Alpha and omega 1
The visitor
The strangest thing happened a couple weeks ago. A wild turkey visited Marvin and me at work and stayed for hours. I’ve worked at St. Matt’s for 8-plus years and I’ve never seen a wild turkey there before. (Every once in a while, I get to see a possum. They are so cute.) Anyway, our turkey walked around, ate seeds, hopped on the bench, hung out in the flower garden, and even landed on top of the roof of my SUV, Ralph.
Our unusual Turkey Day surprised and entertained me. Marvin kept an eye on the massive bird too. Since I was talking sweetly to our just-beyond-the-glass visitor, Marvin figured barking wasn’t necessary.
Lunch and a bad rap
Guess what I ate for lunch on our unexpected Turkey Day? Leftover turkey and dressing. That cracks me up.
And that, Peaceful Readers, is my recent Alpha and Omega Story. What begins as a turkey ends up being my lunch—or yours. Not a very happy ending for our turkey friend or his cousin. Here’s the thing. Endings can get a bad rap; but endings don’t always mean death, mayhem or becoming someone’s lunch. Our April fare on Choosing Peace will be about beginnings and endings.
Let’s begin by recapping part 1, 2 and 3.
Highlights
In part 1 of A Year in the Life, I told the story of Marvin & Me. What a sweet, uplifting story about God’s provision, timing and goodness. Then, in part 2, I wrote about the very first week of last year. It was filled with blessings and events that foretold important things to come. And I finally admitted the truth about my experiences with Pam, the malignant narcissist. I finally saw the spiritual warfare—one of the year’s themes. From part 2:
The people in the house where I grew up were at war. We were at war every day. Spiritual warfare was going on in the house. Even after we grew up, moved out and moved on, the spiritual warfare remained—even when we couldn’t see it.
The victory
Pam, The Punisher… Pam, The Almighty… The Spider—enslaved by darkness—fought ‘til the end. And she lost. She lost everything. Her life. Her control. The war.
God Almighty was victorious.
In part 3, I looked at the third day of several months and found Taco Casa, the NAR, a powerful prayer by St. Patrick and much more.
Alpha and omega
The subtitle of today’s post is Alpha and Omega. Jesus called himself the Alpha and the Omega. Alpha—the first letter of the Greek alphabet—means the beginning. Omega—the last letter of the Greek alphabet—means the end. In the next several segments of this post, we’ll explore last year’s Alpha and Omega Days—the first and last days of the month.
Were there connections between the first day of a particular month
and the last day of that same month? Yes, indeed.
Get ready to read about football, artistic license and District 9.
March 1—the alpha day
Last year, March was Movie Month.
The football movie
On March 1, we watched Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg—an entertaining Disney movie based on a true story. The Philadelphia Eagles were doing so poorly that their new coach opted to hold walk-on auditions, and 30-year-old Vince Papale—a die-hard Eagles fan—made the team. After reading the real story of Vince Papale on his website, I learned something important. “Based on a true story” actually means “a handful of big-picture truths with a lot of lies thrown in to please the corporate powers that be.” Hey—that reminds me of the devil.
This “based on a true story” Disney movie conveniently forgot to mention that Vince played for the World Football League for a year and a half before becoming a rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, he didn’t meet his wife Janet while working together in a bar. The NFL suggested that part. Janet was actually the gymnastics coach for the University of Pennsylvania. Vince and Janet met in 1976, but didn’t marry until 1993. For the real “true story,” see Vince Papale’s website. (To learn about the very dark side of Disney, watch the documentary Out of Shadows—not appropriate for children. Also, see Media in the index.)
The football script
Just like the NFL itself, the football movie Invincible entertained us—but it was filled with lies. Some people call it artistic license. That sounds so much better, doesn’t it? Artistic license….
The article and the video
In the NFL, skilled athletes play a scripted game to entertain their fans and to fuel gambling. If you can wade through the distracting online ads (or if you don’t mind clicking on the little x to close said ads), this article reveals much about the National Football League: (1) Court cases, (2) how the money is split between all the teams, (3) recommended books, (4) quotes from former players, (5) the league’s tie to gambling, (6) the scripting of close Super Bowl scores, and (7) a 58-page complaint filed by a new NFL coach who was told by the team’s owner to lose as many games as possible in exchange for a $100,000 bonus per game lost. Yikes. (For more, consider watching this short video. Unfortunately, it contains very offensive language, so it may be a no-can-do for you.)
A show, not a sport
Long story short—the NFL is rigged. We all kind of knew that, but we didn’t want to admit it. We knew the role of the officials in determining game outcomes. We acknowledged how the outcomes of certain games didn’t make sense. But we didn’t want to admit the obvious: The NFL is a show, not a sport. Now that I know the painful truth, do I still watch football? Yes—sort of. I enjoy the entertainment factor at times, but I watch it differently now. I pay much less attention. It’s more like background noise. I glance up every once in a while, and think That was a great play or This is totally boring. It’s a show, not a legitimate sport. And I know that.
What a waste of remarkable talent. And it’s all about the money. The NFL reminds me of professional wrestling. The cheesy, low-budget show takes place in a ring, while the epic, billion-dollar show takes place on a field. Same lies, different venue.
The mafia hit
In 1983, after journalist and TV anchor Jessica Savitch’s “Frontline” investigation aired about the NFL’s ties to the mafia and gambling, she mysteriously drowned in a ditch—a gangland-style hit eerily reminiscent of one of the hits she documented in her NFL exposé. This short article, which includes some coarse language, provides a brief summary of how Savitch paid with her life for exposing the dark, criminal side of the NFL. After watching Jessica Savitch’s investigation, I sat on our couch, shaking my head. It was disturbing. The NFL has been in bed with organized crime since the 1940s.
And the game plays on.
March 31—the omega day
Yes, March was Movie Month. It started with Invincible. And it ended with District 9.
During one of my favorite patriot podcasts that I watch maybe once or twice a month, a guest mentioned how liberal cities like New York, Chicago and Seattle will become like the movie District 9—places where patriots will not go. I’d never heard of the movie and was intrigued.
District 9
I journaled about March 31: “Brandon and I watched the movie. It was brilliant.” I don’t usually watch R-rated alien movies, but the current Us vs. Them political climate sent us surfing up this surprising movie on a streaming service. Very thought-provoking. As I was writing this post, I found out that District 9 was nominated for Best Picture and several other Oscars.
Summary
I’m going to write this broad summary (and the takeaways below) as if District 9—the dangerous ghetto outside town—was populated by humans, not aliens.
Strangers who arrived unexpectedly and close to starvation were put in a large, filthy ghetto area controlled by a mob-like warlord and his gang—who ran weapons, drugs, prostitution, etc. The strangers brought weapons with them that only they could activate. The government pretended to be “caring” for them, but only wanted the weapons. The nearby city population was afraid of the strangers, and violence escalated as cruelty, oppression and a forced move far from town increased the strangers’ desperation to return home and get away from the ghetto and the government. Wow.
More
Read this interesting article for more: “District 9 and the Biblical Attitude Toward the Other.” To dig into the dark realities of Us vs. Them thinking and the resulting violence, explore part 2, part 3 and part 4 of Tearing Down the Barriers to Forgiving.
Takeaways
What are the takeaways from these two very different movies?
Invincible
This football movie was entertaining. No doubt about it. And I, personally, am a big Mark Wahlberg fan. (His new movie, Arthur the King, is wonderful.)
Main takeaways:
Invincible is literally the Disney version of the NFL. The real version involves rigged games, the mob, a colossal amount of gambling, and murder. Please regard “based on a true story” movies skeptically—without giving them preferential standing above straight-up fiction. They should not be considered accurate, historical accounts. The artistic license—I mean lies—can be plentiful and quite misleading.
District 9
This R-rated alien action movie was intense and surprising. The plot was intriguing and demonstrated a clear understanding of control tactics employed over an unwanted population and what ensues as desperation and violence escalate.
Main takeaways:
Beware any situation where the government and organized crime exert control over a particular population, industry and/or location. Atrocities will be rampant.
The human spirit yearns—and was created—for freedom and dignity.
Behind the scenes vs. in your face
How are these movies related? The behind-the-scenes activities in and around the NFL are akin to the in-your-face story of District 9 due to the significant role of organized crime. If you watch the Jessica Savitch “Frontline” exposé, you’ll understand what I mean. In the glitzy, high-production NFL, the seedy, dark side is completely hidden. In the District 9 ghetto, everything is out in the open and undeniable.
The real NFL and District 9 are both captured by evil—demonstrated in the quest for power, money and murder. Read part 10 of The Beauty of the Bible to dig into these realities in the true story of Esther and how I’ve seen them in one of my own relatives.
Then and now
How do the movie takeaways from Invincible and District 9 relate to other topics on Choosing Peace? Evil people in positions of power consistently target, use and destroy others, which reminds me of the CIA’s partnership with the drug cartels. Learn about America’s War on Drugs and other important, highly-recommended documentaries in part 6 of The Beauty of the Bible—as the story of Esther is woven into current events. (Also, see these sections in the index: Current Events, Evil, Media, Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Warfare—Psychological and Spiritual.)
Trust
If you belong to Jesus, you know the importance of trusting God during dark times or circumstances. He is faithful.
There’s been a lot of darkness in this post. I’d like to end it with encouragement from God’s word. Be blessed by this section from The Prayer, part 6.
What if we don’t know what the Bible says about a certain dilemma? Remember this crucial passage.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NHEB
Peaceful Readers, guess what comes right after those frequently-quoted verses in Proverbs?
Do not be wise in your own eyes.
Fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Proverbs 3:7, NHEB
In other words, “Frankie Ann, my dear, don’t think you know everything. Remember who I am. Revere me. (I’m holy and I’ve called you to be holy.)” Then comes the ending—“depart from evil.” Get out of there! Get away from them! Don’t do that!
What is God saying when we put that all together—Proverbs 3:5-7? I think of it this way.
Trust God implicitly. You don’t see or know everything that’s going on here. See God and speak to him no matter where you are or what you’re doing, and he will guide you well. Don’t think too highly of yourself. Lean in to The Almighty One—who sees and knows everything. And walk away from the evil you encounter—evil things and evil people. Now.
Coming next: Today’s post surprised me. I learned some important things. I hope you did too. Come back next time to explore the Alpha and Omega Days of May, where we’ll find red-pilling, doors and NASA.
Thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Revelation 7:9-12
Song: “Behold Him” (Live from Glasgow, Scotland) by Paul Baloche with Choir
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