I talked to a man a few years ago who was born in the US but raised in Mexico, because he said, his father did not want him to grow up among a warlike people.
I have thought about that periodically wondering if it could be true, and so below, I quote Spencer Woolley Kimball:
We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel -- ships, planes, missiles, fortifications -- and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan's counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior's teaching:
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:44-45).
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Monkey Traps
I read some years ago about a group of men who had gone to the jungles to capture monkeys. They tried a number of different things to catch the monkeys, including nets, but finding that the nets could injure such small creatures, they finally came upon an ingenious solution. They built a large number of small boxes, and in the top of each they bored a hole just large enough for a monkey to get his hand into. They then set these boxes out under the trees and in each one they put a nut that the monkeys were particularly fond of.
When the men left, the monkeys began to come down from the trees and examine the boxes. Finding that there were nuts to be had, they reached into the boxes to get them. But when a monkey would try to withdraw his hand with the nut, he could not get his hand out of the box because his little fist, with the nut inside, was now too large.
At about this time, the men would come out of the underbrush and converge on the monkeys. And here is the curious thing: When the monkeys saw the men coming, they would shriek and scramble about with the thought of escaping; but as easy as it would have been, they would not let go of the nut so that they could withdraw their hands from the boxes and thus escape. The men captured them easily.
And so it often seems to be with people, having such a firm grasp on things of the world -- that which is telestial -- that no amount of urging and no degree of emergency can persuade them to let go in favor of that which is celestial. Satan gets them in his grip easily. If we insist on spending all our time and resources building up for ourselves a worldly kingdom, that is exactly what we will inherit.
In spite of our delight in defining ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a sophistication that no people in the past ever had -- in spite of these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people -- a condition repugnant to the Lord.
--Spencer Woolley Kimball
When the men left, the monkeys began to come down from the trees and examine the boxes. Finding that there were nuts to be had, they reached into the boxes to get them. But when a monkey would try to withdraw his hand with the nut, he could not get his hand out of the box because his little fist, with the nut inside, was now too large.
At about this time, the men would come out of the underbrush and converge on the monkeys. And here is the curious thing: When the monkeys saw the men coming, they would shriek and scramble about with the thought of escaping; but as easy as it would have been, they would not let go of the nut so that they could withdraw their hands from the boxes and thus escape. The men captured them easily.
And so it often seems to be with people, having such a firm grasp on things of the world -- that which is telestial -- that no amount of urging and no degree of emergency can persuade them to let go in favor of that which is celestial. Satan gets them in his grip easily. If we insist on spending all our time and resources building up for ourselves a worldly kingdom, that is exactly what we will inherit.
In spite of our delight in defining ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a sophistication that no people in the past ever had -- in spite of these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people -- a condition repugnant to the Lord.
--Spencer Woolley Kimball
Monday, July 18, 2011
mending
This life of ours
These wasted hours
The time we've spent
And how it went;
Everything's done--
Oblivion.
The battle lost
Our hearts the cost.
Take heart dear son
Life's just begun
There's time to spend
to make amends--
The battle's won
By God's own Son.
His hand's extended
Reach out too
He knows your heart
He waits for you.
These wasted hours
The time we've spent
And how it went;
Everything's done--
Oblivion.
The battle lost
Our hearts the cost.
Take heart dear son
Life's just begun
There's time to spend
to make amends--
The battle's won
By God's own Son.
His hand's extended
Reach out too
He knows your heart
He waits for you.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Hmm
Can't sleep, counting sheep. One A M Here I am.
Where are you? Wide eyed too?
One more time
Sleep's sublime. . . .
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
G'night
Where are you? Wide eyed too?
One more time
Sleep's sublime. . . .
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
G'night
Friday, July 8, 2011
First time
I'm scared. I'm excited.
I feel like I'm going to throw
up. This is what I've dreamed about since
I was a little girl playing with dolls, but I'm not a little
girl anymore. And this won't be a doll. I'm going to be a mom.
A real mom. I am growing a baby inside me. If this didn't happen every
day, I'd think it's a science fiction movie--a tiny alien. My friends have
had babies but you just don't know
how bizarrely cool it is until
it happens to you. Will he look like me? Will he look like his dad? Both?
How can something so close be so far away: I know him,
but I don't know anything about him. I can hear the heartbeat. His kicks
practically lift me off the ground! But is everything all right? I mean is he
developing all right? Is everything okay?
I can't wait to see him. I hope he looks like me. Or his dad. If he's healthy, I'm good
either way.
I hope I didn't jinx something by talking about this!
From a March of Dimes ad. Do you remember the first time? The eighth time isn't much different.
The anticipation, the hope, the worry.
The love.
I love all my sweet babies out there. The worry never ends!
I feel like I'm going to throw
up. This is what I've dreamed about since
I was a little girl playing with dolls, but I'm not a little
girl anymore. And this won't be a doll. I'm going to be a mom.
A real mom. I am growing a baby inside me. If this didn't happen every
day, I'd think it's a science fiction movie--a tiny alien. My friends have
had babies but you just don't know
how bizarrely cool it is until
it happens to you. Will he look like me? Will he look like his dad? Both?
How can something so close be so far away: I know him,
but I don't know anything about him. I can hear the heartbeat. His kicks
practically lift me off the ground! But is everything all right? I mean is he
developing all right? Is everything okay?
I can't wait to see him. I hope he looks like me. Or his dad. If he's healthy, I'm good
either way.
I hope I didn't jinx something by talking about this!
From a March of Dimes ad. Do you remember the first time? The eighth time isn't much different.
The anticipation, the hope, the worry.
The love.
I love all my sweet babies out there. The worry never ends!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wars and rumors of force without war
From a very interesting military manual written in the late 1980's:
"In the last four decades since World War II the Unites States has participated in more wars, caused more casualties, and lavished more money on war and arms than in its entire history up until then. Between 1945 and 1975 was a period during which some 120 wars were recorded globally. The United States participated directly in 27 wars and indirectly in 36 other wars. Even now, out of the 40 odd current (1988) wars raging over the Third World, the United States is involved in over one quarter of them. If one was to judge its involvement on the basis of its arms supply, then involvement is even greater. For instance, out of the 41 countries at war today the United States is the major supplier of arms to 21, and the not-so-major supplier to 18 others.
In all from 1972 to 1981, relative years of American innocence, its military assistance to countries engaged in war was $51 billion. . . The United States has ready at literally any moment's notice forces for projection into any corner of the globe to coordinate and direct its forces for war. It has parcelled out the globe into regional, unified military commands, an arrangement to which no other country has resorted. . . .
At present it has nearly half a million armed personnel abroad in some 333 military installations in some forty countries. In addition some 241 thousand men straddle the globe afloat in U.S. navies ready for war. . . . In addition to fighting wars which according to one estimate, added up to more than 100 years of American wars since 1945 the United States has used its armed forces to interfere in Third World countries on over 260 occasions through acts of invasion, threats of invasion, blockades, demonstrations of military force, surveillance of sovereign states and other similar acts of war euphemistically labeled as 'coercive diplomacy' or 'force without war.'"
This was written nearly 25 years ago when we were just getting warmed up, and when $51 billion really meant something.
Libya is today's example of "force without war."
The tab in Afghanistan is moving toward half a trillion dollars.
Not to mention Iraq.
or Pakistan.
No one in power can afford to bring it to an end.
From another and more instructive manual, Matthew 26:52, "He who takes up the sword shall perish by the sword."
"In the last four decades since World War II the Unites States has participated in more wars, caused more casualties, and lavished more money on war and arms than in its entire history up until then. Between 1945 and 1975 was a period during which some 120 wars were recorded globally. The United States participated directly in 27 wars and indirectly in 36 other wars. Even now, out of the 40 odd current (1988) wars raging over the Third World, the United States is involved in over one quarter of them. If one was to judge its involvement on the basis of its arms supply, then involvement is even greater. For instance, out of the 41 countries at war today the United States is the major supplier of arms to 21, and the not-so-major supplier to 18 others.
In all from 1972 to 1981, relative years of American innocence, its military assistance to countries engaged in war was $51 billion. . . The United States has ready at literally any moment's notice forces for projection into any corner of the globe to coordinate and direct its forces for war. It has parcelled out the globe into regional, unified military commands, an arrangement to which no other country has resorted. . . .
At present it has nearly half a million armed personnel abroad in some 333 military installations in some forty countries. In addition some 241 thousand men straddle the globe afloat in U.S. navies ready for war. . . . In addition to fighting wars which according to one estimate, added up to more than 100 years of American wars since 1945 the United States has used its armed forces to interfere in Third World countries on over 260 occasions through acts of invasion, threats of invasion, blockades, demonstrations of military force, surveillance of sovereign states and other similar acts of war euphemistically labeled as 'coercive diplomacy' or 'force without war.'"
This was written nearly 25 years ago when we were just getting warmed up, and when $51 billion really meant something.
Libya is today's example of "force without war."
The tab in Afghanistan is moving toward half a trillion dollars.
Not to mention Iraq.
or Pakistan.
No one in power can afford to bring it to an end.
From another and more instructive manual, Matthew 26:52, "He who takes up the sword shall perish by the sword."
Suffer the children
Our second president, John Adams, said, "Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak, and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all His laws."
We knew a guy who fits that description. He was a Nazi Colonel in WWII and a medical doctor. He relocated to Mexico where he opened an orphanage, studied exotic plants, collected beetles, and lived in comfort with his wife and 8 children for nearly 50 years. He probably planned to live out his life in Mexico, doing his good works. But, he was deported finally after a trial in which he admitted to molesting numerous orphan boys in his care over a period of many years.
His response? He said that he had helped those boys. He said he was more intelligent than most people--He had needs that the rest of us simply could not understand. They weren't Germans after all, just indians. . . .
When he was given the opportunity to leave the country his wife of 60 some years chose not to accompany him.
Remember the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, but in all things hath forbidden it from the beginning of man.
Power always thinks it has a great soul. Our Nazi acquaintance is dead now. Buried in Costa Rica.
He can make his case to a higher court.
We knew a guy who fits that description. He was a Nazi Colonel in WWII and a medical doctor. He relocated to Mexico where he opened an orphanage, studied exotic plants, collected beetles, and lived in comfort with his wife and 8 children for nearly 50 years. He probably planned to live out his life in Mexico, doing his good works. But, he was deported finally after a trial in which he admitted to molesting numerous orphan boys in his care over a period of many years.
His response? He said that he had helped those boys. He said he was more intelligent than most people--He had needs that the rest of us simply could not understand. They weren't Germans after all, just indians. . . .
When he was given the opportunity to leave the country his wife of 60 some years chose not to accompany him.
Remember the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, but in all things hath forbidden it from the beginning of man.
Power always thinks it has a great soul. Our Nazi acquaintance is dead now. Buried in Costa Rica.
He can make his case to a higher court.
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