Posts by thinker

4

Poems for the Spirit

by thinker in

have you ever wondered why we "connect" with music and poetry?

it's an interesting subject to research.

i thought i'd post some poems of a spiritual nature and i invite others to do the same.. earth.

thinker

The Path that leads to Nowhere. [Corinne Roosevelt Robinson]

There's a path that leads to Nowhere
In a meadow that I know,
Where an inland island rises
And the stream is still and slow;
There it wanders under willows
And beneath the silver green
Of the birches' silent shadows
Where the early violets lean.

Other pathways lead to Somewhere,
But the one I love so well
Had no end and no beginning --
Just the beauty of the dell,
Just the windflowers and the lilies
Yellow striped as adder's tongue,
Seem to satisfy my pathway
As it winds their sweets among.

There I go to meet the Springtime,
When the meadow is aglow,
Marigolds amid the marshes, --
And the stream is still and slow. --
There I find my fair oasis,
And with care-free feet I tread
For the pathway leads to Nowhere,
And the blue is overhead!

All the ways that lead to Somewhere
Echo with the hurrying feet
Of the Struggling and the Striving,
But the way I find so sweet
Bids me dream and bids me linger,
Joy and Beauty are its goal, --
On the path that leads to Nowhere
I have sometimes found my soul!

4

Poems for the Spirit

by thinker in

have you ever wondered why we "connect" with music and poetry?

it's an interesting subject to research.

i thought i'd post some poems of a spiritual nature and i invite others to do the same.. earth.

thinker

Old Manuscript. [Alfred Kreymborg]

The sky
Is that beautiful old parchment
In which the sun
And the moon
Keep their diary.
To read it all,
One must be a linguist
More learned than Father Wisdom;
And a visionary
More clairvoyant than Mother Dream.
But to feel it,
One must be an apostle:
One who is more than intimate
In having been, always,
The only confidant --
Like the earth
Or the sky.

4

Poems for the Spirit

by thinker in

have you ever wondered why we "connect" with music and poetry?

it's an interesting subject to research.

i thought i'd post some poems of a spiritual nature and i invite others to do the same.. earth.

thinker

Compensation. [William Ellery Leonard]

I know the sorrows of the last abyss:
I walked the cold black pools without a star;
I lay on rock of unseen flint and spar;
I heard the execrable serpent hiss;
I dreamed of sun, fruit-tree, and virgin's kiss;
I woke alone with midnight near and far,
And everlasting hunger, keen to mar;
But I arose, and my reward is this:
I am no more one more amid the throng:
Though name be naught, and lips forever weak,
I seem to know at last of mighty song;
And with no blush, no tremor on the cheek,
I do claim consort with the great and strong
Who suffered ill and had the gift to speak.

4

Poems for the Spirit

by thinker in

have you ever wondered why we "connect" with music and poetry?

it's an interesting subject to research.

i thought i'd post some poems of a spiritual nature and i invite others to do the same.. earth.

thinker

Little Things. [Orrick Johns]

There's nothing very beautiful and nothing very gay
About the rush of faces in the town by day,
But a light tan cow in a pale green mead,
That is very beautiful, beautiful indeed . . .
And the soft March wind and the low March mist
Are better than kisses in a dark street kissed . . .
The fragrance of the forest when it wakes at dawn,
The fragrance of a trim green village lawn,
The hearing of the murmur of the rain at play --
These things are beautiful, beautiful as day!
And I shan't stand waiting for love or scorn
When the feast is laid for a day new-born . . .
Oh, better let the little things I loved when little
Return when the heart finds the great things brittle;
And better is a temple made of bark and thong
Than a tall stone temple that may stand too long.

4

Poems for the Spirit

by thinker in

have you ever wondered why we "connect" with music and poetry?

it's an interesting subject to research.

i thought i'd post some poems of a spiritual nature and i invite others to do the same.. earth.

thinker

Have you ever wondered why we "connect" with music and poetry? It's an interesting subject to research.
I thought I'd post some poems of a spiritual nature and I invite others to do the same.
Earth. [John Hall Wheelock]

Grasshopper, your fairy song
And my poem alike belong
To the dark and silent earth
From which all poetry has birth;
All we say and all we sing
Is but as the murmuring
Of that drowsy heart of hers
When from her deep dream she stirs:
If we sorrow, or rejoice,
You and I are but her voice.

Deftly does the dust express
In mind her hidden loveliness,
And from her cool silence stream
The cricket's cry and Dante's dream;
For the earth that breeds the trees
Breeds cities too, and symphonies.
Equally her beauty flows
Into a savior, or a rose --
Looks down in dream, and from above
Smiles at herself in Jesus' love.
Christ's love and Homer's art
Are but the workings of her heart;
Through Leonardo's hand she seeks
Herself, and through Beethoven speaks
In holy thunderings around
The awful message of the ground.

The serene and humble mold
Does in herself all selves enfold --
Kingdoms, destinies, and creeds,
Great dreams, and dauntless deeds,
Science that metes the firmament,
The high, inflexible intent
Of one for many sacrificed --
Plato's brain, the heart of Christ:
All love, all legend, and all lore
Are in the dust forevermore.

Even as the growing grass
Up from the soil religions pass,
And the field that bears the rye
Bears parables and prophecy.
Out of the earth the poem grows
Like the lily, or the rose;
And all man is, or yet may be,
Is but herself in agony
Toiling up the steep ascent
Toward the complete accomplishment
When all dust shall be, the whole
Universe, one conscious soul.
Yea, the quiet and cool sod
Bears in her breast the dream of God.

If you would know what earth is, scan
The intricate, proud heart of man,
Which is the earth articulate,
And learn how holy and how great,
How limitless and how profound
Is the nature of the ground --
How without terror or demur
We may entrust ourselves to her
When we are wearied out, and lay
Our faces in the common clay.

For she is pity, she is love,
All wisdom she, all thoughts that move
About her everlasting breast
Till she gathers them to rest:
All tenderness of all the ages,
Seraphic secrets of the sages,
Vision and hope of all the seers,
All prayer, all anguish, and all tears
Are but the dust, that from her dream
Awakes, and knows herself supreme --
Are but earth when she reveals
All that her secret heart conceals
Down in the dark and silent loam,
Which is ourselves, asleep, at home.

Yea, and this, my poem, too,
Is part of her as dust and dew,
Wherein herself she doth declare
Through my lips, and say her prayer.

83

God Changing Chosen Peoples

by eyes_opened in

jw
friends

my huband posed something to me yesterday that i had never even thought of before.

he said, wouldn't it be possible that if a group <ie.

jehovahs witnesses> fell out of gods favor, what would stop him from choosing another group?

thinker

It never fails to amaze me how some people will always look to others for answers. Why do some ask others to think for them and interpret for them rather than relying on their own knowledge and insight? And why is it that if you ask too many questions you always get to the point where you must accept something on blind faith? This aspect of all the religions has always turned me away. If I am one of God's children, then why can't I have a one-on-one relationship with Him? No one person should define for me what that relationship should be; it is between me and God.
I'd really like to hear some opinions. Why do some follow other people's thinking rather than thinking for themselves?

87

Heresy of the Month

by thinker in

heresy of the month (from a website).

don't you hate it when someone you know comes up with some new thing that you have never heard about?

you sit there in apparent ignorance as they pontificate about the proofs and merits of some idea so far beyond common knowledge that it can only be revealed by people of exceptional enlightenment such as they.

thinker

Brother Larc,
You are truly in top form. In regards to the "healing", I find it is time to relate a personal story (modesty has prevented me from doing so earlier). All of my adult life I have had a most unusual ability. I can consume vast quantities of foodstuffs and yet NOT gain a pound! Of course, unbelievers tell me I have a "fast metabolism"; but WE know the truth. Truly, my weight has not changed by more than 5 lbs. in the last 25 years! Is it not written that the righteous shall take poison and not die? By extension, the righteous should be able to consume and not gain weight. Brothers and Sisters, I have that amazing ability; and it can be yours, too. I offer the healing touch FREE to all faithful ones. (Sorry, brother Larc; but my position in the LTBSS prevents me from "fattening" my bank account.)
As for cuts and bruises, are these not the byproduct of the Demon fat? Navagating doorjambs and coffee tables and other obstacles in life is much easier for the lean ones. Lose that Demon Fat and you too can slide easily into those tiny seats at the movie theater.

Brother Larc,
Perhaps we should start to think about the annual convention? It would be great if we could have it at the same time and place as the DB party which we were all UNinvited to.

42

Can You Believe THIS?

by LDH in

jw
friends

from the jw-media site http://www.jw-media.org.

::::do you believe that you are the only ones who will be saved?.

many millions who have lived in centuries past and who were not jehovah's witnesses will come back in a resurrection and have an opportunity for life.

thinker

It seems to me that the WT has a habit of putting themselves in a "win-win" situation. The legalistic language allows them to say something and deny it in the same statement! There are lots of examples: Jehovah's perfect organization administered by imperfect men. A rising number of JWs means Jah's approval, a declining number is a fulfillment of prophesy.
Read the wording carefully: The resurected ones will only have "an OPPORTUNITY for life". Sounds like the JW's are gonna be real busy converting the recently awaken dead!
So, those now living (and the dead that will rise) have an opportunity to convert to JWs and be saved. Clear meaning: Only faithful JWs will have salvation. A clear judgement on all humanity, dead and alive. This is followed by the denial that they judge anyone! It is impossible to believe the statement in whole, since the last half contradicts the first half. Unless of course you wish to believe that the society is making jugdements FOR God and Jesus. And of course, they're only "humans"; so they're allowed to mess up from time to time. Very clever wording indeed.

thinker

3

Brain-Numbing Food

by ISP in

jw
friends

check this out.......... *** w52 2/1 80 jehovah's theocratic organization today ***.

12 now some may ask, should we accept as from the lord and true the food provided through the discreet slave, or should we withhold acceptance until we have proved it for ourselves?

if we have gained our present understanding of the bible by feeding at the table set by the slave, if we have been thereby freed from false doctrines and built up in the clean and undefiled worship of god and given a new world hope, we should have some confidence in the slaves provisions.

thinker

“He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. In fact, let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from Jehovah.” (Jas. 1:6, 7, NW)

To me, this always sounded like a good scripture to quote when the WT talked about "tacking".
Thinker

87

Heresy of the Month

by thinker in

heresy of the month (from a website).

don't you hate it when someone you know comes up with some new thing that you have never heard about?

you sit there in apparent ignorance as they pontificate about the proofs and merits of some idea so far beyond common knowledge that it can only be revealed by people of exceptional enlightenment such as they.

thinker

Just when I thought I might get to retire early... Along comes Elder Larc and his miraculous post.
Well, Larc I guess our work here is not yet over. I'm not worried over the "Month" thing. I'm sure the flock will allow us to run over if necessary. As for sister Red, she sure does liven up the dicussions. If she wants to be Goddess next month, well; what's the harm? Remember, any member of our happy, little flock can send us new light. Speaking of which, I have more from the most holy Weekly World News:

GLENARDEN, Md.-- After you've tried unsuccessfully to lose weight with low-fat diets, low-carb diets, calorie-restricted diets and back-breaking exercise, what's left?

"Prayer," says Thea Wilson, and she ought to know-- her miracle diet has helped thousands of fat folks shed unwanted flab by calling on God for help!

Wilson harnesses the power of religion to teach chronically overweight students how to surrender their will to the Lord and get Him on their side in the battle of the bulge. The weight- loss program she uses is called the Weigh Down Diet, and it works!

"Most people have tried everything else," says Wilson, who discovered the diet in 1996 and slimmed down from a size 22 to a size 6 in a matter of months. "But you have to try God. He is the only thing that can fill the void."

Since the Weigh Down program was founded by Gwen Shamblin in 1986, thousands of hefty Christians have lost weight-- and kept it off. To be successful, dieters are taught the key to success: They must cut their meals in half and focus the other half on God and prayer.

The program uses principles set down in the Bible, Wilson says. Here's how it works:

DON'T MAKE A GOD OF FOOD:
"First of all, we take a look at what the Bible says about our right relationship to food and to God," Wilson says. "One of the Ten Commandments is 'Thou shall have no other gods before me.' But so many of us do. We make gods of money, sex, clothes, the compliments of others-- and of course food.

"So we begin by reading passages from the Bible like Ezekial 16:49, Proverbs 23 and Colossians 2:20-23 to help us understand that God wants us to enjoy food but NOT to make it a god."

LEARN TO KNOW HUNGER:
Dieters are put on a prolonged fast to experience the difference between "mouth hunger" and real hunger.

"When we've spent years using food as a source of comfort, happiness and excitement, we can think we're hungry when we're really not. We call this illusion 'mouth hunger.' The fast allows us to feel what it's like when the body actually wants nutrition. Real hunger is a feeling many Americans have never known."

EAT ANYTHING-- BUT ONLY TO SATISFY HUNGER:
"Once dieters learn to recognize real hunger, they're told they may eat anything they want to-- but only enough to satisfy real hunger." Dieters are told that the minute hunger is gone, they should stop eating and leave the table.

USE PRAYER TO CONQUER TEMPTATION:
"When we're tempted to overeat, we stop before reaching for food and we pray, asking God to deliver us from the temptation."

ONCE THIN, ASK GOD FOR HELP TO STAY THAT WAY:
"We maintain our new relationship with food by confession (admitting our past failures), praise (acknowledging that God does for us what we can't do for ourselves) and insight (reading the Bible to learn more about God's will)."

Wilson and her colleagues believe their diet is easy to stick to because the Man Upstairs makes it easy.

"God knows what you ate," Wilson says. "You cannot hide from God.

"But He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Ain't no pork chop He can't conquer."

Lean On Brothers & Sisters