Arianne woke with a start to the sound of singing birds. Sunlight flooded her living room, the bright light making her head ache. Arianne got up, exclaiming with pain as the patches ripped from her arms. Removing the headphones, Arianne stumbled to the kitchen. Pouring a glass of water, she got two aspirin out of the cabinet. She noticed the picture of Connor on the refrigerator, and felt nothing. No sadness, no guilt, no tears.
“That's strange.” she thought to herself. Going to her desk, she found a letter that Connor had written to her a week before the senior prom. Re-reading the words of the tear-stained letter, she automatically reached for the tissue dispenser on the desk before she realized that a tissue was unecessary. She didn't feel any emotion whatsoever.
She looked around warily. Running to the closet, she took out a box filled with pictures, documents and newspaper clippings. She read the first few lines of an article headlined “Local Teen Killed, Girlfriend Driver Not Charged”, but the expected flood of emotion never came.
Arianne thought she should be frightened, but she felt no emotion whatsoever, only a dispassionate regard for her strange situation. She decided it would be best to take the ‘Armor’ back to the drugstore. She quickly dressed and walked out her door.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Take Me Home Tonight
Here's a passage that's always bothered me. Before we proceed, I must make a disclaimer. The conclusions I'm about to discuss here do not appear in the Bible; they are my conjecture. However, I don't believe that the Bible contradicts my thoughts either. With this settled, we can continue.
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:1-2, 4
Who are these "sons of God"? Are they angels, demons? Who are they and where did they come from. Have you ever seen the last episode of Battlestar Galactica? If you didn't, don't bother; it's a depressing mess that asks more questions than it answers.
Let me say one thing first. These "sons of God" were not demons. Even if demons could assume human form, which is not documented anywhere in the Bible; there is no reason to believe that they could produce viable sperm and father children. Search the Bible and you will find that angels only appear in physical form at the direction of God. So now, the question remains; who were these "sons of God"? Check out this passage from Luke's genealogy of Jesus; Notice that Adam is referred to as "the son of God."
...Adam, the son of God.
Luke 3:38
An idea that I've been thinking about for a while is the idea that when Adam and Eve were created and placed in the garden of Eden, there may have already been people living on the earth. This theory began as my attempt to reconcile the Biblical timetable (based on the ages given for the Adam and his descendants) with the existence of Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon and other ancient, proto-humans, known in the anthropology community as Archaic Homo Sapiens.
All of these early humans used tools; they also cooked and hunted. They formed complex societies and likely even believed in an afterlife, evidenced by the preparations they made for their dead. These early humans were generally more robust, tougher and stronger than their modern counterparts, AKA us; the descendants of Adam's line.
When animals of two closely related species interbreed, a few strange things occur. The offspring are usually sterile, but they are quite often larger, stronger or tougher than either parent species. Consider the mule; which is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey. Mules inherit traits of both horses and donkeys but are typically able to work longer, walk further and endure harsher conditions than horses or donkeys. How about another example. If you have seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite, you might be pleased to find that the Liger is actually a real animal, though they are not bred for luck and/or magic. This odd hybrid of a lion and a tiger exhibit features and markings reminiscent of both species. They often grow 10 - 15% larger than tigers, making them the largest cats on earth. This odd phenomenon is known as hybrid vigor.
Returning to the point, it is possible that the descendants of Adam, who could be thought of as "the Sons of God" could have fathered children with the early humans who lived on earth. These people could have been larger, stronger and tougher, making them likely candidates to be heroes of old.
Though this scenario is possible, there could be other interpretations of this passage. I'd like to know what you think; feel free to comment!
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:1-2, 4
Who are these "sons of God"? Are they angels, demons? Who are they and where did they come from. Have you ever seen the last episode of Battlestar Galactica? If you didn't, don't bother; it's a depressing mess that asks more questions than it answers.
Let me say one thing first. These "sons of God" were not demons. Even if demons could assume human form, which is not documented anywhere in the Bible; there is no reason to believe that they could produce viable sperm and father children. Search the Bible and you will find that angels only appear in physical form at the direction of God. So now, the question remains; who were these "sons of God"? Check out this passage from Luke's genealogy of Jesus; Notice that Adam is referred to as "the son of God."
...Adam, the son of God.
Luke 3:38
An idea that I've been thinking about for a while is the idea that when Adam and Eve were created and placed in the garden of Eden, there may have already been people living on the earth. This theory began as my attempt to reconcile the Biblical timetable (based on the ages given for the Adam and his descendants) with the existence of Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon and other ancient, proto-humans, known in the anthropology community as Archaic Homo Sapiens.
All of these early humans used tools; they also cooked and hunted. They formed complex societies and likely even believed in an afterlife, evidenced by the preparations they made for their dead. These early humans were generally more robust, tougher and stronger than their modern counterparts, AKA us; the descendants of Adam's line.
When animals of two closely related species interbreed, a few strange things occur. The offspring are usually sterile, but they are quite often larger, stronger or tougher than either parent species. Consider the mule; which is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey. Mules inherit traits of both horses and donkeys but are typically able to work longer, walk further and endure harsher conditions than horses or donkeys. How about another example. If you have seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite, you might be pleased to find that the Liger is actually a real animal, though they are not bred for luck and/or magic. This odd hybrid of a lion and a tiger exhibit features and markings reminiscent of both species. They often grow 10 - 15% larger than tigers, making them the largest cats on earth. This odd phenomenon is known as hybrid vigor.
Returning to the point, it is possible that the descendants of Adam, who could be thought of as "the Sons of God" could have fathered children with the early humans who lived on earth. These people could have been larger, stronger and tougher, making them likely candidates to be heroes of old.
Though this scenario is possible, there could be other interpretations of this passage. I'd like to know what you think; feel free to comment!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Weekend Fiction - Armored, Opening
As she opened the box, a single page of instructions fell out first. “Begin by finding a quiet place.” the first line read. “Carefully remove all of the items in the box, ensuring that no items are missing or damaged.”
As Arianne absentmindedly inventoried the box, she found her thoughts drifting back to Connor. His eyes, his smile. Then, as always, she saw him in the hospital bed, body mangled, monitoring lines going flat, one by one as he lost his struggle for life. “I killed him.” she whispered, tears beginning to flow as if it had happened yesterday.
Arianne looked at the contents of the box, blinking back tears. The box contained a plastic bag that contained 2 self-stick patches connected to wires and a set of headphones. Also inside the box was a bottle of liquid marked ‘Enhancement Elixir’, a blister pack of pills labeled ‘Emotional Accelerant’ and an electronic box about the size of a Walkman with one jack marked ‘Headphones’ and two jacks marked ‘Pad A’ and ‘Pad B’. On the face of the electronic display was a button marked ‘Start’, a dial marked ‘Intensity’ and an LED display beneath a label calling the box a ‘Sympathetic Nervous Stimulator’.
The instructions weren't very helpful. A diagram of how to place the patches on the arms, and a paragraph instructing the user to take one dose daily of the Enhancement Elixir and Emotional Accelerant and to limit the use of the SNS to 30 minutes per day filled the rest of the page.
Still crying, Arianne ignored the warnings and took all of the Emotional Accelerant pills, washing them down with the entire bottle of Enhancement Elixir. She placed the patches on her arms and put on the headphones. Turning the Intensity dial to maximum, Arianne punched the Start button.
The sound of static filled her ears. Her arms and legs began to feel heavy. As she felt herself beginning to pass out, Arianne glanced down at the instructions, noticing too late the fine print that read ‘Use with extreme caution, serious side effects may result.’
As Arianne absentmindedly inventoried the box, she found her thoughts drifting back to Connor. His eyes, his smile. Then, as always, she saw him in the hospital bed, body mangled, monitoring lines going flat, one by one as he lost his struggle for life. “I killed him.” she whispered, tears beginning to flow as if it had happened yesterday.
Arianne looked at the contents of the box, blinking back tears. The box contained a plastic bag that contained 2 self-stick patches connected to wires and a set of headphones. Also inside the box was a bottle of liquid marked ‘Enhancement Elixir’, a blister pack of pills labeled ‘Emotional Accelerant’ and an electronic box about the size of a Walkman with one jack marked ‘Headphones’ and two jacks marked ‘Pad A’ and ‘Pad B’. On the face of the electronic display was a button marked ‘Start’, a dial marked ‘Intensity’ and an LED display beneath a label calling the box a ‘Sympathetic Nervous Stimulator’.
The instructions weren't very helpful. A diagram of how to place the patches on the arms, and a paragraph instructing the user to take one dose daily of the Enhancement Elixir and Emotional Accelerant and to limit the use of the SNS to 30 minutes per day filled the rest of the page.
Still crying, Arianne ignored the warnings and took all of the Emotional Accelerant pills, washing them down with the entire bottle of Enhancement Elixir. She placed the patches on her arms and put on the headphones. Turning the Intensity dial to maximum, Arianne punched the Start button.
The sound of static filled her ears. Her arms and legs began to feel heavy. As she felt herself beginning to pass out, Arianne glanced down at the instructions, noticing too late the fine print that read ‘Use with extreme caution, serious side effects may result.’
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Recently, someone asked me to “educate them on the Holy Spirit.” This seemingly simple question is actually a topic that I could spend months or years researching and writing about without explaining it fully. This is what I wrote to this individual, submitted here for your edification.
The Holy Spirit is one of the beings that make up the trinity of God. Along with the Father, and Jesus, the Holy Spirit is one of the three distinct personalities of God. The Holy Spirit has many purposes or functions that are found throughout the Bible. Here are three functions, with the appropriate Scriptures.
The Holy Spirit Points Out Our Sin (Convicts Us)
“When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
John 16:8-11
When we do something wrong, as all of us do, the Holy Spirit points out our error. Once we know that we have done something wrong, we know that we need to ask God to forgive us. We know that when we ask Him, He will do it.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27
Quite often, we truly don't know how to pray. When we can't find the words, the Holy Spirit expresses our struggles.
The Holy Spirit Cleanses / Purifies Us
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
The Holy Spirit dwells inside of us. Because of this power, we do not have to be slaves to sin any longer. It is quite likely that we will still fail and sin from time to time, but this does not have to be our normal state of being anymore.
Just as I said to this other individual, please don't just take my word for what the Holy Spirit is and does. Rather, I encourage you to be just like the Jews that Paul encountered in Berea who are described in the 17th chapter of Acts.
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.”
Acts 17:11-12
The Holy Spirit is one of the beings that make up the trinity of God. Along with the Father, and Jesus, the Holy Spirit is one of the three distinct personalities of God. The Holy Spirit has many purposes or functions that are found throughout the Bible. Here are three functions, with the appropriate Scriptures.
The Holy Spirit Points Out Our Sin (Convicts Us)
“When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
John 16:8-11
When we do something wrong, as all of us do, the Holy Spirit points out our error. Once we know that we have done something wrong, we know that we need to ask God to forgive us. We know that when we ask Him, He will do it.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27
Quite often, we truly don't know how to pray. When we can't find the words, the Holy Spirit expresses our struggles.
The Holy Spirit Cleanses / Purifies Us
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
The Holy Spirit dwells inside of us. Because of this power, we do not have to be slaves to sin any longer. It is quite likely that we will still fail and sin from time to time, but this does not have to be our normal state of being anymore.
Just as I said to this other individual, please don't just take my word for what the Holy Spirit is and does. Rather, I encourage you to be just like the Jews that Paul encountered in Berea who are described in the 17th chapter of Acts.
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.”
Acts 17:11-12
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Weekend Fiction - Armored, Awake
The screech of the alarm clock woke Arianne from her fitful sleep. She tried to calm herself, struggling to control her rapid breathing.
“It was just a dream, it was just a dream...,” she repeated to herself.
Arianne hadn't been in love since she was a teenager. Even though everyone told her it was nothing but a simple High-School romance, Connor was still the love of her life. The first and only man she gave her heart to. Since the accident, she had not even been able to look at a man. She had never been able to convince herself that the accident wasn't her fault.
Arianne dressed and went to work. She made a living working as a filing clerk in the records department at the local university. It was not a well-paying job, but it had the advantage of having few coworkers.
On her way home, Arianne decided to stop to pick up a few items at the local drugstore.
The package on the clearance shelf was labeled 'Armor'. The label said that it was helpful for those trying to recover from emotional trauma.
The label read: “Through a combination of natural medicines and cutting edge subliminal therapy, the contents of this package will allow you to insulate yourself from the negative emotions that are a result of traumatic experiences in your past.”
“Something like this really should require a prescription.” Arianne thought to herself as she picked up the package. It was surprisingly heavy for its size.
“Actual results may vary.” said the disclaimer, in fine print.
“For 20 bucks, I'd say it's worth a try,” a young clerk said, startling Arianne.
Arianne turned, noticing a short, thin teenager. His name tag said “My name is Wilton; How May I Help You?”
“What's your return policy?” Ariane asked.
“Ummm, that's a clearance item.” Wilt replied. “We don't allow returns. That's actually the last one in stock.”
“Thank you for your help.”
Arianne carried the package to the register, stopping to pick up a can of miniature ravioli. She paid her $22.54 and left the store, opting for a paper bag. At home, she ate her meal from a paper plate, carefully rinsing the can and placing it in the recycle bin. Ordinarily, she would eat in front of the TV, sharing her evening meal with the same faithful friends she ate with every evening at 5:30, but tonight she was eager to open her recent acquisition.
“It was just a dream, it was just a dream...,” she repeated to herself.
Arianne hadn't been in love since she was a teenager. Even though everyone told her it was nothing but a simple High-School romance, Connor was still the love of her life. The first and only man she gave her heart to. Since the accident, she had not even been able to look at a man. She had never been able to convince herself that the accident wasn't her fault.
Arianne dressed and went to work. She made a living working as a filing clerk in the records department at the local university. It was not a well-paying job, but it had the advantage of having few coworkers.
On her way home, Arianne decided to stop to pick up a few items at the local drugstore.
The package on the clearance shelf was labeled 'Armor'. The label said that it was helpful for those trying to recover from emotional trauma.
The label read: “Through a combination of natural medicines and cutting edge subliminal therapy, the contents of this package will allow you to insulate yourself from the negative emotions that are a result of traumatic experiences in your past.”
“Something like this really should require a prescription.” Arianne thought to herself as she picked up the package. It was surprisingly heavy for its size.
“Actual results may vary.” said the disclaimer, in fine print.
“For 20 bucks, I'd say it's worth a try,” a young clerk said, startling Arianne.
Arianne turned, noticing a short, thin teenager. His name tag said “My name is Wilton; How May I Help You?”
“What's your return policy?” Ariane asked.
“Ummm, that's a clearance item.” Wilt replied. “We don't allow returns. That's actually the last one in stock.”
“Thank you for your help.”
Arianne carried the package to the register, stopping to pick up a can of miniature ravioli. She paid her $22.54 and left the store, opting for a paper bag. At home, she ate her meal from a paper plate, carefully rinsing the can and placing it in the recycle bin. Ordinarily, she would eat in front of the TV, sharing her evening meal with the same faithful friends she ate with every evening at 5:30, but tonight she was eager to open her recent acquisition.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Weekend Fiction - Armored, The Hospital
This is a story I've been working on, on and off for almost 7 years. It's finally done though, and ready for your critique.
The Emergency Room doors burst open to admit a young man on a stretcher being pushed by two paramedics.
“We have an accident victim; male, 17 years old with severe crush injuries to the chest. Heart rate is uneven and tachy at 130, respirations shallow. Name, Connor Bailey.”
Doctors and nurses quickly surrounded Connor as he was wheeled into the nearest trauma bay. His shirt and tie were torn off, making way for the patches of an EKG machine.
“This kid doesn't look good. Have we contacted the family yet?” a doctor barked.
“They're on the way!” a nurse replied.
“I need a central line.” Consulting the hastily written notes on the chart, he continued. “Get 4 units of B positive hung up now!”
The rhythmic beeps of the heart monitor began to slow, growing more uneven.
“We're losing him! Get the paddles in here!”
Arianne stood just outside the trauma bay, wearing a prom dress and crying. “I killed him.” she whispered.
The Emergency Room doors burst open to admit a young man on a stretcher being pushed by two paramedics.
“We have an accident victim; male, 17 years old with severe crush injuries to the chest. Heart rate is uneven and tachy at 130, respirations shallow. Name, Connor Bailey.”
Doctors and nurses quickly surrounded Connor as he was wheeled into the nearest trauma bay. His shirt and tie were torn off, making way for the patches of an EKG machine.
“This kid doesn't look good. Have we contacted the family yet?” a doctor barked.
“They're on the way!” a nurse replied.
“I need a central line.” Consulting the hastily written notes on the chart, he continued. “Get 4 units of B positive hung up now!”
The rhythmic beeps of the heart monitor began to slow, growing more uneven.
“We're losing him! Get the paddles in here!”
Arianne stood just outside the trauma bay, wearing a prom dress and crying. “I killed him.” she whispered.
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