Greg Allen

Greg Allen is a Vet, Former Contractor, Author, Artist, Former Nationally Syndicated Columnist, Poet, Songwriter and founder of Builder of the Spirit Ministries

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

Parallels Within Those Scores Ago
by Greg Allen
Published Dec 1, 2013

November marked the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and the 50th of the Kennedy assassination – with those observances come some parallels we’ll explore.

Eleven score and 17 years ago, in 1776, the founding fathers of America sought to break those fetters of oppression exerted upon them by the King of England.  Their social experiment was an ingenious one; never an undertaking of such had been dreamed of before.

At the heart of it all was the premise that all men are created equal and given a right of freedom and liberty by a Creator, not an overlord.

In essence, the founding fathers sought to rid themselves of those proverbial shackles enslaving all those who lived in the colonies under the thumb of King George.

Seven score and 10 years ago, on November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave a two-minute speech at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to commemorate a cemetery for the thousands killed in the July battle waged there.

In his oration, President Lincoln said all men are created equal as well.  At the heart of the matter was Lincoln’s drive to hold the union together and end slavery.  He had a profound belief that no man should own another.  In the end that notion cost him his life at the hands of a Confederate sympathizer, a one John Wilkes Booth who didn’t believe in such claims.

Thousands gave their lives in that war so all men may be free – lest we forget – oddly, Barack Obama never attended the ceremonies commemorating Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.  Although it was only 63 miles away, the President claimed he couldn’t work it into his schedule.

Two score and 10 years ago, on November 22, 1963, JFK was assassinated in Dallas by a self-proclaimed Marxist, a communist called Lee Harvey Oswald who didn’t share the same beliefs as Kennedy did.

The civil rights movement was in full swing at the time of that presidential assassination and Martin Luther King Jr., the spiritual leader of the civil rights movement, was also gunned down for having like dreams as JFK.

There’s been persecution and struggle for liberty occurring throughout the history of the United States, it’s an ongoing process, yet America is like no other nation on Earth.  There are those who see the goodness flowing through the veins of its citizens, and then again there are those who view the nation as flawed and oppressive by nature.

There have been many firsts in America’s storied history.  Slaves were freed, women were given the vote, President Kennedy was the first Catholic chosen by the people, and Barack Obama was the first African American given that lofty privilege.

A quarter of a score ago, President Obama took office to authoritatively proclaim he would fundamentally transform America.  His vision of the country wasn’t that of the majority of the citizenry and he would set out to change the very fabric of society as we know it.

There are those who believe government can be an oppressor and need be unimposing.  Then on the other hand, there are those who believe government is everything and need be the dictate to all living within the borders of its reign.

There are many in America who value freedom and believe government has become fascist and socialistic in nature and deplore being enslaved by what it’s become.  On the other hand, a horde of others are convinced they’ll always be less fortunate and discriminated against.

There are those who profit from that notion of widespread discrimination.

It’s of consequence that the President doesn’t hold like views of other predecessors.

One can only ascertain that the President’s motives are foreign to most and that transparency he promised has instead manifested itself as scandal breeding even more.

Many feel he’s trying to enslave Americans by imposing torturous inflictions upon the very liberties and freedoms many so cherish.

President Obama will eventually learn that trust need be cherished, not recklessly risked for political-maneuvering sake, for it’s impossible to regain once that sheen has been tarnished.

Oswald Chambers, a noted theologian who lived around the turn of the century, said: “Make a determination to take no one seriously except God.  You may find that the first person you must be the most critical with, as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.” Those who are convinced government is their sustenance surely embolden that premise.

The rights of common man are duly instilled in the Constitution and that would explain why many who thirst for power hate that document so.

Greg Allen’s column, Thinkin’ Out Loud, was published bi-monthly from 2009 to 2017.  He’s an author, a former nationally syndicated columnist and the founder of Builder of the Spirit  Ministries in Jamestown, Indiana.  He can be reached at https://t.co/9QdchPfdBy.

© Greg Allen ~ All Rights Reserved

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

THAT INVISIBLE HAND – (2/08) - Author Greg Allen

I gained a foothold amidst depravity today.
It was a shed of light upon that chasm of gray.
While on bent knees a washing of my tears occurred.
I believe there’s passion in the rain.
I could hear the theme of, “I’ll never leave or turn away.”
Poetic, for there was a voice in it all.
A rustling all about me.
The wind has swept over me.
That sensation of His presence brought me low.
For I could feel a gentle breeze.
That invisible hand upon my cheek.

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

On this day in history - October 13, 2021

Canadian actor William Shatner - best known for his iconic “Star Trek” role as Captain Kirk - boarded Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space shuttle with three other people and became the oldest living person to travel into space at age 90. News stations broadcasted the historic launch.

As exciting as exploring space may seem, despite the dangers, Shatner returned from his adventure with a surprise emotion: grief. He said the journey into space filled him with “overwhelming sadness.”

In his memoir Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, Shatner says that he felt anxious when the space-flight day arrived, despite numerous preparatory simulations and training courses that he took with his fellow voyagers: Glen de Vries, a tech mogul; Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's vice president; and Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer.

Shatner said he kept thinking about the Hindenburg disaster, when an airship crashed on May 6, 1937 in New Jersey. Yet he was committed to the flight, so he pushed himself to do it, despite doubts about whether his nonagenarian’s body could handle it. The g-pressure increased to painful levels right after takeoff. Then, the shuttle reached the point beyond gravity where the crew was weightless, and while his fellow travelers were enjoying floating around the vessel, Shatner just wanted to get to a window and look at what was outside.

“I love the mystery of the universe,” Shatner wrote in his book. “I love all the questions that have come to us over thousands of years of exploration and hypotheses. Stars exploding years ago, their light traveling to us years later; black holes absorbing energy; satellites showing us entire galaxies in areas thought to be devoid of matter entirely … all of that has thrilled me for years.”

Then, after a few moments of looking out the window, Shatner felt sadness about the destruction of the Earth because of mankind’s interference.

“But when I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold … all I saw was death,” Shatner wrote. “I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness.”

The surprise grief Shatner felt, he wrote, is not uncommon among astronauts, including Sally Ride. It’s called the “Overview Effect,” which is what happens when a space traveler views the Earth from orbit and feels the overwhelming awareness of our planet’s fragility. Author Frank White is credited with coining the term in 1987 when he wrote in his book The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution: “There are no borders or boundaries on our planet except those that we create in our minds or through human behaviors. All the ideas and concepts that divide us when we are on the surface begin to fade from orbit and the moon. The result is a shift in worldview, and in identity.”

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@Mia1708198d International House of Pancakes

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

Mr. Lowe, my brother's third grade teacher, broke a meter stick over Denton's hand. My Dad called him up and told Mr. Lowe to meet him after school the next day. The old man was going to mop the floor with that teacher. Mr. Lowe never showed ... and he was nice to Denton after that!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@oelma__ 18

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@oelma__ 17

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@Chris__X__ Because you listen to that demon in your head!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@RobertaFresque2 GYM!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@LifeNewsHQ NO!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@OperHealAmerica

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@Godsgirl77777 Being saved!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@oelma__ What good is it to be the richest man in the world and lose your soul?

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@younweb3 ?

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@Sheltieman3 NO!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

THE PROPHET’S CRY – (4/08) - Author Greg Allen

The Prophet cries out amidst it all. It’s God’s proclaim he’ll raise. Many will refuse to lend an ear. For they reason it’s not for a modern-day. The Prophet is called and can’t relent. Some are no doubt false, others true. Stand in judgement of what they say. It need be true to the Word. God’s servant recognized through and through.

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@LangmanVince It's like talking to a brick wall!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@4thOfJuly365 The Bible says we are to have no spirit of fear!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@atensnut All 18!

[Greg Allen @Greg21382Allen]

@AlexDuncanTX AMEN!