"Manifestation................................"

While someone trying to induce a bit of humor into the event once said that “Only in America would people, after specifically giving thanks for what they have, rush out the next day to do hand to hand combat with others in an attempt to have more, it would seem that Black Friday has finally gained enough significance as to be embraced as Black Weekend. With the first football game over and the feast already at least partially consumed, my grandkids departed for the Mall yesterday afternoon in hopes of capturing treasure, having struck an agreement with my wife for early distribution of what we intended to spend on them for Christmas. Beth’s reasoning: easier for her health wise than having to fight the crowds herself. The holidays are here. My own thinking: the youngest among us is now a Fifth Grader and the December 24th get-together has lost Santa Claus along the way, becoming, as it should, more and more “family centered in Christ”. Who needs presents? What you hold in your heart is the biggest gift, changing as time passes, the structure of such unit growing new branches and losing leaves along the way. The human condition: strangely capable of knowing deep bonds with one’s own, compassion for others, and yet step into another dimension where, as little as who gets their hands on item presently conceived as vital for “me” to possess, can alter our emotions to a point of anger. I’ve been reading some history about our country’s involvement in WWII and find nothing to condemn us in so far as entering into that conflict. Certain portions of what occurred in the course of things may well be questionable; but we had little choice other than to defend ourselves from Japan, to stand with others against a Hitler out to eliminate particular elements of mankind he deemed unfit to live. Likewise, I wrestle with a Bible that seems to give us an Old Testament God of wrath and a New Testament incarnation espousing “love thy enemies”. Where I attain peace is in recognizing “homo sapiens” in the details, accepting the Scripture as “inspired”, but realizing that the divine whisper passed through carnal nature, leaving truth as a matter known only in as much as we, ourselves, stumble through the pages with Him. Hopefully, in following that path, we become vessels wherein the reality of the reconnected Spirit brings unto us enough of Him to influence our actions and give witness of what we claim to believe……..