Leah's Life

Message from God XXXIII

2009-06-07T12:05:00.002+08:00

This I command you to do.

You need to renew my creation.

I leave this in your hands.
Gone are the days of fire and brimstone,
plagues and blood.
Humankind is nearly ready for it’s
next phase.

The Middle East is burning now
and people are dying.
Everyone is right,
and many are wrong.
Soon you will feel guilt like the mightiest wrath
of physical disaster.
This is the way I will make my Will known.

There will be despair,
bargaining,
frustration,
and futility.
You will reach bottom.

The world won’t end
but you will not be able to deal
with the horror anymore.

You will feel abandoned and hopeless.

Instead of railing against me,
ask me for help;
through your pride and your obsolete beliefs;
and I will make things right.

I will shift the world invisibly
and the heart of man
will expand and glow.

People will come out of this haze with clear eyes
and light minds
and understand something new.
The old will fade away with no use.

War will be a thing of the past
and humans will begin the next phase.
This is my Word.

Take it how you like.
I am making it happen now.

I think you have a right to know.

If you are troubled by the changes,
call me and leave a message.
I’ll get back to you.

I always do.

Message from God XXXII

2009-06-01T11:46:00.002+08:00

You are here because I created you.
You are here so that I can look through your eyes.

I’m here because you created me
and if you are lucky,
you can look through my eyes
on occasion
and see how beautiful you are.

Message from God XXXI

2009-05-31T12:47:00.003+08:00

Take care of your children.

I expect them back in the good order
I gave them to you.

Your job is to make yourselves obsolete
so they can function without you.
This process will make you uncomfortable
but the education is worth it.

Message from God XXX

2009-05-30T13:16:00.003+08:00

No matter which way you look at something
there is always another way to see.
Have faith.
Even a damaged brain can recognise
the thoughts of the Creator.

Message from God XXIX

2009-05-24T12:04:00.004+08:00

Understand this, Mankind:

You are special
but are by no means my favourite creation.
Lucifer fell because I wouldn’t play favourites.

Respect animals because they know stuff you don’t.

People who complain that life
doesn’t come with an instruction manual
should look at their fellow creatures.
They can’t read or would even understand
a manual if they had one
but
they know how to operate life anyway.

Everything you need to know is inside you.
Animals know that. Humans need reminding.

Message from God XXVIII

2009-05-23T11:53:00.002+08:00

I have chosen everyone for a different task.
Some people may look weird to you,
or think differently,
but treat them nicely. They are my friends.

Don’t discriminate against them because they are different.
You don’t have to like them as much as I do
but you have to live with them.

Message from God XXVII

2009-05-22T10:35:00.002+08:00

Please understand that you are all my
children and I will not forsake any one of you.
So get used to sharing heaven with different people.

Don’t make me come down there.

Message from God XXVI

2009-05-21T10:04:00.001+08:00

A word to the church that wants more flock:
Be yourself,
have faith,
accept help
and let go.

I will deliver the people.
After all, it is my expression that you are working for.

Message from God XXV

2009-05-20T13:19:00.003+08:00

Churches save souls by following instinct and identifying miracles,
not by protecting dogma
or pushing agendas.

Message from God XXIV

2009-05-18T13:48:00.002+08:00

Sometimes a problem is best solved by
launching an offensive that you are not confident of winning.
A sudden jolt to the fabric of reality can bend the rules of logic
and make the intractable soluble.

Message from God XXIII

2009-05-17T17:29:00.002+08:00

Beware of people with scattered thoughts.
If you are not getting a clear reading off them
they are thinking in a different language to you.

You will find out what they were about in due course.

Message from God XXII

2009-05-16T16:34:00.001+08:00

Although failure may sting like an expected needle,
it is necessary.

However
embracing it doesn’t mean that it has to be comfortable.

Message from God XXI

2009-05-15T15:37:00.002+08:00

Beloved of people who have died violent deaths,
know this:

God is close to them at their time of death.
He puts in a personal appearance.
He hears their screams,
and feels their horror.

He accompanies them so that they are not alone.
When the spirit leaves a traumatised body,
it is handled ever so gently
because God appreciates
this sad sacrifice.

Rest assured, when someone goes to God,
there is no pain,
and even though we see everything,
we know that our loved ones are coming back to us.

Message from God XX

2009-05-14T13:54:00.003+08:00

Try not to be afraid of death.
God has placed within everyone of us a calm.
It will deliver us at the last moment to him,
safe and sound.

Knowing this, you can bear any pain
because ultimately,
you will be OK.

Message from God XIX

2009-05-13T11:43:00.001+08:00

Everything happens for a reason.
That is not to say that we don’t have free will
or that these things can’t co-exist.

Don’t fuss over trying to understand this.

In a world where we still don’t know everything,
anything is possible.

Message from God XVIII

2009-05-12T12:32:00.001+08:00

Although your job on this planet may not appear obvious to you;
and searching for it may cause you heartache,
know this;

you have one.

Humble though it may be,
it is crucial.
If you were absent
the universe wouldn’t exist.

Someday, the scientists will discover this.
Meanwhile God knows this.

Message from God XVII

2009-05-11T14:50:00.002+08:00

Don’t ask God where he was in Auschwitz,
Serbia, or Rwanda.
Don’t ask him how he could let Abu Graib happen.
He can’t stop these things.

We need to learn to stop these things ourselves.
He can only pick up the pieces and
move in people to heal them.

Ultimately,
like the small child,
we need to clean up our own room.

Message from God XVI

2009-05-10T12:12:00.002+08:00

Don’t bitch about God not being there when you need him.
What have you done for him lately?
Try showing some interest.
When you pray next,
include Him in your prayers.

He’s got a tough job to do.

Message from God XV

2009-05-08T10:46:00.001+08:00

God will never give up on us as long as
someone
somewhere
has some good in them.

I like those odds.

Message from God XIV

2009-05-07T12:34:00.003+08:00

Even if you don’t believe in God
He believes in you.

Take strength from that.

You can’t have too many friends.

Message from God XIII

2009-05-05T13:03:00.003+08:00

Joy is better than happiness.
Joy is the presence of God working within you.
Sometimes you feel it at your lowest ebb.
It literally saves you
and is transforming.

Happiness is unreliable and relative.
Nice when you have it
but elusive when you need it.

Message from God XII

2009-05-04T11:54:00.002+08:00

The next time you go to anger with a person,
try telling them you love them
or embrace them.
It will catch you off-guard
and catch them before they fall.

It can’t hurt,
and if you pay attention
you will feel the
Creator
working in your heart.

Message from God XI

2009-05-03T10:20:00.002+08:00

Evil does not lie in the hearts of men
but in their actions.

Actions beget action.

Good goes to better. Bad goes to hell.

Message from God X

2009-05-03T00:45:00.003+08:00

Killing in the name of God is an insult
almost too hard for him to bear.
What right have we to
declare Jihad on his account?

The blood of Muslims and Christians both
mingle in his fingerprints.
He washes and cannot remove the
stain.

He looks and is despairing.

The longer we hate,
The more he waits.

Message from God IX

2009-05-01T22:27:00.001+08:00

It is not enough to sit back and just believe in Jesus.
You must act.

Your redemption may be certain,
as a loving parent
always forgives;

but

it is nice to be liked as well
and no-one likes a big mouth.

Make God your friend,
do something for some of his creations.

Message from God VIII

2009-04-29T13:10:00.003+08:00

Spreading the word of God must focus on action.
Talk is not enough.
God wishes you to enjoy life
as it is short and
will soon be over.

Therefore,
help one another so that
the burden may be light.

Slack poster, not just a thing on your wall.

2009-04-28T09:18:00.003+08:00

I have been a bit tardy with posting stuff on this blog. Life is very diverting isn't. Anyways, back to the Messages from God. He will not let me off this one. I've tried everything but He knows where I live.

Message from God VII

2009-04-28T08:45:00.004+08:00

People will ask,
‘How do I know the difference
between
God and the devil,
or temptation?’

or

‘How do I know that it is really
God
talking to me?’

Simple.

God never tells you to hurt anyone.
He gave that up with
Abraham.

In war on that score then,
when do you know you are fighting for God?

Simple.

You are not.

You are fighting against the follies of men
for
freedom of choice.

God will do his best but he cannot please everyone.

To the Ummah at Eid al Adha

2008-12-09T21:09:00.002+09:00

Eid Mubarak everybody! As you bless others may Allah bless you. Inshallah.

Message from God VI

2008-11-22T10:52:00.003+09:00

Talking is an experiment that failed.
It was invented to enhance
communication but has obscured it
beyond all imagining.

Words start all wars,
stop endeavour,
and are the devil’s
entry into your soul.

Listen carefully,
as they can be a silky deceit
in a sheep’s clothing.

Trekking and Checkpoints

2008-11-15T19:33:00.004+09:00

There is something very unnerving about waiting at a checkpoint bristling with soldiers.

We were piled into a four-wheel drive on our way up to Sonnamarg. Sonnamarg is a resort town in Kashmir. When I say it is a resort town, I mean it is an Indian-style one. It has a main street with a number of shops, some hotels, a taxi-stand, a pony-stand, and a couple of barracks for the Indian Army. If you thought the wild west was a thing of the past, think again. It’s just moved to Kashmir.

Getting to Sonnamarg takes four hours of windy roads through mountain passes, often behind, or sandwiched between convoys of trucks full of troops with their loaded assault rifles pointed casually at our windscreen. Every so often we pass through roadblocks. They are often attached to military barracks and we are stopped and checked for security reasons.

Hostile eyes under berets peer into the vehicle. They see a group of belligerent Kashmiris and a Western tourist. They wave us on. One soldier even says that they are here for our protection. I wonder who is meant to protect us from them.

Wadud, the poncho-clad older brother of Haaziz is clearly the boss. “Don’t speak to the soldiers. They will come to your camp. Ignore them. Go inside the tent if you see them.”

“They are fuckers!” Haaziz chimes in.

Kareem the chef senses my disquiet. “They just come around in groups and talk shit. Once they come it takes forever to get rid of them. Then you have to give them tea. I’m not making tea for twenty soldiers.”

“Will they search our tents?” I ask.

“Oh no”, says Wadud. “They will just come around because they are curious. . .”

“Of me?”

“. . .yes. They will stare and say things. . .” says Wadud with obvious distaste.

“Don’t worry. I’m used to people staring at me.” I say as I nuzzle into Tariq's shoulder to have a nap.

Later I awake to see Gurkhas perched on hills. They have distinctive helmets modelled on asiatic turbans. Every inch of them is camoflauged, and some even have tufts of vegetation poking out of their headgear. It reminds me of Dad’s Army, and would be funny, until I remember that the Gurkhas have a reputation of being one of the world’s most feared fighting force.

This military buildup is the result of the Kargil war which was fought in 1999 between India and Pakistan. Pakistani troops and Kashmiri militants from the Pakistani administered areas of Kashmir crossed the Line of Control into Indian administered territory. India’s superior airforce and army eventually pushed the Pakistanis back over the Line of Control. The very road I was traveling on now, National Highway Number One was a supply line for the Indians and a vantage point for the Pakistanis to defend their positions. The rest of the world waited nervously for hostilities to cease, fearing that the two old enemies would nuke each other.

The Indian battalions have stayed there ever since. Now their job is to stop militants crossing the border and to ensure the safety of Indian tourists.

There are reports that they are far more busy up there taking bribes and operating a black market trade in contraband. Women have been reporting harassment and rapes and men have been tortured and killed.

The next morning I am en-route to the toilet, which is a large boulder that hides my derriere from the prying eyes of endless pony riding pilgrims. I espy a snaking company of soldiers working their way down the valley to our tent site. I crouch down and wait for them to pass as I don’t fancy an audience for my ablutions.

They congregate around the tent. I consider not going back to the tent until they leave, but then it occurs to me that they won’t leave until I go back. They have already spotted me as I emerge from the boulder.

As I approach the campsite a Sergeant approaches and introduces himself to me. I give him and his troops Namastes and he quizzes me on how long I am staying. He is trying to make conversation rather than being nosey. The troops gather around. There are faces belonging to regions all over the sub-continent. A Nepali gurkha flashes me a big grin. A giant be-turbanned Sikh shyly glances away. Some of the men talk amongst themselves making jokes. Others lay around on rocks smoking. Suddenly the Sergeant gathers them all up and amid much shouting and slinging of rifles they depart.

“They weren’t so bad”, I observe.

Kareem stretches out in the tent to commence his morning nap. “No they weren’t. Thank God I didn’t have to make them tea.”

2008-11-08T21:04:00.001+09:00

Check out Idiot's Stew people! It is quite chuckalicious!

Idiot's Stew: So, what do you drive?

2008-11-08T21:00:00.000+09:00

Idiot's Stew: So, what do you drive?

Message from God V

2008-10-21T16:13:00.001+08:00

Bear humility in the face of God.
Accept that victory is
hollow without love.

Humble yourself to other’s taunts
wether there is truth in them or not.
You don’t have to accept,
but if you don’t
heed God’s discipline,
he will make you kneel.

Message from God IV

2008-10-20T20:56:00.002+08:00

Peace can be radical
when it takes no prisoners,
no casualties,
but
defeats war,
conquers fear,
and vanquishes ignorance.

Message from God III

2008-10-20T20:51:00.003+08:00

Go easy on God.
He was young once too.
He made mistakes,
was rash,
angry,
jealous,
grandiose,
gauche
and judgemental.

As the mountains age,
so does God.

His wrinkles do us proud.

Message from God II

2008-10-18T20:16:00.001+08:00

Passion is its own reward.
When fighting for something
you believe in,
better to live a thousand lives in one day,
than a thousand years in one life.

Message from God I

2008-10-17T16:45:00.002+08:00

It is fitting that
God should appear
in the world and
partake of pain and
sadness.

His strength comes
from knowing the limitations of
creation and having the
guts to own it.

To see your offspring feel pain,
and to live through it,
and not give up when your
heart is breaking;
is the crown God wears.

That is why,
when you need him,
you only have to call.
He’ll pick up.
Whether you hear him is up to you.

While at my table one day. . .

2008-10-17T15:06:00.004+08:00

You are going to think I have lost it but a few years ago I was sitting at my kitchen table scribbling some notes for a book that I was going to write. It is hard to describe how I felt that day but strange is a good start. I started writing and everything was fine until I felt a force guiding me away from topic. Being a very disciplined person when I am writing, I tried to switch back but was continually blocked.

After I submitted and gave in, I realised I was getting a message from somewhere. I recognised the source and went with it. It was the most unconscious writing I have ever done and I hardly remember writing it. It was all over in about half an hour.

The feeling I had when I was writing it was a feeling of supreme power and elation. I have only felt this feeling on four other occasions. It was like all of my conscious ego had gone and all human pain was absent. I'm sure that people must feel like this on heroin or in religious ecstasy. All I know is that it was a gift that if people got more often, the world wouldn't be in the mess it is now.

I had an overwhelming feeling I should publish it and that in doing so I should not profit. So here it is. I will put an new post on every day and I will differentiate these posts from my others so that you know the source. I will call them, 'A Message from God.'

From a Christian to the Ummah. . .

2008-10-01T17:16:00.000+08:00

To all Muslims on this happy day. Felicitations to you on Eid. May Allah bestow all His blessings upon your house. Inshallah.

Saint Peter is a Soldier

2008-09-27T20:09:00.001+08:00

The signs at Srinagar airport say “Welcome to Heaven”. Little lines of pansies prostrate themselves under the wind on the way into the terminal. A Sikh signs me in with a form that asks me where I am staying and when I will exit Jammu & Kashmir. I half expect to have to show my passport but he grins at me and waves me through. I am in northern India, but it may as well be another country. I’ve never been to heaven but I am sure that it doesn’t have this many soldiers.

I sit in the back of Toyota Qualis, swaying like a sack of potatoes without a seat belt. I am sitting near the door, worried it may swing open at any time and deposit me in the path of a Tata lorry or a Bajaj scooter. We are barrelling down tight streets that look like Europe, but smell like India.

Jammu & Kashmir is the northern-most state of India. At least that is what most of the world thinks it is when they bother to think of it at all. More accurately it is 101 000 km² of contested land inhabited by seven million people that wish that Pakistan, India and China would get out of the way and let them live in peace.

Due to some diplomatic apathy and political bloody-mindedness about 60 years ago involving the UN, Nehru, and an instrument of accession, Jammu & Kashmir has been occupied by Indian soldiers in the most densely concentrated military build-up in the world. That’s right. There are more soldiers here per head of population than Palestine.

My government advises that no Australian should travel here. It’s easy to understand why. On the outside Jammu & Kashmir looks like a dangerous place. There are regular grenade explosions, clashes with militants in the border regions, terrorists infiltrating the city, landmines, civil unrest, and kidnappings.

I am here though, despite the misgivings of my family, to travel with two Kashmiri friends. I have a gut feeling that I will be safe with them and this proves correct, however, what I don’t anticipate, is the danger that they face every single day.

Tariq and Haaziz have grown up in Srinagar. Tariq comes from the city part of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir. It is a bustling Indian city with a difference. Most of its people are Muslims. The women get around mainly yellow, green and blue salwah kameez and hijab. The men wear white kurtas and niqab or western style slacks, shirts and ties. This side of town is traditionally known as the militant side of town. It has the oldest mosque in Srinagar, and the Martyr’s graveyard.

Haaziz lives in Nageen lake, a small lakelet within the Dal Lake system. His is a semi-rural life on a tiny piece of land bounded by two houseboats. The Doonga is the family’s boat, where everyone sleeps in three rooms, all rugged up together in temporary bedding that is packed up in the morning under rugs. There is a detached kitchen shed and bathroom and tiny yards for ducks and chickens. Dogs and cats visit everyday and try their luck for scraps and Haaziz' mother has had a cote built for her white pigeons.

A large houseboat with fancy furnishing and carpets is the family’s tourist property which provides income for five people. It operates six months of the year until the snow comes. Anything that upsets this idyll severely affects this family and the many family’s that rely on the tourist trade.

Even though Haaziz and Tariq are as different as chalk and cheese in their upbringings and outlook, they have something in common. They have grown up in a country that has been occupied. They both refer to Jammu & Kashmir as Kashmir. They relate to it as a separate country. They both love India, especially the cricket, and both revere Ghandi but when it comes to India’s claim on Kashmir they draw the line. They have seen too much death at the hands of the soldiers to remain rational about the geopolitics of the region.

These men are ordinary law abiding citizens in their twenties. They are interested in everything else that young guys are into, chatting up pretty girls, shopping for the latest fashion, smoking and drinking and hanging out talking trash with their mates. Neither of them would hurt a fly.

When we were stopped twice within two hundred metres at roadblocks by soldiers they got out of the rickshaw and protested. Even though one of the soldiers became pushy and said something rude about me, they remained calm. They argued rationally, showed their IDs’ and got back into the rickshaw.

I could tell that they were used to this behaviour. Two men that were previously chattering and laughing were now sullen and humiliated.

“That would not happen if Pakistan were running Kashmir”, says Tariq.

“Shuttup with that shit”, retorts Haaziz. I catch the eye of the rickshaw driver Mohammed. He is Haaziz' cousin. He is orthodox Muslim with a white niqab framing gentle eyes. He smiles back at me in the rearview mirror. It is a smile of resignation.

“Next time, I’m getting out”, I say. “Maybe they won’t be so obnoxious with a westerner as a witness”.

Haaziz pats my hand. “Don’t be worried. Here is safe.” He looks out at the street flashing by, unconvinced.

Tariq is quiet. I can’t see his eyes through his sunglasses but I can tell he is seething.

I settle back into my seat and stare out through the windscreen. Another road block is coming up. I remember the sign at the airport.

Welcome to Heaven.

Copyright 2008 Leah Cornish-Ward
Unedited

When in doubt. . .

2008-09-27T20:02:00.000+08:00

When you are depressed about life remember to look on the bright side. If that doesn't work there is always

Chocolate
Wine
Self-destructive behaviour

What? You want to live forever!

Ok, here we go. . .

2008-09-27T19:30:00.000+08:00

I am 38, still not grown up, and trying to create my own opportunities. The world is a hard task-master and the way it works is still secret. So with this in mind I give birth to this blog. Hell, at least I don't need an epidural for this creation. . .