“2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. One in Christ 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Eph 2:1–22 ESV)

Intrepid work, the high seas of a new modality and us, we the observer and Actor, weeping and strangely warming to Ideas unthought of in prior generations: each generation its crimes, each generation its troubadours sailing high and mighty, each generation its Demand for Answers as to just who and what is happening around here.

Because professional grade thuggery meets professional grade Insistence that the civic structures be allowed to run their course. Professionally corrupt, militias and zany shopkeepers of the militant, wild Ambitions for this and that channel of communication to be on the homebrewed balance sheet: they Boast, that this one or that one is “in the pocket”, “compromised”, and the high seas of a new modality, it is more than a technological revolution, it is a revolution around notions of global village, around flashpoints—yes, enabled by tailored news feeds and fleeting advertisements—of Notional thinking.

Then to the End to Boredom for the Christian witness to these things “Happening”: seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and more, luscious Belonging, sense of Purpose, wielding a technological Sword of the Spirit, Sword of the Myriad Outlets and Channels, Sword sublime yet capable of doing Service and Harm to the devil. We long for Sharing, sharing the Outlook and Potentiality as it grows, as some are unfairly allotted that Purpose, but remember, too, the Temptation, to Power for its own unprincipled sake, to lazy class-based notions, to Forget that all changes on a dime: that we were indeed Tempted by the musical chairs or “stop struggling!” embrace of a testimony that titillated. It is evil even to Speak of what they do in secret: strange effluent spirit sweeps over the private Encounter, with tales of lusty neighing or “it just feels right” magical thinking.

High seas of a New Modality mean that gangsters of Satan will in the judgment impasse, be nibbling at their own voracious fleshy selves. They will be forlorn that not all mankind joined in their brand of debauchery and murder. They will resent us for sticking to the societal civic structures and patience: did you know, O child of the Antichrist, that even Now you have a choice, to go the patient and uncorrupted path, or the Asylum of Satan path; not all the world “Knows” of your truth claims. For the vast majority, other Spirits do delineate and speed us through the day. Spirits just of civic duty unto our laboring, overly laboring neighbors. Civic duty unto our needful patients of mental health dialog. Civic duty unto our children needing some urgent intervention or parenting.

Therefore to Rise Up, we Propose that Christ be found personally and individually in the vast landscape—vast yet village-like—of Always On modalities of Tomorrow Thought. We are of Contagious Emblem, military Rank in God’s army, Secret Society Shared and a wide welcome to All Comers, because we Believe: that we who Have Christ, have an urgent Duty to cohere together and Sign Up and join forces for the Intervention in world affairs of the Christ Event. In times of battle, we peep out of our bunker gladsome and of cheerful disposition, because we—never getting even a receipt for our sacrifices and service—know we Know Him, the One at the helm. Of what is called Church, called Faith-Based community, called Secret Missional society. And the inventive Times are Ours to claim, to live into, to go rogue by some unconverted accusatory stares, but what is rogue to them is Inventiveness to us, suddenly the rubrics of law and order themselves seem to disperse, but this only insofar as we are on a tightrope walk Trusted, we are Trusted to use the largesse and absence of Law for Good, not Evil. No longer tempted, we are to Sign Up and use all Resources “out there” in the service of the Kingdom. We are to go with our gut, go with our instincts, lead with our heart, and all because a Greater Word is with us here and now: the Word called Christ, called Him here and now Present with His people.

Give and take, if it takes some shaking out of the salt shaker to get to the Groove and Modality called Spirit-Led, some emblematic Concern we are speaking of ourselves rather than of the Almighty: those Truths that dawn upon the Christian’s morning, that dawn upon her or his revelry, are Truths that straighten what is put out of joint, that Remember, bring to Mind, the Compassionate and Present Lord of our lives. It was, after all, a Good Word that was spoken, insofar as it “Settled in”: give it time to Settle In, and see what rises in the leavened bread, leavened with Gospel Truth. Yes, sometimes God cheers the forlorn (“What was I thinking?”) and Recreates a New Day: and to those “too converted” we say this, that their witness will survive the hills falling on us. Their blanket forgiveness, like a father or mother with a son or daughter, is speaking Mountains. We long for an End to the furtive Pained life on uncertain terms, and the Certainty of life-or-death Camaraderie with God the Son, through the Spirit, by the power of the Father.