Gavin Reese's Blog

I haven’t been a good friend of late, or a good brother or son. At best, a mediocre husband, and I’m sorry for all that.

In the last week, separate conversations with two close friends forced me into two uncomfortable conclusions. The first is that I’m not checking on the welfare of those around me, and I’m not listening to understand when they confide in me; instead, I’m listening to reply so I can tell them of my woes and little the load on my shoulders. The second is that everyone’s life is on fire right now. Every single person who trusts me with their real problems is living in the midst of a fully engulfed Five Alarm catastrophe. Most see no safe egress, and the temps and smoke are only building.

I wanted to be special, I guess, that my trials and tribulations are worse than those around me, that my dilemmas are more complicated and unsolvable than yours, and I couldn’t wait to tell you about them. Given that I learned about these other house fires before I was even midway through my own tale, I contend that my friends feel the same way, even if they wouldn’t describe it as such.

It’s. All. On. Fire.

The past eighteen-ish months have been worthy of a Greek tragedy; for some, that’s been their temperature setting for five years. Rather than asserting that anyone’s (read my) misery is more deserving of billboards and GoFundMe pages, I’m trying to take a step back to focus on those around me. Volunteer work is the greatest thing I can do for my soul, but those external efforts haven’t had the same benefit in recent months. I’m there because I want to feel better, not because I’m primarily interested in service. My focus has been in the wrong place, and it shows in the lack of results.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, or even most of them at any one time. I don’t like the idea of telling people how to live their lives or let them direct me on how to live mine. But for me, right now, in this time and place, in the middle of my own Five Alarm, Fully Engulfed Shitshow, I’m choosing to look out the windows. I don’t want to compare my fire to those ravaging my friends’ and neighbors’ lives, but I do want us all to recognize the circumstances for what they are. I’m striving to be kinder, more empathetic. Listen to hear, not to plan my response. Expect that everyone around me is fighting battles I don’t know about. Presume positive intent. Work on filling my cup so that I can once again genuinely serve others for THEIR benefit. Experience and express sincere gratitude for all the blessings of my life. Stop focusing on the unfulfilled wants. Seek commonality instead of division; find ways to put everyone I know in the “Us” column and limit “Them” to my problems. SPEND LESS TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ALTERNATE REALITIES THEY PROMOTE. Read more. Write more. Bike more.

I sincerely hope that you’re not living my metaphor, but if you are, you’re clearly NOT alone. I bet a closer look around will reveal house fires all around you. I hope you get help if you need it, and talk to your trusted and objective someone. Consider a therapist or counselor. I don’t know how much longer God intends us to endure this reality, but I have to lower the temp and burn rate of our place, and I suspect you might need to do the same. Mrs. Reese recently stumbled upon The Highwomen, a female country music group named after The Highway Men, one of my favorite supergroups. Their music and lyrics are amazing, and we both love their song Crowded Table and the first verse of its chorus:

“I want a house with a crowded table, and a place by the fire for everyone.”

Fire belongs in the hearth, not on the walls and flooring. I pray the important aspects of all our lives soon improve. I wish for all of us to return to optimism, community, belonging, and acceptance. May God bless us all with whatever fire extinguisher our particular problems need.

Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. Be safe out there.

-*GR

I haven’t been a good friend of late, or a good brother or son. At best, a mediocre husband, and I’m sorry for all that.

In the last week, separate conversations with two close friends forced me into two uncomfortable conclusions. The first is that I’m not checking on the welfare of those around me, and I’m not listening to understand when they confide in me; instead, I’m listening to reply so I can tell them of my woes and little the load on my shoulders. The second is that everyone’s life is on fire right now. Every single person who trusts me with their real problems is living in the midst of a fully engulfed Five Alarm catastrophe. Most see no safe egress, and the temps and smoke are only building.

I wanted to be special, I guess, that my trials and tribulations are worse than those around me, that my dilemmas are more complicated and unsolvable than yours, and I couldn’t wait to tell you about them. Given that I learned about these other house fires before I was even midway through my own tale, I contend that my friends feel the same way, even if they wouldn’t describe it as such.

It’s. All. On. Fire.

The past eighteen-ish months have been worthy of a Greek tragedy; for some, that’s been their temperature setting for five years. Rather than asserting that anyone’s (read my) misery is more deserving of billboards and GoFundMe pages, I’m trying to take a step back to focus on those around me. Volunteer work is the greatest thing I can do for my soul, but those external efforts haven’t had the same benefit in recent months. I’m there because I want to feel better, not because I’m primarily interested in service. My focus has been in the wrong place, and it shows in the lack of results.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, or even most of them at any one time. I don’t like the idea of telling people how to live their lives or let them direct me on how to live mine. But for me, right now, in this time and place, in the middle of my own Five Alarm, Fully Engulfed Shitshow, I’m choosing to look out the windows. I don’t want to compare my fire to those ravaging my friends’ and neighbors’ lives, but I do want us all to recognize the circumstances for what they are. I’m striving to be kinder, more empathetic. Listen to hear, not to plan my response. Expect that everyone around me is fighting battles I don’t know about. Presume positive intent. Work on filling my cup so that I can once again genuinely serve others for THEIR benefit. Experience and express sincere gratitude for all the blessings of my life. Stop focusing on the unfulfilled wants. Seek commonality instead of division; find ways to put everyone I know in the “Us” column and limit “Them” to my problems. SPEND LESS TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ALTERNATE REALITIES THEY PROMOTE. Read more. Write more. Bike more.

I sincerely hope that you’re not living my metaphor, but if you are, you’re clearly NOT alone. I bet a closer look around will reveal house fires all around you. I hope you get help if you need it, and talk to your trusted and objective someone. Consider a therapist or counselor. I don’t know how much longer God intends us to endure this reality, but I have to lower the temp and burn rate of our place, and I suspect you might need to do the same. Mrs. Reese recently stumbled upon The Highwomen, a female country music group named after The Highway Men, one of my favorite supergroups. Their music and lyrics are amazing, and we both love their song Crowded Table and the first verse of its chorus:

“I want a house with a crowded table, and a place by the fire for everyone.”

Fire belongs in the hearth, not on the walls and flooring. I pray the important aspects of all our lives soon improve. I wish for all of us to return to optimism, community, belonging, and acceptance. May God bless us all with whatever fire extinguisher our particular problems need.

Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. Be safe out there.

-*GR

I'm exploring a new series unlike anything else I've ever published, and I'd like to have your feedback. In sub-genre parlance, this is a near-future dystopian espionage story about how a covert agent deals with an artificial superintelligence bent on global domination.

I'm releasing a VERY SMALL number of free Advanced Copies of this preview to my Goodreads followers and email subscribers. I hope you'll give it a read and let me know what you think!

https://claims.prolificworks.com/free... to download!


You can also get a free copy of the introduction to the Saint Michael Thriller series when you subscribe to my email list:

https://gavinreese.com/absolver-intro/

Thanks for reading my work!

Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. Be safe out there.
-*GR

"17December--

I've been staying here at the chapel full-time for a few weeks now. Monsignor Hernandez and I are quietly re-establishing our relationship. It's been a little strange to see how we both have to adjust to our time apart. I went away, to South America, for about five years, grew in my spirituality and faith, and he stayed here and largely lived through five years of Groundhog Day. SSDD. He's still my most valued mentor and sounding board, though, right up there with Dad.

Got troubling news tonight. One of San Miguel's deacons, Nino Griego, has been in the Central African Republic for three years. He called the chapel tonight, desperate for help. Nino told us 42 Christians have been martyred by local Islamists there in the last week. The imam's men have put up roadblocks all across the region, and they're brutally massacring any infidel who doesn't convert to Islam on-command. Nino and his family are trapped in their little village and they short on supplies. He asked us to alert the State Dept and the Catholic organization that oversees his mission there. A local family allowed him to make one phone call, and said they feared helping him further. He went to help the locals dig wells, and now he's the one in dire need of help.

"H" asked what we could do for him. Nino insisted he only needed us to pray for him. He asked us to pray his children and wife escape harm. Pray that UN peacekeepers make it to them in time. Pray that the militants don't come into the villages. Pray that God would soften their hearts and change their minds. Pray that no villagers are harmed defending Nino and his family.

The capacity and depth of Nino's heart & faith astonish me...and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Why do we Christians always demand God perform the most unbelievable miracles on our behalf?!

In my opinion, we oughta focus on the desired outcome: keep Nino, his family, and the villagers safe. Even though God could do it, softening the hearts and minds of militant Islamists isn't on the agenda right now.

Why do we ask God for the impossible, like it's some test of our faith and His abilities?

Ask for Simple solutions: an unblocked road, a competent sniper, or the intestinal fortitude for martyrdom. God could much more easily help one sniper find his way to Nino's village, which gives his family time to escape.

As much as we want to pretend that violence doesn't solve problems, that's just some Sunday School bullshit we tell the kids while they're still too young to understand human nature.

God, please grant Nino just one good sniper, and a few minutes to escape to safety. If it's not in Your plan to change the hearts & minds of such men, I pray you let a few precision riflemen do it for You. In the name of the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit. AMEN."

A Police Officer with PTSD fell into a hole and couldn’t get out. When a senior police officer walked by, the police officer called out for help, but the senior police officer yelled back, "Suck it up son, dig deep, and drive on," then threw him a shovel. The police officer did as he was told and dug that hole deeper.

A senior police sergeant went by and the police officer called out for help again. The senior police sergeant told him "use the tools your supervisor has given you", then threw him a bucket. The police officer used the tools and he dug the hole deeper still and filled the bucket.

A psychiatrist walked by. The police officer called, “Help! I can’t get out!” so the psychiatrist gave him some drugs and said, "Take this. It will relieve the pain and you will forget about the hole.” The police officer said "thanks" and followed his advice, but when the pills ran out he was still in the hole.

A well-known psychologist rode by and heard the police officer's cries for help. He stopped and asked, “How did you get there? Were you born there? Did your parents put you there? Tell me about yourself, it will alleviate your sense of loneliness.” So the police officer talked with him for an hour, then the psychologist had to leave, but he said he’d be back next week. The police officer thanked him, but he was still in the hole.

Another police officer, just like him, happened to be passing by. The police officer with PTSD cried out, “Hey, help me. I’m stuck in this hole!” and right away the other police officer jumped down in there with him. The police officer with PTSD started to panic and said, “What are you doing? Now we’re both stuck down here!” But the other police officer just smiled and replied, “It’s okay, calm down brother. I’ve been here before..... I know how to get out.”

* Having a good friend that understands is all you need to start recovering... you're never alone even though it might seem that way at times. *

If you find yourself in a dark place well below the surface, pick up the phone before things get worse.

When is violence justified? What makes it moral, ethical, or just to harm, maim, or kill another?

What if the recipient has lived a life of such evil that humanity is safer and better off without them? Does that change the "moral violence" they're allowed to endure?

What if a man's psyche is so infected with evil that it's bled over to his spirit, threatening to sabotage his own potential salvation and endangering all around him while he still breathes?

Is it possible that violence, even death, can be merciful? A favor granted to the deceased in such a way to allow them their only conceivable chance at eternal salvation from Hell?

Father Michael Thomas thought he knew the limitations and answers to such questions. That was before he killed a man in a dark back-alley in Bogota. Now, he's no longer sure what the limits and answers are...

Warning Notice: the Saint Michael Thriller Series drops on All Saint's Day, 11-01! Check out FB and my website for more info! From the back cover:

"Right now, a team of Godly men stands ready. Positioned around the globe, they are called to deliver last rites to the greatest evils that walk among us."

https://www.facebook.com/gavinreeseau...
https://gavinreese.com/

Few religious conspiracy theories would be complete without a reference to the Aum Shinrikyo cult, led by Shoko Asahara, back in 1984. Initially dismissed as a fringe group, it nevertheless attracted several adherents including some of the most well-educated people in Japan (where the cult originated).

At its peak, it had adherents numbering in the tens of thousands.

Aum Shinrikyo

The followers of Aum Shinrikyo (often shortened to just Aum) had firmly believed that the ‘end of the world was nigh’ and that all those who did not belong to the cult would end up going to hell. That is, unless they were murdered by cult members, beforehand.

And that is exactly what the cult members proceeded to do. Since the world did not show any sign of ending, the cultists decided to give it a little push and released Sarin (an extremely deadly poison gas) into the crowded Japanese subway system in Tokyo.

The result: more than a dozen deaths and thousands of badly injured people, some permanently. The cult members were sentenced to death and were executed almost 23 years after the attack.

David Koresh and the Branch Davidians
This is not the only doomsday cult around whose members used violence to try and end the world (especially when it does not appear on its own). David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians in Waco was involved in a gunfight that took place between his followers and the FBI.

In the ensuing almost two month siege, this self-proclaimed ‘son of god’ had barricaded himself with hundreds of women and children. And when the FBI moved in, the Branch Davidians decided to set the whole place ablaze rather than surrender. Almost a hundred men women and children (including FBI agents) were killed during the standoff at their headquarters in Waco Texas.
ISIL and Damiq
ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is arguably the single most violent and brutal terror outfit in history. They have repeatedly claimed that the upcoming battle between their followers and the ‘forces of darkness’ (basically the rest of the world) at the small Syrian town of Damiq would be the doomsday battle of our time and basically herald the end of the universe.

However, they quietly abandoned these claims (and also the town of Damiq) when it became clear that no such thing was going to happen, and they were going to be well and thoroughly beaten by the US allied SDF (Syrian democratic forces).

UFO hunters at the ‘Heaven’s Gate'

The heaven gate-ists believed that the world will be recycled by superior extra-terrestrial intelligence and the only way to survive would be to basically ‘leave’ the earth by committing suicide. And that is exactly what they did when around 39 members of the cult killed themselves in 1997 in a mass suicide so that they could join up with their UFO mentors.

My blog is on my website to reduce formatting issues. Thanks for the reads, follows, and reviews. Be safe out there.
GR

https://gavinreese.com/2018/07/27/mem...

My blog is on my website to reduce formatting issues. Thanks for reading. Be safe out there.
GR

https://gavinreese.com/2018/07/20/cop...