On Antichrist

[A]ntichrist will be rich--a trillionaire--he'll be wise, and he'll call himself son of Jesus, and he'll be raised from the dead, to accomplish his deception. And he'll be a powerful sorcerer, using what's holy to deceive the saints, like Simon Magus wanted to. And he'll oppose the Gospel everywhere, making himself to be King.

Theseus

He goes upon and slays the thieves.
He beats the minotaur in combat.
He finds you, a maiden, and makes love to you.
You do not know, for you have fallen in love.
My eyes have turned dark by despair
And he has taken your ball of yarn
And has used it to defeat a creature.
You are with children, and bound to the law.
Where was my portion in this life?
My eyes are dulled by despair
And my mind warped by the sin of Theseus;
For he did this to me, and I saw you with him.
And there you are, with him,
And he beds you, and at night leaves
To go rape Helen, and then he marries 
Phaedra who falls in love with your son.
And Hippolytus flees to live with the nymphs.
I know my heart, my dove.
It is not his, though he try to steal it.
This is my present thought
That Theseus has stolen my Ariadne--
Thus, as Paul says, Jerusalem that is above,
She is our mother, and that Hagar,
She is Jerusalem below, bound to the Law
Which is the law of taking the spoil.

I Am Not Beautiful, but You Are So

I am not beautiful, but you are so.
I can be more comely than ten thousand.
Your face, is more precious to me than all.
I am weak and feeble… lost without you.
I await you, and see you everywhere.
There is your beautiful face, there, right there
With one more beautiful than I am now.
Do you see now that I am not comely?
But I can be; for you I soon will be.
Do not leave me lonely, my doe, my dove.
I am fat, and globulus, and weak. See?
I am wicked, and insincere, and dumb.
I see no good in me, truly I don’t.
A man is greater than me, ten thousand.
Yet, I cannot even call myself wise.
I have no money, no comeliness. Naught.
Know now, I wait on you, Jerusalem;
I wait on you, for your milk and honey.
Spiced, like a cedar, is your scent. Await
Upon me, and come looking for me. Know.
I am not desirable. I am
Not comely. There is nothing in me to
Want, or desire. Yet, if you come I
Shall make you happy by becoming fair.
For if you meet me, and court me it shall
Be a miracle wrought by God and no
Other. For there’s nothing to desire
In me, not even a good heart. I wish
To know you, and be happy, and my eyes
Shall lighten, for they are now dark by hope
Deferred. I am not beautiful. I am
Not rich. I am not well stationed in life.
Come swiftly and look for me. I will wait.

What is a slow, and seemingly stale poem
When read over and over and over,
Gives hints of deeper meanings, and insights
And what is flat upon a first reading
Deepens in breadth to oceans.
You do not know it, until you do,
What poetry is.
Not upon a first or fourth reading
But a whole hour on one thought.
It teaches us a skill worthy of a saint...
To listen.

Anagram Poem

Just as I am
Emanuel,—I Thy
Servant,—cause me to
Understand all You have.
Save me LORD, Thine Anointed.

Cool waters are awaiting me, which live in
Heaven above, our mother.
Redeem me, LORD, from the enemy
In Thy good name;
Save me, LORD, and by Love,
Thoroughly wash me from all mine iniquity.

My New Favorite Verse: For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:5-6

Philosophical Musing

Success is a crapshoot. So, if you have fortune, accept it, know it isn’t guaranteed, even by hard work or effort. You could be a Grandmaster, and live in penury, and be an amateur and a rich man.

So, if you have food, if you have shelter, and you have good friends, this is what life consists of. Don’t go looking for fortune, for as many as find fortune, there are one hundred men who cannot. Though seeking it day and night, they will never attain, and it would be better for them to work their measly day’s bread, than seek it.

If we desire fortunes beyond our scope, or to get rich, it can happen, but only with much effort, and tireless work. From morning until evening, work, and when the sun goes down, eat your heavenly bread, given to you by God. Yet, even then, there are men who work to the bone, and cannot attain riches enough for a square meal.

Therefore, understand this fact. Do not shirk work, or try to get rich through small efforts. The effort must be great, and the expectation small. For, a good meal, with spices, a loyal wife and your children of youth, and drink in your cup whenever you desire it… sweet drinks whenever you wish, and the cane sugar and the salt, and the spices, and daily meat… with wisdom and with charity... there is no better life than this. Do not seek beyond it.

Therefore, gather what you have before building the house, and do not enjoy the fruits of labor, until the task is done. And if your labor is wisdom and knowledge! Oh, what vexation! For the peoples do not love it, therefore you may be poor, or you may be rich. Keep to the task and know there is an end to all wisdom. When you have found it, you ought to look at the day laborer, and see there is a rich inheritance given by fathers, to work and have strong body, and be fed by the produce of the ground.

Plans (In Reference to a Man Who Acquired Great Property with 14 Trades, Starting with a Paperclip)

Plans succeed and fail. Another guy left a multi million dollar business, and voluntarily became homeless and filmed himself trying to do this same thing, and failed utterly. Truth is, be thankful for your fortune, because billions of other people have far less, and you shouldn’t presume to confuse what was merely chance with skill. And someone who has the skills might be held down by forces much larger than them, too. It’s all a crapshoot, skill or no skill. You realize that, you learn contentment, which is the greatest gift of all.

The Sword in Christianity

“So that it may be fulfilled, that I was surrounded by transgressors.” And then Peter said, “We have two swords,” and Christ said, “It’s enough.” And when Peter used it, Christ said, “If I willed it, I could command twelve legions of angels to come to my defense.” And when Peter struck the man’s ear off, Jesus healed him.

I don’t think that’s what that means, is that we need to go around like the wild West, initiating combat with people. The point being, the Apostles were sinners, and were called while being themselves chief transgressors. It was a testament for our salvation, that Christ was called to the transgressor, and those who’ve sinned, not to the self righteous. It’s not a call to sin. That’s a bad interpretation. Christ does not say that we’re allowed to sin, nor does He want unlawful combat. He also says, “If you slay with the sword, you must die by the sword. If you lead into captivity, you must be led into captivity.” Christ is clear, we’re not to kill with the sword. Rather, those who He surrounded Himself with, were all sinners, thieves, robbers, liars and scoundrels. Those are who he called, to be made righteous, and repent, and to cleave to Him.

Life’s Not a Game

 Life's not a game. So many people are forced to lose in this life, it's not even fair. {}. Like, you think about it, this is why there's Law. Because any thief, murderer or corrupt person could force you into a loss. And also why there's grace, because everyone makes bad moves in life. So, really, the judgment of God determines really what the outcome of man is. But, if there's no justice, there can be no peace, as those who have power, can ultimately stifle everyone who doesn't, by rigging the rules of the game. This is why the Bible's so brilliant, in that it's God's law, and that gives everyone a perfectly balanced Law, that destroys the corrupt and evil doer, and saves those whom God chooses. And considering that we're all wicked evildoers, God gives us power to call upon Him, and thereby be saved from this unfair life.