“Empires not based on peace are not blessed by God.
Politics divorced from justice betrays those who wish this to be so”
Pope Pius XII
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12
(Rock of Cashel/ Rock of the Kings / Co Tipperary, Ireland / Julie Cook / 2016)
Empires have risen and Empires have fallen…
Nations that once prospered have perished and disappeared.
Time has not been kind to the once great Civilizations and Empires that were…
Phoenicians
Egyptians
Monguls
Huns
Romans
Greeks
Persians
Ottomans
Mayans
Angles
Picts
Goths
Saxons
Celts
Normans
Vikings
The list is lengthy as the questions remain…
Where did they go?
What really happened?
Some evolved into others as some devolved into a lesser form.
Great, rich, powerful, intimidating, influential..
Each simply ceased and are now oddly no more.
Lost somewhere along the winds of Time.
Yet their descendants quietly now roam the earth.
Was it…
Catastrophe?
Plague?
Self destruction?
Natural disasters?
Wars?
Revolutions?
Or was it merely fate?
They were once resolute.
They were once certain.
They once believed in their place in the annuals of Time…
As in…
Persevering
Maintaining
Growing
Surviving
As in forever….
What were…
Their goals
Their desires
Their mission
Their purpose
Were their pursuits pure…
Their desires true?
Were lessons learned…
Or will mistakes be repeated?
Are we today, better, because of them?
Learning from what went before…
Are we…
wiser
kinder
more practical
less self absorbed
more peaceful
altruistic
benevolent
nurturing
happier….
Are we… better…?
Are we blessed?
Or….
Are we doomed?
Destined, perhaps even cursed, to the same demise of those who have gone before…
Simply disappearing into the memory of Time…
…along with all those who once were powerful, mighty and great…?
Or have we chosen a different path, a different fate…
choosing a different destiny altogether…?
Maybe something better than before…?
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.ā
Joshua 24:15
cookiecrumbstoliveby 
Saw the Rock of Cashel from the by-pass around the town on my last trip to Ireland. One day I might get to be a tourist in these places!
Something better than before … perhaps the church needs to consider this Julie. Because I just see the church making the same old mistakes and stagnating, instead of growing disciples. We seem more focused on structures and programmes inside our buildings than we are on the needs outside.
Yes David, to Ireland you go…as tourist and perhaps pilgrim…minus all the work and business.
I had a delightful little tipple when stopping in at the Dingle Crystal shop speaking of tipples š
And you are correct–the Church, the collective body of believers, does indeed need to consider such—times grow dark my friend—it’s best to know which way to go!!!
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Profoundly provocative! š ā¤