Ravings of a lunatic collection

Ravings
of a
Lunatic
Michael Keever
A STORY AND ESSAY COLLECTION

y credibility as an Internet Blogger is obvi-
ously lacking due to the general untrustworthiness of
most web-based sources and because the vast majority
have no clue who I truly am. But whether you choose
to trust my validity or not, I will proceed with the abso-
lute truth of my tall tale.
He was an average punk. A proud and pompous
fool. Everyday he'd impress his family as the perfect
son and while at school, the pretentious self-absorbed
asshole. He took advantage of his friends, presuppos-
ing their value in favor of what he could gain-- most of
all, he craved attention, and went to various unsavory
methods to persuade it from others. And he took great
pride in his cleverness, observing how people operated
within social spheres, noting who they gave respect to
and why, devising easy ways to assume that role. And
he managed, in some places, to sap unwarranted favor
from peers who he thereafter deemed his lesser. After a
while, he began to believe the lie he had created.
Thinking himself an honorable role model, he pre-
scribed what he thought to be wisdom to those who
never asked for it, showing people how to do this and
what to do here even when he really had no idea what
he was talking about. He had no authority or experi-
ence but projected it everywhere he went...
If you haven't guessed by now, that little prick was
me. I lived and acted like I was the most important per-
son in the world, and thought that others saw me this
way too. I fell into an appealing trap many in this
world also find themselves inexplicably drawn too. The
Section 1
My Life is an Oxymoron
2
M

wonderful lie that we as individuals are significant.
Now I know that sounds incredibly depressing, but the
main point of this story has yet to come.
...In short, it was all about him; he deserved noth-
ing yet expected everything. Little did this little prick
know, someone would use him who deserved nothing
for a truly remarkable task. He was, and is a blessed
curse. And while this “truly remarkable task” may seem
like more of a burden than a blessing, it truly was the
most remarkable thing he’d ever do.
Backing up to prepare a context, this punk had no
justification for his crudeness. Even though it is com-
mon for “bullies” to have problems outside visibility
contributing to their misbehaving, this one led a per-
fectly privileged life. He played the cute little boy
around his family and their friends but shifted diametri-
cally while around his own friends, if you could even
call them that. For while they were faithful to him, he
was only self-centered and mean.
3

I was in, out, all around. Forward, back, and
throughout. Everywhere and anywhere, I was. People,
myself at the forefront of this infinite list, spend their
lives waiting for an “a-ha!” moment that will attach
true worth to their seemingly pointless existence. We
as a collective classification have insatiable and inex-
haustible appetites for physical and emotional com-
modities; the continuous demands of hunger and thirst
cannot be satisfied and the specific conditions for an
authentic and lasting happiness never maintained.
This is a scientific reality laying the foregrounds for
this text and my existence among my fellow mortals.
A warning before I progress: My goal in writing all
this is to benefit you, hopefully enlightening a few ir-
refutable truths. Therefore, I urge you to walk with me
through life’s difficult questions in patience and with
an open mind. I hope to challenge you and test your re-
solve. Please be real, not letting these upcoming ques-
tions pass because of pride. Thank you! Ok, not lets get
down to business…
Section 2
In and Out and All Around
5

Hi! My name is Michael. I’m currently 23 years
old, am about 5’ 6” and weigh 138 pounds. I was born
in Minnesota and recently graduated from University
of California, Los Angeles. Why am I sharing this use-
less information with you? I’m not entirely sure, but I
feel a clarification of identity would suit this introduc-
tion well. Unless you know me personally in life, there
is no way to infer anything about my identity through
basic facts. I find it extremely profound that (excuse the
cliche) everyone is special and unique from everyone
else. While I have no doubt that there have been other
5’ 6” 23 year olds, etcetera etcetera, I would be aston-
ished (or perhaps revolted) to find another with the
same identity, which people typically define as a deeper
and personalized term shaped by choices and experi-
ences. That’s not to say other types of identity are irrele-
vant (say religious, ethnic, sexual…), but Ithe most im-
portant identity to our individuality is this.
With that said, I am shaped by tragedy and mira-
cle.
O.K. In the words of the great Nacho Libre, “Let’s
get down to the nitty-gritty.” I suppose the best place to
start is the context of tragedy. I grew up in an orthodox
nuclear family with two older brothers and a series of
pets. My parents provided well for us, loving us deeply.
And my mother had been struggling with breast cancer
for several years before my birth, an illness that contin-
ued on and off for many proceeding years. Amidst our
hardships, we lived happily; we were blessed. Now fast-
forward to 2009. I’m finishing up my sophomore year
in a California high-school (we moved here from Minne-
sota when I was six—talk about a change of setting!),
my brothers— one graduated and the other a senior,
my father’s life relatively unchanged, my mother like-
wise unchanged.
Before April of this specified year, I cannot remem-
ber associating any purpose to my life. I was an average
boy with average qualities and few expectations for life.
A few words to describe myself from 7 years ago: intimi-
dated, worried, unsure, and hypocritical. I pretended to
6

be confident for the sake of my pride, lying to cover to
incongruities between my choices and professed adher-
ence to Christianity. I lied so many times about unsa-
vory things I did, clearing myself of responsibility, I ac-
tually started to believe I was inherently better than eve-
ryone else. I vividly remember setting myself above my
piers, declaring “facts” about my unmatched purity and
authenticity as if I had complete control of my life, as if
I had control of the very universe. Arrogance is a great
source of shame in my life.
Change inside this fool started with a breath. A fi-
nal breath. Momma Keever was my rock, the person I
loved most in the world. When she died, my foundation
was removed and I found myself at the pinnacle of
pointlessness. I was overcome with a potent hopeless-
ness, one that drove me to contemplate suicide several
times. I trusted her with my entire being, and without
her I was nothing. Unfortunately, the tragedy does not
stop here.About one month later, I was myself diag-
nosed with a cancerous brain tumor, Germinoma.
Prior to her death and this diagnosis, I remember
struggling with final class projects, particularly a re-
search paper for History class. This assignment re-
quired outside research in libraries, not on computers
or Internet, and I was having trouble locating sources
for my topic: Impact of Public Graffiti as War Propa-
ganda. Plus, I was about a month behind my homework
because of the time I took out of school to be with
Momma Keever. So the stress was pilling up. Head-
aches and Migraines from the pressure of the brain tu-
mor began bombarding around this time, and in the
moments of subsided pain, I couldn’t help smiling. I
now had an excuse not to do that homework or re-
search paper! In a skewed and tragically ironic sense,
this tumor turned out to be a blessing, one that would
soon exponentially increase in return.
Sometime mid-May, the headaches worsened to a level
requiring an ambulance chauffeur, a ride I remember
only through the rear window that was blackened by
the absence of natural light. When we got to the ER, the
7

raging pressure still penetrating at full force, a line of
customers waiting for their own relief had already been
there for some time. We (my parents, brothers, and I)
found another ironic blessing: met a couple— his or her
birthday celebration ended with him her and a concus-
sion or some unfortunate injury. In spite of their misfor-
tune, the two remained light-hearted. Funny thing is
that even though i can barely remember them, this is
the most memorable moment i have of this ER experi-
ence (thank goodness). Perhaps a foreshadow of my
own future; a lesson on how I should behave in trag-
edy? Regardless of its significance, I realized how pain
and hardship, while at times very physically burdening,
is primarily psychological. Even though the headaches
still caused my head to explode continuously, looking
at this new point of view took my mind off it and while
it still hurt, my mind drifted from the pain and it be-
came less. Wasn’t until months later during my 6-7
month stay at the hospital that I understood the source
of this superpower: mindset and attitude.
Prior to being diagnosed, that year in highschool I
experienced enormous spiritual growth and awareness.
I took several classes at my church, the most memora-
ble was one led by Pastor Steve Sanchez titled Sharing
Your Faith Without Fear based on the teachings of Ray
Comfort. The core tool we used to share our faith effec-
tively in this class was the tract with Ray’s Gospel mes-
sage, which goes like this:
HERE IS THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION:
Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here’s a quick
test: Have you ever lied, stolen, or used God’s name in
vain? Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for
her has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.” If you have done these things, God sees you as a
lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart, and
the Bible warns that one day God will punish you in a
terrible place called Hell. But God is not willing that
any should perish. Sinners broke God’s Law and Jesus
paid their fine. This means that God can legally dismiss
their case: “For God so loved the world that He gave
8

His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.” Then Jesus
rose from the dead, defeating death. Today, repent and
trust Jesus, and God will give you eternal life as a free
gift. Then read the Bible daily and obey it. God will
never fail you.
When speaking to people one on one, we incorpo-
rate these same questions into conversation, but essen-
tially its the same message. The effectiveness of his
tract is how the reader encounters the irrefutable fact
that they fall short of God’s legal standards. We all
sin; There’s no one who is perfect, no not one! After
they realize this, Ray explains how, as sinners, we don’t
deserve Heaven, which is reserved for those who were
able to keep his legal standards. It seems pretty grim
for us sinners. But he also explains the good news of Je-
sus Christ, who took the fate that we deserved for sin-
ning on himself, his death on a cross transferred our
sin to him, making us sinless and perfect: worthy of
God’s legal standard and therefore, we now have the ca-
pability of going to Heaven. But, unfortunately that
doesn’t mean everyone now goes to Heaven because of
Christ’s actions. God has requirements. All he asks in
return for saving us is that we trust in him. I know what
you’re probably thinking: I’m not prepared to change
myself or my lifestyle! I don’t want a God who requires
anything I don’t want to do! While trusting in God does
require a lifestyle change, taking one’s focus off of idols
(anything besides God— could be yourself, money,
fame, success, the list is endless) and giving him full
reign in your life, it doesn’t happen overnight. God
knows we are inherently sinful. We chose, and continue
to choose even after giving our lives to God, to sin. It is
our nature. God molds us as we continue to strive after
him. Before you know it, those old desires will no
longer be in the forefront of our mind. And you’ll find
that you love the new desires God gave you even more
than the old ones. While pleasure found in sex, money,
whatever lasts temporarily and quickly looses its zest,
the pleasures and joys found in a life renewed by God
9

last for eternity. Because God is a never-quelling source
of peace and joy and all that good stuff, we can experi-
ence perfect joy, peace and all that good stuff through
him. Ok, back to my story.
Thanks for bearing with me this far. I know the gospel
message may seem a bit dry and theologically thick, but
it is crucial to understanding the magnitude of my
story. Where were we? Ah yes, attitude. Doctors exam-
ined me and did their special scans to check places the
eye cannot see and found a cancerous tumor, but I
wouldn't know for a couple of days. At this time, I was
so doped up on pain killers and the like, I have no solid
memory of the day to day experience. So, parts of this
story come from information given to me by family and
friends but focuses moreso on parts I do remember.
It was around this time that I became "In And Out
And All Around". There are few moments in life that
bring absolute clarity, and strangely enough, this hap-
pened to me when I was least clear. People who claim
to experience an "Out of Body" sixth sense might de-
scribe seeing themselves from a third person point of
view, outside of all Earthly phenomenon into their in-
nermost cosmic nature or some bogus. Instead, I saw
myself and I hated it. If you read "A Truly Tall Tale",
you know how I was in my past. And in this moment of
accelerated coherence, I could see past the lie that I cre-
ated. I saw my true nature, and it wasn't some virtuous
ideal explaining the origin of man. (Well, in an ironic
way it actually was, haha.)
Understanding who we are as humans and as indi-
viduals necessitates knowing the truth about where we
come from and what we were intended to be. I know
there are a hundred and one explanations out there, the
most popular probably evolution theory, but the logical
truth remains we were ecreated by God. And in that
split second that lasted for an hour, I understood the in-
credible irony of my life! I was so self absorbed, living
only for my own gratification while my Creator watches
me blaspheme. He could have at any second been like,
10

"Ok Michael, I see how it is. All you care about is what
YOU want. Well you can have it." For what I sought af-
ter was my own sinfulness, and that is deserving only of
death (Rom 6:23). And come to think of it, I wrote my-
self into a trap, because that's what was literally happen-
ing! I can't deny the horrific irony! I dug the grave I was
slowly entering. And unbeknownst to me at the time, it
was coming sooner that I thought.
(Now I must digress to make distinctions between
physical and spiritual death)
When biblical scriptures say for example, “the wages of
sin is death,” it foreshadows an eternal death that tran-
scends physicality in Hell, described effectively as abso-
lute separation from God. Now, you might think that
just because you don’t believe in God you’re already
separated from him. But God has given you everything
you have, despite your apparent unbelief. From the
comforts we share to the very much taken for granted
lives we live, God supplies it all. Therefore, it’s safe to
assume that Hell is complete separation for all good
things and all that’s left is torturous loneliness and
pain. We’re all given enough second chances to encom-
pass the great spans of our universe many times over,
yet I chose to deny the truth and was therefore heading
there voluntarily:
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out
of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and
throw them into the ﬁery furnace. In that place there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 13:41-42)
That moment of clarity came on a hospital bed
while stricken with cancer and an even more deadly fun-
gal infection. And there was a point when these ill-
nesses grew to such fatal lengths the doctors agreed I
wouldn’t survive. The specific combination of the two
had never been seen before, ever in medical history.
Therefore, no one really knew where to start looking
and hope was naturally scarce. So here I am, incapaci-
tated for probably the sixth month on a hospital bed
without any strength to save myself, nor able to trust
medical professionals for a cure. Is it merely a coinci-
11

dence that I survived and am typing this letter now?
And my doctors weren’t newbies. Call it a medical mira-
cle if you want, but logic leads me to a different resolu-
tion. It seems more believable, in spite of all odds and
expectations, when 100% probability is overruled, that
a plan beyond our physical realm is in play. And God,
who is not limited to space, time, chance, or any other
factor we are governed by, I deduced was the most
likely origination of said plan. After all, I had all the
time in the world to ponder these things, and after my
previous bank of knowledge and wisdom exhausted, I
was forced elsewhere to the “non-scientific.” I use quo-
tations because now I understand how much science
and Christianity overlap. Anyways, thats a chapter of
its own.
12

itting in the student lounge on my last
day here at UCLA, my thoughts linger on the people I
encountered. Their goals and aspirations: “To change
the world,” as the Resident Manager summarized. I
think of those I knew more closely and their individual
struggles, I think of those I knew on a spiritual level
and their testimonies, and those I knew to lack this
area in their lives and that which held them back from
embracing it. All these people, different and uniquely
human, sharing only in our collective depravity
(whether some acknowledge it and others do not).
However these people differ personally from how I
know them or will come to know a select few in the
future has very little significance to me. For, I already
know their truest forms regardless of individualities.
Before I proceed to the end of this point, please, take a
moment to examine yourself sincerely and think of
something that links you to everyone else. Is this thing
material? Probably not. Is it sentimental? Perhaps, but
still most likely not. Is it philosophic or ideological?
This is probably the closest we’ll get. Something along
the lines of the generic evolution of humanity for a
common cause or an innate desire to make the world a
better place, or something else untestable. I think that
which links us is undeniably testable and tangible; that
would be pretty convincing, no? I strikes me as odd
that most choose to view humanity as a whole through
a broader lens instead of scrutinizing our commonality
and thinking hard about what is distinct about the
human race.
Section 1
Existentialism
14
S

People feel called to something greater (hence
our inclination to identity goals to change the world).
Granted not everyone has this urge to “change the
world," but I’d be absolutely stunned to find that
someone never dreamt of something greater than
themselves. And this phenomenon seems primarily to
permeate among Millennial, dare I use the term.
Really, it's just pretentious. And the ways we think we'll
change the world is what makes me giggle. On this
same night sitting in the lounge was a big poster listing
these pretentious ways. Among the more humorous,
change the world by: making a new friend, doing
something kind for a stranger, buy someone dinner,
write thank you notes to soldiers abroad and so on.
Granted, these are nice things to do, but to assume a
lasting difference could come from that is at best
wishful thinking. That, I think is one of the more
venomous lies in modern society: we can make the
world a better place. That we, as immensely limited
creatures, can change the hearts of a thoroughly
divided humanity. To do that would take a miracle.
People will always disagree on something. Take the
current presidential line up. Donald Trump and Hilary
Clinton represent to two dominant parties of today's
America. This political process of choosing the next
President is supposedly to find the most suitable
candidate who will do the best job at running the
country and keeping everyone safe. Wrong. What has
come from uniting the nation is absolute division.
Every election this happens! In the streets, people
argue and argue until their tongues fall out and hateful
things are done to assert one's opinion which is
obviously correct to persuade someone who's opinion is
obviously wrong. You can't persuade someone with
such hatred! And to think we'll change the world and
get everyone to cooperate when something as simple as
an election creates bitter rivals.
My point is that no one has power over
another. As much as we'd like to make someone agree
with us, we cannot. And therefore, no lasting change
15

can come from our hands alone. We cannot work the
miracle that this world needs for peace. Only one who
is beyond our limitations can. God, who is not limited
by pride, arrogance, or any other human quality, knows
what we truly need. And a day will come when he
returns the world into what it was meant to be.
I believe Existentialism is the most beautiful
thing to Millennials because it gives us the freedom to
do, say, feel, act, and be who/whatever they want. And
it justifies our sinfulness. But in doing so, you're
spitting in God's face. And when that day comes, he'll
inspect the world for those who follow Him and for
those who follow themselves. And he will judge the
world, casting the unrepentant to Hell. Whether or not
you believe in God, he will come. So be prepared. If you
wait until the day you see him, it'll be too late. Don't
wait.
16

Epilogue:
The classical understand-
ing of this juxtaposition is gen-
erally that “Good” represents
that which is moral while evil,
that which is immoral. Or
sometimes, especially in eco-
nomics, the “good” are the
poor and the “evil” are the rich.
In politics, depending on
which side you’re standing, it
is the Democrats who are good
and the Republicans who are
evil. The point is that in west-
ern society, this amorphous
concept has no measurability. It’s all based on subjec-
tivity. If you’re poor, you are more inclined to dislike
rich people. If you’re a liberal Democrat you are more
likely to dislike conservative Re-
publicans. It’s just how the hu-
man sense of self operates-- we
tend surround ourselves with
things and people that affirm
our personal beliefs and dis-
tance ourselves from those that
challange them. And nothing
often changes our minds about
the stance we’ve chosen, espe-
cially those on the opposing
“side.” 
But there is another
frame to inspect Good and
Evil. One that transcends our
limited subjectivity and is measurable on an objective
scale. Where “Good” and “Evil” become specifically
that which is righteous and holy and contrarily, that
Section 2
Good v. Evil
17

which is wicked and deceitful.  
Modernity and contemporary human rationale has
corrupted and flattened this critical diametric into pre-
tentious “fluff” that really has no legitimate meaning at
all, as seen in that cover photo for this piece. Its creator
chose a bunch of emotive words, shaping them into a
Chinese Taoist symbol which really has nothing to do
with good vs bad. Modern Western culture seeks so
hard to trick itself with the fluffy and essentially mean-
ingless and distracts itself with the true essence of
Good and Evil. Even this picture:
depicting Satan and Jesus arm wrestling is a pathetic
attempt to illustrate a battle of Good vs Evil. For it too,
while seeking in its foolishness to justify an inaccurate
understanding of Good and Evil with religious figures,
falls into the same trap. The reality is fundamentally
controversial to this modern sensibility. 
We, the human race, represents evil. And repre-
sent doesn’t encapsulate the gravity of our malevo-
lence! We exude evil and love ourselves for it, not even
slightly aware that we are. Because we’ve chosen in-
stead of the truth a brilliant lie that makes us feel better
about ourselves. protecting us from our own ugliness.
We are such a proud people! We have a hard time ac-
cepting the reality of situations we deem unfavorable.
For instance, if you’re a diehard sports fan and you’re
rooting for your favorite team in the championship
match and they end up losing because of a referee call,
you’ll proabably act like me and deny the result blam-
ing it all on that undoubtedly paid off ref. So even mo-
reso, if someone tells you that at your most inner core,
you’re evil: a lying, murderous scumbag who deserves
absolutely nothing except to pay for all eternity, there’s
no way you’d accept. Because no matter the person, we
have a generally positive view of ourselves as moral and
“good”. 
But despite the fact I know you won’t, I’ll go ahead
18

and say it: YOU are absolutely an evil creature who
finds great satisfaction in detesting Good and perform
(unbeknownst to you) in accordance with an unde-
served pride subconscious gymnastics to justify your ev-
ilness in the exposing light of true goodness, as am I.
I can say this with such confidence because our habits
conform to exactly what "true goodness" requires,
which we are aware of from God's commandments.
There are the famous 10 commandments which God in-
stalled to keep his people on the path of righteousness
and closer to Him than to sin. Jesus narrowed it down
to 2, and even though it appears much more lenient
than 10 commandments, these 2 encapsulate those 10
and go further. They are: "Love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is this, To love your neighbor as your-
self." (Matthew 22:37-39) The very next verse summa-
rizes the potency of these two commands:
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets" (v40)
In short, these two seemingly simple commandments
incorporate every other commandment found in the Bi-
ble. Example: if you lie, you are not loving the Lord or
your neighbor. If you misuse God's name, you're not
loving God or setting a good example for, and therefore
not loving, your neighbor. If you covet, you are placing
something besides God in the forefront of your mind
and therefore not loving Him, and simultaneously feel-
ing jealous towards a neighbor and not loving him as
yourself. And so on and so on...
We may not be evil in the western sense, but we cer-
tainly are in the sight of the Lord who made us solely to
have a relationship with Him. In choosing to follow our
own desires, we've hated him and spit in his face. We
are certainly evil where it is most important for our
own sakes to be good.
But the good news is that even in our blatant disobedi-
ence, God chooses to have mercy. When he could easily
start over and wipe us out, he gives us second chances
over and over again. And when we spit in his face and
didn't want anything to do with his great love to sur-
passes all earthly (and very temporary) satisfaction, he
19

made a way for us to have it in spite of our sinfulness
that severed that relationship in the first place (Adam
and Eve). For, if we do not fully meet the standards
God placed in the Bible through his commandments in
the OT and NT, we cannot enter heaven. But God sent
his son to pay the price of our own sin--- death. Be-
cause of his sacrifice, we have the chance to be with
God in heaven for eternity instead of suffering eternally
in Hell. Trust and Repent so you also may enjoy this
free gift.
20

Discuss what the public spends its life doing~~ worldly
lives. What will you do with your fleeting life?
What is your life worth?
Does it sum to a monetary
value? Or is it too valuable
to sell? What is it worth to
you? We answer this
question by what we spend
our lives doing and the
things we fill it with. As a
recent college graduate, I am
constantly pondering the age-old question: What
should I do with my life? What job do I want? Where
will I live? Should I get married? Etcetera, etcetera...
All those relatively unanswerable questions one has to
figure out with experience. But I have found, even in
these short twenty-three years, that how we define
ourselves answers many of
these questions already.
And by “how we
define,” I am looping back to
that issue of how one values
his life. Am I the kind of
person who seeks the
“American Dream,” working
hard to make a ton of money
and settle down in a big
house with a wife and children? Is my life measured by
belongings, how much stuff I accumulate? Do I set my
image in how many friends I have? How much of my
Section 3
Was It Worth It?
21

life is about me? I don’t think any of these imply
“shallow” or negative responses, only human ones.
But that is the crux right there. We can only see
our lives through a single, personal perspective. One
that is inherently incomplete and immensely limited in
foresight. Let’s say you lived your whole life and now
your super old and bedridden. What things, memories,
people, etc, would you need to have experienced to feel
fulfilled? To honestly say without any doubt or second-
guessing, “It was worth it.” Not many people can. Even
the most successful people in this world are not
happy. Why is that?
Picture, if you will, a honeybee that doesn’t make
honey. Or a beaver that won’t build dams. An elevator
that doesn’t go up or down, a pencil that doesn’t write.
Let’s say you built a machine to exercise a specific task,
to juggle. And the only thing that machine will do is
ride a unicycle. It was programmed to juggle, yet it
serves a completely different purpose, although still
quite entertaining. All of these things are very much out
of place and oppose the logical nature of things. A
honeybee, by instinct, makes honey, as does a beaver
respectively. And the mechanics of elevators requires it
to go up and down; the same logic arises with the pencil
and our juggling machine. We know this by simple
observation. 
Likewise, humans feel unfulfilled and out of place
because they typically do not do the things they were
“meant” to do. Like a honeybee, we instinctively know
exactly what we ought to do with our lives, yet choose a
different path because our desires pull us that way. But,
like we see with immensely successful people, desires
can take us down an incorrect and fleeting road.
Romans 1:20 explains this fact clearly: “For his
invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and
divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since
the creation of the world, in the things that have been
made. So they are without excuse.” In other words,
everyone knows in their heart of hearts that God exists.
Yet we justify the lies that he does not to allow the
22

following of desires and aspirations instead of our true
purpose. And it seems to be because of this why we feel
bored and unsatisfied with how our lives were spent,
always wishing, “if only I had that”, or, “if only I did
that instead, I would be happy.”
23

The validity of biblical scriptures is proved by several (things),
one of the most shocking (for me) is the fulﬁllment of prophecy in
Isaiah
page 946
Section 4
Fulﬁllment of Prophecy as Evidence
24

imly, through an ever-thin glimmer of un-
natural light, he is noticed only by his barely visible
eye. And a fantastically noticeable eye
it was, even in the depths of encom-
passing daylight. It darted throughout
that glimmer, searching for points of
reference to convince himself of his
own existence. In a flash of great clar-
ity, whether physical light or subcon-
scious coherence; the cause unknown,
it made contact. Through the void, it
saw a skewed shape, transforming ac-
cording to his imagination and focus into all sorts of ob-
jects until reality became dominant. It was a mirror,
but because of the abundant lack of light, he could only
see the reflection of darkness. And suddenly, in that re-
flection, darkness abounded and the glimmer fainted
into a desperate hope, fueled by its pri-
mordial desire to see. Exhaustion
kicked in, and his eye grew tired, even-
tually conceding to darkness, the lid
collapsing under increased weight.
-----
Illuminated in immaculate sunlight, it
thrives with absolute stimulation,
wide open and grasping everything.
The other opens and rationalizes
depth, adding further stimuli. They look down to see
feet and up to see hands. A body emerges as these eyes
Section 1
Imagined Light
26
D

finish connecting all but the face, until they find that
same mirror, now reflecting perceivable images. Yet all
they find is themselves, staring back, no head housing
them leaving little else to focus on. As a microscope en-
larges the tiniest cell, so do they inspect themselves.
Each layer grows clearer: cornea, iris, pupil, lens. And
through into the center, becoming to the imagination a
planet core, swirling with magma. Deeper in they dive,
until the power behind them is discovered. He sees the
outer tissue of his brain as the intricate network of syn-
apses light up as the skies on any major holiday. It was
a most fantastic show, and when the ridged cerebral sur-
face became fully illuminated, his eyes shut again.
-----
A little boy yawns powerfully as he climbs out of bed.
Stretching down near the wall across the room, this lit-
tle boy clasps a small, flickering bulb and tears it from
an electrical socket. Exchanging its fading glow for a
much brighter source, he flicks a switch, circuiting elec-
tricity to several bulbs on the ceiling-- and prompted by
clarity, the boy reenters reality, moving into kitchen for
a morning bowl of cereal.
(he’s fallen asleep and is dreaming (having a night-
mare?)... child wakes up and unplugs flickering (dying)
nightlight
27

“Together forever,” etched in a tree on the top of a
hill beckoned its authors once again to their commit-
ment. One locked away in a dungeon far below and the
other trapped by evil in tower high above.
Amidst that hopeless remorse, he, buried in the
Earth’s core, still felt the tender embrace of his dearest
love and even though separated by miles of stone,
could even hear her amorous call. As if conversing face
to face, he whispers comfort in her ear and she into
his. He looks up and remembers his doom; hopeless-
ness resumes.
Atop that endless peak, she sits in solitude among
the clouds burdened by unbearable loneliness. Sud-
denly, she sees him in billow, caressed in sunlight here
to rescue her. A shining knight, he sweeps her up and
brushes the hair from her face to look with deep ro-
mance. As they kiss passionately, the billow fades and
she wakes from her nightmare to recognize her torture.
Still that tree on the top of a hill announces their
ever-lasting bond and remains to entice the lovers
closer to each other.
A new day, he scours the pit for food and finds
some crumbs left for him. His stricken and starved
bones creak as he scoops them up for tasteless dissatis-
faction. He, physically so close to death and dead al-
ready in personal willpower clings to the ever-present
yet ever-elusive memory of their life together on the
surface before tragedy flung them toward opposite
depths of the Earth. And for a moment, the two lovers
connected with the same mind in recollection. They
tilted their heads up, one looking up at a cell wall, the
other through haze of fog, and remembered:
Section 2
Body Language
28

Fire ran wild like those panicked by the flames, bouncing off every surface looking for
oxygen. Ash fell in thick waves in metronomic rhythm, allowing light through only in short win-
dows. It covered everything, but even if the ground was ashless, the dead plants, animals and
friends lay as a basecoat.
He ran hysterically from the river where their family loved to spend time together. He
and the kids looked everywhere for her as fire continued to fall around them. They spent so
much time looking for her, no one realized how thick the ash started to get. Eventually they
could hardly move. He struggled to bring them to safety, but the ash continued to fall.
As those same fires fell around her, she darted from the other end of the river where
she was admiring plants. She also looked everywhere with devastatingly limited vision. Before
collapsing under the weight of ash and fatigue, she resolved to seek higher ground and climbed
a hill for better vantage. But by then, ash and fire veiled everything and she could hardly see
her own hands held right in front of her face. And even atop that hill, the ash reached and en-
veloped her.
They carved in that tree atop the hill before the tragedy and even before their kids were born. It was a happy,
sunshiny day unparalleled in clarity. And they would see it again, for it still stands.
He, his children suffocated by ash, clawed out of avalanches in agony, himself severely poisoned. As
he crawled in pain gasping for air, the ground below him caved in. He accidentally stumbled into a hole
veiled by fronds intended to trap animals. And with ash still falling, he was veiled from all existence,
trapped in darkness. All he could do was wait, and so he did. He waited. For a sound. A sign. After days
and nights of trying to climb himself out and shouting for help, all he could do was wait. Wait and listen.
One, locked far below.
29

She too struggled for freedom from invading suffocation and burial. So she climbed higher until the
hills became to steep to face. Always her will to survive pushed her to find breathe, but ash eventually
trapped her too. Not in burial, but it forced her to a place she could not climb down from. So the race
now was not to escape suffocation, but starvation.
The other, trapped high above.
---
The tree, now withered and worn, void of vegetation and basically just a dead stick, still bore their insignia, an-
nouncing that now very faint and forgotten memory of love.
One day, rescue came for the two forlorn lovers and brought them back to civilization. They are happy as ever,
now bringing joy to everyone who comes to see them.
30

The Place: Unknown. The Year: Irrelevant. Who,
what, how and why, I know perfectly well and am
happy to share. In this unknown place, possibly a
parallel dimension to the one you’re reading this from,
possibly not, the majority of our population is a race of
super-advanced snails who might call themselves
superior if they could speak audibly. They’ve modified
from the typical unimpressive and incredibly slow
Earth snails into absolutely mind-boggling and slightly
less slow Unknown snails. In accordance with this
speed upgrade, the scientific community felt it
appropriate to change their classification from “snails”
to “snalz” to adapt the speed at which it is spelled.
Another, and much more important to this story,
adaptation these super slugs underwent dealt with
their size, which is nearly twice what it is on Earth.
This only seems insignificant to you because you are
unaware of the massive size they’ve grown within the
last few centuries. Consider the ominous size of the
lengthy sperm whale!!
Now forget that and imagine an average sedan;
that is roughly the size of snalz. I suppose it neither is
relevant because the average size of most other things
also increased to a similar degree. But nonetheless,
their disgusting features are much more visible. And
remember what I said a few lines earlier about them
being the most populous animal. So seeing those
things everywhere in, on, and throughout everything is
quite unappetizing.
One hermaphrodite hermit, your average joe
shmoette, stood out from among the rest. I don’t know
Section 3
Syzygy
31
Section 3
Syzygy

its name or any personal details, but as she slimed up
onto a park bench, the clouds open up, allowing light
only to focus right there. His shell sparkled, covered by
morning dew, yet also dimmed by a meek personality:
it was very unkept and lacked pizzaz.
(S)he exists in a state of simultaneous order and
chaos caused, unbeknownst to pretty much everyone,
the Syzygy, a bizarre phenomenon happening only once
before in all history. Now, this Syzygy did not involve
planetary alignment so much as an uncanny alignment
of other things, even though perhaps the planets may
have themselves also been aligned by some odd
coincidence. No, this anomaly could not be mistaken
for such a common and trivial occurrence.
This alignment dealt solely in paradoxes, by which
everything and its variance simultaneously coexist.
As you may have already noticed, that which
appears one way always is revealed to also be
something unexpectedly different. Well, I suppose you
couldn’t have known that, could you. At least now you
know the context of this crazy atmosphere. And for the
sake of expected pronoun confusions coming with
paradoxical language and the confusing biology of
snails, i’ll refer to our enigmatically gendered hero by a
neutral name, Avery.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Let us now begin ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
32

Section 4
Latus Laterālis
34
This planet is cubical with a ovular rails hidden inside. Just like illustration above,
there are “ports” in the center of each surface giving one access to those hidden rails,
making travel to any other surface logically possible in accordance with gravity. Sides are
named by numbers just like dice. Also, polar surfaces (1 & 6, 2 & 4, 3 & 5) are
environmental opposites
1
2 3
5
6
4

Protagonists come from different sides and meet in the middle for an adventure to discover the mysterious nature of
their planet (journey to the center of the earth-esque)
1Nature (Uninhabited by Humans) 6 Supernatural (Uninhabited by Nature)
[1 and 6 hold the key to the mystery)
2 Order (Nala) 4 Chaos (Alan)
3 Light (Alec) 5 Dark (Cela)
they later find out the ancient name of their planet; each side has a different name
35

Swarming through the darkness, writhing in pain
and despair, roots confusedly dart back and forth in
like flies stuck behind a window. Their leaves and
branches, equally frustrated, desperately contort
looking for light. Bushes, weeds, and other plants with
less resolve tipped over destitute. Eventually, those
with sufficient energy would follow them to death in
the dust. The only survivors are native.
They are dark formations; like stalactites, they
dangle from the roof of the sky ill conformed to science
or basic logic. They needed no water or sunlight-- only
darkness. And there is plenty of that here! But this is
not a cave or some hole in the ground. This is everyday
on our surface. The minimal light that survives here is
purely artificial. It’s an impossible existence achieved
by no other species. But it’s home nonetheless, here on
Five.
The air around her is congealed with toxicants, and
even as she dreams, death is but a breathe away. And
she is no different than the nine others who live in her
community. And neither was she different than the
many other members dwelling in scattered
communities across Five. All were threatened daily by
these harsh surroundings. The only source of oxygen
came from artificial sources; it is stale, unsatisfying and
requires of people triple the effort to fill their lungs. At
least they had the Pods to shelter them.
Rolling with a yawn, she raises, rubbing her sore
neck from a rough night’s sleep. Her eyes widened with
shock after realizing her nightmare never happened.
Cela was often victimized by horrific scenarios of
inescapable demise. Any hopeless place remotely like
Five naturally causes such nightmares and feelings of
being trapped. “How many days so far,” she asked
exhaustedly. Not even listening for a response, Liz
thought about the irony surrounding that figure of
speech, days. There is no day to mark time, or any
reliable method for that matter. “Too many.” No one
knew how long they’d been trapped there for.
Strange phenomena much like the pattern of
Earth’s seasons grace this side of the planet. But unlike
Earth, these environmental shifts are not tied to
weather, but involve primarily changes to atmosphere.
And only a couple weeks a year is the air suitable for
humans. Another voice disrupts a long silence between
them, “I think about seven months, two weeks and a
day, exactly.” Garret was the paranoid type and kept
records of nearly everything: things he ate or saw or did
during every ordinary day, always labeling that list with
the current date. He chuckled to think we’d forgotten
for he also made it a habit of sharing with the group the
irrelevant and entirely boring details of his lists. “Out of
sheer boredom, I’ve memorized some of those lists,”
Cela thought to herself, remembering a few months
36

back. Relaxing on her stomach, elbows pointed like a
triangle holding up her head, she vocalized these
thoughts: “April, 11-- Today’s strange thoughts. What
if, instead of using noses to breathe, what if they were
meant to drink? We’d have to stick our whole heads
into the cup. Haha, weird. ; Imagined a squirrel today.
But I don’t really remember what they look like so it
was kind of amorphous. Like, a jelly squirrel-thingy. ;
What is my name spelled backwards? Te-rag? Tee-rag?
What is a tea rag? Haha, weird... Her mouth continued
remembering.
There was really nothing else to do here in the Pod.
It was only about the size of a one bedroom apartment.
Garrett might say about 500 sq. ft. exactly. Enough
room for living, but not sufficient for a wide
arrangement of activities. And them three had to share
this limited space with four others. Even seven living in
one Pod is roomy to most other Pods on Five, usually
housing twelve to fifteen. Certainly no room for
theaters or parks or restaurants to pass time. Nor space
for many belongings to keep them company, and that
means no TV, stereo or computers. That also means no
refrigerator, microwave or oven, leaving very few
avenues for entertainment.
Cela, still listing to herself, seemed lost in her
imagination, mentally averted from her roommates and
luckily didn’t hear Garret’s further irrelevance, this
time spelling out loud funny sounding words. The Pod-
mate sleeping beneath her, the one she question
earlier, felt too tired and discouraged to deal with his
shenanigans and, like a child, plugged her ears and
shouted, “A la la la la la la! Can’t hear you, la la la la!”
But this worsened her problem, causing the extremely
irritable cabin to explode in frustration. Because their
artificially pumped air was less potent and required
much more energy to consume, residents here tired far
easier. And so, because all seven of them started
shouting, continuing until no one remembered what
they were shouting about, the cabin quelled quickly
after out of exhaustion And before anyone realized, the
“day” was over and they yearned for sleep. Maybe it’s a
good thing that they don’t have many activities to do.
The eldest two thought so. All they wanted to do was
dream; there is no imprisonment. That is the extent of
“life” on Five.
□ □ □
They were there, and she was here. She
reaches out for them, claws ferociously for a
touch. Her legs are broken and arms withered
to a nub. She is lost; she is alone. Crying out,
she longs, “Where are you!” She is an
unnoticed speck of sand in a desert of
mountains. Numbness overcomes her body and
looking down, she sees herself, an ox, searching
37

ravenously for sustenance in the frozen tundra.
She finds a mouthful of nutrition-less grass,
her patterned behavior ever dull and
monotonous. She looks not for her drove, nor
is she the least bit interested in them. Always
focused on meaningless repetition, she
searches and chews, never feeling satisfied. She
is an apple fallen from the tree. Delicious and
red, she taunts the eyes of passersby. So
distracted by these admirers, she cannot hear
the warnings of unfallen friends and family.
She is taken far away and left to rot atop a
pantry. She is a girl. She is alone.
□ □ □
The Pod woke the same confused way it always
did, everyone thinking loudly per their individual
habits. But instead of immediately resorting to a state
of familiar hopelessness, Cela rummaged through her
sheets. She inspected the pillow and every angle above
and beneath her mattress, all in a desperation most
frightening. Her eyes wide and forehead sweating, an
exclamation arose: “Where are you!”
“Why are you so upset? Did you lose something?”
Garret questioned the relevance of his question, for
what does any of them posses to lose in the first place?
I wonder if it’s something immaterial or metaphorical.
These thoughts transfer seamlessly into vocalized
speech: “But why then is she searching her physical
space if that which was lost is non-physical?”
“Who are you talking to, G?” His own bunkmate
already knew a great deal about his peculiar personality
and felt sufficiently answered by his own question.
“Ya, what are you blabbering about this time?”
Cela watched with eyebrows angled, tightly gripping a
forgotten object with unparalleled fervor. Delving
deeply into an unwavering whirlwind of thought,
Garret didn’t even notice her standing there without
any signs of distress. “How absent minded am I,
really?”
The mysterious item, lubricated by the sweat of
her palm squirmed as she fiddled. Cela was still very
wound and her fidgeting became so fierce, this item
slipped and dropped to the floor several times. And like
a flash, she’d swoop down to get it before anyone could
glimpse lest they acquire a clue as to its identity. But
nonetheless, in spite of still being frazzled, it comforted
her and emitted a pulse of hopefulness. It was so
dominant inside of her, a material light manifested
underneath her skin. (Have you ever heard of someone
glowing with joy? Well that’s actually a literally true
statement, but there is typically light in ever space. But
as we discovered earlier, light is very scarce here, and
so, Cela’s “inner-illumination” was undefiled by light
pollution and easily noticed within the darkness of
38

Five). And after hanging it around her neck, this
phenomenon became consistent and ever-observable.
Soon following this event, that Pod changed
forever. No longer dwelling on an unending
imprisonment nor counting the days of sorrow. No
longer were they short with one another nor did anyone
give a reason that justified shortness. Those
acquaintances transformed into family because of the
new light of hope and optimism in Cela. It did have a
tangible effect on others, specifically those who are ter
downtrodden. No more days would ever be spend in
sorrow for a blessing had struck them.
The next day, everyone woke without a yawn. They
arose, completely rested and regenerated. None of
them could remember the last time that happened, and
they joined in marvel. “This is great!” “I feel fantastic!”
“Why am I not sore like usual?” “Who are you people,
so joyful and woe-less?” Garret could hold back the
urge to disrupt this perfect consensus. Cela responded
with wisdom well beyond her previous capacity. It
rocked the whole Pod with supernatural thunder and
felled them back with a connecting blow. Everyone,
mouths’ gaping, starred at her in awe.
Surrender doubt and analyze ‘the truth’
She went on the explain how their recent state of
affairs had been altered and proposed several reasons
for this, analyzing and questioning each in greater
detail. The objective truth before was primarily “were
hopeless, trapped, and doomed.” Now, it is “were
captured by such intense joy that it affects us in all
physicality. “You saw with you own eyes how daily
exhaustion disappeared overnight. Is that random?
Well what are the chances a regular occurrence, rather
a constant occurrence would dissipate without a cause.
That obstructs the fundamental laws of science: cause
and effect. It stands to reason that this phenomenon
was caused, and I presume caused by that light
destroying shadow. So why do you insist on
depression? Surrender doubt and analyze ‘the truth’ for
yourself.
□ □ □
I didn’t know that fear could be dispelled with a
sentence. I am ever grateful for this new attitude
permeating this community and I’ve even adopted this
lifestyle as my own. Emitting a light, however feint, of
my own, I too strive for contentment, sentenced by a
fear of fear itself. It forces me to seek freedom, guiding
with a gentle shove. My path is unclear before me,
hazed and twisted by doubt. I know there is something
else going on here. I feel a disturbance in her
newfound genuineness. As a resident from birth, I
know very well the manifested difference in the few
I’ve met from other sides. And I intently question her
39

genuineness as one who claims the same residency as
I. Who is this never before seen Cela? She is changed in
a hundred ways. And who are “they?”
□ □ □
“We’ve been given a second chance!,” she shouted,
others nodding in agreement. We cannot waste our
lives whining and waiting anymore...” Cela’s gaze left
her friends and with a tone of regret, she finished her
speech, whispering, “I’m leaving.” “Will you?” this time
resounding clearly. The only response was silence and
shock. The most depressed and hopeless of their group,
now so determined and strong-willed. In their minds
they doubted if she could even survive in the darkness,
for so many had perished in it before. But even as Cela
approached a exit many had forgotten was even there,
she never wavered. She wasn’t in the least bit afraid.
After all, she had light in her, the greatest weapon
against darkness. She felt impervious to its toxic
nature, and looked it too. Still no one responded and as
she laid hands on the hatch, they quivered against a
back wall.
A dozen locks barred it shut, and tensions swelled
as each one unfastened with explosive force, the sound
marching valiantly through memories of captivity.
Clank! Another. Clank! One left. Clunk! Everyone held
their breath, starring fiercely at her hand. No one
spoke, nobody moved, not even sweat dared to distract
one from that hatch. The only sound in that Pod came
from their mighty anxiety, “Boom boom, boom boom,
boom boom, boom boom...” Cela’s heart pounded the
loudest; that door still as menacing as the same as
when they entered. They shut their eyes, afraid to even
gaze into the night. “Are we dead yet,” Garret poked.
He was the first to open his eyes and discover that
truth.
Cela stood in front like an action hero, wind
blowing in her hair. Her demeanor was that of one
walking slowly away from an enormous explosion
without looking back, the Pod being that thing to leave
behind. But she walked not into death, but into Life.
The light of hope pierced the heart of darkness, and a
protective dome sheltered them. It followed Cela, the
center and source of light. Utterly awestruck, they
forbid their bodies from moving, instead drooling like
braindead monkeys. It was the most amazing thing any
of them ever experienced. And suddenly they were
afraid of her. Amazement turned to despair and that
bravery they perceived in Cela seemed like foolishness.
They huddled in safety within the Pod, away from her
and thus, away from challenge to storehouses full of
cultural expectation. “It’s only a few months till we can
leave and meet back up with our families again!” “Ya!
It’s not worth the risk!” “Why should we trust you?
We’re staying here!”
40

Those doubtful faces hated her so quickly. Once so
admiring and grateful for the hope she brought, now
immersed in illusory ideology. “This is how we survive,
how we’ve survived since the beginning! Our ancestors
and their ancestors...” The accusations continuously
poured out, the only one to remain silent in awe was
the most skeptical of them all. He whose thoughts,
most skilled in deep observation and analysis, stepped
closer to Cela despite the many calls behind him. He
grabbed her outstretched hand, never looking back into
that Pod. And surprising even to me, his urge to jeer
ducked its head in reverence. They stood together,
Garret and Cela, and recognized only each other,
shouts of insult, doubt, confusion, humiliation, and
most other manifestations of verbal negativity fell on
deaf ears. They were one against many and walked out,
persecuted but unshaken. Closing hinges also screamed
for them to leave and when the door finally boomed
shut, exiling them forever, Cela and Garret felt oddly
relaxed. In fact, they were more relieved than ever. All
that stress accumulated inside the Pod, gone; the two
shared a celebratory nod, a moment still very much
effected by the very clearly expressed hatred of their
former friends.
They soon shook off the reality of them being
outcasted, setting their eyes for the first time on that
which was so recently feared. Yet since no one had ever
seen their home world in the light of day, there wasn’t
any knowledge to guide a reaction. Only
disproportioned imaginings. And to both their surprise,
nothing compared truthfully to descriptions listed in
their storybooks. It was not speckled with writhing
anomalies manifesting death or despair. Nor was it
void of life, for they beheld many critters and
creatures-- though still quite macabre. Sheltered by
light of revelation, they were no longer hindered by
terror. What was there to be afraid of anyway? What
did they ever have to be afraid of? If only they’d been
brave enough to peak out of that Pod. Yes,
although I’ll bet their brains would explode.
Did Cela’s light shine so powerfully just now and
expose hidden thoughts locked away behind
impassable vaults of the mind?
Damn. I’m a little weirded out
...
...
...
...
41

(light protects them from 5’s harmful atmosphere. they
leave the Pod to rescue other poddies; after that, Cela,
having already opened the item revealing a ppicture,
leaves on the “train” to find her family.
Cela has another nightmare while helping
others on 5; the real problem is unsolved; she
needs to find her family for real
42

Cat Taro and his feline shenanigans: looses 8 of his 9
lives in the process and becomes an indoor cat
thereafter, afraid of adventure until he realizes his life
was wasted worrying and goes out with a bang
Section 5
A Cannily Curious Cat
43

character achieves two negative things in one action--
use humorous irony (tries to do good for someone but
ends up causing a fiasco)
“What do you mean, Santa Claus isn’t real?!!”
(listening through the apartment walls)
Section 6
Two Birds With One Stone
44

Germinoma
Among several varieties of tumors that arise in the area of the pineal gland, Germinoma
commonly causes headaches, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes patients have diﬃculty
looking up, which was the case for me.
Related Glossary Terms
Index
Testimonial - In and Out and All Around
Drag related terms here
Find Term

God’s legal standards
“The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). God set various commandments to which we are
to abide. Do not murder, steal, commit adultery, etc. All of the laws set forth throughout all
scripture are meant for our own good, as they keep us from temptation and other
dangerous situations. So when we disobey, that is when we sin and fall short of God’s legal
standards: he demands us to be perfect and sinless.
Index
Testimonial - In and Out and All Around
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Modern sensibility
The unwritten rules of today’s society that assert one’s supposedly inherent right to believe
whatever you want, acts in whatever way makes you most happy, and to be whoever you
most want to be. This seems to be mostly concerned with sexuality and gender issues.
Index
Essays and Organized Thoughts - Good v. Evil
Not happy
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Not happy
True happiness cannot be found in temporary things like material possessions, friends or
family. Only in that which transcends all limitations can we, in undeﬁled happiness, rest. In
short, only God gives lasting joy.
Index
Essays and Organized Thoughts - Was It Worth It?
Modern sensibility
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NT
Abbreviation for “New Testament,” the chapters in the Bible describing events after the
birth of Christ.
Index
OT
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OT
Abbreviation for “Old Testament,” chapters of the Bible with content concerning the time
before Christ’s birth.
Index
NT
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Ravings of a lunatic collection

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Ravings of a lunatic collection