Tag Archives: religion

Fishing Nets Tossed in the Sand

Most people have heard the story of how Jesus called his disciples to follow after him. He did not go out and pick a group of religious leaders to take around and teach the people, nor did he pick a bunch of religious zealots to help him carry his message of freedom from the chains of sin. He picked several average guys from different walks of life and trained them to carry on the message that he began. The life of Christ is a very powerful story that sometimes becomes routine for people because they have heard it a hundred times. It is sad that it happens, but it is true. Sometimes people need a fresh look at parts of it in order to let the message continually impact and shape their lives.

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman. “Come follow me, ” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once, they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20 TNIV

Seems like a simple story but hold on! What would make two brothers who were experienced fishermen their entire lives throw down their nets, leaving their source of income, and follow after Christ without question? Imagine if you were standing on the street here in downtown Indianapolis, and Jesus walked up to you saying to follow him. Would you drop your possessions and follow after him? Could you leave your work or friends and family? It is easy to respond, “Yes, of course I would!”

But think really hard…. Could you really do it?

It is powerful that these men whom Christ chose gave up their lives and walked with him, an incredible act of faith. It also speaks to the character of Jesus. His request was simple and straightforward.

Come, follow me.

At that point, Peter and Andrew would live changed lives and walk a new path. Their net laid there next to the sea; a symbol of their earthly lives. They left that like cast into the sand and walked into a new life with Christ.

What nets do you hold on to? What are you still fishing for? If we really experience Christ for who he is and what he can do in our lives, we will drop those nets and follow him. It is easier said than done, but with the help of Jesus, we can let go.

Unimaginable Faith

I am always shocked and amazed when people tell me that they believe there is nothing after life. Once we die, there is nothing, and it is all over.

If this is the case, what is the point of living? Why do you get up and go to work everyday? To think there is nothing beyond takes an insurmountable amount of blind faith. I argue, even more faith than believing any school of thought including reincarnation. 

One way I approach it is that if there is nothing beyond this physical existence, then we are just like the animals and insects that roam this planet. Why should we create rules, laws, moral codes? The raccoon pulverizing my trash can does not subscribe to a moral code of law.

This is truly survival of the fittest. True Darwinian school of thought where only the strong are able to exist. But then they die and the story is over. How depressing.

Taking a logical approach, I find it hard to imagine that in a world of many different living species, only one has evolved into an intelligent, self-aware and remarkable being that is completely different from any other living organism on earth. I believe it is a strong case for intelligent design. Otherwise, we are no better than the cockroach. We may be more physically vulnerable than the cockroach, but it could not write Beethoven’s fifth symphony. Our ability to survive is based on our ingenuity, not our physical evolution.

Everyone is born with a sense that there is more to this existence than just living and dying. To deny that is to have incredible faith that nothing you do in this life will matter because in the end, you will be gone.

I applaud the bravery and exceptional display of faith to these individuals. To have a “free pass” if you screw up in life is amazing! Unfortunately, my faith is not that strong, and I surrender to the inner feeling that there is something beyond what we do here on this earth. Therefore, I chose to live the best life I can being of strong moral character and humble to know that there is something greater than I am.

Pride is what drives those who believe there is nothing beyond. Plain and simple.

Days Gone Down

How many times have you wished to go back and change the things you did in the past? If only you had turned left instead of right…

Unfortunately, the reality is that the past is gone, and we can only move forward. We can reflect and learn from our past, but we must press forward. Live in the present and strive to the future. Always remember that tomorrow’s decisions are always more important than the decisions of yesterday.

A person may still be impacted by the consequences of their past actions, but it is more important to make choices to respond to the consequences. Wishing we had chosen differently in that pas  only leads to regret, desperation, and hopelessness.

Keep your eye on the prize. Do not let the days gone down, drag you to their depths with them. Residing there will delay your race forward. The prize lays before us, not behind. As the Apostle Paul tells us, we need to keep our eyes on the prize.

“We still gotta long way, still a long way to go.”

Power in Freedom

To most people, the idea of power is equivalent to control. Power becomes synonymous with “power over” something. It could be a person, a group of people, an object, a behavior, or an idea.

Do not confuse power as control. True power comes from letting our souls free from forces that exert control over us. Power comes from a life of morality and resistance against immorality.

Real power comes from freedom in thought.

Compromising is the greatest enemy. It is important to remember that you can not control other people’s actions nor their moral compass. Each individual must make those choices though they will likely be influenced, coerced, or forced. In this we lose our power.

Our power is compromised, leaving us powerless and controlled. We become mindless drones.

Moral goodness is obtained within oneself by discovery. Take the knowledge and let your soul guide you. People are born with a conscience and the knowledge of good and evil. Do not do what is good because you are told to. It must be a desire- a passion!

Do not be a prisoner to this immoral world. Use your power to break free of its chains. Continue to pursue truth in all things every moment of your existence. There is no greater power!

Not a Typical War

Like it or not, we are in a war. People continue to say that another Civil War is coming due to the divide that continues to grow in this country. I totally disagree with that statement. The war has already begun, but it does not look like what people think. This country and this world are in an “ideological” war. The sides are not using guns and artillery nor are they capturing land, but rather they are using words, beliefs, and that have been “weaponized” to advance agendas to elevate themselves and those beliefs. It is not a conventional war, but it is warfare, plain and simple.


Morality has reached a crisis as immorality has successfully blurred the lines under the umbrella of total inclusion. No belief or behavior should be discouraged, but rather it is encouraged. Being “moral” has now become synonymous with hatred, racism, intolerance, and bigotry. It is an attack against what is good and right. What will we do?

Is there hope?


One option is to surrender and accept it, letting this immoral thinking win. Many have given up feeling it is hopeless to resist. The old adage states, “if you can’t beat them, join them.” People have surrendered too much as they feel defeated and shunned by society. This has become a life of misery, though deep in our souls, we know that this is not how we are to live. The conscience will continue to speak even when shoved down into the deepest recesses of our very being.

As I write this, violence is beginning to sweep through LA. I can see the hatred spread as both sides as they take measures to advance their agenda. There is nothing glamorous nor glorious about this “protest.”

I encourage you to hold fast to your faith, your morality, and to that which is good. Do not surrender your values to the enemy in this war of ideology. You do not have to pick up arms or hurl rocks to make a stand. Live a life of moral example and demonstrate compassion with love and without compromise.

We are at war. It’s time to fight back.

Back to the Howling Dog Out in the Woods…

They say with age comes wisdom. While I believe this to be true, I feel more than wisdom is gained with age. We gain perspective. When we are young, we are adventurous to the point of wrecklessness. There is a sense of invulernabity that people approach life early on.

We strive for the exceptional life, traveling a “yellow brick road” to fame and glory. We constantly dream of being more than we are, no matter how successful our life has been. How many times have you imagined yourself as a music star or a great actor? I know all of us dreamed of fame and fortune.

With age comes perspective and the realization that the road we walk is endless and will never reach the great kingdom of Oz. No matter how much we achieve, the human soul craves more and will be unsatisfied.  It is human nature. There is a spark in each of us that strives to perfection even though we see clear as day that we are completely flawed.

We must come to a realization that perfection is impossible within the human framework. Perfection or success is not found on a road paved in gold or a penthouse in the highest building. We need to focus beyond the physical world of success.

It is the success of the soul.

Oh, I’ve finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road.

Cultivation of one’s soul is where satisfaction in life comes from. It is clear there is moral right and wrong and a life focused and learned on the moral good will bring about our best life. You may or may not believe in God, but I do, and I believe that the key is to sow seeds of peace, love, and holiness while rooting out evil, hatred, and selfishness. These things will strangle one’s soul, causing misery and despair.

Now is the time…. change your perspective and let go of the unattainable. Go beyond the yellow brick road and find a fulfilled life cultivating your soul.

Big Brother Is Watching

Recently, I started re-reading the book 1984 by George Orwell, and it is hitting me quite differently from when I read it back in 1991. Thirty-five years ago, the concepts portrayed seemed unrealistic and far-fetched. It was truly a work of science fiction. Now today in 2025, I see it more like a prophecy of a world that we should fear. Authors in the late 40’s, 50’s and 60′ were able to see the danger and the “writing on the wall.” Authors like Phillip K. Dick seemed to have a premonition of the future. In his work, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, he tackles if Androids who look, act and think like humans have a soul. With the advancements in AI, we are starting to face the ethical issues Dick tackled in 1968.

We are in an age where we are surrounded with surveillance devices that can track all our moves, and we can be found no matter where we go. Police can track people from “pings” on cell phone towers, using credit or debit cards, and cameras placed all around. Privacy is becoming harder and harder to attain as we are surrounded by this expanding technology.

We are always being watched.

Not only are we watched, but we are influenced or, I prefer to call it, “conditioned.” People are spoon-fed a narrative that, over time, will cause them to indirectly think or feel a certain way. Our advancements in technology have made it easier for one group to assert its control over individuals and other groups. We are all under a large microscope with the eye of “Big Brother” looking through the lens. We are forced to play along and pretend even when it goes against the very fiber of our being.

This is not freedom.

This is conformity leading to control.

Humankind is wired to be independent, spontaneous, and free thinking (for good or bad). In 1776, the people of this nation rose up against a controlling force that they could no longer tolerate due to the stranglehold this empire had on them. Fortunately, without modern technology, the British were unable to quell this rebellion driven by desired freedom. Almost two-hundred and fifty years later, we find the weight of immoral oppression weighing down on us. The tools being used are more sophisticated and the narrative is better written, but we find our way of belief being threatened on a daily basis, just like before.

I hate the word “conformity ” with every fiber of my being. To me, it means that we obey even when we disagree and know that it is wrong. Yet, we must overcome this fear and fight the conformity and control that continues to grow within our society.

Morality and truth always stand above any government or institution. These man-made entities are not the ultimate authority in determining the way we live our life. Institutions are the engines of conformity and will lead to our moral destruction. Just as the story of Sodom and Gamora, we see ultimate abandonment of what is good and just into a hedonistic society will result in ultimate destruction.

Where do we go from here? How do we stop this society into becoming the world of 1984? You must resist and live the way you were intended to live. It is not a violent revolution that is needed, but rather, a mass ethical movement from us forcing the tide again those who wish to control us.

Do not let Big Brother control your life. Remember to never take all information as “truth” no matter what the source is. Hold up your moral level and see what the bubble tells you. Don’t be afraid to tell the world that the bubble is off.

The bubble doesn’t lie.

The Wealth of Knowledge

This weekend, I was mulling over my next article, but I wanted to reach out to those reading my blog. Topics come to me from listening to news, reading books and articles, and many times, music ignites a thought. This time, I would like the audience to ignite a thought or two.

What about you? Is there a topic or thought that you would like me to write about? I would like to pursue topics that my audience is interested it.

Please share in the comments any topics you would like to hear about. The pursuit of truth always continues, and we must persevere, persisting in the hunt.

I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led. -Thomas Jefferson

I look forward to your responses!

Leave a comment

I Am a Rock, I Am an Island

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

These words are a reminder to me that a life of compromise and indecision will lead to life of misery. There is no satisfaction in being a gullible person who rides wagon after wagon, never finding a stable foundation. Without a foundation, a building will not stand long, eventually it will crumble. So is the same as our soul. We need foundation, because without it, there will be no peace or purpose in our lives.

Yet, once this foundation is established, and we refuse to conform to the whims of society, should we separate ourselves and become the island that decides that being alone is better? It does seem that it would be easier to live a non-compromising, moral life if we shut people and their opinions out of our lives. Become a mountain man who lives off the land, chopping wood as the sun rises in the east. I know that I have thought about that life many days when this world is getting the better of me.

Unfortunately, we are wired as social creatures. A healthy, productive human existence requires relationships with other individuals. Author, Erwin McManus, makes a case that humans are designed and wired to love and desire to be loved. Without this need filled, we began to fall apart at the seams and lose ourselves in the process. Community is important. we must find that balance to maintain integrity/morality and stand in the midst of society. This is a tremendous challenge that an individual must face on a daily basis.

One of the largest obstacles that comes from being a part of society is becoming part of an institution. The institution develops from the need to keep people “in line.” It wants to hold them to a standard and a specific set of behaviors, coercing those people to act a certain way. The government pushes very hard to institutionalize us, and we may fall prey to this, becoming robots and “yes” men. Even religion tries to institutionalize us and often with great success. They emphasize the “rules” we are required to follow, which results in people behaving and acting out of fear. Fear becomes their strongest tool, and many religions will exploit and judge the people based on how well they follow these rules.

To reach a higher moral standard, our mindset cannot be based on fear. It is not just about right or wrong, good or evil, lawful or unlawful. Our internal compass needs to be tuned towards what is good. We must desire to be moral and allow it to drive us forward. A heart truly focused on love will lead us to what is morally good and right. It also means that we stand up and resist when we are being forced in the wrong direction. Do not be fearful of doing wrong. A person must resist the immorality surrounding them.

Don’t run towards the mountains and become a hermit. Live within this world and resist fueling the fires of moral compromise. Hold firm as a rock to the moral good. Align yourself with others that have a burning passion for what is good and right. Find community and love with those that share your values and demonstrate to others who do not that a righteous life is worth living. It is worth standing against immorality to achieve life’s greatest happiness.

You do not have to accept society’s “standards” to live in it.

Instead of an island, be a beacon of light that shines bright upon a hill in the center of town.

Misinformation Train

Daily, individuals are bombarded by all kinds of information about people, events, and theories. Currently in the news, there is talk of car-sized drones above New Jersey, a murder/assassination of a healthcare CEO, and the constant fear of what could potentially be called Word War Three. These are just a few examples. This is the age of unlimited communication with the internet and dozens of news stations bombarding us with both useful and, more often, useless information.

How many really care how Snoop Dog cooks his bacon?

Trying to sift through all the pointless articles to find real news can be a challenge. Even when we find “legitimate” news, we are left with conflicting or bias explanations, distorting the facts. The truth is always elusive. CNN focuses on attacking the conservative minded people while Fox News bashes the liberal audiences. It is a media war that continues to rage and become more volatile on a daily basis.

Dispelling misinformation can be a nearly impossible task. Humanity needs to accept that there are always agendas being played out, conspiracies in the works, brutal fights for power and really bad boxing matches on Netflix. Truth is the hardest thing to see through the thick fog of misinformation. Yet it is there!

One must ask themselves, what is good? What is positive? What benefits humanity the greatest?

There are so many distractions that pull us from the truth. Unfortunately, I am not even sure Occam’s razor can cut away all of the garbage that encloses the truth. So why is it so hidden? Humanity wants to shield itself from accountability and conviction. Hide the truth, then make your own morals that benefits you, the individual, not humanity as a whole.

Wokeness thrives on hiding and distorting the truth in order to move its own agenda of denying accountability. Even if you take God out of the equation (theoretically), humanity cannot survive without a moral structure. For example, there are people who want pedophilia to be a “sexual orientation”. Unbelievable. This act is detrimental to children and emotionally damages them for the remainder of their lives. Nobody would benefit from this behavior if it was accepted. Instead, it drives humanity down a road of self-destruction.

I understand this is an extreme and disturbing example, but the same case is truth for rape, murder, enslavement, theft, genocide, etc. These acts push society closer to chaos and has no benefits to humanity as a whole. Within the philosophical ideal of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill puts forward the “Greatest Happiness Principle.” In this, actions are “right” in proportion as they tend to promote happiness and “wrong” as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.

This “happiness” is not based on the individual, but rather on humanity. Moral actions will benefit all people while immoral actions are the ones that hurt people, even if the person or persons acting benefit from it.

Our goal should be to strive to reach the higher “good” for the human race as a whole. The less suffering, the more we will find happiness in living. The “anything goes” attitude will lead to the destruction of civilized society. Cut through the garbage that the misinformation train dumps on your doorstep.

Be the insurrection.