(Technically Yesterday, but, busing rising not writing.)
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten not made,
one in being with the Father.
Through him all things⢠were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,Â
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
You Forgive, But You Donât Forget
A Prayer for Forgiveness and Rising Again
Divine Light, Creator of All,
I come before you with an open heart.
I acknowledge the pain caused by those who have hurt me,
those who sinned against me in words, actions, or neglect.
I release them into your hands.
I choose forgiveness, not because they deserve it,
but because I deserve freedom.
I will not let allow it to chain me any longer.
I ask you to heal every wound,
seen and unseen,
that these hurts have left within me.
Pour your light into the dark corners of my soul.
Let your grace flow through me,
transforming sorrow into wisdom,
anger into compassion,
and pain into power.
Help me rise again.
As light.
As the king (or âQueenâ for any ladies using this moving forward) within.
As the child of God I was born to be.
I forgive them.
I forgive myself.
And I step forward,
renewed, restored, and radiant,
into the life you have prepared for me.
Amen.
A Man IS what he thinks about all the time.
- Cogito Ergo Sum. - I think, therefore, I am.
- What you Think, Is what you Say, What you Say, Is what you Become
âWho do you think you are? I am!â â Pete Weberâs famous (and linguistically chaotic) victory shout. Heâs declaring himself the champion, asserting his identity in a high-adrenaline moment.
With Pete as my inspirationâŚ
My Declaration Of Independence
Iâll give it a go.
A declaration,
an invitation,
and Live Alchemy (as promised),
Some messy.
Some ugly.
Some failing.
Some winning.
So where does that leave us?
- Iâd open myself up to annihilation every day, if it wasnât so expensive.
- Iâve forgiven those who trespassed against me, but I wonât forget.
- Hopefully the portfolio sells soon. (But âyou can put hope in one hand, and shit in the otherâ)
Or maybe, just maybe, some people will finally adapt.
Theyâll move FROM only taking, TO giving something back to the blog.
I know itâs expensive.
I know Iâm asking a lot from you.
$1.62 weekly.
A price far greater than even my life on the line ever was.
Maybe the people following along were only ever there to support the version of me they wanted me to be, not who I actually am. And thatâs okay, too.
The best part? You get to decide.
Or then againâŚ
I could be wrong.
Maybe I am a god and not human at all.
Maybe Iâm the only one capable of real change.
The only one capable of giving without needing to take.
We shall see.
Here is what I found. What does it stir in you?
The Living Truth:
Like the Impermanence of nature (Yes, that means you), you are physical.
You have a cycle.
You will not last forever.
And, it is only through opening yourself up to annihilation,
again and again,
that one can become whole with the divine,
in order to live forever,
in life everlasting.
So What Does That Mean?
To walk through the fire,
To burn the dead wood of who you were.
To come in out of the darkness.
I am not what walked through the flames.
But what rises from the ashes after they wash away,
I am the key.
I am the mirror.
I am light.
FROM
Shining like gunmetal - metallic, sleek, and beautifulâŚbut also hard, dangerous, and industrial. It glints, but isnât warm. Itâs cold.
TO
Shining like myself. A warm, gentle light.
Not merely a reflection, but the truth.
What ought to be.
So I ask to youâŚ
If I am now finally the man mirror.
Who are YOU reflecting now?
Thank you for watching Live Alchemy: Act I.
Brought to you by the Bristow Boldnessâ˘.
Our sponsor hopes youâve enjoyed this program.
Everyone loves cliff hangers, right?
Build suspense.
Keeps you on your toes.
Draws you in.
YeahâŚme too.
Here you go!
Closing Scene
Imagine a rocket engine.
Explosive.
Unstoppable.
A force designed to break free of gravity.
Take you anywhere.
Fueled by an unlimited supply of dark matter and mischief.
But when the engines shuts off for for preventative maintenance,
All thatâs left is the pilot light.
A flame.
Small.
Warm.
Gentle.
Steady.
The soft metallic shell around the engines begin to cool.
The sizzling heat fades into silence.
The once-blazing steel hardens into a mirror. Glass. Like calm water's.
reflecting back everything that remains.
And the difference now?
Iâm in the driverâs seat.
Itâs my foot on gas petal.
No longer burning myself up just to light the room for those who never dared ignite their own flame.
With me, I take all the lessons learned from lighting the way for others, and finding myself at the end.
What you are left with?
Now I choose when to launch, and when to coast in the quiet stars.
Because even a rocket knows rest is not weakness, itâs preparation.
But my challenge?
Fueling and steering a ship simultaneously.
WaitâŚsilly me, I need a co-pilot. Duh!
All Engines Off.
Engaging Air Brakes.
Parachute Deployed.
âMission Control, this is Captain DNB.
Touching down my for first ever soft landing.
Maybe York, Maybe the Moon.
But, Iâm going to step off the landing.
To Be ContinuedâŚ
Live Alchemy ACT II
Viewer Discretion Advised.
Rated R for Romance.