That God Remarks to the Angels Every Day About Us
1. “They sure like to talk.”
2. “Why do they all want to be so different from each other?”
The O Word … May 14th, 2019
Jonathots Daily Blog
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THE
WORD
There are times that it seems the human race is determined to come up with sneakier, or perhaps less offensive, ways to attack one another. Especially interesting is the way we acquire terms which separate us and allow each individual to feel superior to another without it coming across as bigoted.
This is why I tell you:
The O word that should never be used again is “odd.”
There is no circumstance where the word “odd” is positive.
If we’re attempting to be positive, we use the word “different”—but we all know even the word “different” can be the curse of death. None of us want to be that different. We want to be normal—and have as few people in our club as possible.
- Odd is an insult.
- Odd is selfish.
- Odd is mean.
Odd is purposely setting someone to the side because you have determined that they are just not a good fit. Odd is what civilized people say to avoid the word “queer.” Odd is what bigoted folks proclaim so they don’t have to use racial epithets.
For instance, it’s the assertion that there actually is “a black thing, a white preference, a male predilection or a female intuition.”
Once we can establish that something is odd, we no longer need to deal with it, because ironically the word “odd” rhymes with “God,” and places us in the position to do His work by deciding who are the heads and who are the tails.
Odd has a three-step process:
- You are weird to others.
- You are peculiar to the Earth.
- Therefore, you are unacceptable to me.
Although we may insist that we can point out an oddity without judging its equality, the fact is, any time we assume that the actions of another person are unique, in no time at all we will view them as errant.
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Participate … June 17, 2013
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“Indifferent” literally means “not different.” It is a decision to be cool and uncaring about something that comes along, because it fails to conform to the present mold of the general pursuits of the populace. Yet all of us know that “different” things are necessary to our survival–to keep us from skidding off the road because we have fallen asleep at the wheel.
What we consider to be “different” today amazes me. For instance, church takes a terrible rap for being either an old folks home or an outpost of condemnation. We should never give up on the church–but we should never stop improving it.
Politics, on the other hand, has proven to be of little effect in our lives, and is often a stumbling block to human progress. But we spend inordinate amounts of time jockeying for our party or fussing about the details of some sort of party issue.
We tout that our children are the treasure-house of the nation, even as our schools teeter on the brink of bankruptcy and our teachers struggle with depleting budgets to handle increasing class loads.
When should we participate? When is it important to jump in with both feet and be among them that are counted? And when is it better to stand back and let the clowns of the parade pass by, waiting for the real talent at the rear?
As I stood before the amazing people of Vincennes, Indiana, I realized that this was a major question which they would have to answer–whether they were just starting kindergarten or reaping the benefits of their IRA.
Where do I put my energies? Where do I participate? Where do I let my two cents be invested by offering the additional penny of my thoughts?
Here are three guidelines for me. Yours may be different and equally as powerful. My guidelines consist of three questions, which allow us to determine what to chase and what to ignore.
1. What are we doing with God? If all we are doing is worshipping God, we are wasting His creative potential. If we’re trying to find ways to ignore God in deference to more intellectual pursuits, we are not tapping the greatest intelligence. God is valuable if you’re able to bring His spirit to earth.
2. And speaking of the earth, what are we doing with it? Stop taking a political position on matters of Mother Earth just because your particular party has decided, for the time being, to either be overwrought on an issue or under-concerned. Here’s the truth: Mother Earth is one of the easier things to understand. She complains and lets you know exactly where there is need. Just pay attention. What we do with the earth is important, because “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”
3. What are we going to do with humans? I continue to tout the six-word philosophy of “NoOne is better than anyone else.” Why? Because every other approach to humanity breeds some form of nasty, unusable prejudice. What we decide to do with the human race is essential for ensuring that the earth is full of sensitivity and God is being revered as the Father of us all.
What I watched yesterday at the St. John’s church was an evolution. Because the people did not know us, there was a certain amount of carefulness upon our arrival. Honestly, I don’t mind a bit of carefulness as long as it does not degrade into suspicion. If people will just give each other a chance to bring forth their gifts and share their talents, and THEN evaluaate the exerience, we will be just fine. We don’t have to be leaping around hugging each other in order to leave the door open to tenderness. But by the same token, to express suspicion or animosity just because we are dealing with someone who is not a part of our inner circle is to create a barrier which is insurmountable.
Where do I participate?
- Is God being honored without being turned into a religious monster? I will be there and bring a bag of ice.
- Is the earth being studied so we can gain wisdom on how to better handle our planet and the lives of the people around us? Mark me down as an RSVP.
- And finally, are humans being given a chance to establish the fruit of their labors without being judged by the color of their skin or dismissed because they are aliens? I will donate to such a cause.
The next seven years will tell us much about the future of mankind. Basically, it will boil down to whether really wise people are able to become “diferent” enough from the society around them to include God, earth and humanity.
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Jonathots, Jr.!
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Quatrain of the Dog and Cat … May 28, 2013
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(Meow) Meow. Meow? Meow!
Ruff! Ruff? Ruff. (Ruff)
Different but the same.
NoOne learns the words.
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Jonathan’s thinking–every day–in a sentence or two …
Jonathots, Jr.!
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Please contact Jonathan’s agent, Jackie Barnett, at (615) 481-1474, for information about personal appearances or scheduling an event
She Got It… March 26, 2012
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It nearly took my breath away.
Yesterday a woman came up to my book table, having carefully waited for a personal moment. With tears in her eyes, she said, “When you shared the message—NoOne is better than anyone else–I realized that I thought I was better than people at work. It really touched me, opened my eyes and made me realize that I’m not–and that this attitude is my problem.”
It was a marvelous, miraculous moment–similar to Jesus walking on the water, the resurrection and the second coming of Christ. What I was seeing was the birth of faith. I was looking into the eyes of the woman with the issue of blood, who realized that touching the hem of Jesus’ garment might be her last opportunity for restoration. I just sat quietly and listened to her, afraid to breathe, afraid that one little eyelash lifted on my face would steal the moment of spiritual purity. She didn’t stay long; she was there and she was gone.
Shortly after this encounter, I overheard another woman leaving the sanctuary, speaking to the pastor. In sullen tones she said, “Well, it was different.”
Of course, you and I know that in our society, the word “different” is synonymous with the word “crap.” Now, here was a woman who sat through the message and refused to let it in because it was out of the bounds she was accustomed to.
Beautiful.
As it should be. For I don’t need everybody to come out of my presentations convinced I’m cute or even viable. It just won’t happen. But my dear friends, when you encounter faith–the power of it–you understand why God accepts it as the measure of pleasing Him. Here are the four steps to faith–and this is what that dear woman who confessed at my table achieved to receive the cleaning in her heart that washed her eyes with tears and freed her mind from confusion:
1. She heard the message. The Bible says that “faith comes by hearing.” And Jesus admonished, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” When we set too many restrictions on what is acceptable, we close the door for God ever speaking to us. The message will never come with the voice we expect. The message will never resound with our familiar liturgy. The message will never be ushered in by ritual or repetition. It is always fresh–to the point of being alarming–and if you are not open to it your ears will be closed and your soul will suffer from malnutrition. She heard the message. It may have been bizarre to her eyes and unfamiliar to her taste. But the words were salvation to her heart.
2. She believed the message. What makes something believable? When we allow our heart, which has heard the message, to be softened by understanding instead of being hardened by trepidation. It is so much easier to believe when you remove the obstacles from the process. What are the obstacles?
- “I never heard it that way.”
- “I don’t understand.”
- “It’s not my style.”
- “He doesn’t look the part.”
- “I’m uncomfortable with the implications.”
All of that vanished because her ears heard and her heart understood. so the process found root in her soul.
3. She applied the message. Nothing spiritual ever occurs until we OWN it. Verses of scripture and scraps of inspiration have absolutely no value until we prescribe to them and allow the medication to heal our wounds. This lady did not walk to my table and tell me how powerful she thought the message was for others. Often I will get that. People will say that “NoOne is better than anyone else” is needed in the church and for me to keep up the good work. This woman stepped out of the “Amen” crowd and into the solitude of “I am.” Somewhere along the line, truth has to be our provision–even if no one else hears. She absorbed the impact and allowed the magnitude for change. Which allowed for the fourth and final step in the process of faith:
4. She IS the message. Just as “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” when Jesus was incarnate on earth, the only confirmation we ever have that true spirituality is at work is when people embody the concepts through their actions and lives. She became the message. She took words and was determined to cause them to become flesh through her efforts.
You can continue to extol the notion that some passages of holy writ exist as divinely inspired without human application, but what you will have is a form of godliness which really denies the power of it. She IS the message. From this point on, the words, “NoOne is better than anyone else,” will be extolled by her actions.
I left the church yesterday exhilarated by the experience of eyeballing the process of faith through the life of another human being. Facts are, I love both women. I love the woman who came showing that she had heard the message, believed the message, applied the message and is the message.
I also love the woman who left, desiring to return next week to a more customary fare. The difference lies in the progress of their journeys. Because faith is measured out by the fruit that is born through human lives.
And until we allow ourselves to hear, believe, apply and become, we will be creatures of repetition instead of dynamic forces … through repentance.
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Below is the first chapter of Jonathan Richard Cring’s stunning novel entitled Preparing a Place for Myself—the story of a journey after death. It is a delicious blend of theology and science fiction that will inspire and entertain. I thought you might enjoy reading it. After you do, if you would like to read the book in its entirety, please click on the link below and go to our tour store. The book is being offered at the special price of $4.99 plus $3.99 shipping–a total of $8.98. Enjoy.
http://www.janethan.com/tour_store.htm
Sitting One
I died today.
I didn’t expect it to happen. Then again, I did—well, not really.
No, I certainly didn’t expect it.
I’ve had moments of clarity in my life. Amazingly enough, many of them were in the midst of a dream. For a brief second I would know the meaning of life or the missing treatment to cure cancer. And then as quickly as it popped into my mind it was gone. I really don’t recollect dying. Just this unbelievable sense of clear headedness—like walking into a room newly painted and knowing by the odor and brightness that the color on the wall is so splattering new that you should be careful not to touch it for fear of smearing the design. The greatest revelation of all?
Twenty-five miles in the sky time ceases to exist.
The planet Pluto takes two hundred and forty-eight years to circle the sun. It doesn’t give a damn.
The day of my death was the day I became free of the only burden I really ever had. TIME.
Useless.
Time is fussy. Time is worry.
Time is fear. Time is the culprit causing human-types to recoil from pending generosity.
There just was never enough time.
Time would not allow it. Remember—“if time permits …”
Why if time permits? Why not if I permit? Why not if I dream? Why not if I want? Why does time get to dictate to me my passage?
It was time that robbed me of my soulful nature. It was time that convinced me that my selfishness was needed.
I didn’t die. The clock in me died, leaving spirit to tick on.
So why don’t we see the farce of time? Why do we allow ourselves to fall under the power of the cruel despot? Yes, time is a relentless master—very little wage for much demand.
I died today.
Actually … a piece of time named after me was cast away.
Location, location, and, oh, yes… location … January 31, 2012
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- From Miami, Florida
I have had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce where inspiring speeches were given on the glories of capitalism and business, as people dismissed to pass out their cards and inform others of a booming possibility with their rendition of the American Dream.
I have sat at the fireside of a gathering of homeless individuals, sharing a platter of beans with two pieces of day-old white bread purchased from the Dolly Madison Store, as all those surrounding the warmth discussed their day’s activities.
I have been at a rock concert with screaming fans leaping to their feet, hoping the next tune would be their favorite one.
I have attended a family reunion where aunts and uncles barely of my acquaintance have insisted that I knew some old relative who had since passed on, as we conversed about names unfamiliar, while munching on delectable potato salad.
Out of curiosity, I have actually gone to political party meetings of both sides and been inundated with pamphlets, propaganda and platforms, encouraging me to make a good American stands against the opposing party’s irrelevant views.
Being a father of children, I have also sat through a PTA meeting, often out-numbered, lacking members of my particular gender, as speaker after speaker lamented the lack of something or other in the educational system.
Stupidly, I was lured into an investment party because it promised something free and ended up being a ploy to get me to take the little money I had and drop it into a hole, hoping that the crevice would spew back profits.
I have been in many a counseling session–mainly as the counselor–listening patiently as each party made his or her case against the other, well-organized, well-rehearsed and well-entrenched.
I have done these things and many others in the pursuit of discovering the best of my human family, only to realize that when we herd together, we normally want to make sure that we’re with cattle of our own kind.
It limits us. It retards us (if I may use the word in its correct form without being politically incorrect). It inhibits us from using the two greatest possessions we have–a mirror and a brain. Because in all those conclaves I listed, at no time at all was I asked to examine myself, nor was it necessary for me to think–because the mental agenda was provided.
Which brings me to last night in Clinton, Louisiana, where forty-six people emerged from the community–from different paths, walks, theologies and political persuasions. They huddled into one building to consider a message and how they measured up to its intensity. It’s called a church. And even though I will rail against a religious system which tries to turn the true church into something that blends the Chamber of Commerce with a political party meeting with overtones of a counseling session, I am a firm believer that the church is the only place where the possibility of looking in the mirror at oneself and actually tapping the brain that God has given you is plausible.
Oh, yes–I am not naive. I realize that the present religious system would love to mimic the Chamber of Commerce. Poorer congregations would like to react like the homeless, making fun of the rich. There are those “hip” congregations, which think the church is just a rock concert, cheering on Jesus and the Spirit of God. Smaller groups of church folks actually become nothing more than a family reunion, discussing the week’s activities, dead parishioners and the weather. Too many religious institutions have become the harlot for political parties, pushing a social agenda more than salvation.
But when it’s done right, there is nothing in our society like the church–because it asks us to look in the mirror and to use our brains.
How do you know if you’re in a real church or just a religious system trying to parrot the world around it? The real church has seven important ingredients:
1. Be prepared for the unpredictable. For after all, repetition has always been the agenda of hell.
2. Stop complaining. No one ever learns in the midst of a lament.
3. Love somebody new. If we aren’t expanding the family of man around us to include more and more people, we are shrinking the vision of God.
4. Cry until you laugh. There are people in churches still in pain after many years of suffering, who should have had a nighttime of weeping and allowed joy to come in their morning.
5. Think for yourself about yourself to improve yourself. Don’t use God’s house as a way to confirm your inadequacy.
6. Be thankful. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But thankfulness is missing from our society. It has been bumped out of the way by expectation. We need some place to go where we actually express gratitude.
7. And finally, leave changed. The Chamber of Commerce didn’t ask me to do that; nor did the homeless, the rock singer, Aunt Mabel, the Republicans and Democrats, the teacher’s conference, the investment firm or even those attending the counseling session. We all basically came into those events with one mind-set and left with a little bit more cement added. The true church is a place where we leave changed every time we are there, or we must question the gospel which is supposed to give us the truth that makes us free.
Yes, it’s all about location, location, location. And if you’re looking for a place to go that will renew you and allow you to look in the mirror without fear and think instead of merely react, I recommend a good church which understands the seven things I just stated.
I was at one last night. It was a good time … although I did miss my beans and day-old bread.
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Jonathan wrote the gospel/blues anthem, Spent This Time, in 1985, in Guaymas, Mexico. Take a listen:
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To see books written by Jonathan, click the link below! You can peruse and order if you like!
The Theory of Revolution… January 30, 2012
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- From Miami, Florida
Ignorance is the belief that anything can truly become better without us changing our approach or behavior.
We have now had two American generations over the past thirty years which have set in motion a pattern of action which has led us to our present state of confusion. For the first fifteen years, we were pummeled with the notion of our differences, uniqueness and individuality. We were told that everybody has a solitary personality and that each of us has our own little space in the great warehouse of life. Then for the past fifteen years, we have been inundated with the gospel of self-esteem, which insists that people cannot find value in their journey unless they completely believe in themselves and avoid the danger of too much critique of their person.
Let’s blend the two approaches: we’re all individuals and we should take our differences into a corner and protect them as sacred against the onslaughts of other people who might want to force us to adapt. It is a formula for class warfare. It is a set-up for alienation. It is a devious plan to separate us off from one another, creating mistrust, which lends itself to suspicion, which welcomes antagonism, ending in war.
We have sat idly by like sheep on our way to the slaughter, looking at the tail of the creature ahead of us, marching in step to the drumming of repetition. Now we lament our economic situation. We are suddenly concerned about the needs of the poor and the excesses of the rich. No one stopped thirty years ago to question the antics of a society that was trying to differentiate personality types and box us all up into units for storage. No one objected to the doctrine of self-esteem, which placed each one of us as lord and master of our own perception.
So what do we have? We have a generation of people thoroughly convinced that they are so unique that they must fight and argue to maintain their self-worth because others are certainly out to nab their value. It’s pathetic. It will take Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic and atheist getting together on one principle, although they may disagree on many others, to shake us out of this lethargy of self-indulgence. Yes, we need to make a call to the whole world to submit to a singular purpose: NoOne is better than anyone else.
Let the cynics find the contradictions in the concept. Let the jaded mock such simplicity. And let the religionists attempt to segregate us into camps of “saved” and “unsaved.” NoOne is better than anyone else.
It requires the embracing of three precepts:
1. God is no respecter of persons. I didn’t make that up. It’s in the Bible. It means that whatever used to be the foundational philosophy of the universe, or if there was a time when there notion of “chosen people” was acceptable, that era has gone the way of the dodo bird. It’s over. God does not prefer anyone over anyone else. Which means:
2. I can love my neighbor as myself without looking like a jackass. At a recent rally, a public speaker, who brought up the concept of the golden rule, was booed by the crowd. Why? Because we have taught that love is weakness. It is not. I am not out of the loop when I keep my feelings on the highway of compassion. If I like to be free, it only seems right that others enjoy the same. If I like to escape the judgment of others, certainly they might desire the same treatment. If God is no respecter of persons, I can go ahead and love my neighbor as myself and know that I have the Creator anointing my efforts. Therefore:
3. My family is the entire human family. It doesn’t detract from my immediate loved ones that I expand my vision to include all Homo Sapiens. This is not an attempt to reject the animal kingdom–but it is much easier to love a bear when you can bear loving a human. Until the religions, non-religions, organizations, politicians, preachers and business people of our world accept these three principles–if only in theory–then we will languish in this mediocrity of self-deception.
I am not different. I am so similar to the people I meet that it’s frightening. I do not gain self-esteem by making a stand, but rather, define my created being by standing up for others.
This is the theory of revolution.
I could not vote for anyone who did not believe in it–not because I hate him or her. It is because the lack of a philosophy of inclusion makes them “haters in training.” Humans do not becomes more loving by thinking they are different and by insisting on their own self-worth. That is the formula for paranoia and frustration.
So I am thirty days into my Six Words Tour: NoOne is Better Than Anyone Else.
What have I learned so far? I have discovered that when you speak the words out loud, people at first embrace the sentiment–until it sinks into them that they lose their bubble of difference and their sword of self-esteem. It scares them. So I will tell you–it will take brave people to relinquish the stupidity of two generations and inhale the freedom of not needing to be superior or unique.
Because God is no respecter of persons, I can love my neighbor as myself, opening the door to all of humanity being my family.
I welcome your input–but make sure that what you think and feel is universal rather than just fits of discouragement. Nothing becomes easy until we accept that it’s needed. This is needed.
Welcome to the revolution … right now, only a theory.
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Jonathan wrote the gospel/blues anthem, Spent This Time, in 1985, in Guaymas, Mexico. Take a listen:
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To see books written by Jonathan, click the link below! You can peruse and order if you like!
Jonathots Daily Blog 