Wednesday, 4 April 2018

Here we go again... I have to start over... the computer gremlins have attacked again.  :-(

I was sharing about the death of MLK, this being the anniversary of that day... and the news was filled with memorial events being held.  I thought it was strange that the same motel where he was killed was still in existence, and used for the memorial.  He died 50 years ago.  I guess our construction lasts over a hundred years if we want it to.  I didn't hear in the reports whether the site was purchased and saved specifically for historical preservation purposes.

I was remembering those years in my life... 1963 was the death of JFK, I think... I remember crying when he died, and I remember buying a vinyl record of his best speeches.  I remember being in the front yard of the house where I lived at that time.

I think Bobby Kennedy died around 1965... but I'm not sure.  I didn't follow politics as a child.  I may have seen the news about it back then.

In 1968, when MLK died, I would have been heading into high school... I'm not sure I was very involved in the battles of segregation and racism back then.  I recall a few events in my family about those issues, but I don't know how important the subject or politics around it were to me.  I remember writing a piece for school about interracial marriages... which would be reflected in the movies by GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER.  I loved LILIES OF THE FIELD (?) with Sidney Poitier, too.  I lived in California, southern California, which is very different than the South.  I discovered the South in 1973...

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The computer gremlins hit again...  I am sad that these things are part of my life, too.  Those with power seem to abuse it without a moral foundation to prevent them, internally.  It may be this tablet, because this loss didn't happen with a real computer... but it is too familiar, too timed, too integrated, to believe it is not connected to a difference in opinions.  Why, only GOD knows.
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It is hard to recall all the things I was trying to share about my life and how race, violence, and other events affect us... affected me.  

I was raised in southern California and the attitudes there were very different than the South.  Still, we had the Watts riots.  I remember being afraid of blacks because of all the hatred and violence toward the white communities.  There is no way to know who is safe or who is angry.  The news showed us how dangerous groups can become... about a lot of topics... the battle for freedom and equality for the blacks, the battles against the war in Vietnam, and other groups that became forceful in their public events... like the KKK, the White Supremists, the Anarchists, etc.  Hiding behind their "uniforms" and devastating our world.

Without a moral foundation to stop you, movements become more and more angry and violent and coercive.  It doesn't matter what is right in the larger community of humanity... it becomes "my way or the highway" -- a theme for many of us growing up in authoritarian households.  There is a huge difference between good people and people who have an agenda to implement.  The Antichrist won't suddenly appear on the global scene.  He will grow into his place in prophecy.  I wonder if he will be like the Nazi's or take a different route.  No one knows.

I guess the battle for equality, for respect just because we exist, has so many facets to it.  There is abortion, there is education, there is financial disparity, there is race, and now there is sexuality... we all have different views, and our idea of what is right is based on a lot of different criteria.  The desire to eliminate GOD from our existence is one group trying to keep the biblical teachings of GOD from stopping their desired activity.  Those who have no GOD have no reason to think their chosen path is wrong for anyone.  Every part of our lives is a battle of viewpoints.

There are no easy solutions.
We have to find the best solutions for the most people.

I have always been a heavy thinker, pondering the greater elements of our existence, of faith, of survival... I have found some answers for my life, but there are others that may never find a final resting place.  Pray for me to find better words, to find a way to share my life before it is over.  Pray that GOD will protect me from my enemies, provide for the many needs I have, and help me to discover a place I can live and work until the day He calls me home.  Thanks.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD be kind to those who love Him.
May we find ways to work together in the places where we live... without hate and violence and forced theologies.
May the future bring us better relationships, respect for our differences and the ability to talk about why we believe what we do.
May life be valued, may the need to make others suffer and die be forgotten, and may all people all over the world allow each person to make their own decisions about faith, about education, about work, about the things that affect them.
May we all find ways to support our existence without crime and extortion and hurting others.
Amen.