Consider a piece of wood taken from a tree. When you cut it and carve it, there are several ways that you can go. The wood has a natural pattern that is called the grain. It is a template put there by nature to allow for a smooth flow in the contour of the wood. When you cut against the grain, then you might find it more difficult to work with. In life, there are patterns and grains that we can follow. When we cut across them, it often leads to difficulty as it does with working a piece of wood.

There is a battle raging that often goes unseen. It is between the forces of heaven and hell, with lost souls as the causalities. The battle is not for everyone, but when God does give a call. He calls for a solider to fight and to give their all. The battle is not won by the swift or the strong. That is not what Gods wants in a solider at all. He seeks out someone who will be humble but have strength. He wants those who have conviction and will not easily become faint. He demands the up most loyalty and sometimes you may think you are fighting alone. In this you must be patient, because the greater plan cannot always be seen. God ask just do your part and leave the rest to him. Once you have fought your fight, you will see how the battle was won. Not by acts of savagery, with a sword or a gun. The fight was taken to the enemy by showing compassion and love, for the battle is the lords to fight from his heavenly throne above. With legions of angel armies at his beckon call, sometimes God simply needs a Christian solider, to come and answer the call.

Take a pencil and paper and sit down in a quiet place. Now make a list of all of the extraordinary things that have happened in your life. Document each one carefully then do a search online. See what the probability of each occurring individually would be then put them together and quantify that. List them by the good and bad, then figure in the things you have done for good or ill. Once you have the numbers with and without your actions ask yourself, is it all coincidence or are the numbers too improbable to be anything but divine action. Then decide for yourself, what do I believe?

Don't hate me for who I am. Sometimes we are just made a certain way. Don't judge me for how I live, my choices will lead me to their own end. If I displease you, then we can agree to disagree. If I fall down then please offer to help me up. I am not perfect yet, but I am trying to get there. Until I make it to the place I am meant to be, please just accept me for who I am .

I blame others for my failures. I make excuses for my pointless anger. I cannot accept that I must own my mistakes. I am never wrong and no one else can be right. I have much work to do on me, I get that. I am my own worst enemy. Some of my misery is of my own making, I am a victim of myself.

Give mercy that I can help another. Show me kindness so I can show my brother. Grant me peace that I can share. Please oh Lord show me how you care.

A woman falls and spills her purse, I keep walking by. Someone wrecks their car, I just drive on. A flood washes away a small town that I see on T.V., I just change the channel. I am like a warm blanket if indifference, I am apathy.

The walls glisten adorned with silk at the great gates are opened wide. The precession of many warriors is dazzling to see as they parade in their colored armor. The music of the many instruments fills the air with jubilation as the forbidden city of the middle kingdom celebrates the coming of a new year. The sun smiles down on dancers who mimic a ancient dragon as they prance and jump about. The fire  works pop and shoot into the air as the players do their part. The celebration goes on until the setting of the sun, when lighted candles rise in paper balloons to the heavens and small ships float down a river to watch the spectacle from afar.  All are happy and hoping for good fortune as the new year comes in.

Around a sharp curve on a urban highway there are red splotches and streaks. What to some appears to be random marks are a testimony to the lack of care some people take. At high speeds and under the influence of various things, unsuspecting souls have left their mark on the high stone wall that supports an overpass. One by one they have left graffiti on the wall that was stained with the blood of the unsuspecting souls who did not heed the warnings and took the curve way too fast.

The world is made out of different colors of people. All of us are born equal. We are born naked, hungry and cold. Beyond that we must struggle for what we get. Some likeneed not try as hard as others, yet life is still a struggle. If we were to stand side by side and look at each other, we would see only superficial differences. In truth, the color of humanity crosses borders and ideological lines. We must embrace the rainbow of different people in order to live  as the human race in peace and prosperity for all.

Oh ****** tree that is reviled and stands alone among the sinner. Oh wretched plank upon which the perfect Lamb was slain. If you only knew the burden that you bore, you would crack and splinter asunder. Upon your rough limbs was hung the most precious of all things. The blood that covers you was for cleansing and sins burden was placed upon the shoulders of the man who was hung upon you. So now is the moment, when the blood and water flowed from the side of the innocent that you bore up. So now let you oh ****** tree, become an emblem of forgiveness and victory for the hour of atonement has come.

Oh youthful brow that bears the golden crown. She sits upon her throne of stone. Looking out on her kingdom across vast fields. She rules her subjects with generosity. The Honey Bee and the Daffodil reside in her kingdom among her army of other subjects. The golden Dandelion so regal sits as her proud army. She sees those who have aged into white puffs of fuzz and she promptly frees them from their stem. Stomping lightly between the golden flowers, she sends her children to the wind. On a warm summer day, the lively queen, with her golden crown and woven locks of hair. She is loved by all of her kingdom, even if only until the wind comes around and finishes dispatching her subjects away.

Peering through a looking glass awaiting the stars and planets to come into focus. Sitting under the pail blue moon watching for a sign. Tracking the movement of Venus with Jupiter ascending. Looking for the perfect set of conditions. In a moment the time has come, to plead to the heavens and make my petition known. Under the celestial alignment that best focuses the powers to do the most good.

My life is not what it should have been. I am not where I thought I would be. The things I longed for have not been mine and often seem out of my reach. I have tried to follow a program, but often I deviate from the plan. What others think is for me, I often find too constricting. I have lived for the moment and planned for tomorrow. In both counts, things don't always work out. I have tried to live on a path, but I sometimes just sit down and wait. Not knowing why I am doing what I am or where I should go next. Now at a crossroads, I must again pick a direction. Again another confusing decision on a time line that I just can't seem to stay with.

In heels that click as I walk, and legs that are firm and long. In a dress that is cut up to my well tanned thighs. I prowl looking for my next lover, perhaps you will catch my eye. My breast heave out of my top, just enough to give you a taste of what you might enjoy, if you play your cards right. My lips are painted just right, not too dark or not too bright. Unless I change my mood, then you will know what is on my mind. If they are bright red, then I am passionate, if they are dark black then I am showing my bad side. You know you want to feel my nails across your back as you look into my deep blue eyes. If you beg enough, I just might let you inside. I am a woman with many layers, I can be a blond or a redhead if you like. I will make you feel like a man, or break the little boy hide inside inside. So when you think you are chasing me, you will be in for a surprise. By the time you realize that I am hunting you, my trap will be sprung and you will be mine.

I can't believe that it really happened. I can't believe you didn't close the door behind you. I am still in shock and disbelief! After all of the words said between us, this is how it ends. I am sitting here in the middle of the floor, my tears flowing as I stare at the open door. The door that you went through and took my heart with you when you said we were done.

If there were no America, freedom would not ring. If it was never born, there would be no from sea to shining sea. If there were no America, the world would be ruled by despots and monarchies. If there were no America, millions would have died in vain. If there were no America, oppression would be the law of the land. If there were no America, things would be really bad. All of the freedoms that millions of people hold dear, would have never been imagined, if America were not here. So to those who hate the idea of the land of the free and the home of the brave, live one year in another place and see what they crave. While there are many other lands, there is not nor will there ever be, a place like America, where people are truly free.

I saw the people standing around me and I heard the angry cries. I felt the cold rain falling down onto my face. I could barley stand because my legs were so weak. I had been beaten beyond any mans ability to stand. The screams and howls could not be distinguished. I only knew that I was at my end. A solider brought me forward then another man stood beside me. I saw the fear that he had. The crowd cheered for him and booed at me. I knew that my fate was sealed. I tried to scream as the put the thorns on my head and the blood ran down my face. I heard the taunts and felt the weight of the beam that I carried as I stumbled along. As I approached a lonely and barren hill, the screaming crowds seem to be filled with laughter. I looked through blood filled eyes and I could see ghostly images jeering at me. I felt the weight of the crossed beams becoming more than I could bear, then another person stood along beside me. He picked up the weight of my load and helped me along, until they laid me down on the cross. I felt each nail as it was driven through my hands and then I looked up at the heavens and tried to scream out why. As I was lifted into the air I felt the full weight of the guilt and shame that was all around me. I tried to free myself, but it was to little avail. I cried out but no one would hear me. Then in the distance I saw someone drawing near, a figure dressed all in white. As he came to me, I felt the pain being lifted and I swapped places with this man. Then I was standing at a distance and I saw him clear as day, he was on the cross where I had been. I then shot straight up out of my sleep and realized that I had seen what they had done to him. I fell to my knees with my heart breaking into a thousand pieces, I cried until the breaking of the dawn. Then when sleep again finally found me, the man met me in a distant and beautiful garden. I fell at his feet and asked why did this happen. He picked me up and simply said to me. You was what you should receive, but what I took on for you. I have forgiven all of your sins and now your free. I awoke with a new understanding of what should happen, the day I was crucified on that tree.

Forget all that you have held dear and take a big long drink. Have a devil may care attitude and don't worry about what others think. Tear down your moral values and let it all go. Revel in the devils play ground. Don't worry about how you will pay the bill. You can keep pushing it down the road. Have yourself a ball, each and every day. Party until you can't remember why you went astray. In the end we all are going to die anyway. So don't worry about tomorrow, just live for today. Consequences are for goody two shoes and those who fret too much. You are beyond all of that, so go ahead and light one up. Take some friends along, they can help you party until the end. C'mon don't be shy, why don't you  just sin?

Howling winds push dark sail towards unsuspecting shores! A pail moon shines through dark foreboding clouds. The silence is broken only by the sound of the waves crashing against harden hulls filled with hardened men. Iron is sharpened and steel glistens in the faint light. Dogs howl and the mid-night watchman has weary eyes. Then in a torrent of violence, the barbarians rise up from the darkened rocky shores. Tearing past the watchman as he is cut down by an arrow quick and sure. Into the keep of the unsuspecting, by morning light widows and orphans abound. As quickly as a dark mist they cut through the hobbles of the unsuspecting and hauled away the gold, the silver and the fair maidens. Leaving old widows and young children weeping and in terror that they might return. The quick knife of sure death has plunged itself into the hope of many who did think themselves safe. Now they have withdrawn waiting on the dark seas beneath the howling wind until they strike again.

I lock away my emotions and avoid things that cause me to become enraged. I stay away from the bottle and the pills. I hold fast to my friends for they are the lifeline that keeps me sane. I cannot loose control no matter how good it would feel. I fight this battle daily, the urges are sometimes strong. The stress of emotional turmoil makes me want to drown myself in a chemical bath that will **** my senses, but I must remain strong. The animal is in it's cage for now, but I am not for sure how long, I can contain the force of my addiction, before the beast within wins out.

I want to be who I am and not what you want me to be. I want to live without someone else always judging me. I want to be in love and not with who you think I should. I want to live how it pleases me and not how you want me to. I want to make my own mistakes not the ones you made. I want to find my own self and not have someone plan my life for me. So for good or bad, let me live my life and make the choices that suit me. I want to know what living really mean, I just want to be.

When the tides of live overflow, I shall rise above the fray. When the storms of life shall churn the deep, I will hold steadfast to my course. When the rivers shall run deep and over flow their banks, I will be calm among the rising tide. I shall wait upon the lord and shall be lifted up over the ebb and flow of troubled waters and I shall walk by his side on the waters and through the turmoil of life's seas.

If we all were of the same mind and we all spoke as one. If we all looked the same, then creativity might be lost. If there were no needs and everybody was well, then what might not be discovered? There are some that think this would be a utopia, but it would be better to accept each others differences and build on understanding that for all of us to be the same. What a boring world that would be.

I am an unfinished vessel, I am still in the fire of the furnace waiting to meet the forge. I am a piece of wood that sits in the carpenters shop, waiting to be shaped into something useful. I am all these things that must wait with patients for the masters hand to find me and make me what I will become .

Respect is not given it is earned. Actions speak louder than words. Giving instead of seeking to get marks true character. Letting others praise you instead of boasting on yourself is a sign of greatness. Offering to help when and where you can builds others confidence in you. Lifting another person up instead of putting them down shows the measure of who you are. All of these things are part of earning respect.

Behold a single sapling growing in the edge of an open field. The off spring of a great oak, one of many. The Acorns are scattered by Squirrels and the wind and slowly over time the ones that survive take root. In 50 years, which is a small length of human time, the saplings have turned into mighty trees. A grove has been established and some of them are cut down to become lumber for a home. The trees that remain weep for the loss of their siblings, but on a clearing not so far away, they see what they have become. A house that holds a family and children's laughter, hopes and dreams. So one tree with a purpose grew others which in time had a purpose of their own.

Buildings burn and cities crumble, starvation is rampant and the oppressors of freedom have won. All of good conscience have withdrawn leaving them to rule the heap. At last they have total freedom to do what ever they want. There is no law and order or is there? The chaos gives rise to in fighting and a struggle for what is left. The strong prey on the weak. At last a barbaric order is established and the cycle begins. From the ashes of anarchy and chaos, someone takes charge. What they will call themselves, who can really say. So anarchy is in truth an illusion and the corrupted former things give way to a repeat of what has already been.

In the lack of compassion and mercy, anger and hate is manifest. Hate is the opposite of love. There are many seeds that can be planted to cause hate. Ignorance, apathy and indifference are some of the greatest. When these things take root, hate is the fruit they bear. Hate will take many forms. Some are more subtle than others, but all put us on a destructive path. Until we know what hate is, we cannot fight it. Only when we learn to recognize hate, can we uproot the seed from which it springs forth and replace it with something else.

An ugly plant grew up among my spring blossoms and I thought to pull it up. Then I looked at it and wonder what it could be. So I waited a little while and let it grow a bit, then I took a picture of to see what I could find. It did not have blossoms nor did it smell really great, but to my surprise it was actually useful, so I let grow to full size. Then I plucked up and made into a tea. Though it wasn't pleasant to look at, it was quite delicious you see. So the next time you see something growing and your not sure what it is. Do a little research, you might be surprised to find, that what you thought was of no consequence, might just very useful indeed.

When we have fallen and can't seem to get back up. Perhaps kneeling is where we need to be. Despite our feelings that we have really messed up, there is still grace for you and me. God does not close his door to those who truly seek him. We are human and many mistakes we will make. We are the ones who deny him and refuse to accept his gifts, of forgiveness and redemption. So when we walk away from God, he weeps for our troubled soul. Though we might be miles away, his grace does not end.

When we look in the mirror at the beginning of the day, we are looking at the unvarnished version of ourselves. At this moment we are forced to reckon with our truest existence. From this moment on, we are creating a facade to fool ourselves and others. If we were to admit the truth even to ourselves, then we would be forced to live with our imperfections. While many of us know what they are, we do not want to face them. In the end, they are the parts we want to keep hidden. To address them would make us feel that we are losing a part of ourselves and are taking away from time we could be doing something else. So in this, we lie to ourselves so that we cannot be forced to live with what we really are.

I went to go somewhere and my car tire went flat. I cursed and was angered because I knew I would be late. I arrived where I was going, then someone asked me haven't you heard, there was a terrible accident on the way I would have normally gone. My alarm clock didn't work and I couldn't find my keys. I arrived at my job after work started and I thought oh great I'm behind. Everyone was already busy and I was left behind. Then my boss came walk through and said please come with me. I thought I was done for, but in reality, the misfortune that had made me late, actually made me on time. I was asked to help a client and a new promotions was mine. Life is full of things we think are misfortunes, but that is not always bad. Sometimes divine providence resets our course, even when we don't see it that way. So it makes you wonder, when misfortune might be a good thing.

Pierce the heart of all that you believe, open your mind to what is beyond your sight and reason. Cut the tethers that hold your sanity together and let your spirit embrace the unseen and the unknown. Take up the staff of doubt and break it into. Accept that there is more than you can physically know. Be guided by forces that you cannot see. See within and learn from places that you have not been. Take the splintered wood of your doubts and drive it as a steak through your perceived reality. Open yourself up to the unknown.

Woven of strips of wood, and set on a table somewhere. A simple item that was made with such love and care. To some it seems a simple thing, but oh the stories it could tell. How it held flowers for a sick loved one and help that person get well. It once carried home made bread, on a lovers picnic. It was filled with colored eggs one Easter as it was filled to the brim with the excitement that went with finding them. The plain and rather ordinary basket, has been many times to a garden, where it was used to pick fresh vegetables to carry to someone in need. It has been a play pen for kittens and a place to keep pencils and pens. Such a simple thing a woven basket, oh how useful it has been .

You think that you got away with no pain. You believe that I am the only one who will cry. Though my heart is broken now, it is you who will some realize that you are wrong. For too long you took me for granite, now I will not be there to hold you up. It was my emotional support that strengthened you. You may think your new freedom is all you will ever need, but when you stumble and fall, I promise you will think of me. So revel in your small victory and the wounds that you inflicted on me. When you realize what you have lost, it will be too late and my hurt will be healing while yours is just getting started. I will then know my emotional freedom, while your world falls apart.

I want to take a journey, I want to take a trip. I want to discover everything that makes you tick. I want to run my hands over every line and curve. I want to find out how to make you purr. I want to find each place that makes you wiggle and twitch. I want to feel the heat of your flesh pressed against mine. Oh please let me know your mine. I want to feel our arms and legs entwined. I want to hear one heart beat and make you lose your mind. Let me become your lover, come join me on this trip. Let me know your body, from your toes to your finger tips.

Running down the highway at 100 plus, leaving a trail of burnt asphalt and smoke is just not enough. Jumping off of a mountain top, plummeting towards the earth, popping the chute and feeling the ****. Racing a power boat down a river and out to sea. There is not much left for me. My drug of choice is something I need. It can't be bought, because I am addicted to speed.

Take me in the throws of passion, release my deepest desires. Hold me so tight that I cannot breathe. Find new ways to put me into rapture. Break down all of my inhibitions and show me what passion really means. Deliver me to the plains of unconsciousness, the revive me and take me there again. Force me to submit to you and to surrender to your will. Test my limits for pain and pleasure, deny me both until I am nearly insane with lust, then only release me when you make me scream your name.

I was looking through old things one day, when I found a faded envelope. I was plain and non-descript. I looked at the address and it just said to a friend, so I opened it to see what it said. While the envelope was worn and faded, the letter was crisp and new. The paper was colored gold and it had a royal emblem on the page. The words of the letter were beautifully written in the most unusual hue, the ink was the color of Scarlet. It said dear friend, I am glad you have found this note. I was wondering when you would open it, I have been waiting for so long. I want to tell you how glad I am you are reading it now. I know that you have been lost, but I want you to know that you are now found. All of your confusion will be forgotten and all of the answers you seek will become clear. All you have to do is ask and I will draw near. I was stunned by what I read and I began to shed a tear, then I read the final line and my heart broke apart. It said just know that I died for you and I loved you from the start. Your friend Jesus. I knew then that I was not alone and that I would never be the same. The day I read the letter written in Scarlet blood, that was shed by the king of kings.

You plant a seed in the ground or a story in the media. You water the seed and you blog about the news story. You fertilize the seed and you do the same with the news media. If you are lucky then both will grow. The stark difference is that unlike a political story, the flower will smell so much better and be worth looking at.

Oh caring soul that flows as gentle as a quiet brook. Oh giver of light and mercy. How kind is your touch and you endearing way. Your grace gives hope at your mere coming, you are a gift in of yourself.

Remove the gospel from the schools and tear down the crosses from the public cathedral's. Change the law to make the bible hate speech and shut the churches down. The blood of Calvary still flows from the cross. The forgiveness of God has not been lost. Try as the world might, this is a fight they cannot win. For all power in heaven and earth was given to Gods perfect lamb.

I look beyond the veil of the mortal plain. I look into the darkness where spirits reign. I see the tumultuous churning of emotions wreaking havoc on the world of the living. I step beyond myself and wander between worlds.  I see flashes of lightning but hear no sound. I feel the universe quake and see heavenly bodies shaken. The balances of cosmic harmony have been tipped to far in one direction. I begin to shiver as a cloud of chaos surrounds me. Then in a flash, a force of spiritual energy shoves me backwards into my own place. I awaken shaken to my core. The disharmony is simply with in my own self and I am at the center of a spiritual storm.

God has a golden chariot that glows with his divine light. It comes down to reclaim the forsaken and the abused. When little children are lost because of the wickedness done by others, he sends his chariot to carry their souls home. The wonder of the divine light cannot be seen with human eyes, but it has come more than once. It took away Elijah and was seen by Ezekiel, so it is spoken of and it must be true. Because God so loves little children, what else would he do.

When we go to war, no one ever wins. Each side has losses and must accept them. Those who do survive, may not come home whole. Some bear physical wounds and other have wounds that we cannot see. Despite all of our efforts, sometimes we must fight. Perhaps a day will come when we can talk out our differences, oh what a great day that will be.

Cutting wood and sanding  it smooth. Cutting the holes and fitting it together. Each piece must be precise and give just a little. Staining the outside and inside of the box and putting on a glossy coat of varnish. Fitting the padding into the box and making sure the lid closes just right. All of the steps necessary to build a coffin for my friend who used drugs too much.

Buildings set still like barren mountains in a dry wasteland. Impoverished people wander through the ***** streets like a nomad in a foreign desert. The skyline in the distance is filled with bright lights, similar to the stars that fill a clear desert sky. The decay and death of a neighborhood has a similar feel to a dying forest. The tall light poles look like barren petrified trees and the drainage ditches resemble dried up rivers. Empty beer cans resemble long forgotten fossils. The picture of blight is the same, the desert just goes by a different name. It is surrounded by a prosperous city instead of mountains and rivers that would flow around a desert place.

The rivers run yellow with poison and the government does not care. The air if filled with pollutants and the trees cannot breathe. All of the toxins are drawn up and collected in the clouds, then fall down on us again. Now are lakes are polluted and our fish are dying and we can't seem to find someone to blame. How much more destruction must we endure, before someone will save the rain.

There once was a man who was called to war. He had never served in an earthly army. He was a man of a simple trade. Born a carpenter and raised to work with his hands. He stood for a short time to fight for his fellow man. Then one day, the mortal battle was lost. They captured him and nailed him to a cross. On the tree between two criminals he gave up his last courageous breath. He forgave the enemy, even at his death. Then a miraculous thing happened after the lay him in the grave. On the 3rd day he arose from solider to commander our mortal souls to save. He is now crowned the captain of the armies of the heavenly host. He will come again in power and glory filled with the holy ghost. Who is this simple solider you might want ask, why it is Jesus of course, the first and the last.