What am I doing here - a poem

What am I doing here - a poem by P. K. Odendaal – June 2020

The road that I travel is made out of gravel

Never was I told it would be streets of gold

It would be dull indeed if there was no need

or if there was no more I could suffer for

Losing my drive to try and survive

Would imply that I am ready to die

I have to hold fast till my calling is past

and cling to all things which meaning me brings

Delusion and make believe - a poem

Delusion and make believe – June 2020

We live in a land of make believe

And we try anything we can scarcely conceive

Not for deception, but for fear of rejection

as none we can do will trouble you.

And that is more than we bargained for

And nothing we'll find will blow our mind

In fact, any tale will let us rail

and none of our stuff is ever enough

as we will only think we had too much to drink

Or that such a joke will go up in smoke.

Adult Sunday School - Part 25 - Oh, my Son, my Son

Adult Sunday School – Part 25 - Oh, my Son, my Son

The most traumatic moment in the life of God was when His son died. Some of us who have lost a son can relate to that, but, for God,  the grief of that moment was more intense in that He knew when and how His son would die - at least four thousand years before it happened.

The first hint to us that it would happen, is when He spoke to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Gen 3:15 … it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This scripture says in my words: You shall bruise His heel when you send Him to Calvary where He will die, but He will bruise your head at Calvary, because there He will be crowned the King of Kings.

Considerata

Considerata – May 2020.

The first thing we should accept in this world is that there is a God who created, owns, manages and rules this universe. Nobody can prove it or disprove it, because He has willed it so.

If we do not accept this, then we must also accept that we do not exist – a much greater possibility, because neither can anyone prove or disprove that we do. Philosophers have thought about it for millennia and the best they could come up with was what Descartes said: ‘I think, therefore I am’. To this I reply ‘I am, therefore I think’. Both two hollow excuses proving nothing.

A letter to God

Dearest God,

You are omniscient, omnipotent, majestic, humble, loving, innovative, creative, incredible - and that to an infinite degree.

I adore you with my mind, body, soul and spirit. With all that is within me.

On the other hand, I am not even worth it that you cast a glance to my side, yet you walk the extra million miles with me.

Adult Sunday School - Part 24 - The Last Judgment

Adult Sunday School - Part 24 - The Last Judgment - by P.K.Odendaal
Originally written as Part 14 in October 2012.
Now rewritten in April 2020 during lockdown.

This used to send shivers up my spine, but not anymore - and you can prepare yourself for this to take the sting out of it. But sure as we live, there will be a Final or Last Judgement of the World. It will be like a court case for individuals and nations, and it is easiest to think about it in terms of a court case on earth.

Oneness and Holism

Oneness and Holism

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.(John 17:21)

It is Easter weekend 2020, and this weekend always inspires me to think deeper into things than our physical existence. My most notable writing, and one of my ten most read articles is ‘The Lamb of God’, appearing elsewhere in this blog, which details the activities almost two thousand years ago, on this weekend. But ... I am cutting it much wider this time.
See http://pkodendaal.blogspot.com/2012/10/adult-sunday-school-part-15-lamb-of-god.html

Doubt and Delusion

Doubt and Delusion – the story of Adam and Eve

The fate of man started out with doubt and delusion, planted by the enemy of God into the minds of mankind. Satan was and still is the progenitor and protagonist of doubt and delusion having been the first to delude himself into thinking he is God, and he still lives under that delusion.

Our story, which is about Adam and Eve, is so detailed, plausible and human as it encompasses the full path a human walks to become delusional, evil and disconnected from God.

Travels with my Mind - part 1

Travels with my Mind (or 'Please, show a little kindness') - February 2020.

I have already, many years ago, started to write about the travels of my body, mind and soul, each travelling to different domains and to different destinations at the same time and mostly all three unconnected in space and time, but each leading or lagging the other in meaning, insight and substance. Although it was not out of body experiences, they might as well have been, being so unconnected in subject and context.
The first one being 'Rome is burning' when I visited Italy in 2012 and found it in modern day ashes and organized chaos, so to speak, after the world economic crises of 2008. It was a parody on the history of Nero who is said to have played a fiddle whilst Rome was burning during his persecution of the Christians in 69 AD. In fact, this impression and extraction is so powerful in our lives even today as we use Nero software to burn CD's.

Democracy will always fail

Democracy will always fail - and so will dictatorships and socialism.
February 2020.

 

To set the stage, I first need to quote a few men of note:

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. Johan Adams (1814).

Democracy stands between two tyrannies: the one which it has overthrown and the one into which it will develop. Paul Eldridge (1965).

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage. H.L.Mencken (1949).