Friday, September 30, 2016

I Don't Know If I'm Closer to Heaven





New Kate Bush live album from her 2014 London shows, out in November. Info, plus hear a cut here! My Giftmas present to myself: it's released in US in early December.

davidly saw one of the shows. I believe I've mentioned that I like Kate Bush. A lot.




2 comments:

  1. on january 31, 2104 i wrote in this comments column

    ...the humor publication weekly world news...one of their driest jokes ever was a feature they did on billy graham's view of heaven - they played it completely straight...searching the web, i couldn't find it

    since then, i've found it



    from The Weekly World News, 1998



    In a review of Reverend Graham's writings, sermons and interviews, five themes emerge – five principles that he believes every human being should strive to live by in order to join God in Heaven. They're based on the Bible and on Reverend Graham's own experience. Here are the five ideas Billy Graham stresses over and over again in his written and spoken words. Practice them in your daily life and Heaven is definitely in your future.




    Pray regularly



    Reverend Graham has often said that too many people use prayer as a last resort – praying only when they need God to get them out of a jam. But as long as people think of God as some kind of errand boy or lifeguard, Heaven will always be out of reach. Jesus tells us God wants to be our friend. You wouldn't treat a friend that way. You want to spend time just talking and listening to your friends, enjoying their company. God wants us to visit Him regularly – for no other reason than that we like Him and He likes us. So it's important to spend time in prayer every day, even when things are going well.

    Love others

    This doesn't mean we have to "feel" loving toward everyone all the time. We are human and sometimes other people are going to upset us. The point is that we should act in loving ways – even to people who aren't very lovable. Remember Jesus said that if we're only kind to people who were kind to us, it means nothing. Even people who don't have God in their lives do that. The thing that sets believers apart is their willingness to try to love even difficult people.

    Read the Bible

    Reverend Graham says even he has not done as much Bible reading as he feels he should have. "I wish I had studied a great deal more. I wish I knew the Bible better than I do," he said not long ago. But he says it's never too late to start. He says that studying and reading the Bible can not only lead us toward Heaven, it can also help us get more enjoyment from our lives on Earth.

    Resist temptation

    The charismatic evangelist admits that in the past he spent too much time railing about hellfire and damnation. "I was too emotional in my early years," he says. Nevertheless, yielding to temptations of the flesh can give the Devil a grip on your life and pull you away from Heaven. When asked how he has managed to avoid the indiscretions that have brought down other, weaker evangelists, Reverend Graham says one prayer always works: "Lord, help me RIGHT NOW!” God will help us resist temptation if we ask Him.

    Be humble

    Always remember, if there's good in your life it's God who put it there. Taking credit for God's kindness will only separate you from Him and His Kingdom. To be humble is to be teachable. We all have a lot to learn. And an openness to learning more about God is consistent with citizenship in Heaven.



    Of course, no one can practice these five things perfectly. Reverend Graham freely admits that even he has fallen short of the mark many times. But doing your best to practice these principles will ensure you a place in Heaven.



    [end of quote from Weekly World News]

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  2. with regard to reverend graham's advice, what struck me when i read it, towards the end of the previous century, and continues to impress me today, was how generally applicable it is

    indeed, in my capacity as a pope of the people's catholic church, also dba as the sentient beings unitarian universalist association, i would make very few modifications - in the interest of greater ecumenicism i would expand "pray regularly" to "pray or meditate regularly", and i would broaden the reading material from the bible to devotional, spiritual, and philosophical literature from other wisdom traditions of the seeker's choice

    i particularly liked graham's admission he had overdone the "hellfire and damnation" stuff in his earlier years

    may the creative forces of the universe be with you, and also with me -
    his humanness devananda

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