RECALL  NOTICE:   

The  Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. 

This is due to a  malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve,  resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent  units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential  Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I..N., as it is primarily expressed. 

Some  of the symptoms include:

1.  Loss of direction 
2. Foul vocal emissions 
3. Amnesia of origin  
4. Lack of peace and joy 
5. Selfish or violent behavior 
6.  Depression or confusion in the mental component 
7. Fearfulness  
8. Idolatry 
9. Rebellion 

The  Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. 

The  Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these  repairs. There is no additional fee required. 

The  number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.   Once  connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next,  download ATONEMENT from  the Repair Technician, Jesus, into 
the heart component.  

No matter how big or small the SIN  defect is, Jesus will  replace it with:

1.  Love 
2. Joy 
3. Peace 
4. Patience 
5. Kindness 
6.  Goodness 
7. Faithfulness 
8. Gentleness 
9. Self control  

Please  see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers'  Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of  these fixes. 

WARNING:  Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids  any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being  permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus. 

DANGER:  The human being units not responding to this recall action will have  to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank  you for your attention! 

-  GOD

There are so many forms of loss in this world and almost all of them bring pain with them. For me, one of the greatest losses was that of my second husband Bob, when he lost his battle with cancer in December '07. I had experienced the death of loved ones very close to me (my sister and my dad) before, but no two grievings are alike. Unfortunately, one must go through each event singularly, previous losses don't prepare your heart for what it will experience in this moment and at this time. If it were not for my faith in God, I would have crumbled into a heap on the floor but His strength helps me to press on. Each day is different than the one before, they are unique, one never feels the same day-to-day.

There are so many awkward and strange moments in the process, none more so than the expectation from others that you should be 'getting over this.' Well my friend, you never get over it, plain and simple, you just get through it! Where? I don't know, that is dependent on you but hopefully to a place where you get through the day with out your heart breaking into a million little pieces. Without thinking why God, why this, don't you love me, how am I supposed to be okay with all this, why did you allow him to suffer so, why did all of us who loved him have to watch in horror his unspeakable suffering? How do I go on without him?

I'm sure some would say these are just the ramblings of disturbed individual but I know that I am not the only one out here. I'm not the only one wwho feels this aching inside, who muddles through each day and is grateful for the mercy of falling asleep at night just to have a reprieve from the emptiness. Others have gone before me, are going through now, and will go through this - they need to know that they are not alone. And by the way, those well intentioned people who say 'I know what you're going through, I know how you feel' - YOU DON'T KNOW! Only God knows what those of us feel because He knows how He created us, what we have experienced in our lives, and how we respond to loss - loss of love, loss of a dream of the future, loss of feeling complete.

I am a soul fully grown,

and I grieved the day

my mother aborted me.

Did she know,

was she aware,

did she care

that I hold the keys

to cures for diseases

yet unknown to humanity?

She says it's her body.

But I have need of mine, too.

Now I won't be there

with my special gift

for you, nor you, nor you.

I am more

than the product of conception.

I have perception.

I felt the pain,

cried in vain,

 when snatched

from my mother's womb

Too soon, too soon, too soon.

And with me are legions of souls

waiting to be born

in every region of the world.

We are queued at birth's gate.

We long to bring our light

to dispel the hate that clouds

the mind and memory

of mankind.

O souls already born,

do hear our plea.

We long to gaze at

the rising sun,

flowers abloom

birds in flight.

To learn at your knee.

Are you my father?

Are you my brother, my sister,

or yet another who will

my talents, my potential, my genius

inhume?

In my mother's womb,

in my mother's womb,

in my mother's womb.

Mark woke up refreshed – he’d just had the most restful sleep in his entire life. And no wonder – this was the most comfortable bed he’d ever slept in. Getting up, he realized he must be in a Bed and Breakfast, one of those on Cape Cod. Except that he didn’t know where he was exactly or how he got there. Strangely, though confused, he didn’t feel threatened or doubt his sanity. Hearing some activity from the floor below and the rich aroma of a fresh breakfast, he took a quick shower, dressed and went downstairs.

A mature woman greeted him “I know you must feel confused and have a lot of questions. I’ll answer those, but first, what would you like for breakfast? I can get you just about anything you’d like.” Mark made his request and soon waffles, maple syrup, sausage and orange juice were before him.

“Isn’t this just a wonderful, heavenly day?” asked the woman. Mark agreed, and then she said: “that’s because this is heaven! No, you didn’t die - you still have a long life before you. Oh, look what I’ve done! Now you have even more questions!

“Your soul has been recalled and is undergoing some maintenance, you’ll spend a few ‘days’ here. You can relax, enjoy walking on the beach, catch up on some reading, etc. (but we don’t have newspapers!)

“There are no ‘bugs’ or faults in your soul, just some improvements that need to be ‘installed.’ You’ll be back on Earth in no time.” Over the next hour she described how soul upgrades happen rarely, only twice before. This upgrade was humorously referred to as the ‘MARK III.’ The upgrades were made with as little disruption as possible, so that the souls could enjoy a full life as a human, before finally experiencing eternal life. She explained to Mark how his ‘absence’ would be handled for his friends and loved ones. Space prohibits including those details here.

There would be some disruptions. When he returned to Earth as a human being he would start over as a baby.  There was no guarantee that his soul would return to his original ‘self.’ A lot could change – his name, gender, birthplace, parents, race, etc. but his soul would be essentially the same (with the ‘upgrades’).

Mark enjoyed a walk in the garden and looking out over the ocean. He needed the rest to take in everything he’d heard from breakfast. What would it be like to be born as someone else? He understood that this was a great gift – an opportunity for him to use wisely. But still, he worried about what his life might be like. He had lived a comfortable life, with good health, a loving family, a good education and a faith that had supported him in difficult times. He was taking a chance to go through life a second time.  Mark knew that some 25,000 children die each day from preventable causes. What if he was born with that situation? Still, he was excited about the prospect of a second life.

That afternoon, a visitor came to the house to talk with Mark. The visitor, dressed in business casual, was carrying a briefcase. He and Mark sat down to talk in the parlor. [This part is the reason for the parable.]

The gentleman, call him ‘Peter,’ explained that he was there to give Mark the option of buying true ‘life insurance.’

“As your host explained, you’ll be starting over again on Earth as a newborn baby. Since God loves all people, regardless of race, gender, class, ethnicity, etc., you might be born as anyone. God is also aware that once people are born, however, that they may be loved differently, have different health, different opportunities, different wealth and different faith. With this insurance, we try to even up these accidents of life. Our ‘life insurance’ is different from the similarly named product sold on Earth. Instead of paying off when you die, this policy pays off during your life.

“You can, of course, decline our ‘life insurance’. If you decline, you will be born into a randomly chosen family and live your life. You will have to face the hazards and rewards of living on your own and with the friends and supporters you are able to gather.

“With insurance:

•  If you are born into circumstances where you would not receive enough love, then you would discover that others will come into your life to love you.
  
• If you are born with or develop health problems, people will come into your life to provide a cure or at least to ease your suffering and pain.
  
•  If you are born with a diminished opportunity for education, people will come into your life to offer their wisdom and teach you.
  
•  If you are born into a poor family, people will come into your life to provide opportunities and funds to assist you out of poverty.
  
•  If you are born with no one to guide your faith, then people will come into your life to guide you.

“This ‘life  insurance’ is a contract and comes at a cost. Of course you don’t have the wherewithal now to purchase this policy. Even with all the wealth in your life until now, you would not have enough to pay for it. Your wealth is in the wrong currency. For that matter, I’m not trying to ‘sell’ you ‘life insurance,’  just offering it to you.

“But you can buy ‘life insurance’. You need to pay for the insurance ‘in kind.”’

• If your life overflows with love from others, you are expected to love the unloved in return.
•  If you are blessed with a healthy life, you are expected to help those who are sick.
• If you learn with the help of great teachers, you are expected to teach others.  
• If you are rewarded with worldly goods, you are expected to be generous to others.
• If you have faith, you are expected to guide others in their faith.

“The ‘life insurance’ contract is with yourself, not between you and me, between you and a company or between you and God – you are making a promise with yourself. It is you who ‘expects’ to be generous towards others if life has been generous towards you.

You also have obligations if life is not generous towards you.  How you respond to hardship is always your own choice. You can be miserable and bitter or you can choose to take opportunities available to you. You can be thankful for gifts – of medicine, education and work. Even if you have little, you can be generous to others – of your time, energy and spirit.

“Be aware that taking ‘life insurance’ affects your prospects of spending eternity in heaven. It is a contract – a promise, albeit to yourself. God takes promises seriously and expects people to live up to them.

“If you want the insurance, the bar is raised for getting into heaven. You may be born into a fine, supportive family and lead an enviable life. Your love of others and generosity might be highly acclaimed and your life honored after you die. Your faith and religious life are held up as a model for others. Without the insurance, you might well ‘earn’ your eternal reward in heaven.

“But by buying the insurance policy, you’ve made a promise to be more generous. To whom much has been given, much will be required – ‘earning’ eternal life in heaven requires  giving the extra measure. It’s problematical as to whether even exemplary faith and works are sufficient to get into heaven without giving that extra measure. The cost of receiving help from others, if you need it, is to provide extra help to others when they need it.

“To make the decision even more difficult, you will not remember your previous life (except through some déjà vu flashes) and you will not remember this encounter. You will need to decide whether to buy ‘life insurance’ or not based only on your character, your soul.”

[The parable ends…]

So, what would you do – promise ‘life insurance’ for yourself or not?

  There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.  So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.  She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.  Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.  "There's one more thing," she said excitedly.  "What's that?" came the Pastor's reply.  "This is very important", the young woman continued.  "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."  The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.  "That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the Pastor.  The young woman explained.  "My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along it's message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.

In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, "Keep your fork,"  It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.  Something wonderful, and with substance!"  So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?"  Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork, the best is yet to come."  The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.  He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death.  But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did.  She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.  She KNEW that something better was coming.  At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.  Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, "What with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.  During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died.  He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her.  He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.  He was right.  So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you,ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed.  They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.  They lend an ear, they share a word of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.  Show your friends how much you care.  Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more.  For you never know when it may be their time to "Keep your fork."  Cherish the time you have and the memories you share...being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.

Linda 

No tradition is too sacred that it cannot be questioned.

No authority is too great that it cannot be contradicted.

No assumption is too fundamental that it cannot be changed.

If your days are too long, boring, with nothing accomplished, then look within and ask what is missing and fill it with something worthwhile.  Your special talent can be used somewhere and the little things DO count. 

The Burba Brew