flower

Pictured is the ROMAN FORUM with ruins from the 7th century BC. There may be as many as five temples celebrating different gods in this picture

I was going to title this "30,000 gods vs. one", I could not find the motivation.

We were told, while touring the Roman Forum, that the Romans had up to 30,000 gods, and on a whim of a passing flock of birds, would take that as a sign, an omen, and take it for whatever they thought it to be, and with that possibly create a god.

Instead it is titled "flower".

I have met some wonderful people. Three of those stand out. Mario, Giuseppe and Fiora.

They were not your average people. They had heart. Real heart. A heart as true and strong as the day is long. The kind of people that when you meet them.....they inspire you, and you can only hope you do the same for them.

I know they were working whenever I encountered them. They were after all the lone hotel staff where Margaret and I stayed for several days, but there was something going on beyond the normal courtesies.

The Badia di Pomaio, where we stayed,  is a beautiful old abbey from 1645. 

That is all it is, a building, historic yes, but just a building. It is the people that bring it to life.
Without people we are nothing.

Fiora, Giuseppe and Mario brought life to the Badia di Pomaio. Life with heart.

I miss them.

They are beautiful.

May God bless them and keep them.

May God bless and keep you.

coffee two ways in Italy

Margaret and I visited St. Marks Basilica in Venice.

It was beyond verbal description. 

It was a place that begged your soul to feel God. 

The tourists had no souls as they visited. 

"There's a lot of ways to kill a man. 

There's a lot of ways to die. 

Yes, and some already dead who walk beside you." 

Ray LaMontagne

She lay covered as in a shroud at the exit of the basilica where thousands upon thousands of people passed, many not giving her so much as a glance. Her arm outstretched, holding a worn paper cup. 

She was praying more then begging. She was Jesus himself. She was more beautiful then any treasure of the basilica, yet I only saw her hand. Most stepped over her as they determined she was not worth a glance. May God not step over us. 

You can have your coffee two ways in Levanto, Italy; espresso and americano, but we cannot live our lives two ways. God sees our heart. Make it a good one. 

Lorenzo's Pizza 3rd & South Street

Justin - - homeless on South St two doors up from Lorenzo's Pizza. Eating a slice of Lorenzo's that is the biggest slice of pizza I have ever seen in my life and I've seen (and eaten) my share of pie.

He has a 12 year old brother living with some girl; she's taken care of Justin's brother....he wants to get off the street. He doesn't like it.

He's from Ocean City Maryland and worked for an engineer firm. He got laid off and within 10 days of the lay-off  was in an accident which put him in a coma for 60 days.

Chris approached and  hung out. Chris was homeless too. Chris doesn't understand why people treat homeless people like sh*t, I said it's not just the homeless we treat that way. Justin offered Chris some bites of his pizza. Justin's parents were in Cali. Not sure how that works, didn't ask.  Justin was going to figure out how to get his unemployment. It's hard to get unemployment when your in a coma.

There were no smiles, no laughs, just sharing.

The Justin's are everywhere, and if they have it to share, share they do.

2 wrongs = 0 rights

Back in middle school I would bring a peanut butter (Skippy) and butter sandwich on white bread, a Ring Ding (chocolate cake filled w/cream, dipped in chocolate then wrapped in foil) and Fritos Corn Chips. 

There was also Mr. Parker, the vice principal in charge of disciplinary in the lunch room. 

Tom Volpe sat across from me in lunch. He tantalized me and my Ring Ding, to the point that the Ring Ding ended up in Tom's face. Cream and everything. To my defense.....I did warn him. 

Tom's continued play despite my warning him to stop, less the Ring Ding end up on him did not constitute my losing my Ring Ding. At least according to Mr. Parker. 

Tom's face and hair were evident of my actions and Mr. Parker did at least hear my case of Tom's tantalizing, but stated: "two wrongs do not make a right" and with that punished me to the front of the lunchroom where I stood against the stage (the stage/auditorium served as one) in punishment and shame.

The lesson of two wrongs do not make a right has stuck with me. 

This one is newer for me. 

A person does "wrong" and we all judge that person and want to persecute them....yet we have done "wrong" too. What right do we have to persecute? (John 8)

This is all in response to LeSean MCoy's 00.20 tip that made the news. 

Not that I or anyone should:
a) judge Sean as I am sure we have all left inappropriate tips 
b) two wrongs do not make a right

Again....I see nothing wrong in God's word. It is pure. 

bonnaroo vs.Christian camp - TIME WINS!

There is no doubt that time trumps everything in value. 

In a world where you can buy anything you want, should you have the means. The one thing no one can buy is time. 

And what do we do with said time?

Nobody ever says I was "just wasting money", but we frequently say, "I'm just wasting time" or, "I'm killing time"....and yet....the value of time is priceless. Truly priceless. 

What if we looked at the value of minutes the same way we looked at the value of say a $1,000.00 dollars? A hundred dollars a minute! What would you then do with those minutes?

I want more time. I want to bask in it, just bathe in it. 

When I attend music festivals or the Christian camp I go to,what I love most is the time stamp everyone puts on those few days. And they do that by their appreciation for one another. 

A nod of acknowledgement from our fellow human being......a smile, a hello. 
These gestures are encouraging....and yet.....when others do not do as we have done.....

Break the ice! Tear down the walls and maintain the gestures of love. The nods, the smiles- and hello's!

Who wins? Love wins. 

and when love wins.....we all win. 

poem

death is a breath away

life is a heartbeat closer

light shines

in the light there is no darkness

the heart, in the dark

somehow breathes light

(death is overcome)

Inspired by Sorta Like a Rock Star 

Matthew Quick

AND GOD :) 

the church and love or get in the game

if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

my original post was going to have cynicism - about how the church teaches more on tradition then love. And how I want the church to teach more about love then on who/what/where get's baptized......and it was then that i realized that i was without love towards the church in this matter. 

and I was like a resounding gong......loud and then slowly vibrating until no sound was left for i was without love.

love is.....

love is.......

seeing each other without judgement

helping each other without motive and to just help

love is seeing others with joy and happiness

love is so many things and so different for each of us, but the biggest thing love is, to me is seeing each other with the same love, patience, grace and understanding that Jesus sees us with. 

instead of judging the church on what it teaches I need to look harder at myself and who I am. I need to be a man of character and a man willing to tow the line, be involved and stop jeering from the sidelines, but be a player on the field enacting the changes I feel the Holy Spirit wants to see, being led by God. Submitting myself to not only God, His Son and the Holy Spirit, but also to my fellow man.