Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
Let's talk about beer drinkers and hell raisers, with that I mind I guess we might as well include you and I in this conversation. Suffice it to say that you probably think you are excluded from the above mentioned labels, but are you. I gleamed that line from the ZZ Top song aptly titled Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers, more than anything to gain attention and hopefully get you to read further into this message.
No one is precluded from this discussion, why? We may not be hell raisers based on the definition you have concocted in your mind, but I urge you to think a tad deeper. From the lyrics we hear "I am walking down the line with my favorite honky tonk in mind". I know, some of you are already thinking about those damn hypocrites hanging out in the bars doing God knows what. Heck they'll probably sit on the front row of church Sunday and suck up good air meant for the righteous like you.
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog discussing how we should never judge someone else just because they sin differently than we do. It is very easy to label, judge, condemn, and gossip about people that you deem unfit or should we say sinners at a higher degree than you. No one has a problem spouting a negative opinion about the latest news topic and sharing it so it can gain momentum. I mean, hey, you got to keep the fire burning and negative news, don't you. Here is the point I want to make. You may not be a beer drinker and hell raiser per say, however your subtle actions and comments could possibly do more harm than you realize. Have you ever thought that the very constituency you whine and complain about just might be the movers and shakers that behind the scenes are bringing love to our communities. Honestly, does anyone need to hear your negative comments all the time? Why not utilize that energy to help those in need, to bring hope to the hopeless, and love to the lonely.
There was a time that being a person of faith meant welcoming people from all walks of life. We didn't have to agree with their actions or opinions but none the less we could include them in our circle of love, that's what people of faith were called to do. Yet somewhere over the last few years we developed into a society of highly opinionated, hateful, wall building people supposedly in the name of God or religion. The advent of instant news, social media, and smart phones has brought us to a point to where the old adage Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers where tame compared to the vociferous noise being spouted out by people thinking that their division is exactly what their God has hoped they would do. If you adhere to a Christian belief system, I recommend you read and focus on what the message Jesus was hoping to convey to the world at large. Keep in mind how many people hated him, especially the righteous. We must somehow start to move past the hate that has been allowed to infiltrate our hearts and souls. NO NO NO do not blame the hate on politics, religions, or other worldly events. The hate we absorb is 100% of our making as is the hate we perpetuate to others.
It is easy to cast blame on everyone but yourself. Many times I have said that "no man is a failure until he blames others for where he is in life". No one takes responsibility anymore. No one is the first out of the gate to LOVE another, no one is willing to jump off the bridge in the hopes of saving another only to realize they were the one needing saving (It's A Wonderful Life). I wish life was as simple now as the old Saturday nights of Beer Drinking and Hell Raising. Unfortunately these days vitriol spews from our hearts so much more than warmth and love. Did the Honky Tonks have their problems? No doubt about it, but they pale in comparison to the platforms of hate that are shared via social media. No man is without sin, so please don't magnify the faults of others until you have faced your own. Love is learning to accept yourself, then you can bloom where you are planted. The flower that will sprout of the seeds of love inside you will be beautiful beyond words. God created your life to be full of loving color, grab all the broken crayons you can find and take charge of your stunning beauty. Color outside the lines, include the beer drinkers and hell raisers in your mosaic of love, more than that thought, make sure you paint yourself to be the masterpiece you were created to be.
I believe it is safe to say that even those who do not frequent the so called honky tonks still sin in ways much more harmful than those drinking the beer. I am not advocating that any sin is approved, what I am saying is that we all are concupiscent creatures with a tendency to act as humans. We make mistakes, thank goodness, we grow from it, hopefully. Can you imagine what our world would be like if we somehow someway stopped seeing others as the problem and realized that our path to happiness and love can only be brought to life by the person we see in the mirror.
In my blog "A Conversation with the Devil" I share my thoughts about where people place blame. It's the work of the Devil, or The Devil made me do it, both of those terms are cop outs and irresponsible comments. We, yes, you and I, create most of the problems we encounter. For some reason we have determined that anyone that thinks different or acts different must be wrong and certainly sins at a higher degree than we do. If we desire to have love back in our lives, it has to start within our own hearts. No external element is going to creep it's way into your life and give you a permanent feeling of love and acceptance. There are temporary feeling enhancers that can last for hours, days, or months, but in the end when the depth of love hasn't bloomed from within, it will surely fail the test of time. Love begins and ends with ourselves. I urge you to stop labeling others as the Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers of society. The truth is, they may be the one's with love to share and you may be the one rejecting it and wrecking more havoc on your communities and sphere of influence than you realize.
Why not give love a chance? You deserve it, your friends deserve it, your community deserves it, and for gosh sakes your creator sure as heck deserves it. We were not brought to life to perpetuate any element of hate. We exist to learn, grow, and foster and human existence that has love at the core of its foundation. It starts with you and me. I'm sure you want to improve your life and happiness, well my advice is stop complaining and start loving. Who knows the God you pray too just might be present in the very people you waste time condemning.
God Bless
Dale
No one is precluded from this discussion, why? We may not be hell raisers based on the definition you have concocted in your mind, but I urge you to think a tad deeper. From the lyrics we hear "I am walking down the line with my favorite honky tonk in mind". I know, some of you are already thinking about those damn hypocrites hanging out in the bars doing God knows what. Heck they'll probably sit on the front row of church Sunday and suck up good air meant for the righteous like you.
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog discussing how we should never judge someone else just because they sin differently than we do. It is very easy to label, judge, condemn, and gossip about people that you deem unfit or should we say sinners at a higher degree than you. No one has a problem spouting a negative opinion about the latest news topic and sharing it so it can gain momentum. I mean, hey, you got to keep the fire burning and negative news, don't you. Here is the point I want to make. You may not be a beer drinker and hell raiser per say, however your subtle actions and comments could possibly do more harm than you realize. Have you ever thought that the very constituency you whine and complain about just might be the movers and shakers that behind the scenes are bringing love to our communities. Honestly, does anyone need to hear your negative comments all the time? Why not utilize that energy to help those in need, to bring hope to the hopeless, and love to the lonely.
There was a time that being a person of faith meant welcoming people from all walks of life. We didn't have to agree with their actions or opinions but none the less we could include them in our circle of love, that's what people of faith were called to do. Yet somewhere over the last few years we developed into a society of highly opinionated, hateful, wall building people supposedly in the name of God or religion. The advent of instant news, social media, and smart phones has brought us to a point to where the old adage Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers where tame compared to the vociferous noise being spouted out by people thinking that their division is exactly what their God has hoped they would do. If you adhere to a Christian belief system, I recommend you read and focus on what the message Jesus was hoping to convey to the world at large. Keep in mind how many people hated him, especially the righteous. We must somehow start to move past the hate that has been allowed to infiltrate our hearts and souls. NO NO NO do not blame the hate on politics, religions, or other worldly events. The hate we absorb is 100% of our making as is the hate we perpetuate to others.
It is easy to cast blame on everyone but yourself. Many times I have said that "no man is a failure until he blames others for where he is in life". No one takes responsibility anymore. No one is the first out of the gate to LOVE another, no one is willing to jump off the bridge in the hopes of saving another only to realize they were the one needing saving (It's A Wonderful Life). I wish life was as simple now as the old Saturday nights of Beer Drinking and Hell Raising. Unfortunately these days vitriol spews from our hearts so much more than warmth and love. Did the Honky Tonks have their problems? No doubt about it, but they pale in comparison to the platforms of hate that are shared via social media. No man is without sin, so please don't magnify the faults of others until you have faced your own. Love is learning to accept yourself, then you can bloom where you are planted. The flower that will sprout of the seeds of love inside you will be beautiful beyond words. God created your life to be full of loving color, grab all the broken crayons you can find and take charge of your stunning beauty. Color outside the lines, include the beer drinkers and hell raisers in your mosaic of love, more than that thought, make sure you paint yourself to be the masterpiece you were created to be.
I believe it is safe to say that even those who do not frequent the so called honky tonks still sin in ways much more harmful than those drinking the beer. I am not advocating that any sin is approved, what I am saying is that we all are concupiscent creatures with a tendency to act as humans. We make mistakes, thank goodness, we grow from it, hopefully. Can you imagine what our world would be like if we somehow someway stopped seeing others as the problem and realized that our path to happiness and love can only be brought to life by the person we see in the mirror.
In my blog "A Conversation with the Devil" I share my thoughts about where people place blame. It's the work of the Devil, or The Devil made me do it, both of those terms are cop outs and irresponsible comments. We, yes, you and I, create most of the problems we encounter. For some reason we have determined that anyone that thinks different or acts different must be wrong and certainly sins at a higher degree than we do. If we desire to have love back in our lives, it has to start within our own hearts. No external element is going to creep it's way into your life and give you a permanent feeling of love and acceptance. There are temporary feeling enhancers that can last for hours, days, or months, but in the end when the depth of love hasn't bloomed from within, it will surely fail the test of time. Love begins and ends with ourselves. I urge you to stop labeling others as the Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers of society. The truth is, they may be the one's with love to share and you may be the one rejecting it and wrecking more havoc on your communities and sphere of influence than you realize.
Why not give love a chance? You deserve it, your friends deserve it, your community deserves it, and for gosh sakes your creator sure as heck deserves it. We were not brought to life to perpetuate any element of hate. We exist to learn, grow, and foster and human existence that has love at the core of its foundation. It starts with you and me. I'm sure you want to improve your life and happiness, well my advice is stop complaining and start loving. Who knows the God you pray too just might be present in the very people you waste time condemning.
God Bless
Dale
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