Dark Night of the Soul

     What is the dark night of the soul?  This is a question asked by many when they hit the very bottom of life.  The point at which they question whether life is worth living at all.  You may cry out to all those around you and ask that they understand, and they do seem to relate, but in the end they do not really hear.  You cry out to God, but He also does not seem to hear...

     I heard a man in Colorado Springs recently call into to a local Christian radio station, his name was Paul, and his story had me in tears.  He had been married for 48 years to his childhood sweetheart, but she decided that she no longer loved him and decided that divorce was the best way.  Paul was destroyed and in tears, questioning his very existence.  The radio host was VERY accommodating and  provided needed resources, but that brings us to what I would like to discuss.  When I was listening I could hear the depth of the pain this man was feeling, I also heard the compassion the radio host was showing, but I also understood the grave choice that faced this man.

     When we face the dark night of the soul...our fellow Christians can offer platitudes, but most often they cannot relate.  I will say that there was one person who called in and asked that Paul call back and contact them and this man acted in Christ, but I want to say one thing.  In the end, when we face that deepest, darkest, most dreadful night...where we question our very existence...you must have courage!  When God finally takes everything from us, and we see no one in our corner, we stand face to face with our maker...Chose you that day who you will serve.  It s a hard choice, and the easy way is ever inviting, but have courage, and know that He will bring you through.  You will no longer need the friends to affirm you, you will know that you stood face to face with evil and accepted God's grace and His forgiveness.   

Quote of the Day: Dante's, The Divine Comedy: Dante's Inferno

Quote of the Day:
Dante's The Divine Comedy


"And she to me.  "There's no greater sorrow
Than to be mindful of the happy time
In misery, and that thy teacher knows."

Canto V 

Government Shutdown: The Lies From Our President

     With a country that is entranced with shows like Jersey Shore and Two and Half Men, it is not surprising that we value the stand up comedian qualities of Obama, over his honesty.  I have never, in my lifetime, witnessed a man get away with so many untruthful statements.  The three I want to deal with briefly are; the influence of large corporations, deficit ceiling, and 'affordable healthcare'.

     Yesterday, Obama met with the heads of the 19 largest banks and investment banks in an effort to push them to pressure Republicans to cave on the government shutdown.  This is understandable, since 6 out of his top 7 campaign contributors were those very same companies.  Historically and Constitutionally I don't have a big problem with this kind of interaction, because you never want a government that is too far removed from the business sector, but I do have a problem with how the President spins it to the average American.  Today, Obama got up in front of a crowd and said that big corporations should not have a say in how government is run...What???  Wasn't he just using those same companies to get his way?  Blatant deception.

     The deficit ceiling is the most amusing of them all to this author.  The President stood in front of that same crowd and said that he had cut the deficit in half since he took office, but he has increased the debt twice as much as Bush did in 8 years, in just over 5.  I don't have a degree in Fuzzy Math, but I can still add.  That just isn't mathematically possible, and when he says he decreased it by the largest percentage in 60 years...well, when you have by far the largest deficit in history, and you cut it by even 30-40%, it is still the largest deficit in history, but it sounds great when you put it in percentage terms, which confuses the American public.  As far as the ceiling goes, do any of you readers actually believe that by increasing it another trillion dollars, that it won't increase our debt?  Obama proclaimed it was money we had already agreed to pay, but there is a problem with that statement, because the Democrats in the Senate have not approved a budget since Obama took office.  So how can we have agreed to this new debt, if we never even approved it with an act of Congress?  Another lie.

    Affordable healthcare is my favorite item.  Obama and the Democrats went nationwide touting that we would get 'free healthcare' for those that can't afford it, and that it wouldn't hurt the economy at all.  Is this an honest statement?  Not at all.  In fact, the people on the bottom rung are having their hours slashed to less than 30, and on top of that, they will be forced to pay $200-$300 month for one person to get health insurance, or pay an approximate $95 fine.  So not only are they losing money in wages, but they are being forced to pay more out of pocket.  Not very affordable.  Many people are not also aware that there are different tiers of service in this new program.  If you have money you can purchase a gold or silver plan, but if you're poor you have to purchase a bronze plan, which gives you less coverage and access to less services.  Sounds like the same system as before, only now the government controls it and they will get to decide what you're covered for or not.  Another outrageous lie.

     The sad part about our country today was trumpeted by Mark Levin yesterday, when he stated that out of 22 news articles on the government shutdown, not one was against the President.  He mentioned that not even in the Soviet Union would the press have been in the pocket of government to that extent.  So now we have a few small voices trying to save our union, but they're being drowned out by big liberal media, and soon we will go the way of the Soviet Union, where we no longer know if anything the news or government tells us is true or not, because they will be controlling its output.  Lastly, for those of you who like the idea of income equality...are you aware that under Obama the top 1% have seen their wages increase 300%, but the poor have seen theirs decrease 26%?  They controlled all of congress for two years, and have had control of 2/3 of the government for the last 3+.  And they blame Republicans, who have no power?  The reality is the Democrats are the new 'Landed Gentry' and they shout 'We Love the Poor.', but their laws weaken and make the poor more dependent on government, thus increasing their power.  Wake up America.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Beware of the New Pope!

     I have been watching and listening to some of the comments that the new Pontiff has made and it is very concerning.  I at one time believed that possibly the Vatican prophecy of the new Pope being the 'Evil Pope' was true, and now I am again in that line of thought.

     When he was elected we heard how conservative he was and how he was going to bring the church back to its roots, but the opposite has happened.  He has become the Pope of Pop Culture, and made comments asserting that the church has been too hard on 'Gay's, Abortion, and Contraception'...Ummm what?  So this man is pretending to be the voice of Christ on earth, and he says what?  That God is now contradicting himself, and has reversed His previous opinion on homosexuality as being an abomination, and now says it's okay.  Even the murder of helpless babies God is apparently for as well.

     The problem we see in this world today is that people are using media and popular pressure to press their own views, which make their own sin more palatable for themselves.  They know in their hearts that it is wrong, but if they can get enough people to buy into their twisted logic, they can sleep just a little better, but that will never satisfy their spirit.  Now, unfortunately, they have a fraud as a Pope backing their fallen theology.  God help us!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee 

Sleeping On a Seething Giant: Employers Missing the Drive of Someone Who Has Failed In the Past

     Information and technology have such great influence on our careers today, but not all of it is good.  Many of us, in the real world, have come across hard times and it has left a blemish on our records, but may I ask a question of those who this has happened to?  Do you feel defeated, or more determined to succeed the next chance you get?  Most would say they feel more energized to not fail, but unfortunately a company runs your credit, looks at a failure, and makes the determination that you're no longer employable in any useful field.  Is this really a logical response to someone's failure?  I think not!

     Edison failed a thousand times in making the light bulb, but backers like J.P. Morgan and others chose to still believe in his passion.  Rockefeller was forced to take out loans to keep his initially risky venture going, and so did the likes of Carnegie and Ford .  So why is it now that we view hungry and aggressive talent, that has failed in the past, as not worth the chance?  The reality is these are the people we need to keep giving a chance!  They never give up, and keep pushing forward for the next opportunity, and will never give up on their dream until they breathe their last.

     Today we have become so enamored in technology, that we have forgotten the individual, and this has weakened us as a country.  When Rockefeller, Ford, and Carnegie went to banks for loans, the bank didn't pull a 'credit report' and then make a decision based on that, but rather they sat with the individual and listened, and if his business plan was sound and he could show that it would work, the bankers were more than happy to oblige.  They didn't look at a paper with a score and say 'Rockefeller, you seem to have overextended yourself in buying future oil contracts, and we cannot loan to you'...they heard the pitch and took the chance.  That is what made is great as a nation!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee