Brandon's Writings

It seems that these days that’s what everyone needs. The religious fundamentalists (of every kind, and which I used to be) need to take a break. The politicians need to give it a rest. The televisions need to be cut off. The hate needs to subside, if only for a moment; a moment long enough for us to see that we’re all the same. I’m listening to one of my favorite albums, and reminiscing on who I used to be, who I am now, and who I might become. Some of these earlier blogs may soon disappear. I just don’t think like that anymore. It’s a perfectly normal thing to shift, to move, to grow. That’s what I’m doing. I hope.

I actively chose not to vote today. My rights as a citizen of this planet were fully exercised. I looked at the afternoon sky, and saw clouds. I picked a flower and smelled the lovely scent (probably the last until spring.) And I feel the evening breeze coming in through the open window. There is peace. It doesn’t take a single “elected” person for me or you to still find beauty in this world. It’s all around us. The whole earth is afire with the glory of its Creator. Let’s start living like we care.

Tell those closest to you that you love them. Make a treat for a person relatively forgotten in your circle of contacts. Color with a child. Plant a garden. Make a friend. Become more than friends. Walk barefoot, even when people tell you not to. Create peace with every step. Dance to the rhythm of this glorious creation, and an even more glorious Creator. Give out hugs. Do something. There are many ways to create peace- find yours!

[I need to constantly be reminded of this.]

Don’t wait for “elected” persons to bring you peace. They can’t, and never will. Only the murdered Lamb will ever provide us with any kind of lasting presence of peace. No greater love has any person than this- the giving up of their own life to provide a better life for others. [Or, live simply so that others may simply live.] This “election” day, breathe in deeply, if only for a moment, and change the world in some small way.

-brandon

this a song that i wrote while struggling to understand the suffering my family is going through with my grandmother who has dementia. to all those who have lost someone, but have that someone still be alive, you are not alone.

so, this is how it is
that’s what you tell me and want me
to believe
how did you expect me to behave
when you told me her mind was
wasting away

she always told my father
never to put her in a home
she said she’d be just fine
in her old house on her own
but things have changed
she’s really not the same
and every day
we pray she’ll remember us

so, this is what it’s like
to lose someone who’s still alive
it’s never been so hard on me
as it’s been these past few weeks
and it’s hard to tell
where heaven is when you’re going
through hell
and the rest of my family
is drug through it too

everyday i pray she’ll wake up and say
“i remember your name, and i recognize your face”
but if not here, then when we meet again

there’s no need to point a finger

no need to pass the blame

let Me take off your blinders

you’ll find everyone’s the same

and I have come

to break the bonds of injustice

and i have come

to untie every yoke

and to show the oppressed and the oppressors

how to be free

share your food with the hungry

give the homeless your spare room

share your clothes with the orphans

and you’ll find very soon

how I came

to break the bonds of injustice

how I came

to untie every yoke

and to show the oppressed and the oppressors

how to be free

I am the foundation of every generation

I rebuild the streets where you live

so you will know

that I came

to break the bonds of injustice

I came

to untie every yoke

and to show the oppressed and the oppressors

how to be free…

“i can’t believe what my eyes have to see
as the last of the smoldering embers die
along with the place that i once called home
and it looked so nice
they lead us away in chains
while our head were bowed down
to the ground because of all the shame
and our walls might be broken down
but our city lives on in our hearts
everyday”

i remember my grandfather singing that song
and of course he went on and on and on
but it seemed like i never got tired of hearing
about that place that i really should call home
i still remember his final words
as he called me over to deathbed
and said:
“boy if i’ve taught you something, i hope it’s this
that there’s nothing sweeter than the Promised Land’s kiss
all my stories of the honey and milk are not fables, child
they truly do exist
and i’ve prayed to the Lord, dear one
that you would be filled with wisdom
and the might of the sun
for when it shines its light on the crops and the trees
they bring forth the fruit of that season”

so i grew up and i became wise
and no matter how hard they tried
i never once lost the song my grandfather sang
and one day my time finally came
for when the king would eat his meals
i was always there first
to drink his wine, which wasn’t bad all the time
but it came with a high risk of death
and i thank the Lord i hadn’t gone out yet
then the king asked why i was looking so sad
because every day before i had a smiling face
i took a second to pray
then proceeded on with great caution

then i recited to the king
the very song my grandfather used to sing
i told him how my people just wanted to go home
but they couldn’t because the city was ruined
i proposed to rebuild the town
and the wall that went around
to keep us safe
but i would need the best lumber
from the forest of the king
and a few years off from my daily routine
when the king opened his eyes
to my surprise, he said:
“take what you need! i’ll sign the papers
and you can go on your way.”

such a bold and risky move
for a servant like me to the king
but i knew after many sleepless nights
there was nothing else i could do
the place i stay now is just a house with walls
but tomorrow i set out to rebuild our home
and i remember well my grandfather’s song

my name is Nehemiah,
i was once the cup bearer of the king

i’ve been getting this a lot lately, especially since i’m still in a small, rural, unadventurous southern town. when i say small, i mean just that (less than 11,000 persons. though, roughly twenty years ago, there were almost 9,000… it’s not going anywhere, i assure you). rural- the “ideal” friday night is getting drunk down by the river or in the woods. unadventurous- this isn’t so bad; most of the town is pretty chill, but when the local hangout is walmart, something in me needs more. but coming from this type of small, rural area where the general attitude is very “back-woodsy” many people spend their lives having these “ideal” nights and pouring more money into the machine. so when people ask me “so, what are you going to do when you grow up?” it’s generally not a simple answer and i generally respond with something generic by now, because i’ve learned that it’s not an accepted practice to say, “let’s go for coffee, and i’ll explain it to you.” much like saying “how are you?” it’s a loaded question. one doesn’t actually care to know the answer, it’s merely an acceptable greeting to which the acceptable response is “fine, how ‘bout you?”

these days, for me, however, are soon to be over. though i do not have a detailed plan for my future, i do have hopes and dreams. i would love to share them with you. but i cannot do that in a sentence, a paragraph, or a blog post. but i can share them with you in my life. and maybe we work out some of the details over coffee.

this said, however, i realize that not all of you are coffee drinkers, while some prefer different flavors, black, sugar and cream, mild roast, bold roast, french press, or whatever. that’s neither here nor there. but i’ve come to love all you, no matter what your flavor or distinct features or aromas. and in the case of my not seeming too caring or distance [forced or chosen] you have always been a beautiful creation, and i can’t wait to become reunited once more.

but just as Jeremiah the Prophet was sent to the Potter’s House to hear the words of God [Jeremiah 18], i must go to my own Potter’s House. i don’t know where that will take me, or where i will end up, or what i will be doing [to tell you the truth]. so whenever someone asks me that ever enduring yet never quite adequately answered question of “what are you going to be when you grow up?”, if you are near, you just might here me respond with a grin, “i’m going to find my Potter’s House. because it is there i will hear the words of my Father.”

and it is there i know i will be at rest, and home.

grace to you.

[i’m listening to Thursday]

A train whistle sounds on a lonesome railway

But is anyone around to hear?

Not even a conductor is near

Or a savior for another day

One cannot imagine what has happened here

Has it been far too long?

“Wake!” Say I, for it is dawn

As my friends sleep, or cower in fear

I hear the whistle weeping

Is it going to pass us by?

We were hiding underground this night

Without knowledge that were descending

“Into the Earth we must go!” once cried I

But was that my mistake?

My dirty feet and hands feel fake

And my bones are brittle in such an absence of light

There is no ascension path, for we thought it naught

“We will never need to leave!” I had said once

As I sank deeper into myself for months

There was no outside thought

Then a man enters, who is tall and thin

He says there is no one else here

No one asleep, or cowering in fear

Only me, not even him

But then another man comes, not as tall, not as thin

Who says I’m not alone

Or I won’t be for long

And that everything exists, even Him

[original posting date- Sunday, February 8th, 2009]

in this passage, paul is talking to the corinthians about meat that’s been offered to idols, and whether they should be partaking in it or not. in the end, he basically reinstates what Jesus said about putting others ahead of yourself. i’m also reminded of when Jesus told the pharisees that it’s not what goes into the body that defiles it, but what comes out, because out of our mouths come what we have hidden in our hearts. (mark 7:18-22)
[for me, the kicker is verse three, in bold.]

“Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.
However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.
But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.” (NLT)
so, what we have is paul telling these believers that it’s not wrong to eat food sacrificed to idols, because the idol is meaningless. we can apply this to many aspects of our lives, and many things that the religious crowd condemns because it is seemingly “of the devil.” i have seen many religious people condemn meaningless thing because they didn’t understand it. what paul is relaying here is that we have the liberty to do things that are condemned by the overly religious folk, if we have knowledge of such things. but he says it’s also important that we don’t hurt a friend with our liberty. let us not destroy ourselves by trying to “please men and please God” though. we serve a king and a kingdom that is not of this world. may we always obey what God is telling us to do above everything else.