broken men v strong children

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" 

Frederick Douglas

after escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory Wikipedia

I saw this quote. 

It stopped me in my tracks. 

There are times I want to be broken. 

Broken to myself. 

Broken to my wife. 

Broken to my children. 

My job, my life, my world. 
broken to myself

Mr. Douglas set me straight

He tells you to forget about the broken men, they are not worth it, but to develop strong children they are worth it 

I want to be worth it. 

musical muse

i just want to move ahead
i just want to free myself -  but its a struggle
i just want to stay in bed
i just want to be myself - but its a struggle  - Scott Thomas

I eat my dinner in a city far from home. I have a drink. The bar is alive with chatter. 

Well I looked my demons in the eyes
Laid bare my chest, said
"Do your best, destroy me. You see, I've been to hell and back so many times I must admit you kinda bore me"
There's a lot of things that can kill a man
There's a lot of ways to die
Yes, and some already dead that walk beside me" - Ray LaMontagne

seeing beyond the chatter, beyond the skin and into the heart. 

....and at once I knew I was not magnificent - Justin Vernon

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  Jesus

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Jesus

Star, Star Teach Me How to Shine, Shine....'cause I don't understand these people - Glen Hansard

this world is not my home 

the ungodly

There's this verse, in the bible. 

"Christ died for the ungodly".

Who are the ungodly?

Maybe it's all of us. 

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble"

(that's another verse)

"Count others more significant than yourselves"

(yet another verse)

Let's look at others the way we want to be looked at. 

All others. Everybody. Everywhere. Always. 

just do it 

if you read what I post, I fail often, at seeing others as beautiful. 

I pick and choose who I treat better than myself. 

I fail, I do have grace. 

but I have to remember one thing......

love the ungodly

love yourself

love

love

love

love

gold vs. peace????

Met a guy today; Ben. He was a investment banker from Switzerland, yes. Switzerland. Isn't that where all the REAL banking gets done. Isn't that where the term - "Swiss bank account" comes from?

He told me, that an old Jewish man had told him, "that how he got around in desperate times was to use small,  pure, gold coins. If you have a 1/2 a kilo brick; what good is that? You need me to able to pay for things in small amounts of gold. Loaf of bread here, a crossing there". "Small pieces of gold". He said, he buys some every month.

He was visiting his son, meeting the son's girlfriend in Harrisburg. He was the Easter Bunny; with Easter gifts. He would also visit his daughter, in Happy Valley.

Gold & silver vs. wisdom and understanding.

In those dark, dark times when you trade GOLD for bread, for safety. What does wisdom give you then? What does understanding gain you? It gains you peace. That is what it gains you. Peace of life. Peace of mind.

Tough call wouldn't you say?

Nick Lowe says; "what's so funny about peace, love and understanding"

God says, "For wisdom  is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her"

doing what's right is not a tough call.  PEACE.

when you have nothing

it is the poorest of the poor that say God bless you with their signs on the street and their words

it is when you have nothing

((less is more))

that is when you thank God

in prison, with nothing

Saint Paul

found joy

found joy in God

for he had nothing

but God

and in this he found joy

"I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the sity, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, 
through many a sleepless night, 

in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." 

Saint Paul 

James III

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

With it we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. 

My brother these things ought not to be so.

From the book of James, chapter 3, the living breathing word of God known today as the bible. 


I have absolutely nothing to add to this.  

MERCY!!!!!

I am perplexed as to why people don't let the bible soak into their hearts and minds. 

I think the bible is the living and breathing word of God and it means different things to me at different times in my life, but one thing is for sure - - - it is truth and it is alive. 

Man is not truth. Don't let the men (and women) who run the churches of the world represent God to you. You need to find God on your terms and develop a relationship with Him. There are many fine churches in the world and I am not here to judge the churches and man (though I fail miserably at times) I just think many people do as the Christian does and that is to judge. We all judge. 

As the Christian judges the non-believer, the non-believer judges the Christian. And the non-church goer believer judges all, as we all do. It's sad that we put each other into so many categories. That is proof of my own judgement alone. 

This is why I urge you to read God's word. So we can all learn what the true gospel message is - - "to love one another as God loves us"

A few quick things from James- 
"be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger..."

"has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith?"

"Mercy triumphs over judgement"

As I read these words I hear truth. I feel life in these words and I feel life in me. Seeking God in your life provides life.