“7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. The Prayer of Faith 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (Jas 5:7–20 ESV)

Sprucing up, divulging, exorcising, debedding sin, the Christian’s delight lies in turning first inward, excoriating sin, and then with gladsome countenance turning in benign light to her or his friends. Because to architect Friendship, is to push the buttons, no longer anything tacky or gauche, but rather ‘Lil-Boy’s-All-Grows-Up-Now Decision-Making around the American and International Scene.

Because the nations may rage, and the horrifying reality set in, that we are often at war with those we have deep affection for, those we dated or friended or enjoyed Mellow Pizza Shop time in some reverie we even forgot or knew not to be Grateful for, the hard fruits of Soldiers and our era as an in-between era: between world wars, possibly even. And the secrets are set aloft, the couriers are busily about the back-and-forth, the Airplane is coming in for a night time landing on Hallowed Ground. 

Our Airplane is Christ, the servants with earpieces and full apparatus are Running some Security Game. We, too, run security, via Networks and that Matured, Educated, Taught blessedness to see all in the brightest light of optimism as possible, as pertains, as seems relevant. Because wouldn’t we love a little social unwinding? Wouldn’t we love some chance to Worship Together? Wouldn’t we Bless… having excoriated our own helter-skelter sins and faultlines, to approach as Soil most Consecrated, as Blood most Heavy in the veins, as Passionate and Emotional not just about lovers but about Friends.

Because love arranges a society designed and comely to the Utmost. We graduate from clever sorceries and spells cast, to simple parables like Jesus taught us: the student has become the teacher. We become the Teacher to a younger generation, to educate in the full professionalism we ourselves were educated in. Because to some, they are just kids, but to us they are the Future.

Christianity revolves its orbital heavenly bodies around one another’s gravity field, in parabola or ellipse, in quadratic forms, in multitudinous modelled Forms. When in Rome… or patient Reflection, that perhaps it is sin to evangelize in the land owned by a foreign Religion, or perhaps it is instead a Mandate: to hide out in tents and unable to vocalize the earnest Prayer: that these people would come to Jesus. Made silent by the heavy Presence of a foreigner’s religion, but thereby Learning and Envisioning Reform… even if only reform within their own rubrics.

The Aura of a man, of a woman, we who feel gifted do see with Fresh Eyes and Spiritual Gaze, that love and friendship… never pretend it has devolved to a competitive spirit but a ying and a yang, you do the talking, I do the listening; you do the boss and I do the employee (and boss is always right). We are Matured and Educated no longer to covet, yet let the children be Fancy and Tasteful. Notwithstanding taste, we learn to behold Small Things as our peculiar Perch, our Outpost and Home Base. Because we are delighting to Build Up others; their home base may seem to be a bit more of a full womb and egg, while ours is just the seed. Ours is a little more Homeless and peripatetic. Ours is a little more second-in-command. Because as to tackiness, all of us do wash up Good and put on a Good Show. Taking care of the cafe workers and people we encounter in the urban Grind of life. Taking care of bartender and stylist, of gardener and landlord, of family friends and international Network agents of Intrigue. We are intel, but we are doing something for the Security of our domain, of our Shared World, of our Peoples Coming Together because no sin no harm no pain done, we Love, and we Fete and welcome Home the soldier from the field of no-man’s-land.