Castles Made of Sand

In a place by the sea, there are two friends. The crab and the turtle. The crab is of great wealth, while the turtle is poor. The two decide that they will make their dwelling. The arrogant crab brags to the turtle about his illustrious plans for his grand mansion. The turtle smiles and wishes him well. The two go their own ways and start to make their houses.

A seagull comes and warns the two of a great storm that is coming. The seagull suggests that they make their dwelling atop a large rock, as reinforcement. The crab shrugs it off and continues to build his great mansion. The turtle takes heed, and builds his house atop a great rock.

The crab finishes his grand castle. He recalls the day when the seagull came with the warning, and chuckles at the seagull's foolishness. As he chuckles, a dark cloud comes and swallows the sky. A barrage of rains starts to pound on the things below. The turtle calls from atop the rock for the crab to join him. The crab still indignant, crawls into his castle and tells himself that the storm will pass.

A wave comes and collides with the castle walls. A section of the wall starts to slide into the water. The crab is stubborn and still does not budge. Finally, a mighty wave rushes in and levels the walls that the proud crab held so dearly.

The conceited crab is swallowed by the ocean and is never to be seen again. The proud walls of the castle are ravished. The once magnificent gates are in ruin. The land on which the great and majestic castle was built on is now bare and deserted. A desolate mound of rubble is what remains of the castle made of sand.
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Castles made of sand. We arrogantly perch ourselves atop our own castles of sand. We depend on these fragile castles to give us security, happiness, and fulfillment. Money. Power. Fame. Success. People cling to these things and base their lives on it. But in the long run, these things are worthless. In the end, are these things really that important? In light of an eternity, will these things really matter?

For those who place their hopes on these things, their castles will fall when the tides come. But for those who place their hopes in the living God, they will never be disappointed. For those who seek the kingdom of God, all other things will be given to them. This is easier said than done of course. As people, we are weak, and we turn to worthless idols to save us. Let us not turn to the things of the world to save us, but rather, let us turn to God to deliver us from our troubles. In hard times such as the situation in Haiti, let us turn to God for deliverance. That's all I have for now. Bye!

Oh, and by the way, let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Throbbing Affliction

Hey, this is my third entry. While writing this, I was feeling kinda.. idk. This may ruin your day, but for those who decide in continuing, you are warned. But I did write a bit of encouragement at the end.





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A constant flow of sorrow. A never-ending river of woe. I feel as if my heart is constantly pumping misery through my veins. My affliction has numbed my senses. My hoarse soul, is unable to emit a cry.

I am struck down, picked up, and thrown away farther. I am a toy, helplessly flung around. Peace seems to cruelly avoid the afflicted. Joy seems to dodge the cries of the hopeless.

Why are the doomed allowed to enjoy such great pleasure? Why are the saved denied such privileges?

I turn my gaze to look for a source of hope, but can only see a vast expanse of darkness. I am alone, walking through gloomy valleys, looking for refuge. I hear a joyous sound, and rush to the source. I see a feast in the distance. A feast of many people, laughing, eating, and enjoying the joy given to them. I run towards this feast, hoping to snatch a piece of this joy, or maybe even sneaking in unnoticed. I run, and I run. As I run, I hit a glass wall. I stand up. Dazed, I try again. I pound on the wall, hoping for someone to see me. But alas, they are too intoxicated in joy to notice my cries.
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This is a little something I wrote on a Saturday. It's about the constant pounding of sorrow I've been going through. It's for the people in affliction, the oppressed, and the hopeless. It's for the lost, the doomed, and the unsaved. But man, I was super depressed when I wrote this. It's just that the idea of a hell, is unbearable for me. It's just that there are people dying from hunger, from violence, and from greed. This is for the people who are denied freedom. This is on behalf of the part of the world who is denied privileges that we take for granted. This is for the people with Throbbing Affliction. This world is messed up.

For those reading this, I will not leave you without hope. As I wrote this, I remembered that there is hope. There is a hope for those of us who have been graciously given the grace of God. There will be a time of rejoicing for the weary. There will be a day when our tears will be wiped away by our savior. You know, I didn't intend to write the paragraph that I'm currently writing. It was originally gonna be a vent I guess. But as I wrote the words, I found a very very small stirring of hope. So I end with this: For those walking in the valleys of gloom, you will be comforted. For those who have hit that glass wall, you will be comforted. For those denied joy, you will be comforted. But for now, persevere, and God will comfort you.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10

Comfort for the Mourning

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

-Matthew 5:4


It's kind of funny when you find comfort when you don't seek it. Today, I went to the daily Wednesday prayer at my church. There, we had time to discuss with people our thoughts and struggles. As stated before in my previous post, I've been in anguish for a while. After talking to a few people, I sat down with one of my good friends and started to spill out my burdens onto him. Sharing some of the bottled up anguish within me relieved some of the burden. He gave me advice, encouraged me, and prayed for me. It was just a very good man to man talk. Finishing with a prayer, I felt a great sense of peace for a small time. Although the peace was as minuscule as a star in the galaxy, it still shined through the large expanse of darkness. After all that time groping in the dark, I felt as if I had finally found the door, and was able to sneak a glimpse of what was inside. The glimpse into the door was what is to come, and what we cling to for hope. The day today may be filled with calamity and hopelessness, but it's this hope that keeps me going. That's all I have for now. Bye!


Walking on the Moon,
Joe M.

Unceasing Anguish

Anguish. It is defined by the dictionary as a feeling of extreme pain, distress, or anxiety. My heart is torn, and is in great sorrow. My mind has been in a fog of calamity, trying to sift through the fog for answers, but finding no hope. Walking aimlessly in the dark, looking for a source of comfort, of promise. But alas, there is no such promise. I try to get up, and I am immedietely struck down. As I fall, my faith shakens. My supports are weakening, threatening to finally give out when the next wave pounds on me.

What is responsible this anguish?

The Lost.

My heart is torn for those who reject the name of Jesus. For they are doomed to an eternal torment, a torment impossible for the human mind to comprehend. Once they are there, there is no second chances, no turning back, no rewind button. As I go to school, I see the people around me laughing, goofing off, and enjoying life. They know little of what is coming. It seems to me that they are pigs, being fattened, until the time of slaughter arrives. I see them indulging in sin, and drinking themselves of abominations. I am not saying that I am of no sin. Far from the truth. But I just wish that they would turn from their sin!

Do you know what's even worse?

I'm a coward. I go to school, Monday through Friday, carrying the knowledge that could save someone from eternal torment. As I watch people going to their doom, I am too chicken to utter a word, knowing that they're going to hell. I once watched a video of an entertainer who was an atheist, and he was talking about when a Christian man came and witnessed to him. He said that he was fine with the people who did evangelize. He said that he had a problem with people who didn't. He talked about how much you would have to hate someone to not tell them. This stuff is pretty heavy...I hope I man up soon.

Walking on the Moon,
Joe Moon