Flying On The Fringe

Just when the voice of spirit in my mind had quieted, and I though maybe I had done all I needed to do in this quest to promote peace, I went to church this morning and heard a sermon that sounded like it was written just for me—or at me. Clearly, God is not done with me yet. The sermon was based on the concept of “chasing the lion,” going after that really overwhelming, scary, mission that God has set before you (me) and jumping into the pit with the lion, going on faith that no job that is too big for any one person is ever too big with God’s help.

The Lion Chaser’s Manifesto

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.

Run to the roar.

Set God-sized goals.

Pursue God-given passions.

Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.

Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution.

Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future.

Face your fears.

Fight for your dreams.

Grab opportunity by the mane and don’t let go!

Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.

Burn sinful bridges.

Blaze new trails.

Live for the applause of nail-scarred hands.

Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God.

Dare to fail.

Dare to be different.

Quit holding out.

Quit holding back.

Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

My “Lion” is helping humanity turn toward peace. Will you help me?

This is a continuation of a series of blogs that I believe God has directed me to write, based on the song “Let There Be Peace On Earth. The lyrics are:

Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth The peace that was meant to be. With God as our father Brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me Let this be the moment now. With every step I take Let this be my solemn vow. To take each moment And live each moment With peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me.

He wanted me to ask everyone I know to ask their respective churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc. to sing that song at the end of every service for the next year. Whatever religion you may practice, this is for all of humanity. If you don’t attend religious services, bring it up in any group of people with whom you meet. If no one wants to sing it, print it on cards and hand it out.

This song is significant for one primary reason—its puts the burden on us as individuals to be the ones who bring about peace. We can’t sit on our respective bottoms waiting for God or the government to do it for us. WE have to do it. Peace must well up from the bottom, not trickle down from the top. Take these words to heart: “Let it begin with me.”

I had a very strange experience on Christmas Eve. During the service at my church, I had the strong feeling that God was asking me to have my congregation sing “Let There Be Peace On Earth” at the end of the service. No, I do not normally hear voices, and no, I don’t usually get messages from God, at least ones I recognize. But the more I resisted the idea, the harder God pushed. Eventually I could no longer deny what he wanted me to do. So I charged up to the front of the church at the end of the service and led the song.

Since then, I have continued to feel that God isn’t done with me. Day by day I get more pieces of a puzzle. The best word I have for the pieces are revelations. Like trying to work a jigsaw without knowing what the picture looks like, I don’t really know where this is going or what the end result will be. I only know I am supposed to tell people what I am being told. I haven’t figured out exactly how I’m going to do that, but for now, I’m going to start by using my blog. You can choose to read it, or you can choose to ignore it.

Please understand, however, that what you will read here does not come from me. Believe me, I didn’t want to do this.

Revelation #1: 2017 is a pivotal year.

It represents a “node,” a point in time where humanity can effect momentous change. This year, humanity could begin to turn toward peace—real peace, permanent peace, the end of violence in all its forms. On the other hand, we can also choose to ignore the opportunity for change and continue to march down the path we are currently on, the one that keeps leading us to more and more violence, more wars, bigger and more destructive weapons, and more violence on a personal level against women, children, and anyone who looks different, acts different, or believes different.

Of course, the change won’t be completed in a single generation, but it could begin here. It is up to us to make it happen.

Please think about this. If you want to be a part of the positive change, begin looking for ways in which you as an individual can foster peace. Begin with your own family and friends, and gradually expand to all those with whom you have contact. In every situation you encounter where you could react with anger or violence, try to do the opposite. Seek a peaceful resolution.

Spending a couple of days on Argus waiting for my next shipment. Today I spent a little time exploring the caves and some of the architecture. The people are quite ingenious. Many of the underground homes are carved into a soft limestone, creating a honeycomb of entrances. They have a system for piping light in from the surface, and have created well-lit and comfortable shopping and entertainment areas. Coming from a water planet of beaches and oceans, I was squeamish about spending so much time in caves. But I nearly forgot I was underground.

Marlon Tave, Captain

One of the great advantages of flying solo is having ample time to study subjects I have long been curious about. My first choice is an anthropological history of the Master Race. The oldest known relics of the space-faring humans are from about 4.5 million standard years ago. The Mandrins are the oldest known Master Race descendants, but they are rarely seen off their home planet. Their evolution has resulted in a less-human appearance with enlarged craniums and smaller, weakened arms and legs. They have developed the ability to travel and communicate astrally and therefore have little use for commerce with other star-faring races.

There are only five known worlds in this sector that have achieved sentience without Master Race DNA, and those developed long after the MR had passed through. I can’t help but wonder what the racial makeup of space-faring planets would have looked like in my time if the MR had not been so egotistical. There are far more non-MR sentient species out on The Fringe of the Milky Way, and they include insectoids, amphibians and mammal-like species.

The bomacs of Rodinia already show exceptional intelligence and a social structure similar to many primitive sentient cultures. And what about the incredible architectural designs of the aradnia on Aradinia? Where will they be in a billion years if allowed to develop with no genetic manipulation? Where will the descendents of Master Race genetic manipulation be?

Marlon Tave, Captain

The trip through the wormhole in my little ship was a much more hair-raising experience than what I remembered from the bigger cargo vessel. I thought it was going to rip my poor little Starlilly apart at the seams. She moaned and groaned like she was dying, and even with artificial gravity, I swear I felt like I was upside down several times and thrown side-to-side at others—I assume because of the gravitational distortions inside. However, I am safely clear now and only two more days away from Argus.

With the computer piloting the ship, I have returned to my studies of Master Race history, though I will remain at the flight console most of the time. Aside from here, my sleeping quarters and the galley there’s not any place else to be anyway. Anthropoligists believe the Master Race seeded human DNA into pre-sentient species, those that had the cranial capacity to develop sentience but hadn’t yet achieved that level of intelligence, on over a thousand different worlds. There may have been many more if some of their experiments died out before developing to a point where they began to build permanent artificial structures.

Marlon Tave, Captain

Arrived at the regional wormhole. I passed through it many times back when I was a crewman on a C-100 cargo vessel, but this will my first time piloting through it myself. There really isn’t much to “piloting” through the wormhole—it drags the ship through from one end to the other. The ship’s computer has to be shut down during transit because the gravitational distortions drive the computer crazy—so to speak.

The entry/exit of the wormhole is marked by a circle of ten luminaries in geo-stationary orbit. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to see it, though that isn’t really necessary either. The space station in permanent orbit near the wormhole guides ships into proper alignment for entry, and once you get close enough, the wormhole sucks you in. Only one ship is allowed through at a time, so at present I’m sitting in queue waiting for my turn. The stationmaster on the opposite side has notified the one on my side that a ship has clearance to enter. I have to wait for it to exit before I will be given clearance.

Marlon Tave, Captain

Encountered pirates one standard day out from Argus. There’s an asteroid belt halfway between Dagran and the wormhole, and I had to drop out of warp to traverse it. A handy place for the pirates to hide. Some pilots try to outrun them among the asteroids, but that’s as risky as dealing with the pirates themselves. I thought I might be able to talk my way out of getting boarded, and fortunately succeeded. The cargo I’m carrying, dilurian sensor chips, isn’t particularly valuable. It’s produced from a crystal common on Argus and other planets with a volcanic past, but rare on Dagran. They are not much use on many other worlds, however. If the pirates tried to unload the chips on Dagran, they would be easily identified as stolen goods, and the planets that might accept them probably wouldn’t pay much for them. My sensors detected them scanning my hold, and they evidently decided I wasn’t worth the hassle. I was allowed to pass without further hindrance. However, I have notified port authorities at both Argus and Dagran, and have posted an image of the ship below. If you encounter a ship with the designation B2F69#, keep your distance.

Marlon Tave, Captain