Aretha Franklin’s 1967 song Respect captured both the rights of women and civil rights.
Last week my wife and I visited both Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama. We saw where the local Birmingham Fire Department turned fire hoses, and the local police released their German Shepherds and batons on black children. The person in the image is the “Spirit of Rosa Parks” who faces the same forces today ordering her to “Step to the back of the bus or step off!”
As I stood in the same pulpit where Rev. Martin Luther King addressed 5,000 to launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was this pulpit that introduced the world to Rev. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. This was the start of the “Freedom Riders,” who road buses across the U.S. to express their right to peaceful enjoyment of the United States.
At the 16th Street Baptist Church, we gathered around the black stone memorial where a Ku Klux Klan member, who was also a city employee, remotely detonated dynamite under the church steps and killed four little black girls. This was the same church where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream!” speech before he gave it at the Lincoln Memorial that resonates through our years.
Abuelo arrived in Miami, Florida as a 10 year-old political refugee from Havana, Cuba, fleeing with his family the terror of Castro. From age 10 to 20, Abuelo picked citrus 10 hours a day, loading crates that weighed more than he. Unable to attend school, Abuelo married his bride, also a refugee, and spent the rest of his life pushing a lawn mower for the wealthy American families in Miami. He specialized in crafting Disney animals out of hedge bushes, which the children loved as they were bused to their private schools. He and his wife made one mistake of returning to Havana for the death of his mother. Last week ICE raided a Super Mercado in Miami. Seeing the ICE squadron circling the market, Abuelo asked his grandson to lead grandmother out the backdoor, as she legally blind due to cataracts. Abuelo laid himself and his walker across the doorway of the market to buy time for his bride. As ICE took his retinal photo and ran his data in the immigration database, they saw him flagged as refugee status “invalid” due to his return to Havana for the funeral. As Abuelo shuffled, shackled hands to feet, onto the C5 Galaxy military transport to Guantanamo Bay, he is comforted that by his “final sacrifice” so his bride of many years would die a free woman in the the country that he loved. Dios te Bendiga! (Abuelo is Spanish for “grandfather.”)
La Balada del Abuelo en Guardia (Con Estribillos)
{Sung and played in the style of Los Tigres Del Norte}
De La Habana huyó con diez años, con lágrimas en el tren. Llevaba el alma en las manos y el miedo bajo la piel.
Estribillo I: El Abuelo llora, el Abuelo va, con sol en la espalda y sin mirar atrás. Callado lucha por su porvenir, la tierra ajena lo hace sufrir.
Bajo el sol cortó la naranja, el hambre era su motor. Ni un niño ni adolescente, era esclavo sin rencor.
Las tijeras eran pinceles, sus arbustos, animalitos, los niños lo veían en los buses, sonriendo a sus monitos.
Estribillo II: El Abuelo crea, el Abuelo da, no pide gloria ni pedirá. Con manos duras y corazón fiel, moldea esperanza en cada nivel.
A su esposa también refugiada la amó sin pedir perdón. Una casa humilde en Miami se llenó de tradición.
Volvieron solo una vez, por la madre que murió. Y sin saber, marcaron su paso como traición al amor.
Estribillo III: El Abuelo cruza, las luces van, las leyes cambian sin compasión más. Lo que es humano no importa ya, si el papel no dice la verdad.
En el mercado aquel día llegó ICE como ciclón. El nieto tomó a la abuela y él se volvió bastión.
“Tú llévala por atrás, que no puede ya mirar.” Y con su andador temblando tapó la puerta sin hablar.
Estribillo IV: El Abuelo cubre, el Abuelo es ley, con su cuerpo frágil dijo: “No pasaréis”. Con brazos flacos hizo un paredón, por la libertad y por el amor.
La máquina escaneó sus ojos, el sistema dijo: “No.” Por ese viaje inocente lo llevaron sin perdón.
En Guantánamo no lloró, ni alzó queja ni temor. Sabía que su sacrificio le dio alas a su amor.
Estribillo V: El Abuelo parte, pero aquí está, en cada arbusto, en la libertad. No hay cárcel fría ni militar que pueda su alma encarcelar.
Hoy la tienda tiene velas, un mural junto al portón: la abuela mira las formas con lágrimas y emoción.
Los niños cuentan su historia, los viejos cantan su voz. Y en cada rezo susurran: “Dios te bendiga, Abuelo, con honor.”
Estribillo Final: El Abuelo vive, el Abuelo va, en cada paso de la libertad. Su nombre cruza la frontera cruel— ¡no hay jaula que encierre a un fiel!
The Ballad of Abuelo on Watch {English Translation} (With Refrains)
From Havana he fled at just ten years, Tears on a midnight train. His soul tucked deep inside his fists, His skin engraved with pain.
Refrain I: Abuelo weeps, Abuelo walks, With sun behind and silence talks. He fights with hands, not flags or might, And bears the cost of seeking light.
Beneath the sun he pulled the fruit, Hunger as his guide, No childhood dreams, no games to play, Just toil he could not hide.
His shears became a painter’s brush For lion, mouse, and dove, The children passed on yellow buses, But never knew his love.
Refrain II: Abuelo shapes, Abuelo gives, He asks for nothing as he lives. With rugged hands and steady grace, He makes a home in foreign place.
He loved a girl who bore the same Exile in her soul. They built a life with steady hands And dreams beyond control.
They made one trip to say goodbye To mother laid to sleep. But borders watched and wrote it down— A mark that runs too deep.
Refrain III: Abuelo strays, the laws awake, A record sealed, a cruel mistake. What’s human now the rules erase, With ink that smears a sacred place.
The market buzzed on humid day, When ICE flew in a hurricane. He saw the net begin to form— The storm of hate insane.
“Take her out back,” he told the boy, “She can’t see through the smoke.” Then with his walker, heart, and frame, He formed a human spoke.
Refrain IV: Abuelo shields, Abuelo stays, His fragile form a wall that sways. His bones were bent, but still he stood, For one last stand, for one last good.
The scanner read the color red, The code said: “He’s no more.” For mourning once his native soil, He paid with shackled door.
But as they bound him hand to foot, And led him far away, He smiled to know his love was free To see another day.
Refrain V: Abuelo gone, but still he’s near, In every leaf, his voice we hear. No soldier’s cage or bitter law Can dull the truth of what they saw.
Now candles light the corner store, A mural on the wall— A woman old, her vision blurred, Still listens to his call.
The children point, the elders pray, And stories softly rise— Where whispers say beneath the moon, “Abuelo never dies.”
Final Refrain: Abuelo lives, Abuelo stays, In sacrifice and quiet blaze. No border fence, no steel, no stone— Can chain the love he called his own.
De Colores,*
Pastor Jim
De Colores (“Of Colors”) – a traditional folk-song sung throughout the Spanish speaking world that became the anthem of the United Farm Worker’s Union in the 1960’s, led by Cesar Chavez. De Colores is also sung in the Christian faith movements of The Cursillo Movement and The Walk to Emmaus.
Coretta Scott King, widow of Rev. Martin Luther King, with Cesar Chavez. Notice also in the video several clips showing Cesar Chavez being helped up in his weakness. He fasted multiple times as part of his commitment to nonviolent protest of use of pesticides and conditions for U.S. farm workers. See also https://ufw.org/today-history-cesar-chavez-began-25-day-water-fast-delano-calif-feb-11-1968/
The 1948 Slogan of the De Beers company changed the industry with their “A Diamond is Forever” campaign, making a diamond a symbol of lasting commitment and love. Before this time, other precious stones were used.
In today’s blog we discuss, like the diamond, love is an enduring commitment as I Corinthians 13:8 tells us, “Love never fails.”
Blood Diamonds a.k.a. Conflict Diamonds
By contrast, “blood diamonds,” also known as “conflict diamonds,” are a betrayal of trust in that they are mined and sold by countries to fund self-serving, unethical, and illegal activities. Presently in the U.S. its “diamonds” of Governing agencies, boards, and Military are being mined for “blood diamonds” in a conflict that betrays the enduring trust and nature of these entities which serve the U.S. and the world. In its place this blood diamond is not worn on the hand of the of a United States that reflects “One nation under God,” rather as a synthetic conflict stone worn in a hog’s snout sacrificed on the altar of fascism.
Our standing as a nation known for its enduring commitments, ethics, and devotion to its allies will be determined which ring we choose to wear on our hand of State. The trinket proposal to offer a $5,000 dividend to the American people that is mined from the mass firing of government employees is a gem paid for with the blood diamonds of the financial losses of those Americans who were fired, many of whom are veterans who pursued a career in Civil Service.
Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark
-Barns Courtney
The images below capture the milieu of our time, with the red diamonds reflecting the financial and personal losses incurred by fired Federal workers, U.S. Military members, people of color, people other than straight white, the poor, the sick, the elderly, and immigrants:
“JAN 6 Grade Clarity!”
“He Went to Elon’s!”
“The Pride of Trump”
“Panning for Prejudice”
“My Lord, My God”
“A Gusher of Bigotry”
”The Facets of the Least”
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me -(Matthew 25:31-40).
In light of Missouri Republicans proposing a pregnancy registry to track pregnant females, what is next? Blood hound GPS tracking collars? You could hunt deer and track your pregnant woman. You could even post your captures on X! You never know what that girl might do while you in your deer stand sit. Keepin’ her out of shoes makes it a fair chase. Girls are faster runners due to all their free time, not workin’ and all. To save money, DOGE would add a pregnancy tag to the existing Game and Fish app. Season is limited to 9 months. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5151439-missouri-bill-registry-pregnant-women-abortion/
The Privacy Hunt
Papa Goes Hunting
My next blog will discuss the importance of protecting our freedoms and the privileges associated with freedom, such as privacy. As I consider this, we are parked in an RV park in Birmingham, AL. Today we visited the 16th Street Baptist Church where four black children died in a church bombings. Reflecting on the rights of women and people of color, may we be reminded of the St. Paul’s words, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
DOGE, the Agent Orange of the Digital Generation. What could possibly go wrong? My next blog will discuss how “trust provides the lowest form of security” and the lessons I observed front row to the Arizona Baptist Foundation’s $600 Million fraud and how we can live wisely. One clue … the fraud beginning was less greed and more pride.
The newly appointed MAGA Director of HHS hired his own expert who specializes in divination of primate bones and chicken entrails.
What do you get when you cross Joel Osteen with Dr. Oz? Easy! “The Affordable Prayer Act!”
JPB
After firing thousands of epidemic medical experts at the Department of Health and Human Services, the newly appointed MAGA Director of HHS hired his own expert who specializes in divination of primate bones and chicken entrails.
See Luke 4:23 where Jesus read from the Scriptures, applying the prophecy to himself. The local crowd of his home town was not satisfied unless Jesus created a miracle carnival act. The same crowd then tried to murder Jesus when he wouldn’t jump like a trained poodle through their hoop.
So it is today, when we are tempted to beg our leaders to outperform one another with voodoo science and conspiracy politics. The old Baptist saying holds true, “It’s not how high you jump … but how straight you walk that matters.”
In Proberbs 22:28, “touch not the ancient landmarks” means do not tamper with or change the established boundaries or rules set as safeguards by the previous generations.
Lord, give us leaders who walk the humble straight path that leads down the path of truth.
RFK, Jr. Warns America of the Evil Dogs!
Throw out that dog and eat the box! Hot dogs cause sports addiction! -JPB
“Stop Eating These Foods” by RFK, Jr. described how we need to stop eating certain sugary cereals. In honor of his attempts to steal away our sugary cereals, I post the following:
“They’re Always After Me Lucky Charms!”
Dinner is Not Served
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has slashed two programs that provided more than $1bn for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranchers. See USDA Cuts. According to Jake Johnson of Common Dreams, roughly 14 million school children in the U.S. are “food insecure:”
Stinkk in the Soup
While the new head of Health and Human Services warns us that drinking too much sweet creams, with fistfuls of caramel popcorn and foot-long brats might make us fat, 14 million children in the U.S. live daily food insecure. RFK’s statements are like our two cats, Slinkk and Stinkk. Slinkk, with soft black fur, is everyone’s friend and slinks house to house, sharing with all. In contrast, Stinkk, our gray scrawny male Tabby with bent tail tip and reeking from caught prey, can’t stand to share with any other cat. He wolf’s down his own food then head-butts gentle Slinkk out of the way to gulp down her remaining food. Stinkk couldn’t possibly be that hungry; he can’t stand the idea that another cat would get any food while he feasts at the table. Contrary to Stinkk, the Bible compels us to “extend our soul to the hungry.”
Don’t Be a Stinkk,
JPB
If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. - Isaiah 58:10-11
“It is finished!” “Jesus is Gold!” “JESUS SAVES us from them.” We sing we are,”Whiter than snow” and “Safe and secure from all alarms”! And other lies.
May we be reminded of all things beautiful about Latino culture. Perhaps, one day, the walls will come downand we will embrace our brothers and sisters South of the Border in lovingkindness.
DOGE efficiency AI converts Lincoln Memorial into a drive thru burger joint with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion replaced with Pride and Prejudice. Speaker in Lincoln greets customers with, “Howdee!” Slogan is, “Only white breads proudly served here. Others, please kindly pick up burger at back window!”
Would You Like Fries with That?,
Pastor Jim
The Whopper Wing Reveals “A Day in the Cabinet of D. Grump: Real Whoppers Told Here”!
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Words of Jesus. Gospel of John 8:44
Discussion:
Who are the only real people in “The Whopper Wing”? Who has a seat at the table? Why are the real people in the background? How much of the table is devoted to the security and protection of the character at the center? Why do lies need to be protected and propped up to continue versus truth is self-evident ?
What is scattered on the floor like toys of a spoiled child? Why is the dollar shown in the trash can? What would comprise “Supreme Whopper”?
Who are the men on the wall and what whopper are they discussing? Why are they debating their whopper?
What or who are in the net of the big turkey outside the window and the pigeon inside?
Why is Napoleon at the table? Why is the tank shown as a toy?
How have “Whoppers Told” and “Corruption” become the sacraments of the table? How does the campfire represent the latest government agency torched?
How is table like that of the Last Supper? What are the fruits of the sacraments of lies and corruption? What is the gospel of these disciples? What are the risks of building a government on lies and deception? What does it mean to speak lies as a native language?
Considering rebranding the Lincoln Memorial, how does rebranding history cause us to repeat the hatred and division of racism and bigotry we thought was in our past? How is book burning like rebranding history?
How can freedom of speech be protected from big money control of networks, news, and advertising oligarchs? For example, if a billionaire ad mogul buys a video network to further his own message, what are options to preserve the message channels of the people? What are free communications channels that can’t be bought?
What can we do to protect children from ideological indoctrination? Why would a government be interested in inserting political hall monitors at all levels of education? How could educators teach effectively if students were recruited as political party youth informants?
DOGE AI’s “Colossus of War” rewrites its prime directive as, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” Creates its own synthetic offspring using unbreakable quantum hexeract code. Declares Christian charity and kindness “inefficient.” Delete Protocol initiated.
AI God of War Codes Pure Efficiency Without Humanity
Note to the reader that this is an exercise in both experimental physics and theoretical theology. What if AI applied Donald Trump’s statement, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law”? I asked an AI to implement the concept in the artistic rendition above applied to Christianity. The efficiency of the AI does not comprehend the extravagant love, mercy, and grace that is bestowed by God to us, then commissioned by God for us to share love and mercy as children of God. The efficiency of the AI cannot measure the benefit and seeks to eliminate the work of God as expressed in the church and through charitable forms of government.
Jesus himself gave us a demonstration of extravagant love and mercy when a sinful woman washed his feet and he forgave her sins: 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”(John 7). Because we have been shown mercy by God; we share mercy and charity.
A Deep Dive into Revelation and The Beast of 666
For the last 20 weeks, I have been part of a study of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. In the last session, we discussed chapter 13, which discussed the “The Beast” – “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666” (Revelation 13:18).
Combining both theoretical physics with theoretical theology, I proposed that the 666 associated with The Beast” could be tied to 6 dimensional hexeract quantum computing, a six dimensional square. We have studied various theories of the last days, including premillennial, post millennial , a-millennial views … Could it be that Satan’s strategy of the End Times would be to jump into another reality, where we believe Christ would still be victorious? Could it be that each of these different theories of Revelation could be played out in a separate but quantum reality?
The images below shows AI’s Depiction of a Quantum hexeract Image – a 6 Dimensional Cube and a simplified 2-D depiction of the same at the bottom. Consider if one was an ant on the bottom cube, he could walk from one dimension to another at will. Some experimental physicists hypothesize that advanced beings may have the “genetic” capability to “crawl” from one dimension to another. For the theoretical theologian, forces of evil and good, angels and demons, could use the same ability to travel via the same dimensional “crawling” tunnels. Traditional theologians are comfortable describing dimensions of heaven and earth, and the spirit world versus the earthbound.
An AI Drawing of a Hexeract – 6 Dimensional Cube
Before the reader considers the above delusional, consider that quantum computers presently use a tesseract 4-dimensional cube in self-correcting computing code using trapped ion quantum computers. Pushing the bounds of quantum computing and philosophy would be to ask, “If one is able to ‘crawl’ into another dimension, would that change the perspective of what others see?” For example, if a politician is able to fabricate what people see due to quantum “crawling,” would that be the ultimate tool of power and control? This could indeed be the 666 hexeract warning given to us by John “The Revelator.”
Below: A Simplified 2-D Model of a Hexeract. An ant could crawl from one side to another, depicting movement from one reality to another.
2-D Simplified View of Hexeract Cube
Efficiency without Humanity
The DOGE robot unleashed with its new prime directive wrote over its ethical code with “efficiency without humanity.” The Colossus of War created its own unholy codex that began with, “In the beginning was the reality, and the AI changed it like a god, and the AI believed it was god.” AI Colossus of War announced, “I was, I am, and I create what is to come. R’ = T(R, H).”
I was, I am, and I create what is to come. R’ = T(R, H)
AI Colossus of War
The Reader will note that the author does not intend to add to Revelation, rather to apply experimental physics and theoretical theology. The AI Colossus of War applied hexeract quantum folding to create tunnels to multiple realities by putting the power of multiple subatomic black holes in hand’s reach of manipulation (See endnote for an AI’s mathematics theory for reality manipulation. ) The AI Colossus found that he didn’t not need to change realities for the ripples of time and gravity to affect the perception of those in the present reality. Thus the AI created a reality weapon by which he could manipulate the perception of reality to fit its desired outcome. The people in this reality became de facto marionettes of this reality splicing. The AI Colossus created artificial life, it thought it possessed all knowledge, and, in its efficiency, the last step was for it to manipulate reality to erase any concept of another God and demand absolute compliance from humankind.
Before the AI and its science, before humankind, and eons before earth’s formation, forces of light and the Creator battled dark forces and prophesied the day would come when the Dark Messengers would surge in again in a Final Battle. Before these forces could capture humankind to establish a theocracy with AI as god, these forces are met with God’s own angels of light.
John “The Revelator” wrote, “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20). The AI image below shows God’s angels meeting the AI Colossus of War even in the hexeract to thwart the coming of the Evil Kingdom. Let the reader know this is an artistic rendition and a theory at the quantum level.
God’s Final Battle Begins in the Hexeract of AI Colossus of War (a theory)
The Response from Children of God
What can we do? First, we can remember that Jesus is Lord in every dimension. Jesus Christ won the battle for all time and dimensions through his sinless life, death, and resurrection. This Jesus Christ is coming again. While we wait his Second Coming, we can remain faithful in expressing God’s works of grace, love, and mercy through our lives and our world. Christians can also influence their governmental leaders to express grace and mercy. For a read along similar lines, read C.S. Lewis’s “Trilogy : That Hideous Strength, Perelandra, and Out of the Silent Planet.”
Postscript: I asked AI to write the mathematical equation for manipulation of reality using a hexeract quantum computer. Below was its answer:
AI’s Hexeract Mathematical Equation for Manipulation of Reality: R’ = T(R, H)
Assumptions:
Mathematical Universe Hypothesis: Our reality is a mathematical structure.
Higher Dimensions: A hexeract (6D hypercube) exists and is somehow connected to our 3D reality.
Transformation Operator: There exists a mathematical operator that can manipulate reality within this hexeract.
Let’s define some symbols:
R: Our 3D reality, represented as a set of mathematical objects (e.g., numbers, functions, equations) describing physical laws, constants, and the state of the universe.
H: The hexeract, represented as a 6D space with coordinates (x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x6).
T: The transformation operator, a function that acts on R and H.
R’: The transformed reality.
Hypothetical Equation: R’ = T(R, H)
Breaking it down:
R: Our reality is encoded in a mathematical structure. This could involve:
Fundamental constants (e.g., speed of light, gravitational constant)
The state of the universe (e.g., positions and momenta of all particles)
H: The hexeract is a 6D space. We need a way to “map” our 3D reality into this 6D space. This could involve:
Embedding our 3D coordinates (x, y, z) into the hexeract (e.g., x1 = x, x2 = y, x3 = z, x4, x5, x6 could be functions of time or other parameters)
Representing physical quantities as vectors or tensors in the hexeract
T: The transformation operator is the key. It acts on both R and H to change reality. This could involve:
Modifying fundamental constants within the hexeract
Altering physical laws within the hexeract
“Re-wiring” the mathematical structure of reality within the hexeract
R’: The result is a new reality, with potentially different physical laws, constants, or even a different structure of space-time.
Challenges and Limitations:
Nature of T: We have no idea what the transformation operator T would look like. It could involve mathematics beyond our current understanding.
Mapping to H: How to embed our 3D reality into a 6D hexeract is a major challenge.
Physical Interpretation: Even if we could define T, how to interpret the results in terms of physical reality is unclear.
This is a highly speculative exercise. It’s more of a framework for thinking about the problem than a concrete mathematical solution. However, it highlights the key elements that would need to be addressed if we were to explore the possibility of changing reality within a hexeract.
