Drugs and Real Life

I was walking along the beach today and I was thinking about how sad it is that many of the youth of today are turning to drugs and so I decided to post this true story about why I have never used drugs and never will. John Hagee, minister has a saying, "There's no high like the Most High God," and he is right. Even though things are not perfect in my life and I don't expect them to be cause even Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. My life is so much better now that I have Him in it. And don't believe the lie about marijuana, it is a drug and unfortunately in some places they are using it for "medicinal" purposes which gives a mixed message to people. It is ok to be yourself and not under the influence of anything. I do not drink, smoke or do drugs. So when people tell you everyone does it, they don't. Let this be a witness to someone today. And if it helps even one person, it was worth it. God Bless You...
I do not use drugs; I never have and I never will. When I was younger, I saw a family member being carried from the house, after a convulsion due to drug interaction between two medications used to treat her kidney disease/transplant. As my father carried her out of the house, we kids thought she was dead. She was as stiff as a board and I will never forget that image, indented in my mind. She had to take drugs to stay alive and as I grew up, I could never understand why people take drugs recreationally. I sometimes found myself among groups of people who would gather at someone’s house and, not to my knowledge at the time; they were involved in drug use. This happens when you go places with your friends and end up in another place you would rather not be. Even though you are innocent, you are now among people who are not. I also lost a friend at the age of thirty-five from brain cancer. He taught me how to play the guitar. The song that I picked up quickly was, “A Horse With No Name.” Kind of ironic now as I remember the lyrics, “On the first part of the journey, I was looking for the light…” Unfortunately, he used marijuana in Vietnam and continued on using it throughout his short life. He said that it relaxed him. Him and his roommate partook. They never did it in front of me. He knew my position on it and that I thought it was stupid. He didn’t wish for me to know about the cancer, but his friends told me that he had less than a year to live. He died less than three months later. He finished out his days in the hospital on a morphine drip because the pain was so bad and he did not even know that I was there. I visited him in the hospital and it is a sad thing to watch someone die an agonizing death, especially my friend Alan. The Bible says, “Bad company corrupts good character.” Choose your friends wisely. Keep your standards high and do not settle for crumbs. Your will never regret it. Kids, say NO to drugs. Schools, brings on the DARE program, it works. (Dedicated to my friend, the late Alan Turner of Eliot, Maine, rest in peace.)

This Is Just To Say

I have eaten the last slice of pumpkin pie you left on the shelf for which you might have desired with your Thanksgiving leftovers forgive me for my indulgence I savored every bite and I must say it was so good Note: This poem was inspired by William Carlos William's poem, "This Is Just To Say."

Literary Criticism, "Sorrow" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Thus begins my venture into Literary Criticism, one of my favorite classes in college. I have always enjoyed doing a close reading of the text. My first love is the study of the Bible. Herein lies the first of what I hope will be many more. Sorrow by Edna St. Vincent Millay Sorrow like a ceaseless rain Beats upon my heart. People twist and scream in pain,— Dawn will find them still again; This has neither wax nor wane, Neither stop nor start. People dress and go to town; I sit in my chair. All my thoughts are slow and brown: Standing up or sitting down Little matters, or what gown Or what shoes I wear. A close reading of the text reveals that the poem, "Sorrow" is a very sad and tragic one. Sadness is the emotion on display. And it is tragic in that the sadness only gets deeper. The reader gets a vivid sense of darkness and gloom, "a ceaseless rain." And the writer tells us that life is passing her by and she does not care, to her it is only, "slow and brown." That is the way sorrow is. There is a sense of numbness to reality. Nothing touches her soul. For her, there is no dawn (one which brings the light) but only the others who "scream in pain" are afforded it. And even this does not matter to her. I do suspect if Edna read the poem to herself time and time again, the tears would come and sorrow for that moment at least, would be done.(Edna St. Vincent Millay is related to me through my paternal grandfather Alton Orion Pease's side of the family).

Literary Criticism, "Jesus, The Wine, And The First Miracle"

“Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it” (Mark 15:23). People try to infer that Jesus drank wine. When his mother says to him at a wedding at Cana in Galilee that they need wine, Jesus replies, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come” (John 2:4). Jesus uses this reference to “time” to mean when he would go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. And then he performs the first miracle of turning water into wine. The reason that he says to the bridegroom, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now" (John 2:10) is because wine is a sacred symbol for the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The reader is not told what was in the “cup” when Jesus and His disciples were gathered around the table for the last supper. The Bible says, “Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." (Matthew 26:27-29). When we take communion we remember the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross when he died for our sins. All the more reason to keep it sacred and for its purpose. To drink wine casually takes away the meaning for which Jesus intended it: to be in remembrance of Him and the sacrifice he paid when he died on the cross. If one drinks wine anytime and then receives it at church during communion it loses its sacredness. Like the pretty white linens that grace the church altar on Sunday would not be used on a dinner table at the parsonage when the preacher and his wife have guests, they are special, set aside for the church sanctuary. In the same way, wine is symbolic of Bible times and needs to be kept in a special cupboard until it is time to partake in communion with Jesus, just like He did with His disciples 2,000 years ago. What Jesus touches is sacred, even water being turned into wine. Note: The Lord revealed to me these things that are written in this essay. It is not intended to offend anyone, but with the intent to honor Jesus Christ.

Literary Criticism, "Jesus Walks On The Water" The Holy Bible

"When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading” (John 6:16-21 New International Version). The disciples had rowed out 3-3 ½ miles in the dark, in rough waters and strong winds. The scripture tells us that Jesus brought them in immediately. Only Jesus can calm the waters and rescue us, even at many miles of separation. Are you in rough waters? Jesus is there to help you, immediately. A close reading of the text reveals that they went out in the evening when it is dark. And Jesus was not with them yet. Jesus was testing their faith. They had rowed 3-3 ½ miles which is exhausting at best. It was dark when they saw Jesus approaching the boat. Jesus is the light. His light always shines, even in the darkness. The disciples were terrified, even though they knew it was Jesus. He had to reassure them. He had to give them a word., “It is I.” The spoken word is powerful. When God spoke, he created all things. Why do we always have to be reassured before we trust Jesus to pilot our boat? Jesus's own disciples’ faith was being tested. They needed to learn to take Jesus at his word. Jesus was teaching them to trust Him. And as soon as they did, he brought them in. There is no distance, no miles of separation when you are in Jesus's hands. Won’t you place your trust in him today? He’ll bring you safely to shore.

Literary Criticism "Black Sam and Uncle Felix, characters in a text/real life"

During a Literature class, our professor assigned a novel to study involving a poor white farmer/gold-digger named Ty Ty Walden and his two African American sharecroppers that he owned, Black Sam and Uncle Felix. While Ty Ty and his family lived in the farmhouse, Black Sam and Uncle Felix lived in the barn. Ty Ty had gold fever and was always digging holes. He had promised a portion of land as a tithe to God but the problem was that he would dig there. He was always shifting the land around that was supposed to be his tithe to God. Ty Ty made other promises to, that he did not keep, one of them was to feed Black Sam and Uncle Felix, but the days grew longer and as it turns out, he had food to eat, they had none. They were hard workers and grew hungrier and hungrier everyday, so hungry that their ribs were showing. One day Black Sam could not take it any longer, he was determined to kill one of Ty Ty's two mules and eat it. Ty Ty got word of it and said he would "run their a...ragged." Ty Ty sat in his farmhouse eating to his heart's content and never once asked Black Sam and Uncle Felix to share food at his table in the farmhouse. They were starving and he never offered any food, not even a slice of bread. Ty Ty had two sons, Buck and Shaw, they were lazy but got to eat with their pa. Buck would feel bad for Black Sam and Uncle Felix and tell his pa how hungry they were but Ty Ty did not care. So, on occasion Buck would sneak food from the table and take it out to them. Ty Ty had food to offer to his sharecroppers, he knew they were starving, but withheld it from them. He stole what they could have had by keeping it for himself. Now, imagine this is real life as it exists in the 21st century, people are dying from lack of food. Who do you know that may be hungry, that you could help today? Will you search your heart and do what you can? When you offer bread to someone in need, you honor God.

Literary Criticism "Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden"

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Gen 2:18). But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. The LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man” (2:21-22). It is clear from the scripture that the man came first, not the woman. God also made the serpent that tempted Eve, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden” (3:1)? The devil is a master manipulator. He goes to Eve in the garden and puts a question in her mind. “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (3:2). Then he lies to her, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” (3:4). The ultimate deception is when he entices her with what would happen if she did eat of it, that [he knew] but neither Adam or Eve did. “For God doth know that in the day ye eat of it thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (3:5).God doesn’t tell this to Adam, he tells him only that he will “surely die.” God doesn’t give Adam all of the information. Perhaps he’s testing Adam’s faithfulness. But the devil knows the plan and he is sure to try and thwart it cause the devil doesn’t go to Adam he goes to Eve though God had commanded Adam her husband who should be leading his wife. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (3:6). Eve shouldn’t have looked at it. How many times do we entice ourselves with things we shouldn’t even look at? Then she not only sins but entices her husband to sin. Eve listened to the devil when he told her that the apple would make her wise, then she entertained that thought and took it a step further and gazed at it and when she did she saw that it was good for food. He had her over a barrel. Then she ate of it. She did what she knew was wrong. She allowed herself to be tempted. "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (3:7). They now know that they are naked so they cover themselves up, literally and figuratively, because they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves and they tried to cover up their sin. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (3:8). Adam and Eve heard God but didn’t see God in the “cool of the day” which would be dawn or dusk. He says, “Where art thou,” (3:9) even though God already knows where they were; he created them and put them in the garden. God always knows where we are. “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? God had not told them that they were naked. “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shoudnest not eat?” (3:10-11). Then God says, “What is this that though hast done. (3:13). Eve blamed the snake and in turn Adam blamed Eve. No one took responsibility for their part. The snake was cursed by God because he tricked Eve. “Your descendants and his descendants will be enemies” (3:15). Adam was not a good husband and Eve was not a good wife. God already knew about the goings on and so God puts clothes on them after the fall. It was a perfect world until sin entered it. We are born sinners because of what Adam and Eve did. Adam faltered when spoken to by God. God had not clothed them so Adam was caught red handed in his sin. God knew that Adam could see in order to know he was naked. People try to outsmart God but He is our Creator and he knows all things. We must always revere Him and we must always obey Him.
Note:
And because of their sin we are born sinners and we need a Savior. His name is Jesus Christ. He paid the “sin debt” by dying on a cross for all sinners and was resurrected from the grave on the third day. All part of God’s divine plan for mankind. This is the Easter message. There is hope because of what Jesus did for us. No one is beyond His mercy and grace. Won’t you place your trust in Him today? Bow the knee and pray to Jesus. He is alive. And you can have a new life in Him. He will give you the living water that wells up to eternal life. And His well never runs dry.