faith – The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff

(Humor) An Interview with Jesus

Bob “Scoop” Nelson was an internationally known investigative reporter with the reputation for getting interviews others couldn’t get. He’d been around the globe a few times in his 21-year career and wasn’t easily impressed by his famous subjects. But he had to admit getting Jesus Christ to sit down for an interview was the pinnacle of his career.

Scoop was nervous, curious, and excited at the opportunity. He had a slew of questions written down in his reporter pad in case he was too overawed to come up with spontaneous questions. He acknowledged the meeting would be a miracle despite not being a religious man. He thought to himself that it was about time Jesus came back. If there was ever a time humanity needed him most, it was the 21st century.

Talk of the Apocalypse is rampant across the earth and for good reason. Mankind now has the ability to obliterate all life on the planet thanks to nuclear bombs. Hot wars are raging on all the continents and the climate crisis gets worse yearly. Scoop was trying to decide where to begin the interview when Jesus spoke, “Peace be upon you Scoop,” and smiled across the table separating them. The room was empty of all distractions with only one window looking out at the picturesque countryside. It was Scoops hideaway on an unnamed island that he retreated to whenever he wanted to get away from so-called civilization.

SCOOP – “Thanks for this chance to interview you oh Son of God.“

JESUS – “You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me Jesus. What would you like to know my son?“

SCOOP – (Forgetting to look at his notes) “Who’s going to win the World Series? No…no… I’m just kidding. Trying to lighten the moment it’s not every day I come into a holy presence such as yourself.“

JESUS – “The Yankees!“

SCOOP – “What the…?“

Jesus – “Just joking. It’s not every day I talk with a Yankee fan.“

SCOOP – (Picking up his reporter pad) “Okay then. When will the final end come for all humanity?“

JESUS – “Have you got a watch?“

SCOOP – “Oh no!“

JESUS – “Relax! Just joking with you again. Touchy. Touchy. My boss doesn’t allow me to give an exact time, or date, when the final reckoning will come. He just wants everyone to repent right now and be ready for the big day.“

SCOOP – “Gee… I’m not sure if my heart can take too many more jokes like that. Okay then. I’m an American. My question is simple. Is Donald J. Trump the spawn of the Devil, or the Devil himself?“

JESUS – “In the Bible I warned of false prophets. Trump is a cult leader, aka a false prophet, and a threat to your republic and the whole world. That’s the reason why I’m here with you today. The Big Guy and I decided to bless your efforts at educating Americans and the rest of the world about the cataclysmic consequences of letting Trump get re-elected. president.“

Scoop put his reporter pad down on the bare table and bowed his head. For once he was speechless. He suddenly had a new mission in life. A new, and more noble purpose than making money and living like a hermit. When he looked up Jesus was gone and there was a piece of paper lying in the center of the table.

“Actually, I wasn’t joking. The Yankees do win it all this season!”

-30-

Essay: Religions and Promises Made

The is no highway to heaven.

Despite the spiritual myths perpetrated since the dawn of civilization there are no guarantees you’re going anywhere when you pass from this earthly veil.

With the creation of God stories clerical leaders were able to control the masses with threats of going to hell if they didn’t adhere to their rules. Control was established early on in human history and the various religions today continue that tradition of using a higher power to further their version of what people should believe.

The amusing part of this mind control technique is the promises made by various religions.

If you’re a good practicing Catholic, you will go to heaven and see all your family and friends when you die.

If you’re a Protestant heaven can only be achieved by following their six main expressions of faith.

Muslims believe in a paradise for men stocked with beautiful virgins attending to them if they held the faith for all of their life. I’m not sure what the women get in paradise, but I suspect it’s not a bunch of pool boys at their beck and call.

Faithful Mormon women go to different levels of Heaven depending upon how many children they have. Men automatically go to the highest level if they follow the teachings of Joseph Smith.

Buddhists believe that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but if one wants to achieve enlightenment (heaven) and escape this cycle and achieve a state of Nirvana then they must follow the teachings of the Buddha. They don’t believe in any kind of deity or God, although there are supernatural figures who can help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment.

So, you can see they all make promises to lure you into their control and how you should live your life if you want to go on to a better place.

I believe there is a higher power in the universe who frankly doesn’t give a damn about humanity’s fear of the unknown.

-30-

The Beach Walker

I watched him walk along the shoreline as luminescent waves rolled under the blue moon. The surf broke the silence of the night as it lazily lapped the gleaming beach. He was moving with the brisk wind towards an unknown horizon and seemed to pay me no heed as his cloak and long hair majestically streamed behind him.

I took a long hit off my pipe packed with a ball of opium. When I finally opened my eyes, he was walking towards me and for a moment I thought he was an ancient god with his flowing beard and long shaggy hair catching the moon beams and glowing eerily. But as I watched in wide eyed wonder he stopped, shook his mighty mane from side-to-side and reversed his course. I felt a sense of remorse. Loss. Did I offend him somehow by not standing up?

I had the feeling that I missed an opportunity. That the Beach Walker was going to befriend me and share answers to mysteries that have long befuddled humanity.

I watched his shadow chase him as he moved like a wraith beneath the moonlight. His hair was flowing and glowing. The waves were receding, and sand dollars and other shells were exposed and gleaming under the strange lights emanating from the sky. A stray clap of thunder growled in the distance. My thoughts turned to the pipe in my hand. I lit it. Inhaled. Waited. Time had no meaning. I sought revelations. Visions. The meaning of life. I was lost.

Pulling out the pistol from my jacket pocket I held it up to my head and held it there for what seemed an eternity. My arm gave out and I dropped the .38 Special onto the shifting sand. I cursed my cowardice. I cursed my demons. As I ranted a fog slowly crept along the shoreline then shifted towards me. From its depth the Beach Walker emerged, his wild long hair hanging in tight curls and straddling his broad shoulders. The cloak was gone and all he wore was a dirty white tunic. Somehow his face glowed under the light of the blue moon, and he was wearing a frown. A look of concern. His dark brown eyes bored into my soul, warning me not to take my own life. A voice inside my head said it’s God’s choice when and how you leave this earthly plane.

Startled I jumped up in my narcotic haze and called out to him, who are you? It was too late, however. It seemed like he was floating as he turned around and disappeared in the thick gray mist that now enveloped the whole beach.

When I saw the headlights, I didn’t move despite the fact that they were pointed right at me. It appeared God chose this moment to take my life and I gladly opened my arms wide prepared to be propelled into eternity. The Land Rover roared right by me, spitting up sand and broken shells as it hurtled into the night on some mad mission. I stood there listening to my heartbeat for minutes. Then I could hear the waves again. I suddenly understood that life was a gift and I’d been granted a reprieve for my past misdeeds.

I watched the sunrise with a sense of awe. Picking up the pistol and the pipe I threw them as far as I could into the turbulent surf. As corny as it sounds, it was a new day full of promise.

the end

Memo to a Supreme Being

for the sake of humanity

bring us together in unity

we’re a troubled society

in desperate need of harmony

help us see

the absurdity

of denying diversity

so that we can live

together peacefully

***

Carp Diem

Tidbits of Truth

there is only one truth

in reality

there’s no guarantee

on what you hear or read

is not a partisan screed

facts are often muddied

with lies

that galvanize

people’s bias

until

tidbits of truth

break through

people must make do

with the tried and true

The Meteorite

(132 words- flash fiction/poetry)

In the chronicles of Narmer the first King to unite the Upper and Lower Nile, a strange thing happened one night when a brilliant light streaked across the desert sky…

the light, which was actually a meteorite, hit a site near a Hittite temple hundreds of miles away, glowing where it lay, night and day, with a mysterious inner fire that attracted followers by the day…

who listened to the priests gathered there to pray to the meteorite, creating rites and calling it a god for lost souls seeking their way to eternity, a powerful entity that soon inspired a new prosperous Hittite city…

The inevitable clash of nations happened within a century, as the dark gods of both civilizations clashed, like opposing meteorites created by ideologies that couldn’t survive future centuries.

*****

In The Age of The Sage

long before the final war

when forests were still green

and the waters in the rivers

ran blue

there was an age of wisdom

when a sage made his debut

teaching people the right thing to do

he appeared before young and old

and those that were smart

soon did as they were told

he gave them laws to live by

stressing equality

but these laws they chose to defy

and the sage went back into the sky

and mankind discovered the horror of war

and nothing was the same anymore

Keep The Line Moving

there’s no time to stop or hesitate

or to contemplate your fate

the line must keep moving along

no sense of right or wrong

the line keeps moving everyday

never making any headway

in a society of strangers

afraid of dangers

lines are crossed and people die

not even knowing why

everyone keeps moving the line

looking for a sign

a guiding light

through the dark night

for inspiration

and salvation

On Healing

50 words –

There are wounds that we can see and others invisible to the naked eye, but both can make us cry.

Physical wounds leave tell-tale scars on the body. Physic wounds hide in the head, leaving the victim with a constant state of dread.

Faith can cure both and raise the dead

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27	28	29	30	31

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