A day of reckoning at Kabul !

Three days ago the head honcho of Al-Qaeda was taken out by a U.S. airstrike right in Kabul without taking a single innocent person besides. His name was Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

It was a valiant effort to get at the heart of terrorism but someone will take this man’s place in short order- and the reports coming back are that this has already taken place and has been so appointed. This should be a clear indication that even the idea of fighting against evil by our own human efforts are useless unless we employ the indefatigable powers of God’s supernatural forces which are at the behest of any good man’s fervent prayers and desires. Even the people we think are busy doing their best have done nothing if they don’t pray about things that we are personally powerless to stop. Pray against terrorism. Pray for peace. Pray for Ukraine, Afghanistan and Kabul and do so in the name of Jesus Christ who put his life in our place to take away our sins. Put these issues in the hands of the one who has the power to do all these miraculous things which we can’t and then you’ll see changes in the world you would like to see. Our power is in our prayers.

The Castle Lady

 

Kudos for Fierce Love

If you are a Golden State Warriors fan you will find this book to be an intensely personal chronicle of what shaped the life of one basketball superstar champion alongside his equally unique siblings, father and mother. Fierce Love is Sonya’s story but she is not blind-sided by love as most mothers are- she gives you the real deal without reservation and gives the reader a real insight into the lives of some extraordinary people, including herself.

Fierce Love is a chronicle that not only is riveting with the first few sentences but continues, throughout, expository about this family in their ordinary habitat. It is quite an accomplishment in non-fiction. Transparent in every way and in a present-tense narrative that is absolutely delightful, Sonya delights us with unusual candor.

This is, first of all, a collection of true stories about the entire Curry family from the beginning clear up to the conclusion of the book. A few more extraordinary things have occurred since- which if you’re following current events will add a bit more real drama. Sonya’s content goes from shocking to blunt honesty and is even humorous. Admiration is a word that came to mind as I read the pages of Sonya’s text which covers normal, everyday events along with an emotionally charged expose’ on her personal experience of becoming a ‘born again’ Christian. Her bravery is a rare reveal in mainstream publishing.

While reading chapters 11 and 12, I was pleasantly surprised at her authentic account of the born again experience and how she conveyed it altruistically and without reservation. Sonya takes us on the excursion into the unknown and never hesitates or turns back. Many bible verses coursed through my mind while reading these chapters, mostly from John (specifically, John 8:12, 11:10 and 12:35) but especially from Matthew 4:16:

     The people which sat in darkness saw a great light and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death- light is sprung up.

Instead of telling us that our home is not here, she points toward Heaven- in her own way. I found the heart of her book on page 65 where she wrote:

Celebrate yourself.

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

Cherish who you are.

That is a philosophy I’ve held to, myself, throughout my life and it is an importantly vital message to having true self-worth. I highly recommend this book for many reasons and for all manner of folk. In the future, I will read anything Sonya Curry writes and publishes because she holds nothing back and gives of herself 100%. Nothing is more fierce than that!

 

 

 

Searching For God

I looked for you in the sun but it only blinded me

Seeking you beyond the stars was just too far to see.

Tried to find you in people’s eyes so obscure.

In nature around me you were silently demure.

I did this because I consulted a holy man.

He said you were everywhere.

But everywhere I looked was exactly

The way it was before. Not there.

It became my quest to find you

No matter how hard it seemed.

I decided you had to be somewhere here.

Else, where else would you be?

God would not hide His face from me

Of that I was certain.

Perhaps hiding in plain sight

And I just simply couldn’t see.

I decided that not seeing

Was entirely my fault

And when I was not looking

He would appear as a human being.

With expectancy I kept my eyes alert

But went on about my days.

Days turned into weeks and months

And months turned into years.

When I realized I must find you

Or surely perish alone

I called out to you and said,

“God wherever is your home?”

Your answer was inside my head

It came from a book as well

I am the way, the truth and the life.

In Truth is where you dwell.

Written on October 20, 2021 by Evelyn M. Wallace

All rights reserved by author.

( this may not be reprinted without written permission by author. Thank you for respecting basic copyright.)

Canpasapa Wi

(Moon of Cherries Blackening)

Chokecherries and other berries grew black- sapa– as the summer wore on. This moon phase in July also marked a time for one of the most sacred Lakota rites… the Sun Dance.

Sitting Bull

Opening prayer of the sun dance:

Grandfather!

A voice I am going to send,

Hear me!

All over the universe

A voice I am going to send.

Hear me,

Grandfather!

I will live!

I have said it.

 

A prayer which is made during the sun dance:

Wakan’tanka

When I pray to him

He hears me

Whatever is good

He grants me.

Two Dreams Songs of Siyaka

At night may I roam

Against the winds may I roam

At night may I roam

When the owl is hooting

May I roam.

At dawn may I roam

Against the winds may I roam

At dawn may I roam

When the crow is calling

May I roam

Where the wind is blowing

The wind is roaring

I stand

Westward the wind is blowing

The wind is roaring-

I stand.

 

Wakan’ tanka Kici Un,

The Castle Lady

 

A Royal Birthday

     I don’t think I’ve quite admired anyone equally as much as my mother, as I have Queen Elizabeth. There has always been a marked elegance, wisdom, poise and constancy about her that has garnered my attention from a very young age clear up to the present. It isn’t that she has had a picture-perfect life which most people would believe is the support for such a strong character as this- no, quite the opposite. She’s had her trials, bad years, grief and heartache which could cause many to break. However, I believe that words she has spoken at crucial times were not only from her heart and honest but that she really does hold to these tenets with real faith in them.

     As a longest reigning monarch in world history she has overseen the health and wealth of more than thirty countries for 69 years! (That is two more years than Queen Victoria, her great-great grandmother, who lived up to the age of 82.) Today, Lilibet, as she was lovingly referred to by her Prince Philip, turned 95 but without her Prince by her side. This may be her most trying time but she can stand firm and tall in the conviction and knowledge that she always gave her best and did so with dignity and joyful spirit, besides.

     Harkening back to 1947 when, as Princess Elizabeth, she accompanied her parents with her first overseas tour through southern Africa she was given a chance to speak in a broadcast sent out to all of the British Commonwealth. This was on her 21^st birthday and she made an early pledge that would define the rest of her life:

     “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

     By 2012, only nine years ago, during her Diamond Jubilee which commemorated 60 years in service as the Queen, she stated, “In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness … I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart.”

     After that she and her husband made an extensive tour of the U.K. and her children and grandchildren embarked on tours to many other commonwealth states on her behalf. By June of that same year her beacons were lit all around the world and by December she was the first British sovereign to attend a peace-time cabinet meeting since King George III back in 1781! If you’ll recall I covered information on 2012 Summer Olympics which occurred in London on this blog and the Queen became the first head of state to open two Olympic Games in two different countries (the other was the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal).

     A personal note about her faith often features in her annual BBC Royal Christmas message broadcasts. In the year 2000, while speaking about the theological significance of the millennium marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ she stated: “To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.”

     May Christ’s life and triumph lead the way for you and all your progeny, Ma’am!

Also, God Save the Queen!