owner, or a car, or a sunset, or a fire, or any other thing, big and/or small and I see the expression of God. I see everything as an expression, a special messenger--a directional arrow--of God. I think mankind is the deepest one out of all of them. He is God's ultimate expression and I love being myself like Him in that way: to--literally--draw out His word and to point them back to Him like an arrow; to embrace myself as a representation, an expression, an arrow...and add fletching to me through my art, so to give myself flight back to Him. That's why, I believe, I'm identified as Fletcher in name. For my name is also my title. I am an arrow maker of, for, through, in and like God to represent who He is. I pursue to be and expression of who He is; to be a part of His artwork. Yes, to understand what it's like to be the work of an artist; to take joy in the fact that I'm a part of God expressing Himself. Not to be Him, but to be His expression. There's more room to be me that way.
You see, He gave you a gift. This gift is a treasure that keeps getting bigger. This gift is for many reasons and one is to understand and know God better. Another...to love yourself as He loves you so that you may love others as yourself. Yes, he gave you something that you know, that you love, that you experience day after day that reflects the Giver. Sometimes you can't even see it, it's so obvious. Sometimes it takes seeking. Sometimes you already know. Anyhow, this is His image, get to know Him in it.
What is God's image of you according to His likeness?

Hint: It has to do with your heart.

MORE TO COME!!!*

Love,
Your Friendly Neighborhood,
ArrowMaker

*God willing.

The Road To Come

1) Recently, I've been meditating on this verse "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!"

2) I found this entry in one of my computer journals during this morning's sleepless night. I was shocked to read what I read. I had forgotten about what it had said and how I interpreted it.

3) The last blog post is relevant.

4) I'm not lying.

3.14.09

I’ll start off this entry by saying that I’m nervous about entering it. You see, I deleted my vast volume of dreams a while ago with the intent of letting go of a presumption about God and myself in order to get closer to Him. Simply: I read into things too much and dreams happen to be one of these things. With my proud and idolatry manor of reading into things, I seek for myself and not God. So, saying these things I’d like to pray, God, that You forgive me for writing this down if it isn’t going to glorify you. I hope that this dream isn’t bad and that it’s only to help You and me and our relationship.

Amen.

THE DREAM:

In the dream I was with my mom (I think) and I was outside near an area where we could sit. There was an average looking elderly man with his wife. He was wearing a maroon shirt and had a little bit of a belly. He had glasses. His complexion was darker and he and his wife were talking to each other. I was near, so I happened to be listening with interest. He was a jolly happy man and his wife was a jolly happy woman. She wore glasses too. He was talking with her and I remember him say, “eternal.” We some how were introduced. I got up and felt moved to hug him; to just hug him. I grabbed him and held him for a bit, but it turned around and he began holding me and praying for me. I can’t remember what he said, but he suddenly began praying for me as if he needed to. I felt a very wise, comforting, and loving feeling from this man. He was very…down to earth. While he was praying I started crying and after he was done I fell to my knees and couldn’t stop crying. It wasn’t happiness, but rather sorrow. It wasn’t dread or dismay, but just…feeling emotional about the prayer. He put his hand on me and I continued to cry. I remember seeing a whole group of people around me, surrounding me looking at me. I was on one knee and couldn’t get up, nor did I want to. I look around with the feeling that they were witnessing what I never understood, but what they all did and it brought me to my knees.

THE INTERPRETATION:

I was with my comfort, my shelter, my protection and guidance near my indecision where I would sit and idle about the road to come. There was a wise, spiritually powerful man wearing courage, bravery, heroism and strength. He was in a marriage relationship that was happy, light-hearted, true and real. They laughed, joked, conversed, and discussed about things. They both could see clearly, though the wife needed help seeing all the time, the man didn’t…only some of the time. Some things he didn’t need help seeing. He spoke of things eternal to her and together they talked about it. I got up from my idling and indecision and began to love and care for him. He in return began loving me and nurturing me. He called on higher help to help me let go of my worries. He represented how I perceive my wisdom and spiritual power. His relationship with his wife is how I wish I could have relationships with my discord and unresolved issues…in humor, happiness, laughter, discussion, conversion. It’s what I lack or what I think is missing. While he was calling on higher help I began healing in humility. I was emotional and sensitive and close to both him and a part of myself. Then various aspects of my character and personality began merging. I was open to this influence and to others and was humble and didn’t want to not be. I looked around with the feeling that my character, personality, and others were witnessing what I never understood, and it humbled me...it healed me.