Monthly Archives: May 2016

Ganglions of Expression 2016-45

Posted in Contemplation by

This has to be one of my most favorite written pieces. Where I understand it, many will not and I realize this… It is about my brain thoughts, when I was contemplating things after having a traumatic brain injury, now long ago. I had to rewrite it two times, each with better clarity for anyone else to understand it, but this is the original. If you do comprehend, good for you…….

 

Ganglions of Expression 2016-45

 

 

The essence of the human mind

 

Belies the kindred spirit

 

Forsooth, the mighty processes of thought,

 

Luxuriates in both feeling and self pity

 

Compassionate waves of high-pitched timbre

 

Echo midst the wandering mind

 

While rambling bits of neurotic bytes,

 

Show extemporaneous expressions of this compassion

 

All the while, chasing the mediocrity of commonness away

 

As the cavalcades of simplistic awareness reigns

 

The barrier to the threshold of understanding remains

 

While the answer to the universal question of life awaits

 

Den Betts

 

My mother would NOT have appreciated this piece, but she was a poet and liked them to rhyme and make complete sense and understanding to all. That is good, but not always the way it is in life, but I think she may have liked some of my works; which is also good………….

Evil Personified 2016-44 PART 2

Posted in Current Events, Religious by

Evil Personified 2016-44 PART 2

I attended a discourse over a number of weeks that was published by the Lutheran social Service of Minnesota,  entitled “My Neighbor is Muslim”. I did not object to the content of the presentation, because it was factual and explained much about the Islam faith that was very correct. I do NOT have a problem with followers of Islam or the Islam faith. The only thing I did NOT comment on were my thoughts about radical extremist Muslims.

Part of my objections would have been about the radical Muslims that do terrible things in the world. The following is about them and some of the leaders of Islam that, I believe ARE part of the problem  worldwide. There ARE people, other than Muslims that are terrorists, but radical Muslims are in the news as being the main culprits of horror against people of the world including other Muslims.

I blame some of the leaders of the Islam faith in teaching the masses that Allah (God) wants them to do these dastardly acts in His name. I think of those religious leaders, and some that are not really religious, as the final end cause of terrorism. They are the ones that ferment dissent and discord that is the foundation of these acts by those they have misguided by their statements.

People like, for instance, the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran who died in 1989, but continued by the current Ayatollah Khamenei, in control now. This man calls the U.S.A. and Israel, the Great Satanists. Another religious leader of Iran, such as Ayatollah Ahman Jannati (aged 89) recently said, “We are an anti-American regime. America is our enemy, and we are the enemies of America.” He and his group will be selecting the next Supreme Leader to replace Khamenei.

On 19 July 2015, while speaking at a mosque in Tehran, Khamenei said to his supporters that the policies of the United States in the region were “180 degrees” opposed to Iran’s political and religious movement. The speech was punctuated by chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. Khamenei said in regards to the 2015 nuclear deal that “Even after this deal our policy towards the arrogant U.S. will not change.”[ John Kerry said that if the comments reflected policy, it was “very disturbing”, and “very troubling”. DUH! KERRY!!!!!!

Khamenei has frequently stated that Israel should be destroyed. He warned in September 2015 that Israel will not exist as a country in 25 years. “I’m saying [to Israel] that they won’t live to see the end of these 25 years,” he said. “With Allah’s help, there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime in 25 years. Again, using the word God (Allah) in his verbiage of hate. Bull crap!!!!! Where does this religious leader think he has the right to say what God will do and why does he think God will help him?????

I don’t look at it as disturbing; I see it as downright scary and horrible. This leader is at the top of leadership of the Islamist faith in Iran. He now has a clear field to make nuclear weapons in a time table that is long range, but is on a definite track for Iran to become a nuclear power. Scary is not the word!

AND, we as the United States made a treaty with Iran, releasing held monies, giving foreign countries the OK to deal with this despot regime, and allowing this time table for them to still research and make a nuclear device. What was the President thinking???? Can the poor excuses in the U.S. Congress retract this treaty? Should I vote for Da TRUMP who said he would tear the treaty up?

The treaty by President Obama and Sec. of State Kerry was NOT ratified by Congress, but agreed to by both countries regardless. Time will tell if we will be sorry that this action was undertaken. To make it the Obama legacy, might be a horrible legacy to look at in the past, sometime in the future.

Evil personified by religious people, led by horrible leaders, are a sad, sad, sad state of affairs for the world and a blemish on the Islam faith………………  There are reformist Muslims that would be able to make changes of the mindset of how extremist radical Muslims think or at least how others perceive the Islam faith. They are in the minority and their voices are muted by those that do not want any changes made…….

 

Den Betts

Evil Personified 2016-44 PART 1

Posted in Current Events, Religious by

Evil Personified 2016-44     PART 1

 

The other day (about 5-18 or 19th) another plane somehow dropped out of the sky, this time an Egyptian plan that came down in the Mediterranean Sea. It MAY have exploded, they say, but time will tell as to the why it came down.

Let’s say it was an act of terrorism as it has happened before.   I again, ask WHY!

Why does this occur if it is so? What purpose, other than just plain terror, do those that do these acts have for killing so many innocent people? What reason can they intelligently (?) give for doing such a horrendous terrible, ungodly act?

Most terrorism today, is done by extremist people of the Islam faith or so it seems. Not all, but most acts of horror appear to be people using religious type reasoning, or so it seems.

I would rather say that is bull crap. I have read about the words being yelled or stated, “Allahu Akbar”, the Islamic phrase in Arabic meaning “God is the greatest”. Now, I understand that Allahu is the nominative of Allah, meaning “God” and in Islam it is the proper name of God in Arabic. It is usually a battle cry in Islamist extremism or terrorism. It is NEVER mentioned in the Islamic Quran, but it is also used in times of joy, at births, deaths, and in prayers. So, it is known in many usages by Muslim people for various reasons.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the FBI released a letter reportedly handwritten by the cowardly hijackers and found in three separate locations on the day of the attacks—at Dulles International Airport, at the Pennsylvania crash site, and in hijacker Mohamed Atta‘s suitcase. It included a checklist of final reminders for the 9/11 hijackers. An excerpt reads: “When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers.” , To me it strikes disgust and revulsion. Also, in the cockpit voice recorders found at the crash site of Flight 93, the hijackers are heard reciting the Takbīr, or Arabic phrase Allahu Akbar, repeatedly as the plane plummets toward the ground and the passengers attempt to retake control of the plane. I just visited the Flight 93 Memorial in May of 2016 and looked at the planes normal occupants as PURE HEROES….

This battle cry by Jihadist cowards is a corruption of using the name of God (Allah) in the actions of evil. It has NO business, in my mind, in conjunction with perpetrating an unholy act of killing innocent people or any people at all. It is a common saying, but it MEANS NOTHING in relationship to God in this context; PERIOD!!!!!!

God, or whatever word is used to call Him, is the ONLY God of the Universe. He, God, does NOT want His name used as it is done so by Islamist terrorists. Where the common Islamic Arabic expression, used in various contexts by Muslims; in formal prayer, in the call for prayer as an informal expression of faith, in times of distress, or to express resolute determination became so common for use by terrorists is unknown. I say unknown, but it WAS reported to have been used by Muhammad  after a funeral, so it does go back to the founder of Islam.

I have read that the terrorists do use Islam and Allah (or God) as reasoning for their actions. This is another bull crap saying by those that are cowards. They may need justification for their actions and using God as reasoning is their way of rationalization.

Den Betts

END OF PART 1                   Part 2 to be published next day

Relationship versus Religion 2016-44

Posted in Religious by

Relationship versus Religion   2016-44

I feel I try to get “closer to Jesus Christ” in my relationship with Him. It is not easy for me and I am continually striving to do so. I wander and find myself straying away at times, even though I do not want to do so. Hey, “I am human” is my excuse, but a bad one.

What is Being Religious?

Anyhow, I have some points of view to think about. Someone told or actually asked me, “You are religious?” I thought and admitted to him that was so, probably. I stopped to think about the question. What is being religious? Is it being Lutheran, following doctrines of the church, going to church, doing the right things, being moral in my actions and thoughts, or WHAT?  Does God want me or us to be religious or does He want us to have a relationship with Him. Which is more important?

I refuse to say I should be less religious or not at all. I feel I am also Spiritual and perhaps that does shove me more towards having a better relationship with God; maybe….

Is it Enough?

Doing or being more religious does have problems for me at times.

Do I feel that when I am doing all the religious things I am on God’s “good side” and am saved because I am doing what I did or do for Him. Hmmm…. Then, if I do not pray enough, do enough service, attend church all the time; do I start to feel guilty? I would think then with this rationale, I can NEVER pray enough, read the Bible enough, and do enough for the church to earn God’s love.  Then I thought, God doesn’t love me for what I do, God loves me for what my Savior did for me… He loves me because of my relationship with Him not my obligations I feel I must do for Him. Another Hmmm… I read Romans 8:1 and that Scripture sort of sums it up for me.

Do I, or do others , censure others for not being or acting perfect? THEN, do we start to make comparisons with these same others? Does it become sessions of comparing our spiritual life to others and when we start to condemn ourselves do we then start to condemn others?  I think we should NOT compare ourselves to others but instead compare ourselves to Jesus Christ and in reality there is NO comparison in that comparison. All we have to do is accept His grace and allow Him to bridge the gap where we do not measure up.  In Romans 2:1 it states, “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things”, which somewhat explains what I just said.

Does God Owe Us?

Being quite religious can make us feel like God “owes us”, which is not true. If we do all those religious things I mentioned beforehand, why would God allow all or anything bad to happen to us? This is where we feel that we can achieve righteousness, which is something we cannot do. In Romans 3:10-12 “ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;   no one understands; no one seeks for God.   All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Anyhow, I believe that He has given us all that he has when he died on the cross for our sins, and owes us nothing more..

I do not want my ego to allow any of my religious ongoing dealings to make me prideful of myself and take my thoughts away from Jesus and my relationship with Him. As it states in one of my favorite books of the Bible, James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” This idea may be what I want to do. Also, do I, or we, allow ourselves to think our being good is from US, instead of God’s grace alone, and if we do, we may become subjugated by this.

No Strings Attached!

Lastly, I think we should NOT be thinking about how much we pray, go to church, read the Bible, but instead, ponder and focus more on the who, instead of the how of being religious. By getting closer to Jesus Christ, this is more that really matters, the WHO of the One we worship, because God wants us to come just as we are, no more. He invites us to an abundant life, defined by relationship instead of just a religious setting. Religion doesn’t save, Jesus does. I do NOT feel that there is not a place in our lives for religion; just not allow it to rule us. Community is a part of showing our love for God and not to be excluded, but let it be part of the relationship.

Den Betts

 

 

I acknowledge Tyler Speegle for his comments that I used for info in the above. I made it more personable to me and not him for these views on religion and relationships.

Right – Wrong 2016-43

Posted in Contemplation, Current Events, Poems by

Listening to TV, or reading about the constant horrors of man with the daily turmoil of humans doing horrible things to humans is sickening at times. Asking WHY? does not help, for the answer will not be soon in coming. What is the answer or is there only one answer for peace to arrive for mankind?

 

Right – Wrong 2016-43

 

Who is wrong in this world  –  who is right?

 

Is it the Jew, the Gentile, the Black or White

 

Could it be the Muslim, the Hindu or maybe Shitte,

 

The Redman, the Yellow or it, the one with might?

 

We all have our differences, but do we have to fight,

 

With the energy spent to argue it’s all gone for spite.

 

Isn’t there someone with wisdom like a guiding light,

 

To lead us to peace from the morn to the night?

 

Or are we afraid that He may come — wouldn’t that be a sight?

 

With the predictions of 1000 years of peace without fight.

 

Would we miss the forever horrors of daily blight

 

But in reality —-that would be a delight……………

 

In the meantime, we go on with our lives and

 

Continue to do what we do – Nothing

 

 

Den Betts

Word Spoken 2016-42

Posted in Contemplation, Poems by

I believe this one came where I was thinking about something I did and should NOT have done. My mind then conjured this and made me think about my actions that occurred previously. Do I really think about “an evil one” being out there luring/tempting me to do things? OR telling me something that I do not want to hear? Should I worry about it? I think the answer is YES and that really makes me think……..

 

Word Spoken 2016-42

 

The black robed one rode upon the noble

steed, up the cobbled road toward the small house

showing lighted windows and smoking chimney.

 

His horse, a massive beast with iron rimmed

hooves strode majestically; its nostrils flaring,

its breath shining in the damp misty night.

 

With leather gloves, the rider pounded

on the door once, twice and once again;

then backed off atop his ebony prancing carrier.

 

The door opened, the light showed a man in dirty

pants and white linen smock, staring, seeing, then

quivering, with a sudden spreading stain he stood.

 

The steed reared up on hind legs; kicking at the air

with the rider gripping the reins, looking down at

the man grasping the door, leaning against the wall.

 

With a pointed finger stabbing at the fear crazed man

he said one word and flung it into the man’s heart; then

with a final look he spurred the horse around and away.

 

The man backed into the house, turned and looked at his

spouse, standing silently, who then backed away with hand

at mouth, eyes wide, fearful, stopping at a table.

 

His heart thundering, eyes ablaze, weak kneed, and in

abject terror, he turned and with stilted legs he walked

out the door – never to be seen again.

 

Where he went is unknown today, but realized

twas a sentence by “the robed one”. Some will

say that although they  sometimes fear,

they do not normally worry, about THE EVIL ONE.

Den Betts

Red Flag in San Antonio 2016-41

Posted in Contemplation, Poems by

                                     Red Flag in San Antonio 2016-41

WITH

                                 Somber Mood and Thoughts in Penna

I have a poem below, I wrote in the past that speaks for itself in its content, but it brought to mind something that JUST happened recently.

We went to Penna on 5-12-2016, to do some genealogy research and took a side trip to Somerset County to the town of Shanksville to visit the Flight 93 Memorial located there.

As I looked at the scene of the impact area of Flight 93, so many thoughts came to mind as to the moment when the horrible event occurred. In my mind, I heard the voices of those that, with outright courage, made a decision to take action back then.

They KNEW what they were doing and most of them had an idea of the results of their decision. The realization of knowing that they would be in God’s hands and that they were refusing to give in and NOT do anything was overwhelming to me when I looked at the names on the wall. It showed they were ALL heroes and were saving lives in the process of their fighting against the terrorists.

Wow. To know that what they were going to do and then actually did, is amazing and so, so very wonderful on their part. To make a stand, take action and know they were probably going to die, was very humbling in my mind.

I encourage any, and all, to at least read up on this moment of history and if possible, visit the site and feel the moment in time and perhaps hear the voices of the people that sacrificed themselves so that nobody else would die from that plane that was taken over by cowards of the lowest degree.

My poem below is about the Alamo where, long ago, many died and made a decision that they knew ahead of time would result in their deaths. I pray I am never tested like they were, but if so, I hope and pray I will stand firm and do what is decreed as the “right” thing…….

                   Red Flag in San Antonio 2016-41

What is courage? Courage to die for a belief so strong! What does it take to do so, with the knowledge that the next sunrise will not be there for you? It happened!!!

Again, I look at today with the wonder of what it would take for me to consider doing what those brave people did back in 1836. To know that what I do will foretell my dying for a cause, a belief, so strong.

 

A bugle blew in a distant field, to instruct those near a flagpole,

The assembled group in a nearby mission turn round to see

A red flag furled, flying high, stating – No Quarter – No Salvation

A promise of death to those remaining, realization of no tomorrow

Not another sunrise to greet a new day, a certainty of internal blackness

Assurance of no mercy to be given that day to the last man alive.

 

Saber unsheathed, a line drawn in the dust, cross over – man’s fate made

All but one – deciding to fight, to stay, to fight for a belief – to the death.

What is a courage so strong, an ideal so grand that a man will

Knowingly seal his doom, to forestall another sunset on earth that day?

FREEDOM! – so others may choose, a way of life, an existence wanted

 

A bugle sounds again, in a distant area saying to charge.

The multitudes move, overcoming in short order those inside.

The last one to die looks up and knowing his fate yells,

“REMEMBER THE ALAMO!” and joins his companions of the red flag.

Den Betts

The Alamo, was a fortress under the command of a 26 year old, William Travis, and came under siege by Santa Anna who ordered a pre-dawn attack on March 6, 1836 in which 186 Texans, Americans, and Europeans sacrificed themselves to have independence from Mexico. Texas actually joined the United States nation on Dec 29, 1845

Lost in Space 2016-40

Posted in Contemplation by

I am how I am, and am who I am because I am. My mind is as it is, because it is. The realities of life are because they are and the senses of my being tell me just how things are in life; outstanding!!!!

Lost in Space 2016-40

I look, but do not see

Try to listen, but do not hear

To speak, but cannot talk

 

I am alone with my senses

My mind overflowing

With random thoughts

 

The world spins so fast

Leaving me in a

Whirlwind of wonder

 

How does one follow,

Is something to consider;

And so, so staggering.

Den Betts

 

Sight of the Fly 2016-39

Posted in Contemplation by

                                    Sight of the Fly 2016-39

Poised upside down, its facetted eyes peered at

the creature below, watching, waiting

A man sat below, with staring sightless eyes, his chest

rising up and down, the only obvious sign of life

A grandfather’s clock’s tick-tock, tick-tock

the only competition with the man’s slow breathing

In the corner of his mouth, an unfelt drool lingered

deciding whether or not to plunge to freedom

Past memories of joys and momentous events of life

playing over and over – the man’s daily entertainment

No sounds to intrude in his quiet thoughts, his deafened ears,

useless appendages, as is his forever darkened eyes

A canary starts to sing a seven-octave song, trilling loudly

unheard and unseen by the quiet man, but appreciated still

The man sat, slowly breathing, staring, and remembering

basking in a stream of sunlight and memories of the past

The fly loosened his suction cup grip from the ceiling

flew to the window to sit in the rays awhile

 

DON’T be like a fly to those that will soon die,

Give them comfort, at least, I pray………….

Den Betts

Saint or Sinner???? 2016-38

Posted in Religious by

Saint or Sinner????    2016-38

I am NOT a saint and most definably AM a sinner. Let me define both. A Saint is, by definition, a person who has exceptional holiness of life and is recognized as such by the Christian Church and may be canonized as such. Well then, a sinner is probably the opposite in many ways, but is one that violates the will of God, or disobeys Him.

I would think that there are not many saints compared to the multitude of sinners around or have lived in the past. The Catholic Church has distinguished some saints, that is sure, and these people are indeed revered as such. So, we common people are in the groups that are not held in esteem by others as the saints are looked at in life.

I would think that all religions have people that could be looked at as saints. In the Lutheran religion, dear old Marty Luther could have been made one if Lutherans did these things. He was not a saintly person though, but I would guess he was a nice guy, regardless.

I believe that Theresa of Avilla of the Catholic Church deserved to be sainted as she was somewhat special for her time. I encourage anyone to read up on her.  Mother Teresa, of the 20th Century, whose real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was nominated for sainthood and what she did probably will help her become one.   She was a nice old lady and supposedly did really great things in her life. There are those that think differently, but they don’t count in my mind. I wonder what God thinks about her?

I had to laugh (later) when someone told me they were not a sinner and followed a good life, even though they were not very religious (their words). At least they did not follow or practice any religious denomination at the time he said. I asked him, what he meant and he said, “I do not, and never did, any of those things in the Ten Commandments.” I just blinked and told him, I was happy to hear that; but thought to myself, he was full of self-righteous crap…

I believe that God of the Universe thinks ALL of us are sinners in some way. It really does NOT matter what WE think, it is what He knows. It is the same for me and for anyone. We might believe we are living a life in a good way, but if we look back we will probably see that there are some cracks in the veneer of life where we really are not spotless.

Guess what! God the Father, maker of Heaven and Earth STILL loves us; all of us. He might not LIKE what we do at times, but we, as His children, are loved by Him. Simple as that…. It is hard for me to fathom that He could love many of the humans on Earth, His children that do some of the things they do; but that it the way it is.

It does NOT give us a blank check to do what we want to do and expect Him to have a blind eye on what we do; just is NOT going to happen. I cannot tell you what will happen because every episode is different and He is the final say on whatever He decides. Sinners probably warrant a second look by Him perhaps and I guess that would be fair.

I also believe that any Saints are a creation of man and not of God. He may love those that mankind has decreed to be Saints, but that doesn’t cut the ice for how He comes to terms with them. We are ALL equal in His eyes and any judgements are His and not for us to decide the good and bad of what they have done. I would guess the Catholic hierarchy thinks different on this idea.

I guess, what bothers me is the feeling that many of us, just don’t give a crap about whether or not we are sinners, and instead just go about living and doing what we do without any thought of the repercussions. The feeling is to live life the way we do and sometime in the future we die; so what? OK, we might know we are doing bad things that are not good in the eyes of man or an unknown God, but so what? If we get away with it or don’t break the laws of mankind, so be it; let me alone. What I do is my business and not really anyone else’s, so, again, let me alone.

If I don’t fit the mold of others, that is their problem. I never promised great or think of myself as a Saint and know I am not close to being one, so let me alone. I may be looked at as a sinner in their eyes, but I will deal with that on my own and live with anything that comes down from my actions. So be it!!

The understanding that if God so decrees, I may have eternal life beyond the human existence is in the far future. Many of us look at that eternal life concept as the unknown and not really something to think about now in our human reality.

Eternal is a long time. It does not mean just 80 years on the average. To perhaps, get to see our parents again and kick around our memories, research our ancestry, question anyone of the past, and do an untold multitude of things is staggering to think about. Eternal, again, is a long time to be with God and those that have passed.

I am not a Saint but am a sinner and admit it. I join all the sinners of the world to contemplate my very survival of eternal life with God, His son Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit, now and forever more. I continually ask God for forgiveness of my sins here on Earth and ask that He consider me as one of His chosen ones to be with Him, again, forever, eternally.

Den Betts