Happy Easter.. He IS Risen.

I posted these on Facebook earlier but felt here was the perfect place to post them... especially on today.

Remember... He IS Risen.....

And...

And Finally.. the Sum of it all..

Equality...

I have heard and listened to all the wind and fury over equality, gay marriage, and other myriad issues that all fall under the equality banner lately. And yes, I have grown sick and tired of it. Each side just spouts their view louder and louder each time while shutting their ears to the opposing side. Neither one has bothered to listen to seriously consider their opponent or even why they hold such views. I have heard each side call the other ignorant or uneducated or uncultured... either behind the times or forward thinking and on the losing side of history.

And what has it all gotten us I ask? Nowhere but further entrenched in our own trenches, it certainly hasn't gotten us any closer to a solution or a compromise.

I have tried to stay out of at least in the more public sphere of Facebook not because I am ashamed of my views nor because I am afraid to hold debate and discussion on such issues, but mainly because it will do good. It will change no minds and most participating will not listen openly and honestly to an opposing view. They will either "shout me down" or close their ears to anything I have to say.. so what's the  point really?

But while watching Lincoln and the many soliloquies and speeched on equality (albeit over slavery and the inherent worth of people regardless of skin color) I feel that my view must be clarified if only here in the blog amongst the 2 or 3 that read it.

During the movie Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln talks about equality in terms of Euclid's Axioms... specifically the one states is that if two things are equal to another thing, then they must be equal to each other. He states that it is inherent, self evident. I agree with this and apply it to the current issues.

First off... let me state my personal views. Personally, I believe that homosexuality is a sin, however nor worse or better a sin than any other such as theft, greed, lying, murder, etc. I am guilty of more than my fair share of sins and can hold no on else better or worse than myself for their sins. I also believe that God ordained marriage to be between a man and woman  only.. but that is the religious definition of marriage not a civil or legal one.

The current debates going on about gay marriage in my opinion pertain to the legal, civil, political definition not the religious. We are talking about the "state" sanctioned definition of marriage, about the legal status of marriage..which I hold to be separate from the religious or christian definition. Now that may anger or upset my fellow christians but that is how I see it, they are free and welcome to see it differently.  The Church has no business in such decisions in regard to our separation of church and state.

Let me clarify that a bit before I get all the hate mail...lol. As a Christian I feel (and wish) that all government were run per God's laws. However, that is not how our government was set up. Our government was set up so that everyone would have an equal right  and voice, and that means that those who do not believe in God (or believe in a different way than I do) have an equal right and an equal voice to mine. And this then means that there will be some unhappiness with laws and policies by and from each side. In other words... many laws will be passed that I do not like or agree with and vice versa.

I have heard the statements from my fellow Christians who oppose Gay marriage that they follow God's definition of marriage, so do I. However, they are confusing the issue... we are not talking about God's definition but the human, political one. None of the current laws or policies change God's definition of marriage, just the political one. All they change are are the standing under the law which is different than the bible or God's laws.

I have gone round about I know and meandered further and longer than I intended and yet in many instances I haven't gone far enough but that must be left for a future blog. I just wanted to get a small point out as to the way I see the issue.

While I do not support Gay marriage as many would define support, I also do not oppose it (again as many would define oppose). I see there being a political/civil/legal definition and a religious definition of marriage. They are 2 different things in today's world as much as I might wish it different. Legalizing Gay marriage just pertains to the legal definition in my opinion, not the religious one because only God can change the religious defintion, while our government can change the political-legal one as they see fit.

That is how I see it anyway.

Daydreams and Doldrums

 Today's blog is going to be a little different, it is going to be a free-for-all, stream of consciousness, random musing on wishes and daydreams. I have been in an island, Jimmy Buffett frame of mind the last week or so and that has me both daydreaming of the ideal future as well as in the doldrums of the present reality.

The present reality has me in Colorado (which I do love) awaiting 7-12 inches of snow (also which I do love in it's own way) working a part time job (12-16 hours a week at $8.16 per hour) and no great future prospects. This is where the doldrums set in... I am nowhere close to where I would ideally love to be, nor does this reality provide me with the possibility of getting there in the future.

The ideal wish/daydream would be to sell or give away everything I can't take with me and just pack the essentials (a few clothes, some treasured books, the iPad, iPhone and laptop) and make my way in whatever method available to a Caribbean Island and just stay there. Find a hut or a shack to live in, find whatever odd or small job I can (that would ideally provide me just enough to live on.. I am a simple man at heart and don't really require much outside of food and water and dry place to store my books). And then to spend the rest of whatever time God has allotted me on Earth living out that dream. I don't need a big house, I don't need a lot of possessions (although I do need my books and hopefully the iPad and laptop and thus I would need some electricity to keep them charged). I really don't need TV, while I do appreciate it and watch a lot because it is there.. I wouldn't really miss it all that much and it is certainly one of the first things I could live without.

That is just a daydream however, I have no present way to make it a possiblity. In other words I don't make enough to pay what bills I do have much less save enough up to run off to that island paradise. However, should the day arise be warned.. I am gone. All I have left in close family is my Dad (most of you are aware I lost my Mom and Brother in the last couple of years) and should something happen to him... I will make this dream a reality in whatever way I can.. I would have nothing left for me, so off I would go.

I have had many people tell me that I should at least save up for a vacation to the islands, but I know that once there I would never come back, so maybe that is something I should consider. I know we all have dreams of just running away and never looking back and that is how it usually stays.. just a dream. But I promise myself that should the opportunity arise I will jump at it.. I really have nothing else to look forward to in the future or to hold me around.

Anyway.. I just needed to get that out, thanks for putting up with me while I put it out there in the cyber world.