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Shogun Finale

  The Finale of Shogun can be summed up in the words, “ Flowers are only flowers because they fall.” This  nihilistic haiku perfectly encapsulates what happened to this series. While it is coded message to Toranaga, denoting an alliance offered by Ochiba-no-kata is sadly also the prevailing spiritual path upon which Ajin San, also known as John Blackthrone takes. In the beginning and for most of the series, Blackthorne was a Protestant in a predominately Catholic and Pagan world. His love was Mariko, a Catholic, and yet in the end he becomes not a papist or pagan, he adopts the most idiotic of all beliefs universalism. He tells the Jesuit Priest, “Its all a shame real, Protestant, Catholic, Shitic, it should change, but it will never change will it father?” The one character that was a sounding board, who’s lens we are suppose to look through in the end abandons all faiths.  This not only is bizarre for the time period its set in; people has strong religious sensibilities, and while Ma
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Jesus is Enough

  We are numbing ourselves with entertainment. Trying to drown the disquiet in our souls with binge watching shows. We use social media and chat based apps to fight the lonely hole in our hearts. All the while none of this removes the edge, the static and jittery feelings inside us. Nothing the world offers can satisfy the insatiability, nothing on this earth can eat away the energy that keeps us awake with insomnia and makes us feel like we’ve had too many coffees. This restlessness is meant to be there to point us to the only solace, the only solution,    the only savior.. Jesus.  How stubborn we humans are. We will try everything that does not work for our restless souls and    spiritual depression. People will use Zen gardens, Yoga, Chant, and myriad of eastern & pagan methods, when the answer is there all along.. Jesus is enough.  We try to fill the emptiness with relationships, if I have a friend or lover then I will be happy. Once the obsession and passion tempers, and that
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Verbal Abuse

  We talk a lot about the evils of physical abuse, but there is another kind of abuse that leaves no marls on the body, but on the soul. Verbal abuse is when people raise their tone and use words in a cruel way like, “you piece of shiitaki!,” and more artful mean spirit sentences like “I never loved you!” This kind of speech is can followed by apologies,    and promises to never do it again. But the mark of verbal abuse remains, and Scripture tells us to not participate in this behavior, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth,” (Colossians 3:8), “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person,” (Matthew 15:18), “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit,” (Psalm 34:13), “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who heart,” (Ephesians 4:29), “I tell you, on the day of j
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Digital Sin?: Includes Erotic Role Play Examined

  With life moving more and more into digital space, how we define and catalogue what is sin and a breach of the commands of God becomes infinitely more complex. It is easy to claim that fornication, and being promiscuous in person is a sin, but what about on Discord, Instagram, Tinder, and etc? If someone role plays sexually with someone does that fall under digital fornication or tantamount to writing a sex scene in a book or watching one in a movie that is integral to the plot? Well the response probably lies in the intent, if you are co-authoring a book or story, and in that there is sexual elements and you remained detached (is that possible?) that would be alright, but participate in erotica with someone for the thrill and that’s just a form of smut or porn with a person. Are those the lines? Another would claim, well neither of you participated in actual physical sexual acts, you were playing make believe, another will say “if you look upon a woman with lust..” but there is no l
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Shogun: Crimson Sky

  In the episode Crimson Sky of Shogun, Mariko who is the translator for John Blackthorne, AKA Ajin San, was faced with commiting Seppeku (ritual suicide) because she could not obey her liege lord Toranaga and leave Osaka. In a nerve racking scene where she takes out the Tando, and prepares to kill herself, Ajin San who has been pleading with her to leave with him and to choose to live and be with him, gets up to be her Second, and thus help her die. The scene is potent with great emotion, as John decides to step into their customs and culture that he thinks is madness for the sake of his love. I think in that moment I saw Jesus, he stepped into our world and instead of helping being our Second, he became The Second Adam and took all our sins, destroying The Second Shi (death) for us.  It can be very difficult to appreciate the suicide scene with our sensebilities, Mariko even saying “to take my own life is a mortal sin.” And yet her culture and tradition demands it. Through Mariko we
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Rebellion: Entertaining Demons

  I marvel at man’s rational. People will find all these reasons to put God    on trial and claim that He is not good or just, or whatever the accusation is. And yet with demons they are the opposite. They welcome them, and even surrender to them. Let me get this straight, you are going to question and lose faith in a God who so loved you He hung on a cross to be with demons? The demons and fallen angels are not loving, they are vicious, cruel, and will inflict such pain on you just because you look like God (Genesis 1:27). Yes it is entirely insane to go to the demonic and witchcraft, you who are disappointed that God did not gratify your every desire or does not ‘seem’ to have your answers and so leave Him who is love (1 John 4:16) to be with beings that are the antithesis of love, who play games and torment your soul for the fun of it. That is like losing your arm and you deciding to go to a torturer or dumping your good friend because they dissapoint you to be with an enemy who plo
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Jesus is Risen

  “1 Jesus is risen! Let us sing! Praise to the everliving King! Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise him in song, ye Seraphim! Praise him with joy, ye Cherubim! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 2 On this most holy day of days, Let us together sing his praise! Alleluia! Alleluia! Raise joyful voices to the sky! Sing out, ye heavens, in reply: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 3 To God the Father let us sing, To God the Son, our risen King! Alleluia! Alleluia! And equally let us adore The Holy Spirit evermore! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!” Source:  Breaking Bread (Vol. 39)  These hymns sung by a choir never cease to convey the glory of our Lord and Savior. While the modern worship does a better job on the intimacy we share with The Risen Christ, hymns often capture the dignity, majesty, and might of the Lord. Each can serve a purpose. This Easter I struggle to find something new to say, some brilliant homily to bestow, and I have nothing. So I
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