My parents bought me Diary Of A Young Girl for my 11th birhday. To be veracious - I thought it was one of those boring novels that rambles on and jogs. But I was wrong. First of all, it wasn't a novel. But a real diary which young Anne Frank wrote in the Secret Annexe - the family's hiding-place in Amsterdam. I've read the book without respite and I'm taken with young Anne Frank. I swear to God. I mistakenly told my bosom crony's sister named Carol Carrots and she thinks I'm barmy. And that is honestly her name, I swear to God, I’m not making it up.
It’s too crazy. I mean - just think of it. Imagine going through life with a name like Carol Carrots? Anyway, it's the first time this happened to me - I mean falling in love - and I'm relentlessly spurring my parents to take me to Amsterdam to see the Secret Annexe. In return they make me babysit our dog. It's horrible! Wherever I put the pad down the incontinent dog decides the place without it is where he wants to lie down. So I spent the day cleaning up dog chemo pee, either it's toxic or he's pissing holy water as if it gets on my skin it burns! I tried a 40 days fasting - for my parents to take me to the Secret Annexe - but it flunked in three hours, and If I had enough money I would pay a priest to do it for me, I think God doesn't mind does he?
I'm terrible at spiritual things - hold it right there Benedictus - and many other things. For instance, I am the most mechanically-challenged person I know. I only know the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver - after that, it gets kind of fuzzy. I'm genuinely sorry for throwing you head in my dirt, I should've introduced myself first. Bad manners, if my parents see this they're going to kill me. My name is Holden Frankenstein - I'm awake and aware to the fact that it sounds little too odd for a 11 year old and to be veracious Holden Frankenstein sounds like a lawyer with oily hair and is not really a lawyer but just a guy who rip peoples teeth - and I'm from Burbank. I'm the youngest and hopefully last of my parent's (I will explain why later), and my sister's name is Olivia but I call her Carly Rose even though she can't sing (by God, I fortuitously heard her once in the bathroom and I couldn't figure it out if she was singing or crying) and she's always moody and stuff. That tells everything.
Anyway, I have nice and truthful family and friends - mom, dad, Olivia, Peter and Carol Carrots - and I'm also a footballer. I'm not illustrious, and I have nothing to tell you about myself except my failures. And you probably guessed that. Instead let me tell you about my dad. To begin with, he's the most impatient person I know, and I think I should tell you about him because we always have a fight over minor things. Anne Frank was not ashamed to write about the things or people that pissed her off, so that's what I'm going to do right now - takes a deep breath- serious. I sometimes think that old people intentionally piss us off because we promptly forgive and forget. We are kids but we don't have robotic love.
We do get pisssed off and stuff. I hate it when people think that other people don't get pissed off. As I was telling you about my dad, he always gets angry over things that doesn't mean a bag of beans, and the worst thing is that when he gets angry he'll throw anything at you, whether a spade, chair, book, remote, or anything. There was this other day he was watching Monday Night Football, and I stood in front of the television. I didn't take a minute and when I twiddled, Dad was already throwing the remote on me. But I don't know what happened or how I did it, but I swerved in a New York minute and the remote somewhat missed my rips and boom-bam-boom, crushed the television. He got nuts! He started yelling at me. "But dad, I didn't break the television, I just swerved for Christ's sake," but he couldn't listen.
And to be veracious, it is the worst day of my life - imagine a hirsute men with shaggy beard yelling at you. Well, I'm not sure yet but I think it's followed by the one I was at my friend's and we had spaghetti mixed with butter and ketchup with Bordens cheese for breakfast. Disgusting!
Like it? Here's another one:
I'm genuinely enthusiastic when it's time to pen something to you. I had a great day and I met my friend, Peter Carrots and her sister, Carol Carrots. We spent the noon making pancakes which flunked because Peter and I unintentionally miffed Carol (she was tempestuous) and she angrily chased us around the bungalow (she threw a frying pan and missed Peter by an inch). And thankfully she settled down and we came back to the kitchen to find the cupcakes cremated. Oops! But we didn't worry much because at least we had someone to blame.
I told you something is going to happen, and I'm biffing myself for forgetting to say "bad". But anyway, today is also the first day Carol and I got along very well - she's really a nice person (but she has uncontrollable anger). Peter's mom made us popcorns and we watched Transformers (the movie) and The Dreamer. Carol looked at me and said:
"Holden, you've never kissed anyone yet, right?
"Ah-huh"
"You also don't have a girlfriend, right?"
"Ah-huh"
"Would you like to kiss me?"
"Ah-huh"
She started to laugh. I mean so hard - was this kind of a joke? Of course she's sixteen and I'm eleven, but I can kiss her, right? When I went back home I thought about this whole thing and I told my sister - she's also sixteen. She first hit me with her pillow and asked me if I'm not in love with Anne Frank anymore, and I explained the mystery to her.
And so she told me that Carol is dating this other guy from her school and she'll not waste her time snogging with kids. But it's okay. I shouldn't be kissing people anyway, especially sixteen year olds.
I was hit by this. Anyway, In life, it's always delightful to see something built - we become jocund, ululate, give our gap-toothed grins, and walk in the air. It's great after all. But we often forget the people that made it happen, and we don't give a shit about what they went through to make it happen.
You might be a talker, and your friend might know everything about you, but come on, let’s be veracious - he doesn't really know what's happening behind the closed door. You didn't really like his millionth draft of that novella, still don’t fuckin like going to that same coffee shop with him every single day - you're embroiled, you're feigning, and it is a horrible trudge. He is there the small-guy, telling you not to tell him that you'd rather have cupcakes than what he's giving you every single day because you don't like it - you might hurt his feelings. So many times, we are not afraid of the dark but the light. Folks like Joe Purdy know it - they really do. We are more afraid to tell a single truth than a thousand lies. Anyway, I think everyone is a sporadic scrubber. When you don't potter, scrounger, you scrub the rust-stains off a slothful stranger's wall until your fingers bleed and abraded. It's not a cushy job, but a deadlock.
If you don't do what he wants, remember he is bounderish, he'll will bridle at you, clutch your scruff with his hefty hirsute hand and stuck your popeyed face in a midden. Perhaps better than being clobbered. When we don't scrub a stranger's wall, then we scrub our own past - mortifying dirty walls. Nobody decides that they want be perfect in the present so they don't regret in the future. Or at least a few. I'm scrabbling this part, and I'm not trying to parry the important stuff I brought up, there's just a lot of things that can elude the writer - I can’t keep up with the lines forming in my head. But as I was saying, we are all scrubbers - we don't even wait for the nuts and bolts - we scrub our bungles and knavery. This is not Irish bull.
I don't care if you scour your wall openly or surreptitiously, a skirt that humped her teacher might think she's got clots of blood, but I don't think the most important thing is to get a scrub brush and begin scrubbing your flubs - besides, that will hold you back and you might recidivate - but it's to keep walking. When it comes to the small-guy in your head, it's more like a connection. Remember Harry Potter?: "But then you've got to close your mind!" said Hermione shrilly. "Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumecy! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember-"
And that’s exactly what Old Nick wants, because his a bung - a brittle, underbred and wet blanket. Nevertheless, I don't think he is belligerent. I don't think he pine to dabble you in a scalding cauldron – precious Olivia Holt. After all, it's not enough, it doesn't make him happy. What gratify old Nick - to be veracious - is to put you in a coop stinging with blood, give you a knife, and impel you to hone it. And then invite the guy upstairs to watch you stab yourself to death with self-hatred, peevishness and diffidence. Old Nick has some game, as the basketball players say these days.
-23-
At some point in time - mostly when we're lonely and dejected - we all want to know if we're valuable to anyone. But nobody can answer you with words, but actions. To be veracious, we don't want people to tell us that they care about us while their actions don’t actually bear witness. You shouldn't just say it - be prepared to do anything to show it.
Your actions are more important than what you actually say; people and children observe your actions to see if they correspond with what you preach. When it comes to children, when they claim they saw Father Christmas doing his midnight delivery then they're simply giving expression to their very active imaginations, and this fantasy-type talk, where the child is playing "make-believe" in an age-appropriate way, should actually be encouraged. Young, school-going kids fib to avoid blame or punishment, to get something they way, to protect their friends or get attention. Pre-teens on the other hand, will bend the truth to boost their self-esteem or social status, as this age is about establishing identity, and telling lies could help them to connect with peers.
As they reach their teenage years, withholding the truth becomes a form of control - hiding or omitting facts is a sign of rebellion against restriction and a way of challenging authority. More often than not, when kids and adolescents tell tall tales, it could be the result of modeling a caregivers behavior. Adults need to amend bad habits and be aware of how actions speaks louder than words. Parents may not be able to control every aspect of their child's behavior, but there's a lot you can do. Model good behavior by taking responsibility when you slip up - if you admit to making a mistake and apologize, your child will be willing to spill the beans when it's their turn. Moreover, whatever the nature of the deception, punishment is not always the right response. It is too superficial and doesn't address the underlying problem.
There are many things that can make you happy (Disney, French fries or smooching Carly Rose) but knowing that you're valuable to someone means the world - it's like having a scrumptious chocolate cupcake. In Tottenham Court Road, besotted and great-bellied folks that bar hop perpetually chin-wag about Xavi being divine, of course, no question about that. But here's a beer bottle: they always overlook the man behind the magic, Sergio. It's a thigh-slapper. But I think Sergio is the ram, magic and rampart behind Xavi. And the ram and rampart of the Christ was knowing the fact that even though the world hated him, he was valuable to the guy upstairs - it made him endure the pain of salvation.
I don't think there's anything that can be compared to living your life knowing that whatever you're going through, there is always someone out there that you mean a lot to him or her - you're a valuable mom, dad or friend. This is real freedom; real freedom is knowing so much that you're valuable to someone else, that you're celebrated and not tolerated.
If someone values you, he will put you first. Does that ring a bell? Yes! You know that person who always puts you first. Even though you may not know that particular person, but always know that you're valuable to someone. Even if you don't believe it, it's the truth. We are all valuable to someone. The truth is not the truth because you believe it, but the truth is the truth because it is the truth. Being valuable to someone means the world and knowing the person you are valuable to and getting together is love embrace. But knowing the person you're valuable to and not care a hang about that person is love disgrace.
To be valuable is not something to strive for because it will be fragile, and the moment you fag out and don’t endeavor anymore, then it’s all over. I think to value someone sometimes its orphic and unintentional. It can look intentional but isn't. It can take a memory, a meet-cute or spur-of-the-moment. To be valuable means having worth, or merit or value, and that's why to be valuable - be yourself. I know it's such a vague adage, threadbare, and irksome. But if you're yourself, then you won’t have to force it, strive for it, or ask for it. You don’t buy valuableness, it is priceless, and you don’t garner valuableness, it is spontaneous. There are no cheap-jacks or jerry-built shops that sell value. Think about it, Christ was valuable to God before the world even began. He simply valued Christ for who he is, not what he has done or what he will do. To be valuable to someone must not come from striving – that’s wussy.
I think the problem is not what you're doing but it's you trying to prove yourself. Something or someone worth to be valued doesn't strive. Sometimes valuableness is a deceptive thing, just like feelings. There’s a difference between being unworthy and feeling unworthy. Being unworthy simply means lacking value or merit while feeling worthy means having value and merit that you yourself don’t recognize.
Those little self-doubting, self-berating, judgmental things we see, think, feel and believe about ourselves are our worst enemies – they make us feel unworthy. That’s why in a long run, all you’re trying to be free of is your own ideologies, morals and emotions. Feelings are deceptive things. There is a difference between being unloved and feeling unloved. The reason why you feel unloved is because there are certain people who you want or expect them to love you but they don’t. Human beings have a vacancy that can only be filled with love, and the feeling of being unloved is not by being hated by everyone but it is being unloved by certain people whom you expect/want them to love you.
-24-
The significant ground why children seem to have better relationships with their friends than most adults do - put on your seatbelt - is simply because children are open, caring and loving enough to do and behold little things in life. They genuinely merit a coronet. Old folks don't give a hoot, give them a good deal of different kinds of spice in containers and bottles, they'll probably end up poisoning the cutlet. But give it to Chef Ramsay; he'll zest it, soak it in marinade and it will emphatically be mouth-watering because he's a great cook. That's what children are when it comes to relationships - they know the right stuff (I think I like that one)
I have a reckless faith that if we can doff our lids and put away our ego, then we will come to a point in life where we've never been before, and we can actually see what it truly means to be human, to live and to love. Trust me, true love is often expressed in the little things in life. For instance, I told you about listening. Can you imagine how much it will mean if we can learn to listen to our friends even if we have a lot to say to them than they have to say to us? You know what’s great about Psychotherapists? Not only because they give you good advice or something. What makes Psychotherapists awesome and lovable is because they're willing to spend some time and listen to their patients when they speak. They don’t mind listening to someone for hours. They just sit there and listen to you and that makes you feel better. That's why sometimes you don’t need to do much to people, what people really need is someone who will be willing to listen to them.
The reason why most people disregard doing little things is because they seem contrary to power and control. And what most people want these days is everyone to know that they're powerful and they're in control. Before you prognosticate, I genuinely promise that I'll not nitpick. Trust me. The real problem in the world these days are definitions. When Jesus came to the world, he redefined power not as merely authority, dominion and control, but submission. When it comes to power, what we do (or say) in life doesn't precisely define power, control and dominion. Hold it right there Bennedictus.
When Jesus came to earth, I'm sure you'll blithely concord with me: I cannot falter nor hem and haw because I'm sure as shooting that He said and did the unimaginable, anomalous and miraculous. But most people didn't really believe in him anyway. And the reason why is precisely what I told you before: what we say and do doesn't precisely define power, control and dominion. That's why in order for people to believe that he was really the messiah, Jesus had to display power, control and dominion not merely by what he "does" and "says", but how he REACTS. They crucified him, he later died, and they buried him. And waited to see if he will actually display power, control and dominion by reacting - rising from the dead and that’s exactly what he did. He is alive. Another thing about power is that if a nation is powerful, other nations will not actually fear what that nation does but how they will react if they do something to them. Makes sense?
When it comes to submission, it is exactly like courage because it is often displayed in the little things in life, for instance, surrendering. Submission is actually one of the most powerful things that display power. Because the Israelites rebelled and grieved the Holy Spirit, the Lord turned and became their enemy, and He fought against them (Isaiah 63:10) You see, the Holy Spirit was there even in the days of Abraham, he was there when the Lord led Israel out of Egypt. But the thing is, they didn't know him personally.
He was with them but he didn't live in them. The Bible says "They rebelled and grieved the Holy Spirit." The Israelites resisted control or authority of the Holy Spirit, and that means they didn't surrender to His will. They'd exhibited great independence in their own thought and action, and because they did, they grieved the Holy Spirit and God turned against them and became their enemy. We should trust in the LORD with all our hearts and lean not in our own understanding; in all our ways we should acknowledge the LORD, and he will make our paths straight. Kathryn Kuhlman once said, "It's not about your prayers. It's all about your surrender" In these days, I strongly believe that the LORD is seeking people who don't have any reputation - ones that will not be ashamed to surrender all to Jesus. When you decide to become a yielder, and not only once in your life, but in forever, then be prepared to be unnoted, unvalued and underestimated. But most importantly, be prepared to be truthful and obedient. A yielder is a person who is willing to surrender all to Jesus, including his title and reputation.
It's no longer about you, it's all about Him - His message, His way, wherever He sends, no matter the cost.
-25-
Praise and worship is the most powerful force on earth because it was born in heaven. When you find true worship in the Church - it commingle into a corporate anointing, and it release' an atmosphere - a visitation moment from heaven. It ascends like sweet-smelling smoke, odoriferous to God's olfactory organ. Praise and worship is also the highest form of giving; When you give worship, God will eat it from your mouth, and when you give praise, God will dance on your beat. But the thing is - to be veracious - we’ve lost the ministry of praise and worship. I think it has become 'play' in the church - entertainment rather than worship. It has become frippery and trivial. I don't think the guy upstairs genuinely concur with this; worship is now Toll house cookies - yummy.
But the thing is; they're cheap and bad ones, there's no need to higgle, poisonous too. They're sold by the same stubbled pip-squeak who sell secondhand Chevies with overalls, a jack and screwdrivers in Gilmour Hill. If you think about buying one, you should know that it’s going to be trouble. You should befriend a grease monkey to make your life easier. The sons of Aaron: Nadad and Abihu were ignorant and hard-boiled. They were too used to God and self-absorbed (it's really arrogant to be self-absorbed). And they end up straying from the right itinerary, like an alley cat that vagabond, and offered strange fire to the Lord. It was a disaster - Jonathan Edwards' sermon to say the least. And to be honest, I don't understand the main ground we do the same thing.
People no longer go to Church to worship God in spirit and in truth, but to be entertained through nice messages (blarneys with loopholes) and music that sounds 10 ft tall and barb wired. So lethal. There's no wonder God said, "Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols." (Amos 5:23)God is calling us to be intimate in our worship, not to speak platitudes and picturenize him. And because we’ve lost true worship in the Church, a lot of people are bound with the spirit of the pagan culture, and they think it's better to go to live concerts of well-known worship leaders and worship groups, but they can't even worship God in your own homes. Worship is not an event, but it's a lifestyle. We worship God not by Him controlling us, it must come from the depth of who we are, and say God this is really who you are. Satan knows that if he can stop true worship in the Church, then he will destroy the Church.
After all, he was the chief worship leader in heaven - praise and worship was created in him. He was the one making music in heaven, and the music in him made him shine with the glory of God. Old Nick knows the power of the presence of God; he knows the effect of the presence of God. Let me tell you: I respect Satan. Old Nick was a Cherub Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth1. He was the one that covered the tree of life in the Garden of Eden Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God2. Besides, he is full of wisdom Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty3, and he has more knowledge than the children of God Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee4. He even has the ability to change into the angel of light for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light5.
When God casted Old Nick down from heaven, He didn’t remove the power of worship in him - I don't think it was clemency though, but I'm cocksure God knew he will not mollycoddle its inhabitants - and that made him a powerful force on earth. I told you about him making music in heaven, look at the circular world - music is one of the most powerful forces on earth. You can promtly dash to your chamber and grab your IPod - you'll blithely trip the light fantastic or lean on the nook dolefully. It will arouse your inner peeler or Ludwig van Beethoven. So irresistible - it has a jinx that is virtually impossible to rebuff, you'll probably tap your hulky hirsute foot unintentionally because music is power.
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