I have had communications with people who inhabit the four corners of the world and some of them you would recognize. Some of these people have expressly conveyed to me that they appreciate my opinion and the fact that I am awake and I Get It. Yet, some of the people of my hometown tell me that I am a conspiracy theorist and 99% of the people don't have a clue about the important events and contexts happening all around us. The lack of recognition by these people from my hometown doesn't bother me. Only their intolerance and ignorance of the message is frustrating. They go along with the program of the controllers and follow the path of least resistance, as though it is going to benefit them in some way. They are under a mistaken impression that as this World continues to implode, they will be unaffected. They should be preparing, but instead they would rather see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. What they don't understand is that they have shackled themselves to a code and allegiance that they don't even understand. And they are committing themselves to being lost forever!
Are you truly Patriotic? Have you ever read the Declaration of Independence? Do you understand and feel the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star Spangled banner or is this just a ritual to you? Have you read and studied any parts of the U.S. Constitution or do you just go by what a reporter or politician tells you? If you are an elected official or bureaucrat, do you not understand that you have sworn as your duty to defend and uphold these codes? If you have never studied them, then do you not understand that you are automatically not qualified for your job? Would you just hand the keys to a car to a teenager and let them out on the road without any supervision and/or training? Do you not understand that it is the same thing?
That is where we have gotten off track. We have many intellectually lazy people seeking status as leaders in the nation. That is the reason why we have lost our nation, because we have people who aren't trained to think critically when making critical decisions. These people are in over their heads, because they don't know how to find answers, which comes from asking the right questions. They don't study history and they don't have a clue about patterns. They aren't in over their heads, because of intellect. They are in over their heads, because they have their priorities mixed up. I am begging you. If you are in over your head, it is alright to admit it. If you don't have the time or desire to commit to public service, then let's find someone who does. Our lives and our livelihood are at stake.
I do not pretend to be a prophet. I have plenty of flaws. The story below, I convey to establish an understanding. We have a lot of people around here that are worthy of listening to. These people have great knowledge, passion, and talents. There needs to be more respect for the human assets that we have in this community. Sometimes we see an arrogance that gets in the way of allowing worthwhile efforts to develop and be fruitful. Maybe, if we give people, regardless of social status, an opportunity to express themselves, then we might be amazed at what was right under this community's nose all along. Let's spread opportunity and see what we can cultivate.
Why couldn't Jesus do miracles in His hometown (Mark 6:4-5)?
Reasoning from Scriptures MinistriesIn Mark 6:4-5 Jesus affirmed that a prophet is without honor in his home town, and in view of that reality, He could not perform any miracles in Nazareth except for healing a few sick people. The people of Nazareth were apparently plagued by unbelief and paid little attention to the claims of Jesus.
At first glance, one might get the impression that Jesus' miraculous power was utterly dependent upon peoples' faith in order for it to work. That is not the meaning of this verse, however. It is not that Jesus was unable or incapacitated in performing a miracle in Nazareth. (Remember -- Jesus is the sovereign Creator of the entire universe according to John 1:3, Hebrews 1:2, and Colossians 1:16). Rather, Jesus "could not" do miracles there in the sense that He WOULD NOT do so in view of the pervasive unbelief in that city.
Miracles serve a far greater purpose, from the divine perspective, than just providing a raw display of power. Indeed, Jesus' miraculous deeds are often called "signs" in the New Testament because they serve to signify His identity as the Messiah. Since the people of Nazareth had already made up their minds against Jesus, and had provided more than ample evidence of their lack of faith in Him, Jesus chose not to engage in miraculous acts there except for a few healings of sick people. He refused to bestow miraculous deeds on a city that had rejected the miraculous Messiah. Unbelief excluded the people of Nazareth from the dynamic disclosure of God's grace that others had experienced.
Because of Nazareth's rejection of the person and message of Jesus Christ, He went on to other cities that did respond to and receive Him. We have no evidence that Jesus ever again returned to Nazareth.
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PART 1
I have little doubt that there are those who read this blog on a regular basis that are of the opinion that, “if he feels that way, why don’t he just leave?” Those people have no concept or compunction of speaking out or fighting for what they believe. They hold on to and tightly embrace the antebellum notions of genteel that to get along, you go along. That you always smile politely and are cordial to the face then cut and slash away at the back. They have no notion that it is possible to disagree with someone and still recognize them as being important to the task at hand, viable, or even competent. It’s an all or none commitment to ideology and purpose with these folks. And it is simply a natural extension of being that if you disagree with them, you are wrong, you will always be wrong, you are beneath contempt, and it is a simple miracle that by the grace of God, Broughton no longer accepts your kind, otherwise, you’d have to be committed for thinking the way you do. I’ll bet that right now, there is more than one head nodding in agreement. And that scares me because, now they are agreeing with me, for the moment at least.
Is it their fault? Certainly many of the people who disagree with the commentary and the thoughts and ideas expounded upon here are well educated and certainly not silly and ignorant. They have the capacity and ability to think. Problem is, they do these things within the context of being raised here. They are unable to think or rationalize otherwise. Remember me writing of people being brought up in a certain manner to hold the notions of entitlement and association within certain groups so as to maintain an air of superiority? While they might recognize the problems inherent to the area and perhaps, in a small context think that what is written and observed here is accurate, the core of it cuts against what and how they were raised to act, believe, and conduct themselves, and it will eternally be damned as counter to their own self interest and self preservation. It doesn’t involve them maintaining the positions they hold, perpetuating their own fortunes and standing in the community, and it doesn’t foster their being able to continue their heirs on the same pathway. Therefore, it’s wrong, silly, conspiratorial, and the maniacal ravings of a group of lunatics who are trying to usurp the kingdom and render it unto those unworthy.
PART 2
So in a manner of speaking, they likewise see themselves as protectors of the faith. They too see themselves as trying to perpetuate the well being of the area and people. The problem is, when does the good of the one or few outweigh the good of the many? Naturally, this caste group sees it as being a win:win for all concerned since if they are profiting, so are all the people, just at an exponentially lower ratio of success. The problem is, when the people are starving, this caste group is still maintaining and even strengthening their influence and control. They know, via their upbringing and associations that a starving population is easier to control and manipulate. Wealth, shared wealth, brings independence and a lack of control. When you are no longer able to control the means by which one subsists, you no long control that person. Do you think that idiom is lost on those who broker power here? Here in Hickory and the Catawba Valley, that span of control has existed for well over a century for most but a very select few. And that system worked as long as there were menial jobs by which the masses could eek out a subsistence living. That came to an end when the robber barons of the region sold their family controlled mills to outside interests who immediately liquidated them in favor of consolidating them with other holdings and finally, off-shoring production to a place with even cheaper labor than what was available here. The people lost, the robber barons added to their already substantial holdings, and now either directly condemn people who speak out or engage in an endless whisper campaign of deceit and innuendo to nullify discontent with the status quo and keep the people under control.
Divide and conquer. It doesn’t matter how, only that it is done. And these people have had a long time to refine their technique and condition the population they control to believe and trust that what is being done is for their own good.
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