"One Winter's Evening"

Footsteps crunch
In new fallen snow

Frozen architecture
Left behind

Cold air
Stings my lungs

Feeling alive
I exhale frosty vapors

Evening comes
Streetlights aglow

Casting shadows
Of yellow and gray

Silence comes
Time seems to slow

I admire
Snowflakes hung in space

Wondrous design
Speaks to a Creator

Hills covered
In blankets of snow

Pure white
Reminds me of grace

Mind wanders
Bach's Art of the Fugue

Happiness comes
With the shimmering snow

Music dances
Across the sky

Sacred geometry
Revealed in crystalline forms

Feeling warmth
I listen

And realize
Everything will be ok

   -- Zachary Uram (c) 2013

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Islam needs a great reformation. It must categorically reject violence, hatred, racism, sexism, intolerance and bigotry. When someone claiming to be a Muslim commits an atrocity such as an act of terrorism they need to face widespread condemnation from the global Islamic community. Prominent Muslims, such as heads of state, members of the government, members of royal families, celebrities, teachers and professors, and imams, sheiks and other religious leaders must seek a moderate form of Islam which rejects these barbaric values. In other words Islam must be brought fully out of the 7th century and into the 21st century!

This reformation should include:

1. rejection of dhimmitude, which is treating non-Muslims as second class citizens
2. full respect for women and their equal status both under the law and in society
3. a popular culture which rejects the death culture so prominent in Jihadist propaganda
4. zero tolerance for acts of terrorism
5. greater ecumenical and inter-faith outreach
6. rejection of sharia law and embrace of law which recognizes all of our human rights
7. rejection of pedophilia and so-called child marriages
8. rejection of Islamism which seeks to legislate Islam as the law of the land
9. be much more open to criticism
10. outlaw so-called blasphemy laws which punish people for offending Mohammed, the Qur'an or Islam in general
11. outlaw so-called apostasy laws which call for the imprisonment and even death of Muslims who leave the faith
12. reforming madrasa (religious schools) so they stop preaching hatred and intolerance
13. self-policing of imams, sheiks and other religious ministers so as to delegitimize  hateful speech, calls for Jihad, and other violent speech.
14. full legal rights and protection, under the Constitutions and laws, for non-Muslims living in Muslim majority nations
15. careful monitoring of finances so that terrorist groups don't get financial assistance
16. the local culture should ostracize anyone found giving material aid to terrorists or Islamists in general
17. stop constant polemics against the Christian faith, stop attacking the validity of the Bible
18. apologize for all wrongdoing which has been done in the name of Islam
19. make financial reparations for wrongdoings
20. reject all passages in the Qur'an, Sunah and Hadith which call for violence, hatred, and bigotry

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1. Let Scripture exegete Scripture where possible.
2. Follow the principle of contextual realism. You accept what the text is saying as real (as opposed to allegorical, symbolic, metaphorical) unless the context or genre clearly either indicates you should not.
3. Believe that God's expressed purpose and Will is evident in one consistent and connected thread from OT to NT.
4. Note the particular grammatical-historical-cultural dimension of the text.
5. Take into account Church tradition and preponderence of teaching.
6. Engage in a systematic theology whereby each issue is analyzed across all of Scripture in a rigorous way.

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chilly winds envelope me
i walk slowly
through the park

trees paint the sky
orange, red, yellow and green
stark vivid hues

my steps are measured
i think of harvest
nature's bounty revealed

wafting through the air
i smell burnt leaves
an intoxicating fragrance

childhood memories stream past
jumping on piles of leaves
moist and crunchy

 - Zachary Uram (c) 2012

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I smack my belly
I don't why why

I love to smack it
I can't tell a lie

I smack it all over
It resonates with glee

Oh what joy I get
From smacking my belly

I will smack it in the day
I will smack it at night

I will never stop smacking it
What a delight

So rotund and peaceful
Is my fatty belly

It loves to make music
So sweetly

I'll never stop smacking
My belly so fair

For all the ages
I will smack it with flair

Smack one
Smack two

Smack three
And Smack four

Smack it all over
Smack for ever more

- Zachary Uram (c) 2012

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Thanks to a recent story in The Independent online my blog got a bunch of pageviews. Woot! Check out the stats:

By the way, I agree with journalist Guy Adams. NBC's coverage of the Olympics has been amateurish, inept and downright irritating. He didn't deserve to have his Twitter account suspended. Instead of broadcasting events live, which would occur in the afternoon here, they make us wait until 8pm EST to watch tape delayed broadcasts. This is after the results have already been known for hours and disseminated all over various media outlets! Further NBC is making dumb mistakes. Last night they announced the winner of the women's 100m freestyle race before the race was aired thanks to a promo spot for the Today Show. This is embarrassing. And one would get the impression from watching NBC's coverage that the only events which exist are track and field, gymnastics and swimming; and the only countries competing are China, Britain and America!

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among the clouds
floating on daydreams
my senses soar

bathed in sunlight
the air crackles
an ionized breeze

below the ocean
teeming with life
an aquablue paradise

a warm glow
envelops my body
peaceful and soothing

afar are mountains
spiraling frosty peaks
soaring towards Heaven

what splendid majesty
God's wondrous Creation
embrace it now

 - Zachary Uram (c) 2012

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