Build the Garden Walls (Iron John)
The year 2017 has finally arrived much to my dismay. This day finally proves that time happens regardless of my desire and that numbers on a page carry no more weight than a fat man riding a reindeer and certainly no more wait than a Holy Man on his ass.
During the flight, I read Mere Christianity. The time is now but really it’s always been. I am following Christ and finding myself in Him. There’s no way around that fact though the understanding of that sentence will always be up for discussion. What it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a Christ-follower are two separate notions of the same sphere. To divorce one for the sake of dissection and conversation is to separate the Man from his chest. We need more men with chests and certainly more men in touch with their Wild Man.
I know I am to be a writer in this lifetime of mine which means I come here to write and reflect as best I can. My quiet times must consist of Bible study (Holy Books are certainly important to study for therein lies wisdom that transcends human understanding) as well as quiet moments of simple silence. My work is done in my life in whatever capacity that may be. I must do whatever I do with excellence for excellence is a habit and not a virtue. All I have is the here and now and must not worry about the there and then. Surely the future will worry about itself and I believe God is already there as much as He is here.
The transcendence of time is an important concept for the adolescent to reconcile if he is to have any peace that comes with the flow of a river and the breeze of a meadow. A man cannot enjoy the beauty of a woman before him if he is constantly lost in the temporality of Her age.
This journey has long been walked by men far greater than me but for me to walk in their path is for me to recognize that these trails have long stood for me to hike through and with the calling of the Lord, I know where the distant mountain top lies. The Kings of Yore beckon me as much as the warriors of the past train me. I am equipping myself with the Armour of God and with such comes the need to study Mi Amor.
The books before me have the answers to my questions and it is my duty to continue to question my questions. To shape and refine such questions through the craft of writing is perhaps my highest calling. Above all, I am called to follow and recognize that with my faith comes the bridges that other young men will walk across one day. For now, I continue to stand on the shoulders of giants and walk across the valleys that have long stood in silence. The journeyman knows himself in these mountains and it is my duty to chart their passages.
This is the stage of my life where ashes are required as I carefully craft the walls of my garden. I must learn a craft and know what it means to work in the basement of this kingdom before I have any hopes of becoming the King. Seattle is surely the place of my trials and tribulation. I know not what all this year will bring but I trust that God does as I continually seek His way. The worries of the future bring me anxiety but I am laying those anxieties in the furnace and using their heat to warm my heart. I have much work to be done at these South Shores and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The overcoming of Self comes the need for structured discipline. The mentor will soon present himself to me as I anticipate my ability to be subservient to his teachings and his guidance. I pray that I will recognize the man as he will recognize me and he will desire to lead as much as I desire to follow. The gardner took in the boy as much as the cook kicked him out.
My goal for this year is to read 100 books. I believe it can be done and I believe that such a goal will take me to where I need to be. My focus ought not be on writing since I have not yet lived a life worth writing about but rather my focus should be on the path while documenting my journeys along the Way. My ability to craft words into poems and poems into characters will come one day. For now, I must pay respect to the greats that have gone before me. I must build my garden walls and hide my golden hair, for the time will come when I may display both but now is not that time.
During the flight, I read Mere Christianity. The time is now but really it’s always been. I am following Christ and finding myself in Him. There’s no way around that fact though the understanding of that sentence will always be up for discussion. What it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a Christ-follower are two separate notions of the same sphere. To divorce one for the sake of dissection and conversation is to separate the Man from his chest. We need more men with chests and certainly more men in touch with their Wild Man.
I know I am to be a writer in this lifetime of mine which means I come here to write and reflect as best I can. My quiet times must consist of Bible study (Holy Books are certainly important to study for therein lies wisdom that transcends human understanding) as well as quiet moments of simple silence. My work is done in my life in whatever capacity that may be. I must do whatever I do with excellence for excellence is a habit and not a virtue. All I have is the here and now and must not worry about the there and then. Surely the future will worry about itself and I believe God is already there as much as He is here.
The transcendence of time is an important concept for the adolescent to reconcile if he is to have any peace that comes with the flow of a river and the breeze of a meadow. A man cannot enjoy the beauty of a woman before him if he is constantly lost in the temporality of Her age.
This journey has long been walked by men far greater than me but for me to walk in their path is for me to recognize that these trails have long stood for me to hike through and with the calling of the Lord, I know where the distant mountain top lies. The Kings of Yore beckon me as much as the warriors of the past train me. I am equipping myself with the Armour of God and with such comes the need to study Mi Amor.
The books before me have the answers to my questions and it is my duty to continue to question my questions. To shape and refine such questions through the craft of writing is perhaps my highest calling. Above all, I am called to follow and recognize that with my faith comes the bridges that other young men will walk across one day. For now, I continue to stand on the shoulders of giants and walk across the valleys that have long stood in silence. The journeyman knows himself in these mountains and it is my duty to chart their passages.
This is the stage of my life where ashes are required as I carefully craft the walls of my garden. I must learn a craft and know what it means to work in the basement of this kingdom before I have any hopes of becoming the King. Seattle is surely the place of my trials and tribulation. I know not what all this year will bring but I trust that God does as I continually seek His way. The worries of the future bring me anxiety but I am laying those anxieties in the furnace and using their heat to warm my heart. I have much work to be done at these South Shores and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The overcoming of Self comes the need for structured discipline. The mentor will soon present himself to me as I anticipate my ability to be subservient to his teachings and his guidance. I pray that I will recognize the man as he will recognize me and he will desire to lead as much as I desire to follow. The gardner took in the boy as much as the cook kicked him out.
My goal for this year is to read 100 books. I believe it can be done and I believe that such a goal will take me to where I need to be. My focus ought not be on writing since I have not yet lived a life worth writing about but rather my focus should be on the path while documenting my journeys along the Way. My ability to craft words into poems and poems into characters will come one day. For now, I must pay respect to the greats that have gone before me. I must build my garden walls and hide my golden hair, for the time will come when I may display both but now is not that time.
With my head bowed, I pray to thee, seek the path. Follow the trails before thee and speak softly about this terrain. For you are a traveler in this great land, attempting to learn their ways and customs. Take what you learn for philosophy continually creates itself but the walls of this garden require careful construction. One man’s wall may be on the East side as another Man’s gateway lies to the North. Seek the plans that have been bestowed to you and build accordingly.
Too much philosophy at a young age sets a boy atop a mountain with no understanding of how he arrived there amongst the clouds. Boys need stories to understand their journey into manhood. Boys need rocks to climb over as much as trees to wander through before the castle on the side of distant cliff is prepared to welcome him home.
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