Thursday, February 07, 2008
TUNNEL VISON
In the last 4 months my short term memory has all but left me, correspondence with people has been misinterpreted as libelous, good intentions and support taken to be something more and my ticker (heart) is healthy as an ox. At least there is one thing the depression has not damaged. Smile all you depressed people.
I work with addicts, alcoholics and mental health patients every day at the Med Center. I fully relate with many of them. Those times when there is not hope and feeling helpless is the norm.
People tell me they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. It takes them a while to grasp they are not looking down a tunnel but into a cave. Caves are where people get lost, go down one corridor without light and cannot find their way back. Caves are damp and full of "scary" things. Things like slippery slopes, falling rocks, wild animals and. . . . BATS!
When in a state of mental health distress, common sense and rational thought are not possible, not often. It looks like a cave, feels like a cave and thus. . must be a cave.
HOWEVER . . . .
When I see the cave in front of me I work hard at focusing on Christ. You see, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, faced His darkest hour. His level of anxiety caused the sweating of blood and momentarily doubt of His heavenly Father.
Luke 22:39-44
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (NIV)
"Father, if you are willing" are words of second guessing, words of doubt. Though only for an instance, Christ truly did experience anxiety and depression. He experienced everything we do and understands us very well.
Christ was crucified and buried . . . IN A CAVE. It was dark and he descended into an even darker place . . HELL. A place where there is No God, only the gnashing of teeth and the wailing of the damned. Isolation, darkness, hopelessness and evil. The cave was Jesus' coffin.
But what happened? The seal of the tomb was broken, the cave was opened. Why? For Jesus to "escape", was the stone rolled away because Jesus couldn't do it? No, it was rolled away to let out the Light of the World, it was opened so that fear could not conquer, it was opened to prove the tomb was empty and not a frightening place to be. Christ is the light that turns all our caves into tunnels. Thus, as the old time religion song states, "I saw the light, no more darkness, no more night."
The caves we enter can be flooded with the eternal light of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ brings Holy Light.
Maybe I can convince my friend, Bill, to write a song about O Holy Light.
Right now, my struggle is real and my cave is before me. But then again, so is my Lord Jesus Christ and my way is not as dark as a moment ago.
THE EMPTY TOMB IS NOT RUMOR! 
Labels: Depression, Easter, Fear, Hope, LIght, Love.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Berkley City Council: Friends of Bin Laden
The following letter is from Debbie Lee, who I had the priveledge of meeting about a year ago at a rally. Their are two links with this blog I would like you to view, please take the time.
I have oft said I am not a pacifist pastor. I will fight and be verbal about idiocy and lunacy as demonstrated by people. Let the council members step outside the sanctuary of their liberal cave and see if they will survive without a Marine.
Letter from Debbie Lee whose son died in Operation Iraqi Freedom
To my fellow Americans:
As many of you know, I am the mother of the 1st Navy Seal who was killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I've dedicated my life to giving voice to my fallen hero, Marc Alan Lee, and all those who have served, or are currently serving, in the United States military - so that we may remain a safe and free nation. You can't begin to imagine how horrified and angered I was when I learned that the Berkeley City Council had passed three measures that attacked our troops, and called our military men and women, "uninvited" and "unwelcome intruders" in their own country.
For the past few years I had to hear from anti-war liberals about how terrible it was for our troops to be in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now the anti-military radicals have convinced an American government body to say that our troops don't belong here in America.
So I was more than committed to take action to fight back, but even I wasn't prepared for what would happen next when I watched Code Pink anti-war protestors defacing the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley, then barricading the entry and harassing those who attempted to enter. What shocked and saddened me most was to see the Berkeley Police Department officers stand there and do nothing. They said they were "trying to remain neutral." We cannot stand for this insanity any longer, my friends.
I have just returned from Iraq and have been with these amazing men and women and seen the progress they are making for our nation in the War on Terror. I cannot sit back quietly after seeing the greatness of our troops and allow them to be insulted and attacked in their own nation. They deserve so much more, and I will fight with every last breath in my body to make sure these heroes are properly honored and respected. That is why it is time for us to take action to fight back - to fight in honor of our troops, and to stand in solidarity with them at the very location where they are being insulted and defamed.
So next Tuesday, February 12th I will stand in front of the Berkeley City Council Chambers (located at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley, CA) from 5:00 AM until the City Council meets that evening at 7:00 PM. I will demand that the City Council rescind their three anti-military resolutions and issue a formal apology to all U.S. military service men and women in general, and the United States Marine Corps in particular.
I am asking you to stand with me on this day, as I would greatly welcome the company and the moral support. And I would also like to show the media and the Berkeley City Council that I am not the only one who feels this way. Last October, when Code Pink first vandalized the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley, Move America Forward organized a rally where hundreds upon hundreds of people showed up with their American flags.
But the sins against our troops are much greater this time - we can never stand for an American government body to attack our troops and call on the public not to cooperate with them. So let us have a giant turnout on this day. If you cannot join me for this all-day vigil, then please be there at least by 5:00 PM (so you can secure a seat for the 7:00 PM City Council meeting).
I will not be able to be there with these American Heroes who will be facing an enemy just as destructive as Al-Qeida or the Taliban or an IED. I can pray that God keeps everyone safe, level headed and a peaceful resoultion is found. And that those who sleep with the devil get their yellow striped a_ _es kicked.
Labels: 9/11/2001, Anti-American, Bad American, Intolerance, Sacrifice, September 11, Terroism, Tolerance
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