IN Tommorrow, Now.

Angaangaq in front of the tomb of John Paul II who opened the way to reconciliation between the Catholic Church and indigenous peoples worldwide. May 1, 2018. photo by Adelgunde Müller 

Angaangaq met him personally in 1979.

In the years I have been a Sirmiq Aattuq Wisdom Keeper, it has not been lost on me the resistance of Americans to evolve beyond the diametric perceptions of race based philosophies and lifestyles between Blacks and whites, and whites and the other peoples of the world. The Trump administration expresses this determination. Whether it is self-destructive, or not is of no concern to those people, and their president, who is loyal to these ideals, and faithful to what does not serve the common good, doesn't give a hot damn about consequences. He is very much the white American man.

The end of that is nigh. How will you, we and I prepare for this eventuality? 


Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 
Alowan Chanteh Inyan Wichasha
9/23/18

Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq March 2018 in Cologne Tajet Garden. 

Melting the ice in the heart of men.

GAY OR HAPPY MARRIAGE!!

"Should government, at any level, regulate marriage be it a heterosexual or homosexual couple?" - Brian Hersey, 3.27.2010 

"People wanted separation of church and state. They got it, but now want the state to redefine what the bible defines as a marriage. Seriously? Every freedom is a double-edged sword. Freedom of speech isn't just as long as it doesn't anger you...it's there.

I also don't think a government has the right to define what makes up a family. I'm for unions, including plurals among adults. Can't have the term 'marriage' though and I hold each state accountable to uphold it, but I'm all for the rights of whatever is defined as a functional and loving family." - Charles Comer, 10.16.13


"No, but it should not be redefined by them either. Next we'll have people wanting to marry their pets--or maybe even their favorite pair of shoes. Who is to say that marriage should have to be between people. Marriage is ordained of God and needs to stay that way. Have any relationship you wish but leave the definition of marriage alone and let people have the religious freedom promised in the constitution." - Tom Martin 11.24.13


"Marriage was and is, first and foremost, a private (in most cases, religious) affair. The gov't decided to recognize and facilitate the institution of marriage with financial and legal privileges in order to encourage responsible procreation. Growing the US population grows the US economy, and thus tax base, workforce, ie. number of employers and employees, fills out the military ranks for a strong national defense, etc. The gov't has a state interest in encouraging population growth, which is why the public institution was established with certain regulations, benefits and purposes in mind. The gov't did not establish the public institution of marriage to recognize people's "love" for each other, "love" is neither a legal requirement nor justification for getting married, the gov't could care less whether two persons getting married "love" each other. The gov't recognizes marriage for one reason: to encourage conception, birth, and responsible child-raising--a purpose which same-sex couples cannot contribute towards because last time I checked, it is impossible for two persons of the same gender to impregnate one another. It's not discrimination, it's biology. If the state interest in population growth is no longer relevant, then the gov't should abolish the institution--which is clearly being bastardized now for political ends--and allow the private sector (e.g. the Church) to resume its prerogative to recognize marriage according to its rules & purposes." - Dan Frazee, 8.12.13

Cybill Shepard grabbing between her legs.

a Watching Parable: the 10 Virgins



Aida King in the moment !!

October 19, 2015

Parable of the Ten Virgins


Narrative

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus tells a story about a party of virgins, perhaps bridesmaids^[2] or torchbearers for a procession,^[3] chosen to participate in a wedding. Each of the ten virgins is carrying a lamp or torch^[3] as they await the coming of the bridegroom, which they expect at some time during the night. Five of the virgins are wise and have brought oil for their lamps. Five are foolish and have only brought their lamps.

At midnight, all the virgins hear the call to come out to meet the bridegroom. Realising their lamps have gone out, the foolish virgins ask the wise ones for oil, but they refuse, saying that there will certainly not (Greek ou mē)^[4] be enough for them to share. While the foolish virgins are away trying to get more oil, the bridegroom arrives. The wise virgins then accompany him to the celebration. The others arrive too late and are excluded.

"Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, "Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!" Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the wise answered, saying, "What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he answered, "Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you." Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

— Matthew 25:1-13, World English Bible



Japanese rope bondage is commonly called shibari in the US,
but kinbaku is a more correct term.

Interpretations

The parable is one of a sequence of responses to a question in Matthew 24:3:

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

— Matthew 24:3, King James Version

Other parables in this sequence include the parable of the budding fig tree (Matthew 24:32–35) and the parable of the Faithful Servant (Matthew 24:42–51). The parable of the Ten Virgins reinforces the call for readiness in the face of the uncertain time of this second "coming."^[2] It has been described as a "watching parable."^[5] Like the parable of the Lost Coin, it is a parable about women which immediately follows, and makes the same point as, a preceding parable about men.^[6]

In this parable, Jesus Christ is the bridegroom,^[2][5] echoing the Old Testament image of God as the bridegroom in Jeremiah 2:2 and similar passages.^[2] The awaited event is the Second Coming of Christ.^[2][5] R. T. France writes that the parable is "a warning addressed specifically to those inside the professing church who are not to assume that their future is unconditionally assured."^[2]

The parable does not criticise the virgins for sleeping, since both groups do that,^[3] but for being unprepared. It is not clear exactly what form this lack of preparation takes: the foolish virgins may have taken insufficient oil or, if they light their lamps or torches for the first time when the bridegroom arrives (having slept through the previous hours of darkness), they may have brought no oil at all^[4] (it is also unclear as to whether the foolish virgins succeed in purchasing any oil that night:^[7] most shops would not have been open^[8][9]).

The parable is not written in praise of virginity,^[5] and indeed Louis of Granada, in his The Sinner's Guide of 1555, writes "No one makes intercession with the Bridegroom for the five foolish virgins who, after despising the pleasures of the flesh and stifling in their hearts the fire of concupiscence, nay, after observing the great counsel of virginity, neglected the precept of humility and became inflated with pride on account of their virginity."^[10]

Spencer W. Kimball gave an LDS perspective on the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins, and why they could not share the oil: "This was not selfishness or unkindness. The kind of oil that is needed to illuminate the way and light up the darkness is not shareable. How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? How can one share faith or testimony? How can one share attitudes or chastity.... Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself.... In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living."^[11][12]





White mother's concept of care!!!!

^{READ more}
 

Fashion of the CROSS

Piper PERABO

Why the cross? you ask. What is the potency of the cross, and why is it worn with devotion and how does it give attention to the details of one's mortality? From torture to death to salvation is the red of the cross, the blood of the Lamb. Redemption comes from the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, who died on the cross of his own volition. This is how the story of the Cross is told from the pulpit, has been told from ancient Rome to the missionaries cutting a swath across the Americas. This accumulation of power(s) is how the Cross became a symbol of holy war. These powers are intertwined with the notion that the gospel has to be told everywhere out of concern and fear of souls going to hell forever, and Nature not being turned into property by the indigenous peoples of the world!

For the duration of their tenure as a world power Rome dotted their country sides with men hanging from crudely erected crosses. Those men had committed an assorted of crimes, challenged any number of culturally held mores, and lost their lives, and value to a worldview that valued and assessed life that today feeds the concepts of life, liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness in today's American value system. And now strangely, the perception of life from an apex predator, a sexual vulture's appetite for death and dying, and an altered sense of self based upon enslavement created energies that sought input from the Most High when economically feasible, and from God salvation from the Cross of Jesus! We believe in the Cross for reasons that steer us away from the natural flow of the life-death-resurrection Jesus came from!

It is an incredible leap of faith that there are no repercussions if the symbols of death are converted into the hope of salvation. That leap has shaped us all. I ask, should that spirit of thought be held at arm's length because it is the devil? Why wear the cross? Why do you wear it if you do not know the trail it took to become a holy symbol? - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 8.17.2014

CREATION in NUMBERS

THE LIGHT THAT WAS CRUCIFIED

"We have often said that the primary purpose of all established religions is to prevent, to remove from the mind, the perception of the immediate all-pervading mystery: the fact that the mere existence of anything at all cannot and never will be explained.

We think that justice has been done to Moses in ignoring his miracles and in stating that his religion was the building of a protective shell for a profound truth: a shell that has no longer any purpose.

Likewise, we must do justice to Jesus in eliminating his miraculous aspects that have nothing to do with the truth which can be discovered in the original Hebraic myth: the game of indetermination played by Aleph and Yod.

When that game is truly perceived by us, YHWH springs alive and the spirit of truth (John XIV, 16-17), foretold by Jesus, dwells within us.

The important point of contact between Hebraism and early Christianity can only be shown in the almost unknown link between the original Qabala and Gnosticism, against which the Church built its defences."

from THE CIPHER OF GENESIS: The original Code of the Qabala as Applied to the Scriptures by Carlo Suarès (p. 209)

OFFERINGS

"When churches can't do community outreach, don't always blame the church. Sometimes it's the lack of tithes and offering. For the church to do what it needs to do, it takes financial resources from its members. (Note: it's good to give to other organizations, but don't forget the place that feeds your spirit.) Food for thought." - Rev. Sinclair Grey III




"It would be easier if lay people had the custom of leaving offerings on a daily basis to the Earth, and kept personal altars. Otherwise it is a chore, and pastors have to become inventive every service to nudge congregants to leave tithes and offerings. It feels like a corporate gift and not a spiritual gift this way." - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories 9.4.13

All 'Bout de Benjamins!

Sinclair, you say, "Churches more concerned with entertainment rather than empowerment will suffer and remain powerless in bringing about true change." But, if the show is good enough people will flock there as long as you throw in a bone here and there. It is called entertainment, and for people who need to be entertained and need to feel good about themselves it's an aphrodisiac. I suspect the suffering a church like this may experience may come only when a sincere soul confronts the church elders, and pastor out of disappointment. If the compliant goes viral (a consequence of this century) that's a problem for the church.

You remember Daddy Grace, and Rev. Ike? Them cats swooned the masses. Even dead they swoon the masses who need the entertainment. It is all fascinating what people want, what they need, and what they claim in Jesus' name.

If a business is set up for entertainment is it unlawful, or deceptive? That is the question I ask myself. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 1.29.14

L'il Kim's car 

truth to a system

The dealers in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit  and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. - Frederick Douglass 

Born outa Wedlock

Gospel Singer Says People Have No Right To Judge Her Out-Of-Wedlock Baby With Dwight Howard

BY ADMIN IN LADIES WHO LOVE THE LORD · JANUARY 15, 2014 




Whoa! I have to say, "Right on!" This is a very well thought out response she wrote. She nailed it to the proverbial cross with accuracy the inconsistencies of her critics. It is on par with the story of Jesus' response to the men who waited until some man had his nut, and the Pharisees took the woman from his bed to be accused, and judged by Jesus, and later, they hoped, to be stoned by them for committing adultery. Her words, "I’m sorry, but I just have to address all the …people… that consider “having a child out of wedlock” a “sin.” Having fornication is the sin, people." are comparable to Jesus' words, "... Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."

This is a powerful exchange. The depth of this young woman, Christine Vest, is remarkable. The other words she used speak to the heart of the matter further emphasizes the powers of She-Who-Bears-Children.

- Gregory E. Woods
(Dawn Wolf)
Keeper of Stories
1.15.14



The Story 

Ol' Time Religion: sex appeal

I think singer Erica Campbell of the gospel group Mary Mary looks amazing in this outfit. However, she has received a lot of criticisms because her dress is tight and she is "singing for the Lord". What do you think? - Nina Ellis-Hervey, 12.11.13

See the full story here:  http://madamenoire.com/331705/erica-campbell-dress/. 

hair stylist, Nina Ellis-Hervey
12.13.13 

Such an old argument. Erica Campbell's dress is tight, and it's right, and she sings for the Lord. I see that, and I've heard her commitment to the Lord in her voice. But, everything she wears is sexy. Is the argument based solely upon the visual she creates by her presence? The one thing she can't get out of the way is how her body is shaped. The keen and distinctive West African body-type will not magically become non-distracting by any method. The seduction of the woman is an intangible cultivated from within, and if taught by a women-elder or two in her family, as other cultures do, men and women attracted to her appearance are simply stuck with the personal things they wrestle with around physicality and sensuality, in Jesus' name.

Jesus. How many people believe Jesus is offended by what we do down here on Earth in our walk? I no longer see how he could be offended by what we do. It is illogical a point to make because wasn't he like Elijah, a man of like passions and temptations as other men? At the most, since Jesus personally understands the perils and triumphs of our Earth Walk, he would be saddened by our disappointments the way a good father understands the steps of his sons coming up behind him.

I suspect the controversy around sexy women and men singing for the Lord is centered upon the men who cannot control their spirits. I believe wholeheartedly the laws in Islam, Judaism and Christian texts against women's sensual natures are directed towards the larger populations not because of sin, but because the number of men unable to control their spirits is numerically staggering! From their beginnings these three religions have held pity parties around how Adam was deceived by Eve. In the aftermath of expulsion from Eden one word was said and Eve was forever cast in that light and here we are flustered about another fine Black woman who turns on both women, and men when she sings in jeans, gowns, sack cloth, or tight fitting white dresses! - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 12.14.13

Erica Campbell poised in a tight fitting white dress!  

BALANCE THOUGHT: a commandment

"I hope your words go deep into the core and consciousness of many of the thousands who read your posts, Sinclair. When the military industrial complex needs to sell a war to the American public the Church is courted  in large part because of the lack of critical thinking found in church after church, and the typical lay person's insufficient depth of knowledge of critical subjects. This glaring lack of a grasp, I should say, of the historical context of many core issues makes easy the challenge of getting political support and consent from the Church to do the dirty deeds in the name of the American public and the American government.
Ignorance is not bliss. People die from it. I know you are only one man, but it takes one to chase a thousand." - Gregory E. Woods 9.5.13

"Never ever think that intelligence isn't cool. Let me say it this way. Whenever you're able to think for yourself, critically analyze problems, situations, and circumstances, and come up with sound reasoning, you're going places. Whoever discourages you from using your mind is insecure and threatened of you. I declare that the people of God must use their minds more, read more, and begin to question things more often. Reading breeds intelligence. The Bible declares, "Intelligent people want to learn, but stupid people are satisfied with ignorance." That's my word for you. Learn as much as you can. Never get tired of stretching your mind because the more you stretch your mind, the more you'll understand." - Dr. Sinclair Grey III

big Black model in colorful mini!!!!

Coming of the BLACK ROBES

How Protestant Christianity Was First Heard Of At Sitka – Tlingit

A man went south from Sitka and returned after 2 months. When he came ashore he called all the people to a dance and told them that God (Dekî'-anqâ'wo, Distant-chief) had come down from heaven to help them.

Then all the women made bead work for their hair and ears. One evening, when they were through with that, they again began dancing. While the women danced they would fall flat on their backs. When this happened, in accordance with directions the man had received below, they brought up salt water, wet part of each woman's blanket and flapped it against her breast to make her come to. This prevented the smallpox from having any effect upon her. They kept on dancing a whole year.

Footnotes:
79:a it is possible, however, that this was the result of Jesuit teaching on the upper Skeena.

Abstract:

HOW PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY WAS FIRST HEARD OF AT SITKA

A man returning to Sitka from the south told his people that Dekî'-anqâ'wo (God) had come down from Heaven to help them, and the women dressed up and began dancing. They danced an entire year.

Tlingit Myths and Texts, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 39; Washington, Government Printing Office; [1909] and is now in the public domain.

from archives of Blue Panther

What In the World Were They Thinking?

What In the World Were They Thinking?

It is totally incomprehensible and incredible as to what the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation and U.S. Government Officials were thinking when they scheduled the Dedication Ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial alongside the Tidal Basin in our nation’s Capital on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.  It is apparent to any casual student of history why the date of August 28th was selected but at 10:00 a.m.? Are they that naïve or are they trying to send a disparaging and irreverent message to the largest faith expression in America?

Martin L. King, Jr. was first and foremost a Christian Pastor. Years before he rose to the helm of the Civil Rights Movement and became its driving force, he taught and preached on the significance and importance of gathering in houses of worship on Sunday morning to give thanks and praise to the Creator of all things. The Sunday morning worship experience synchronized his moral compass with his search for “justice that roll[ed] down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.” In fact, it was in the context of the Sunday morning worship service that Dr. King found his strength and resolve as he chiseled, crafted and honed his message of freedom, justice and equality for all Americans. The mind of King would not want Christians to absent themselves from Sunday worship by displacing it with a dedication to an image of stone.

If he were alive today, Dr. King would have serious reservations about a disregard for the sacredness and importance of the worship hour. How does one schedule such a national event of monumental proportions at a time when it is in direct conflict with the most sacred hours of worship in the Christian Church? Not only is it insulting and disturbing but disingenuous and egregious on the part of those who made the decision to dedicate the national memorial at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday without prior consultation with the major religious leaders of the ecclesiastical shoot from which King sprouted. If that had been done, a mutually agreeable and respectable time would have resulted without harm or foul to anyone.  As the timing currently stands, I don’t think that even King would have shown up for his own party!

All those involved in the decision making process that led to the establishment of a 10:00  Dedication Ceremony on a Sunday morning need to search their hearts and minds, regroup and set a time that is more appropriate, propitious and sympathetic to the needs of tens of thousands of Christians in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area who have a desire to gather in their houses of worship prior to descending upon the memorial site to pay tribute to one of their own and to honor the life, dream and legacy of a man whose Christian foundation enabled him to remain steadfast and unmoveable in embarking on a righteous path that changed the course of American life forever.

In light of the current economic crisis and escalating costs of public transportation as well as spiraling gas prices, just how many people can one reasonably expect to converge on our nation’s capital on a Sunday morning at a time that is traditionally known as the hottest and most humid month of the year? August 2011 in no way, shape or form has the same zeitgeist and sense of urgency that generated the gathering on a sweltering summer of August 1963. It is highly conceivable that the majority of those attending the Dedication Ceremony in 2011 will come from the Washington, DC region. Scheduling the dedication at a conflicting time could end up discouraging a lot of faithful Christian churchgoers from attending. Could there be a sinister plot to sabotage the event by concocting a subterfuge to minimize the participation? God forbid!

The Dedication Ceremony of a national memorial to a giant of a man at an unfeasible hour that would not include a vast number of Christians, especially within the Washington Metropolitan area, is insensitive, abhorrent, despicable and detestable and demonstrates a total disregard and disrespect for the faith of tens of millions of Americans. Dr. King’s thoughts, words, deeds and actions are inextricably linked to his Christian Faith.  The failure of organizers to realize and understand the indispensable linkage between King’s Christian pedigree as shaped in the crucible of the Sunday morning worship service and  his Christian belief system that served as his moral compass in “speaking truth to power” is both a gross oversight and inexcusable. Those values must not be in conflict but rather compliment each other.

One trusted colleague told me in response to my beef about reconsidering the timing of the event: “They have millions to execute the event and tons of celebs and VIP’s coming. Not going to happen.” In the end, maybe he is right… nothing will change. Things will still remain the same.  But, in any event, let the record show that this gross oversight will not "go gentl[y] into the good night. “

What in the world were they thinking?

+George Augustus Stallings, Jr. 

Archbishop and Founder

Imani Temple on Capitol Hill African-American Catholic Congregation

Washington, District of Columbia   

Church service

Ra Intwy Damaleya
May 26, 2013

One day, as an adult, I told my mother I only went to church to talk to the old people, play and talk to the children and look at the women. She was upset with that, but I told Mommy why. At the time I learned a great deal from old folks sitting in the church basement too tired and old to climb the stairs, and young people full of questions adults wouldn't listen to and discuss. Now the women? My God, they were wonderful to look at and be around. 

"But, I'd never marry one!" I told Mommy.

I'll stop there. That is another story for another time. It led to a serious discussion with Mommy that revealed some things to her she'd not considered, or perceived. As an older man I can be more clear, and say to Mommy, if she were alive:

"Children tell the truth, old people remember and at times embody the truth, and women are the promises of truth. In essence that is what I felt, but it wasn't the whole of it." - Alowan Chanteh Inyan Wichasha 5.26.13

Ra Intwy Damaleya
May 26, 2013