Brother Michael Sky

A friend has me thinking about the reasons we do the things we do in our life. and the things we do not do as well - and the reasons why not.... I refuse to follow the dictates of those who would steer my life into a comfortable place for them. I refuse to take part in the same obfuscation which has transpired for hundreds of years. I will Shine My Light for all to see - and I will take an immense pride in that, and I will ask others to do the same. I have control of my life and I write my future... feel the rain on your skin ( they want you to think you will catch a cold.... ) I reject all labels - I am undefined...

I'm on it too....

this guy's been stealing my words for years...

or how we be doin it now....

In the long run it is no favor to coddle those who will take no responsibility for themselves... By all means help if it is appropriate - smile and say " I'm sorry, I wish I could help.." when it is not... put some of that Big Heart to work on yourself... give yourself a break and only own what's yours... ask yourself if they will be there to help when they've bled you dry.... will they buy groceries for your children? No, guilt is not the right response for you right now....

Glad to see RabbiO amongst the thread, as I am about to go beyond my depth...... As usual when researching Religious subjects, one will find opinions which are at odds. understanding Jonah the Prophet, of course, is an example of how imperfect our understanding of things ancient really is... Who was he, what affected his decisions in his story?.. what exactly is the message of the story? And is there more info about him in other religions? Well, I have found that there IS disagreement on this subject. But what I have done is bring what I have found in my research forward, and I offer it as fodder for your curiosity - In no way do I claim that this is the only understanding... As usual I am hoping for some discussion with folks who have much more experience in these subjects than I... Feel free to suggest that I am completely misunderstanding everything I read, but please show me where I have made my mistakes.... I gotta tough skin, and I want to understand things in the most realistic way possible - so if my understanding disagrees with yours, feel free to blurt that right out..... ... and try to enlighten me through this dense noggin of mine... I would like to establish who this Jonah guy was.... In the Bible.... II kings 14:25 Here is the mention of Jonah which tells us that he successfully prophesied the restoration of the boundaries of Israel during ( or before ) the reign of Jeroboam II. This, we find, are his prophet's credentials... So Jonah is a proven accurate vessel of YHWH's message. He's the Real Deal - proven as such... In Rabbinical Literature... We find that there is a little trouble placing Jonah's lineage...there are some disagreements...but he is mentioned as the son of the woman of Zarephath that entertained Elijah.... uh oh, now we must look at Elijah... and here we find something interesting... a story which has similar themes.... but a much more complicated story it is... As the story goes: During the reign of Ahab we have Ahab meeting with Elijah at the House of Hiel. Hiel is the commander of Israel's army,he has lost his sons in battle and his position demands that honor be paid to him. God charges Elijah to go to him. Elijah does not want to go. Elijah is well known to lose his patience with the blasphemous speech of evil-doers, and as one who has gone against the divine injunction to rebuild Jericho ( Joshua 6:26 ), Elijah expects trouble... God makes a deal with Elijah - That He knows that Elijah might go too far in his dislike for blasphemous speech, but will honor any imprecation that might, in his wrath, escape him,if he just goes and does God's bidding... Now when Elijah gets to the meeting, Hiel is quick to speak up, and takes responsibility for bringing Joshua's curse down upon himself, But King Ahab speaks up, just as Elijah feared... Ahab asks Elijah why Joshua's curse should be effective if Mose's injunction against worshipping idols has not meant trouble for him... He says Elijah responds: And God honored His promise to Elijah and a drought and famine commence... Ahab is terribly upset and seeks to persecute Elijah, Elijah hides out at a widows house to avoid Ahab... God , who has compassion even upon the impious, tries to induce Elijah to release Him from His promise. First he dries up the stream where Elijah gets his water,Elijah is unaffected and holds his resolve. Next he tries to change Elijah's mind by causing the death of the son of the widow who shelters him. Now this widow was a woman who was granted great merit by God on account of her worthiness compared to her neighbors and the city residents... and she was the mother of Jonah. She gave Elijah a great amount of respect in receiving him, and now feels that the Greatness of the Prophet Elijah in her home has caused God to lose sight of her, her virtues having become as naught in the presence of such a great prophet.. Elijah is greatly distressed by the suffering of such a good woman and beseechs God to amend the situation, and revive the child. God tells Elijah that He would like to help, but that the cure requires dew - which has been prohibited by Elijah's own intercession, and that he must release God from the promise of drought if a cure is to be effected. Elijah relents, Jonah is Raised, and Elijah goes off to deal with the non-repentant people... and the combat between God and Baal takes place on Mt. Carmel where Elijah invokes great signs and wonders... So here we have Jonah - starting off in life as an instrument for God. Raised from the dead by Elijah himself, but witnessing at an early age the difficulties of being a prophet.... He goes on to receive his prophetic appointment from Elisha, under whose orders he anointed Jehu (II kings 9 )King of Israel, and charges him to destroy Ahab, his master. The very next task Jonah is given is to proclaim the destruction of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem... which never happened, because the people had a change of heart and mercy was granted by God. So Jonah gets the reputation of " The false prophet " and gets a really sour taste for the Lord's forgiveness - just as Elijah had before him... in General... Jonah is the fifth in the group of 12 books referred to as the " minor prophets "... There is some question as to why it was included. Jonah is a midrash. And this sets us up for the Book of Jonah.... edit: I have not even touched upon the muslim stories of Jonah....

oooh, not much to do about that... I try to use official videos whenever possible... they are usually safe to link to... and theres almost always duplicates out there... just gotta find another....

close your eyes Raven....

not sure what you mean there Rose... give us some more to go on... what do you mean they disappear? do you hear the footsteps? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ2cAlRNR-o

You wouldn't believe how bad I've been told I've been.... seemed pretty good to me at the time tho.... Certain folks around feel I'm sooo terribly bad as to warrant Hell and Eternal Punishment.... But between you and I: .... they were simply upset that I didn't support their OWN particular idea of Bad or Good..... I do say a prayer that Our Father will help them with their Judgement issues....

Rev Rainbow, I hope to be able to contribute with some questions as you go along with your commentary. There are stories in the bible which interest me more than the majority. This is one of those stories. I am reminded of the old adage " If you want to effectively hide something, hide it in plain sight. " I am of the belief that there are hidden concepts within the text which are meant to be found by those who have a slightly different understanding than the " typical " Christian. I believe the story of Jonah to be one of those stories... I will wait for the appropriate time to chip in, and hopefully life will conspire to allow me to be here at the right moment...

The question you pose has been one of those swirling, nagging things that obsesses my consciousness in waves that crash and bubble, leaving me submerged in my ignorance..... I have had experiences of Sacred Geometry that give rise to an awesome, unquenchable thirst to understand. At a certain point in my experiences in deepest meditation numbers,geometric shapes, and mathematical concepts swirl and blend into the images and shapes I am witnessing... I feel I have been at the proper vantage to see that on the " underside " of the reality that we witness, supporting and developing that reality, occur mathematical and geometric LAWS which play out like the metronomic ticking of a clock... An unending series of cause and effect play out like an immutable, unstoppable equation which must work itself out to reveal the sum total of conscious existence... I witness these things and I understand exactly the nature of the Gears of Reality. I am filled with Hope and Love. I see that we started this voyage with Gladness and that we will end it in Joyous Homecoming. And all the while we are cradled in the awesome, infallible, sustaining and providing equations meant for exactly such a task.... Then I return from my vantage, the veil settles slowly back upon my mind and I DESPERATELY WANT TO KNOW - what was that about the number 7 that was soooo special a few moments ago? I know there is a message in the number 3 which is directed at consciousness, meant to cause my curiosity to search for an answer - but where shall I start? I KNOW there is an algorithm which will determine my spiritual ascension - How do I learn what it is? - how shall I implement it? Does any of that even matter to my advancement? must I understand, or is it simply a gift for me? Must I be satisfied with the knowledge that THERE IS a very specific destination we are headed for, which we will arrive at when the equations are all played out, and never fully experience the equations themselves with any understanding? I really, really want to know.....

begin enjoying warm fuzzy feeling in: 5, 4, 3 , 2 ,1....... Tah Daaaaaaah......

I didn't mean to criticize your feelings..... but Christians the world over have standing orders against judgement.... and " Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. " Romans 12:19 and history gives us the impetus to hold that thought close to our Christian Hearts.... Many times I have wondered "How does that person consider themselves Christian?" - It is really hard not to.... I need to constantly ( at times ) remind myself to "allow room for God's wrath", and continually put my best effort into portraying MY version of a proper Christian... Rev. Rainbow, of course I am as outraged as you at the things that go on there, but I believe there are folks all over who are receiving a little bit of clarity thanks to the shenanigans these people engage in... My Faith in our Father gives me a sneaky sort of glee to know he is using their bigotry to teach a lesson in humble Forgiveness and Love... They shout their hate at the world and Our Father uses it to instill a sense of Unity and Harmony in those who truly recognize Him.... It is not possible that Our Father should have less than total control over what happens there - but I do not claim to understand the manner of his Teaching... I struggle to understand - but I trust....

Couldn't this be seen as a lesson for Christians everywhere? It is easy to be outraged by our disagreement with these people's beliefs, but I DO wonder how illumination will come to those who are inundated by such harsh negativity...... Do we do them a service by responding in kind? or is our responsibility to raise them from ignorance? Do we honor an obligation as a Christian by shouting louder and harsher, or simply and quietly portraying OUR version of a proper Christian? I believe as Hex said - they will reap what they are sowing - we must beware, for we do the same....

twas my thought.....

I missed this thread last night when I found my way back here.... I apologize for any worry I may have caused. I have indeed been ill, and I have had problems maintaining an internet connection. I'm in the country, so there is not the option of driving to the local library or community college ( too many folks using too few connections )... I have been concentrating on getting well and building my strength back up... Because I always thoroughly intended to be back here annoying folks as soon as possible.... I sincerely apologize if my sudden absence is construed as rudeness - but be assured I have missed the friends I have found here. I value the people I have come to know here, and though I feel a close connection at all times - I realize this may not be true for all... Thank You for your concern, my friends. I am well enough, and My finances are straightening themselves back out... I should be able to return with regularity soon... and folks..... I'm listed in the Directory... y'all who know me, may search by location.... edit: that could be the answer Al.... I do not get an inordinate number of prank calls - and sometimes folks call for a pep talk... LOL.. it hasn't been a problem to be listed...

Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - The Boathouse in Va Beach ZZ top - Hampton Coliseum - backstage passes... The Grateful Dead - RFK Pink Floyd - Charlotte NC ( i think - it's all fuzzy ) open Air Stadium Jackson Brown - pavilion in Va Beach Loverboy - Hampton Coliseum Ozzy Osborne - Hampton Coliseum Cheap Trick - Hampton Coliseum Duran Duran - with cheap trick above - would you believe Cheap Trick was the opener? L7 - small bar in Ocean View, Va - those girls were nuts !! Ronnie James Dio - somewhere in Va Beach... it's all a blur... I'm forever finding ticket stubs I had forgotten about... for many years when I was younger there was a bar in Ocean View, Va which was on the Heavy Metal circuit - I saw hundreds of budding metal bands - some made it - most didn't... likewise at all the festivals at Va Beach, I have seen all the bands on the radio that I have been interested in for years... I couldn't count them. I'm severely jealous that someone here saw Manson and not me......