Forged By Faith

1 John 4:6 NIV But to listen Contrary to current convention, the reality is that to listen demands an intention of attention be given unto whatever the hearer determines is worth more than just hearing. For there’s in truth a great and growing difference between the ability to hear and the act of listening. One is something all of us can do, to a given degree of course considering the existence of such varied abilities regarding hearing impairment and deafness being real realities for some. But even they desire not only to hear some things but to in fact listen sometimes. And that’s because the other is a done by a brother, a sister, a mother who determines it’s worth their effort given unto the going deeper into appreciation for whatever another is saying. A difference of direction, decision, determination, devotion even that defines the line that separates those who we can help because they will both hear but, once that willing, will in fact go that extra mile and actually pay attent...

1 John 4:5 NIV To be heard It’s one of the most obvious goals should someone ever find they’ve something to say. For after all, what else are we to do with our thoughts, our beliefs, our ideals and the hopes they seek? Are we just supposed to keep them all unto ourselves and bask there in the joy of them all all alone? If we do truly believe in the redemptive, constructive, productive and elsewise beneficial backdrop that is our every highly held hope, would it not be something of a letdown to know that nobody else might ever know the hope we do? For aren’t such things as hope, joy, peace, purpose, reason even those things that all of us are here searching to find or feel? And should we truly contend that we’ve finally stumbled upon them, in the presence of any sense or semblance of humility and compassion, should we not then seek to help others come to know what we think we’ve found? This seems the entire premise of all public pursuit anymore in what is this age of our spending our da...

Matthew 23:5 NIV On second thought EVERYTHING we do is done in vanity. It’s not just our approaches to faith, belief, worship or wisdom that are anymore given over to being nothing more than performances put on from stages so as to be seen by those who we believe are watching us, looking unto us to lead them in the way they should go. No, in truth we even worship ourselves in vain! It’s not just God who’s getting the leftovers of an arrogance so wide and deep and high that hell will struggle to hold it all. Even we are victims of our own ego-driven intentions which are themselves clear derivatives of what is a devotion only unto ourselves. And even that is only skin deep! Indeed, it seems that all we know how to be are but these surface swimmers who’ve plenty of ability and opportunity to dive far deeper into everything we do, and yet do still so little and only that for what amounts to only praise from people. Again, mostly only ourselves! In fact I dare say that we’re each so pleased...

Matthew 15:9 NIV Everything is vanity Which is what’s caused this culture of this most increasingly cancerous confusion as even vanity itself has what are two diametrically opposed definitions that stand in what is a blatantly stark contrast even unto each other. For vanity is defined firstly as an “excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements” and yet then secondly as something which is found in “the quality of being worthless or futile.” And so vanity itself is this immense overvaluing of oneself in what is an undertaking that obviously then feels great to the ego which drives all of us. All to arrive all of us at an outcome that is an opinion of ourselves and thus our undertakings and understandings that are themselves worthless and futile. Why? Because it all becomes all about us who are but measly little scumbags who’ve barely even a decent thought in our heads most days, even when said heads are all put together in what’s an increasingly rare worki...