Problems on a dark road and A look at our ego-centric world

On our trip in the South of France we got stuck in the darkness not finding one of the resorts where we had booked to stay for a week. The four "alarm"lights were put on flickering whilst I went out of the car for searching someone who could help us.
My wife and the dog stayed in the car and got middle fingers up from drivers speeding along our car and having their horns blast. After more than twenty minutes there was some car stopping; Out came an African 'rapper' who was friendly to help us on our way.

Were there no French people willing to stop because of fear? Did they not want to have a confrontation in the full darkness of the late evening?
Or was it fear of judgment, guilt, shame, blame – all forms of attack that drove them to quickly pass the car which had surprised them in the middle of the night?

Clearly ego believes that by giving one loses what is given and today people prefer only to receive and not to give away. They were eager to have the horns blow, and give us the idea that we were a danger on the road. (Which we were in a certain way, there in the full darkness.)

But how does it come that it took such a long time before someone was willing to help? Flickering danger lights had to give a sign that we were in need. Though a confrontation with someone in need does not seem to be something a West-European wants to be to come in contact with in these times of abundance, where not many want to share with others. Imagine that we would ask something they had to share?
The speeding drivers wanted to make us feel that we had to be crazy to stand still in the darkness. Their ego was so quick to pass judgment and offer guilt, and in a certain way they succeeded by the amount of cars and noise they made to give us that annoyed feeling of stupidity and fear.

Perhaps their ego believes that making others guilty cleanses one of one’s own guilt. It projects hate in an effort to purge hate. The ego’s automatic form of defence is attack. It reasons that the more it attacks the less liable to attack it becomes.  What it gives, it loses.

That is one of the great problems of our society today. The individuals their ego has grown so much, there is no place for an other human being nor for some divine Creator. They want to be their own boss and to be in full control themselves.

"Leave the other person alone with problems and don't worry about what may have happened,"

 they think and continue their selfish path.

From Winterdarkness into light of Spring

Sometimes we can have the impression we are Living in the Wilderness of the chaotic jungle of the industrial world.

Skulls remaining on the field and trees destroyed at the Battle of the Wilderness, 1864. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The darkness of the Winter-months has been with us for a long time. Week after week we got grey skies, winds which brought the the kill feeling deep in us. Every year in the month of February the undertakers have the busiest period of year. This year it was not so bad. The funeral directors could look so deadly serious having less people than normal, because the weather was not so bad. Notwithstanding we can see many gloomy faces running around.


People have demanding jobs, and are taken by the need to get enough money in the till to have the family living reasonably well. It all seems to be great? We seem to be living in a world full of luxury.  Like we may have a shadow of democracy, a varnish civilization many may be king in their home only in name. The banks own most of what people have. Under the show of pretence many do think to have 'many friends'. Social media may be booming but more and more do we find lonely people. Lots of what people pretend is only on the surface.

Glamour, cosmetics, we can find it everywhere around us in this varnished world where so much is not what it seems to be. In that world many do not mind to be the blind one. When they do not know they do not have to worry. Why would they take notice of others or to be worried about things far away from their own house, when they have already enough on their own mind.

So many people are so concentrated earning their money working on whet they call success, they forget to see where the real treasures lie. They are not feeling happy. They do not know where to look for the real happiness. They go looking at the wrong places. So many try their luck by games and by trying out one person after the other. They think all can be said and measured by the amount and quality of sex they can have.

They are not so much interested in talking or in having real deep going conversations. Reading serious or long articles for them is mostly considered a waste of time. today so much have to be so short and so quick. Everything may be casual. This is the world of cursoriness. Hastiness rules this world.

In our transitory being many forget the deeper values of life. they are blinded by all the materialism and are not interested in the spiritual.

Now Spring has come we should Not hold back and should be getting out of darkness.
Many may have been looking for ways to keep the Darkness Out.
Many are also Afraid of the Dark.

We should not Be Afraid From “Life’s Darkness”.Those wanting to get out of the dark corners of this world, can find a new place on the web, where people are asked to come together and to share their ideas, to bring a positive note in this life. there they understand that there is to much Darkness’s Pain.
Some might think they are in a sinking world…. but I am convinced it should not all be so bad, and we can do a lot to keep all together our heads above water. I am convinced that if more people should join hands they could do so much better and rally could bring some change. But they have to be willing to join hands, to contribute, and to go forwards, with heads up, accepting the diversity in this world.

Sink or Swim (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is up to us all to chose if we want to Swim or Sink. Each individual has to make a choice: ~ Sink or Swim ~.

What is important is if we want to See the conquest and believe that we can gain the victory.

When you think you have nothing to say or to show the new website wants to show you differently. You may already be connected to many Social networking Web sites, but that new site From Guestwriters does not want to pretend to become an other social network. We do believe you may love to spend time on such social networks. You may love to have short words and do some chit-chat, Putting your feelings into words and sharing them.

Where-ever you may live, be it in Winter or Summer, living in a small village or in a big town or even Living in the Wilderness, you might like to find a place of rest, peacefulness or a place where you can meditate or think about nice things. there is already so much bad news in this world, so why not having a look at better things. But not many sites present those nice things, the little miracles which happen here and there.

As itseirene wrote in a comment:

“Blogs will always come in different shapes and sizes, and with each shape and size is a platform to inspire and touch lives. I hope I have inspired you and I hope you inspire others. Let’s continue to do this together!”

With Spring in sight I also want to bring some positive corner out of the dark. Pleas do find Welcome to “From guestwriters” and have a look if you would not like to become  part of those people who bring positive news in this world.

We need more positive thoughts in this world, to bring more light and colour in this grim places.
Do you not feel like you can help us to achieve some goal of bringing happiness and showing more beauty to many more people?

Please find to read about our aims and aspirations:

1. Welcome to “From guestwriters”
2. Guestwriters for you
3. About Guest-writers
4. We all have to have dreams
5. Spring in sight
6. When you think you have nothing to say or to show
7. Putting your feelings into words and sharing them
8. Helping words
9. Spark of Positivism

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Darkness, light, burning fire, Truth and people in it

Dan Gaitanis wrote:

I'm on a train headed home from the best Bibleschool I've ever been to. Eastern was absolutely wonderful.

All three speakers said something that I can take away from it:
John Bilello said in his exhortation, "Don't confuse the truth with the people in it."
 I thought that was a great quote--quite often we follow certain people who we think have it all right, when in reality, they could very well be wrong. Not everything said in every Christadelphian class is exactly right on everything, whether the speaker is from the USA, Australia, England, or wherever.

Mark O'Grady made an object lesson--he said "Say we were in a complete eclipse and it was midnight and it was pitch black in here and someone came in the room and lit a candle/light. That light would shine, you'd be able to see it from all over the room. If they lit a bright light it would dispel all the darkness that's in the room. Say someone walked in here and they had a box, and you say 'well, what's in your box? (imagine Mark saying this like a really excited person)' and they said 'oh I've got a box full of darkness!' And you take it to the center of the room and...you take the lid off! What happens to the darkness, does it fill the room? So what's that telling us? Light overcomes darkness. Be not overcome with evil, says Paul, but overcome evil with good."

And Jonathan Bowen told us a sad story about one of his friends from high school, who he got in a debate with about heaven/hell-going. And Jonathan won the debate, but his friend thus left Christianity because he was no longer worried about burning in hell, so basically, even though Jon won the battle, he lost the "war", saying that we shouldn't be out to "win", but rather to "win someone over to Christ". How often do we do that?
 We have these stupid divisions and such and people leave because of them. So we might win the battle of being right, but we still lose in the long run because we lost a member of the body, or a potential member of the body.

I can't say enough about how wonderful it was to be with those brothers and sisters. It was my first time and I was welcomed with open arms and felt right at home, almost as if I'd known those people for many years. Those New England people are pretty cool. And I've known that xD

Wondering

Wondering

There draweth near the day of God,
When messengers are sent abroad,
To gather from the world’s bye-ways,
All who these dark evil days
Holding Yahweh’s word supreme,
Make it their daily active theme
That they may judg’d  be;
And I am wondering always,
What will the manner of that day be,
And its time of coming be?

Will it be  the early morning hours,
Before  the day has gained its powers
(So strong to draw our thoughts away
From  things of God to things of clay)
That in its duties lurk?
Or will the angel’s quiet hand
Stay the imperious demand
Of the swift noonday work;
And a grave voice tell me I must be gone,
And let the dead with the dead work on?
Or when the evening morning sweet,
And rest is pleasant and musing meet,
Or when the darkness covers me,
Will the light shine round me suddenly,
And at midnight come the cry?

Ah! The time is little; the thought for me
Is, what will the manner of that day be?
If the angel should meet me on the way,
Or come to me in the house, and say
“The Master is come and calleth for thee,”
What will the summons be to me,
What will my heart reply?
Shall I hear it as a longed-for-word?
And rise up quickly to meet the Lord?
Or will my spirit quail,
And my heart sink down ,with a dread dismay,

A speechless fear, that the Judgment Day
I had not watched for, can only be
One of  contempt and shame for me?
While tremblingly and pale,
I follow the angel forth to stand
Rejected, at the Lord’s left hand?    

Forbid it Lord! Oh grant  to me
Grace to follow hard after Thee,
Studying daily Thy written word
With purpose of heart to serve Thee Lord,
And walk with Thee always.
To let my eyelids look straight on
Unto the prize that must be won,
Yea, fought for, agonized for (Ah me!
How the flesh strives for the mastery
How heavy this weight of clay).

Lord help me that flesh to crucify,
Cut off  the hand, pluck out the eye,
And having entered the straight gate
To lay away each heavy weight.
And the sins that besets so easily,
Still looking, looking unto thee
And gathering strength thereby;
To meet  temptation steadfastly,
As thy hast met the same,

Watching and praying, day by day,
That when the angel comes, I may
Meet him with joy (though tremblingly),
Daring to hope that even I
May have the white stone given to me,
May join the acclaim,
And with the twelve twelve thousand be
Clothed with Immortality
Part of “the Yahweh Name”

Christadelphian  1882

 

Heroes and saints

Perhaps we want to be  Heroes and saints at the same time.

"The hero is the one who kindles a great light in the world,
who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.
The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world,
himself a light."
- Felix Adler

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."
- Author Unknown

The mark of a saint is not perfection, but consecration.
A saint is not a man without faults,
but a man who has given himself without reserve to God.
- W. T. Richardson

"In Jesus' situation we have the story of the holiest man that ever lived,
and yet it was the whores and the thieves who worshiped him,
and the religious who denounced him."
- Rebecca Manley Pippert

Sanctification is glory begun.
Glory is sanctification completed.
- F. F. Bruce

"Therefore be careful how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
... understand what the will of the Lord is."
Ephesians 5:15-17

In winter the world is beautiful white,
but it can be dangerous slippery.
Let me know the dangers of this seemingly beautiful world, Lord.
Let me deal with the right people
and let me be a light in dark days for many,
that I ask you, my God, in Jesus name.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Helden en heiligen

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2013 update:

Billboard advertising Heroes World Tour, Changi Airport, Singapore. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Two states of existence before God

"There are only two states of existence before God: the flesh and the spirit, darkness and light, death and life. The unbeliever walks "according to the course of this world ... according to the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience ... fulfilling the desires of the flesh ... and are by nature the children of wrath."

John Marshall,
The New Life 

"This is a truth which must be courageously faced.
However good, in the worldly sense, however gentle or loving, the unbeliever is disobedient to God
- and it is He who judges, not we ourselves.
That is why Paul wrote: "do not unite yourself with unbelievers; they are no fit mates for you.
What has righteousness to do with wickedness? Can light consort with darkness?
Can Christ agree with Belial or a believer join hands with an unbeliever?
Can there be a compact between the temple of God and the idols of the heathen?
And the temple of the living God is what we are" (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, NEB).
-------

Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling > Twee staten van bestaan voor God
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2013 updte:

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• God's Existence

When we love we do not need laws

If everyone would keep God's laws and would keep to love,
we would not to have civil laws who should remind us what we can and can not.
If we love God we know how we should live in harmony.
Where love has entered, there is no law necessary to focus.
- Marcus Ampe

We too often love things and use people
when we should be using things and loving people.
- Author Unknown

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The first duty of love is to listen.
- Paul Tillich

“Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:”
Proverbs 3:3

“Hatred stirreth up strifes; But love covereth all transgressions.”
Proverbs 10:12

“Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth [shall be to] them that devise good.”
Proverbs 14:22

God I am grateful for the love you give me
I ask You that I shall be able to give much love to others.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Wanneeer wij liefhebben is er geen nood aan wetten
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2013 update:
 

English: Dr. Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on 28 August 1963. Español: Dr. Martin Luther King dando su discurso "Yo tengo un sueño" durante la Marcha sobre Washington por el trabajo y la libertad en Washington, D.C., 28 de agosto de 1963. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please do also find:

1. יהוה , YHWH and Love: Four-letter words
2. Feeling-good, search for hapiness and the church
3. Breathing and growing with no heir
4. Loving the Word
5. Thirst for happiness and meaning
6. How shall the film of your life be?
7. Experiencing God 
8. What is Love 
9. Got an Empty Love-Tank 
10. Enduring Love 
11. Unconditional love 
12. The one who has not had a taste of love 
13. Unarmed truth and unconditional love
14. Love will cure more sins than condemnation
15. The Greatest of These is Love 1 Corinthians 13
16. Love and cultivate that which is pure 
17. More-Letter-Words
18. People don’t hunt out “loopholes” when they are seeking to love God and neighbours

 

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Let us move on

Dutch version / Nederlands > Laten wij verder gaan

"Let us move on, and step out boldly, though it be into the night, and we can scarcely see the way."
- Charles B. Newcomb

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.
So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently ... "
Romans 13:12-13

Even though I sometimes sojourn in limbo or in the dark,
I know that you're near me and You can lead me to the path of a better future.
God, bring me light in this darkness.