Rasing Sun

Now is a sensitive time. A Brother of mine has been called up to higher duty. My personal contact with him was limited but I know his work and it was good. The summon was sudden. No time to pack. The assignment keeps him from coming our way again.

I have not lost hope. I do not ask you to stop your petitions.

The grater miracle than his return would be our letting go and allowing the Light and Love he represents live vivid in our own selves. There will never be another Sunday we live through without knowing it's not a thing or a measure of time but a person who dances in the light of new rising.

Why cling to a body? In letting go the spirit can rise if we let it. My hope is in seeing him again in the fullness of the final healing. That will be the most glorious dance of all. I'm impatient for it.

IPN

Red found himself looking over the boats along the warf. They were all familiar makes except one. This had a wide heavy look not like the narrow river boats or the delecate boarding craft attached to the big ships. The wood was different too. Somehow it was from another place a different climet not assosiated with this one, which mostly saw African and Asian vessels.

A man, such as he rarely saw, came down to  the warf and the strange boat. He was also waide and solid looking like his craft his hair fell in dark loose ringlets down his back and his cap was worked with strange patterns. He swore in a language harsh and somewhat familiar.

As the man made his return to the shore he saw Red and a light of recognition sprang to his eyes. He came to Red quite excited and adressed him. But Red could not understand. The man, a bit diapointed, kept trying different languages in turn finally hitting on English he asked, "English?"

"Yes, I speak that!" exclaimed Red

"You're English then?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure." replied Red

"I'm Dutch." the Dutchman said "you look like one of my cousins."

"Oh."

"How are you not sure you're English?"

"I've been to sea too long. But now that I think of it I don't think I'm really English. It dosen't sound right."

"Well, your English is better than mine" said the Dutchman. Red agreed with him. It was.

Boundry Stone

You shouldn't be so tightly ruled by your emotions. It's not that I don't care it's just I could never care enough to satisfy you. I does the work a disservice to put your own sense of entitlement and wounded pride first. to diffuse your wound you would wound me. Wasting time on a vendetta that in the end ruins more than it can heal. It may shock you to learn that your emotions mean very little to me. I'm not cold hearted but I also know that I'm not responsible for your anxiety. What you find mean in me is seen by everyone else in a different light.

Christian Mystic: Discipline of body.

I started to write this a long time ago. It was interesting to see where I was then.

Christianity is training for spiritual battle. Every Christian should be aware of this. If soldiers are undisciplined winning a battle is very difficult. Though we know our general is superior to our enemy and he will win the war it does not excuse us from cooperating with him. I would hope to not be a casualty through lack of discipline, for that is the danger. Christ will win regardless of my activity but it would be far better for me if I cooperate now and become who he has assigned me to be.

Okay, I know I'm not very disciplined I tend to sit around when I shouldn't or ignore things that should be payed attention to (dirty dishes). But I do realize that I need some sort of discipline in my life. It's part of the maturing process.

The easiest way of going about this is to start with disciplining the body. There is a mind element to all this because everything begins as a thought. So in order to discipline the body some discipline of the mind must exist. Disciplining the body can't occur in a vacuum. I must think to go to the gym.

Another interesting thing about physical discipline is that there is a communal aspect to it. In order for me to succeed in a healthy way I need a community of people, a team if you will, to help me. Because on my own I tend to get lazy and on their own other people have overdone it. Also, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to exercise. I've never seriously been able to figure out what would be best for me to do.

Why would it be important for a Christian to maintain a well disciplined body? Because in disciplining the body we train our minds to also be disciplined. This will lead to good/right thinking and help us with spiritual discipline which is harder to measure. We were not called to be undisciplined. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, the first one we have, stated more than once that we ought to be disciplined. "But I discipline my body and keep it under control lest, after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." (1cor9:27) "But we are judge by the lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world."(1cor11:32) The former is part of a life metaphor stating that life is like a foot race. I find it very interesting that Paul would mention that he disciplines his body.

I don't know Greek but I wonder if this was a supposition sort of statement or a "I actually do this" sort of thing. Because we know from studies that exercise and diet are important to having a good lifestyle. I don't see how Christians should argue against that.

UftPM

Nothing like receiving a letter of complaint from Smilax first thing in the morning. Puts me in an "excellent" mood. Fortunately I did request some much needed improvements in my workspace. Unfortunately the problem seems to have been thrown back at me. I *know* everything. I don't expect the drastic change I suggested to be adopted overnight. What do you take me for? A princess?

Let's be real this ship will sail for at least two more years. Don't second guess it. If I'm allowed to see these changes through the next boatswain won't have the storage issues I have. We will minimize letters of complaint. Happiness will reign on Earth and we will save baby seals. Of course, then Smilax will be board...can't have that!....or can we?

?

The mystic floated above the lust and canal cravings. The mystic was thoroughly deceived. It took one sentence --only one-- to land him in the filth. People were too polite. They just stepped around his prone body or landed on him. He struggled to raise above it. Yet another would fall.

Once it was quiet for some reason. He could hear a voice. "Be still" it said over and over. He moved to find the source but lost the sound of the voice because the filth was kind of noisy. Then another body fell.

IPN

Quite gingerly Red rose from the mat on the floor and stood for the first time that day. Sore and stiff still he moved as softly as he could to avoid disturbing the others. As he reached the doorway to the out side world a noise caught his attention. He turned back to see one of them sitting cross legged and scowling. Red did not like this. But what could he do? He was weak from the three month of confinement. He wished, not for the first or last time, that he hadn't woken. To survive was a hard thing.

He turned again to the doorway and stepped out. Immediately he was struck in the shoulder by something. He stepped back into the hut. Seriously? All he wanted to do was take a piss. These people were twisted.

Why had Li left?

Red was determined to leave the hut. He stood still and listed. The blow had been on his left but he didn't know what had hit him so he stood waiting. He knew they were preparing something behind him he could hear it. Though this concerned him he did not turn. If they attack, he thought, there's noting for it but to run directly into the sea. He couldn't think farther than that.

He had a vague idea that a ship would be there and would take him aboard and away. He happened to look down at about this point and saw something that made him smile. Without looking to the right or left he stooped down and picked it up as he walked out. The blow missed him this time. He felt the rush of it pass but didn't bother to look back for the source. No one followed him. True, they were very quiet but he was cretin they had let him go. As long as he didn't look back they would remain out of sight, they would let him go.