Tag: americaneducation

The Case of the Buried Treasure

by Ray Stedman, Authentic Christianity

[k. e. leger Note: This article was written June 27, 1971. Please take note how this article, written 48 years ago, still holds true today. This really helps us to understand the struggle with Israel, and why the governments are acting the way they are. This goes with my article titled ‘Discovering the Hidden Treasure in Yourself.’]

In the great series of parables in Matthew 13 our Lord gave us, as He said, ‘The secrets of the kingdom of heaven.’ The kingdom of heaven is God’s work among men, God’s rule and authority in the midst of human affairs. In this series, Jesus is revealing the work of the kingdom as it is going on throughout the centuries of this present age since His first coming and before His return. We come to the fifth parable this morning, the parable of the buried treasure.

I don’t know what that may evoke in your mind. It always reminds me immediately of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, of Long John Silver, and doubloons and pieces-of-eight, peg-leg pirates, and all the exciting things usually associated with the idea of buried treasure. It is intriguing to realize that Scripture deals with this subject as well. It recognizes the allure and the mystery, which always gathers around the notion of hidden treasure. God has His buried treasures and He is speaking of them in this parable.

Continue reading “The Case of the Buried Treasure”

‘Truth’

Racism, hate: Evil’s best friends. Don’t let it consume you!

A sample from Book 11

 Truth
  
 liars seek truth‒
 falsifying a life
without any light
  
 manipulation...their due
 cutting it on cue
 ‒without noticing
the coming dues
  
 their belief‒ 
trying to convince you
 all they do
true, true, true
 backing them‒ 
there are few
  
 their spots change
sending you to the loo
 oh! what to do?
 ‒without cursing them, too
  
 truth is truth
existing
no half truths
 ‒it's either all true
 or just makings
of a waterloo
Continue reading “‘Truth’”

‘Disillusionment’

When politics blinds your truth!

A sample from Book 11

 Disillusionment  

 she stood there shaking
 what have I done‒
 causing this imagined awakening
 ‒have I forsaken
 forgive me, Lord†
ease this hating
  
 in her silence
her heart opened
 ‒a simple token
 what truly lived
in this here maiden
  
 she watched them all
 as the stones began to fall
 ‒to her knees
no longer...she felt tall
 over and over
coming at her skin‒
 little hard balls
  
 then a sudden stall
stopped...silence
 a mere moment
she recalled
  
 the dust settled
 her tightly closed eyes opened
 upon her dress‒
 tiny red splattered drops dribbled
 her pain...tiny tickles
 what...a blink before‒ 
it seemed a fable
  
 her fear lifted‒  
was this a gift
 her sins shifting
to ultimate's forgiveness
 ‒this she did not know
 but the sudden stop
 ‒she felt her heart unfold
  
 cast your stone‒ 
if clean...your bones
  
 she heard the voice
then the made choice
 as all around
stone after stone
 hit...not her
but the ground
  
 silence remained
she still knelt‒
 in blood stains
 as shifting of feet
the sudden in retreat
  
 silence...not daring
to lift her head
 then a shadow overcame the red
 a hand reached out
get up child
 a mere whisper without shout
  
 strength from Him† came
 as her legs rose
 ‒her eyes did the same
  
 His† light dried her tears
 all became so clear‒ 
her heart felt clean
 in His† eyes...she seen‒ 
truth's unending scene
 her life redeemed
it wasn't a dream
 ‒pure and serene
forever...trust in Him†
 she proclaimed
 for the Lord†...by her side
remained
Continue reading “‘Disillusionment’”

‘Places Shackled’

You’ve got to ask God and stop complaining!

A sample from Book 10

  Places Shackled
  
 He† asked not to forsaken Him†
 yet gives a choice‒
 free-will to accept within
  
 analogies, theological preachings
 leads only to leeching
 the wrong, deceitful teaching
 ‒a constant arguing of bitching
 leaves hungry souls
 waiting, anticipating
in places allowing shackling
  
 He's† proven enough
for everyone's love
  
 He† doesn't have to do rough
 ‒that's the enemy's stuff
but He'll† get tough
 when love's smothered in crud
  
 to push buttons
lead people to suffering
 ‒He's† testing
seeing who's believing
 wondering how long
for hearts in changing‒
 faith begins ringing
  
 amazing to watch‒ 
tickings of the cock
 deceptions...coming in hot
 ‒evil's little bot
 it'll be easy to come in‒ 
without a knock
 as you wage wars
on a dot
  
 careful now‒ 
He† understands wow
 hears every prayer in loud
  
 evil things...He† does allow
 waiting for the choice
a hungry heart's voice
 in free-will...the bow
 ‒without asking how!
Continue reading “‘Places Shackled’”

‘Looking Within’

Men miss the point of what makes a woman special!

A sample from Book 10

 Looking Within
  
 it's not to your treasures
you are bound
 look carefully around‒ 
is your heart sound
  
 quantity of possessions
 do you measure
your worth
 all your journey's identities‒
 do you take pleasure
now...from your birth
 is that the quality
your only creation
  
 all your roads traveled
 of life‒ 
are you still baffled
 wishing‒ 
you were still
in the cradle
 wishing‒ 
on no experiences
to tattle
  
 is it no more a mystery
 your back there history
  
 for every lesson
comes a reason
 for the next season
  
 round and round
goes the merry-go-round
 'til no more
you see the clown
 never lost, never found
 stuck in between
that round and round
 not seeing the lesson
not rightfully sound
  
 'til it comes from within
 the stuck
always in begin
again and again
  
 so sad at the end
feeling still in begin
Continue reading “‘Looking Within’”

‘Tradition’s Backfire’

You are NOT a girl! You ARE a woman!

A sample from Book 10

  Tradition's Backfire
  
 they said
you're just a girl‒ 
this is a man's world
 messing with my head
 holding me back
in their dizzy twirl
  
 I tried to push ahead
 but esteem
they made me lack
 on my butt‒ 
they'd just slap
 ignoring my educated snap
putting me in dead
 all those words
they said
  
 but I don't go down like that
 my mind...I discovered
sound
 so much world
all around‒
 I bounced back
learned a few facts
  
 I got over their curse
learned new adverbs
 set it all up‒ 
for a reverse
 when they came at me
in their attacks
  
 they said
 you can't put it out
like that
 you're too bold...too negative
 you...no one will respect
 they'll drop you
as a contact
 ‒see you as an 'old crab'
  
 much more than that‒
 from all sides
came their attack
  
 my professional swirl‒
 downgraded to just a girl
  
 my mothering cap‒ 
smashed to the ground
 with a raging man-ego trap
 stripping me
of those I gave birth
  
 my christian-wife-giving perk‒
 crushed into dirt
 as hands
around my throat...grasped
  
 my daughtering burst
my sistering worth‒
 taken, stripped, clasped
 as man-driven pride submersed
 fist to head‒ 
stripped 'til I was dead
  
 I couldn't go down like that
 my mind‒ 
put in the back
 ‒lost from sound
so much world
all around‒
 on a different
leveling track
 I bounced back
 ‒met their crap with crap
  
 in sexual immortality‒ 
I did flirt
 around edges of freak
I certainly did skirt
 ‒screaming, yelling, cursing
 I explored my worse
from the depths of dead
 completely lost in my head
 over and over rolling‒ 
those words they said
 ‒all those lies fed
I did the dread‒
 around every corner
I did tread
  
 but I don't go down
like that
 my mind...I discovered
much more sound
 so much world
all around‒
 I fell in their trap
 but it's just fact
I bounced back
  
 into a dim light
I emerged
ready...able
 put up
my hard-core fight
 as the light
moved to bright‒
 breaking their holding-down trap
 unveiling their curse
 ‒I moved into rebirth
 learning my worth
what truly
sets my turf
  
 I am a woman
not just a girl
 my looks‒ 
just a perk
 on my body‒ 
let your eyes flirt
 ‒all this framework
aids my intelligence
 (the likes of brilliance)
  
 yes...on my face
a slight smirk
  
 out...I reemerged
 this butt‒ 
yes, try and slap
 see if I don't call out
your crap
  
 this mind‒ 
try to trap
 I'll come at you‒
 out of this cave
like a bat
  
 yes, it's like that
 don't like it‒ 
down...sit back
sap
 for I've learned my worth
 bridges...I'll easily burn
 ‒say it like it is
 this right‒ 
I've readily earned
  
 and...I don't go down
just like that
 my mind...I know
clearly...positively
sound
 all this world
all around‒ 
I am bound
 for, indeed, I bounce back
 with the resistance of a cat
  
 it's just fact
you...I'll come straight at
 I'm 'all' that
and...that's just that!
Continue reading “‘Tradition’s Backfire’”

‘Internal Exposure’

Ladies: ‘Lean In’ and take the lead!

A sample from Book 10

 Internal Exposure
  
 get it out–
 that ingrained lesson
in your head
  
 stop! suppressing it–
 instead...shout
you are not dead
  
 don't worry about
green or red–
 stand out
too many...already bled
 for you to shrivel in dread
  
 don't quiver...beg
you do have a choice–
 redefine what's been fed
 rewire that inside voice
  
 female verses male– 
look who's already led
 down, down, down– 
the bottom of a cell
 –on the surface
why do we still tread
  
 slogans they spread
find a good man
 –what happens
after I thee wed–
 dreams...cave-on in
 while man elevates in win
  
 pretty little mommy
on lists of craig–
 might as well list
held back little mommy
 –tuck her...nice and sweet
in her bed
  
 advancement's common thread–
 smart like daddy
 t-shirts read
propaganda of j.c. penny
 –analogies deeply bred
  
 she's just a girly
 words...over and over
said
  
 follow the creed
every line...in the 'reg'
 –you're a 'she'
be a teacher in ed
 or a nurse for ned
forget going into med
 forget running for the leg
or even a pres
 –don't you see
for this– 
you need a third leg
  
 words...buried in the head
 advancing...common avoidance
 leaving girls...in dread
 hanging their intelligence
on a peg
  
 I'll say it...what other's said
 get out of your head
 go out...lead
forget the man-ego clout
 don't be misled
don't listen to internal's doubt
 bypass labels...bitch, bossy
 –ambition is not damnation!
 but a reclassification...recondition
 of old worn, torn traditions
  
 here's some jubilation:
  
 it's okay...go red
 save green
for those babies
you wean
  
 you can do both
 let that...in...soak!
  
 it's okay to be a queen!
 expose that internal dread
 in front of the crowd– 
be in the lead
 –hire someone to clean
 forget all those slogans said–
 you're a woman– 
removed from bygone's dead
  
 be heard...seen
 never again
hiding behind
 tradition's thread
  
 let another make that bed– 
dawn those heels
 paint those lips red
 rewrite those unwritten regs
 that wrongly imposed
   man-ego driven creed
Continue reading “‘Internal Exposure’”

‘Hands to Hold’

Is race going to continue to rule your life?

A sample from Book 10

 Hands to Hold
  
 you come at me
 you're not discrete
bold...unsure
  
 maybe there's a gun in my hand
 maybe I've some contraband
  
 or maybe I just like hands in pocket
 or wearing my earphones in my car
 so I can answer this here phone
 for this car absent of bluetooth–
 protecting me and you
  
 or maybe you're angry– 
having a bad day
 I pass your way
 through your veins runs hate
 so I become your play
  
 I'm just like you‒
 generation after generation
 passed through
without obligations
 to changing the view
  
 –it all seems like voodoo
 we both– 
not really having a clue
 ‒taking it upon ourselves
 get off that dusty shelf
change the view
 so our kids
won't suffer too
  
 maybe I do have a gun
 –anger raging in stun
 do you see inside of me
 my hard history
maybe my hand shakes
 though you can't see
 –you're so angry
 not seeing what's at stake
  
 maybe I did some drugs–
 stopping the pain
 keeping from going insane
 but soothing I didn't gain
 all looks like a game
 emotions adding to more pain
  
 then you come along
 thinking I'm a thug
 you want to cut me down‒
 stump me like a bug
 without knowing the deal at home
 why I'm here– 
a gun...all alone
  
 maybe don't yell
 talk...love– 
let it swell
  
 instead of jail– 
lead my soul to help
 without making me
hate myself
  
 I, too, want peace
 between you and me
  
 maybe instead of arrogance‒
 show understanding
compassion
  
 I don't want a free ride
 just a reason...inside
not to cry
  
 I am tough
I've got muscles, tats
 my life has been rough
 –crazy and all that
 it doesn't mean
I'm just stuff
to pluck
  
 a handshake
a hug
  
 –that just might be
enough
  
 I'm a human being
 I don't mean to sting
  
 just a little bitter
 please, your anger–
 could you reconsider
  
 look at me for me
God's† child
 making my way...like you
 through the miles
  
 –the past is gone
this is now
 together– 
we can make it all
worth while
 if we just remain calm–
 approach each other
in mild
 without death coming in fowl
Continue reading “‘Hands to Hold’”

‘Yclad’

Cloth yourself in God’s Word!

A sample from Book 10

 Yclad

 in faith
stay
 vulgar, ignorance
cast away
  
 live in light’s way
 voices come
protect your way
  
 hear, hear
today
 hypocrisy is hypocrisy
 it’s not your matinée
to sway
  
 only you‒ 
your individual attaché
 you need to obey
  
 in faith
bathe
no one can penetrate
 when God’s† your main deejay
  
 your test
may cause some weight
 ‒keep the faith
you’re a work of clay
 ‒a simple, little pâté
 a life
building résumé
  
 it’s okay
 ‒be a little risqué
 your faith
paves
your way
  
 don’t adhere
to man’s way
 ‒that’ll only bring
a bit of pompeii
 delay‒ 
your thanksgiving day
  
 the only entrée
 ‒your only needed sway
 being the protégé
of words Jesus†
  
 had to say
faith
can never be passé
 when you’re open‒ 
faith
your main forté
Continue reading “‘Yclad’”

‘Colorless Birds’

We’re all various shades of brown!

A sample from Book 10

 Colorless Birds
  
 a failed adhesion
 ‒mixed hypercritical damnation
 of all the hysteria‒
 the misunderstood mystery
hundreds of years
 still shed tears
still darkened fears
  
 what was fought
so hard for
 it doesn't seem
we came too far
 even living
under the same stars
 color‒ 
keeps bringing us back
 ‒justice lacked
white...black
 heresy in a broken-down shack
  
 tackle the government
 ‒greed's endowment
 keeping
that stupid war's enlightenment
 taking it's very commitment
back to days of judgment
  
 where are the colorless birds
 ‒haven't you heard
that war ended
 in a blood-soaked swirl
 leaving this mixed-race girl
in a confused swirl
  
 ‒still an uneven world
lost in racial twirls
  
 we're still paying tokens
 ‒what was broken
 thought to be fixed
 ‒all should be mixed
 still backwards
the clock tics
  
 years and years
suffered pain
 what did we gain
 ‒it's just insane
 still playing
this black-white game
  
 didn't king die
for a simple dream
  
 to live in a time
where there is no color
  
 just people
where each other 
 given no time to smother
no matter skin color
 you're still my sister, my brother
  
 honoring a man's life
 doesn't give war the right
 to bury the dream
 ‒words he openly screamed
 leave hatred...difference behind
 to each other
be kind
  
 it's just time
stop banking on race
 look into each other's face
 see beauty's lace
   of God's† amazing grace
Continue reading “‘Colorless Birds’”