Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever, amen.
Do not be surprised at the trial by fire that is taking place among you, as though something strange was happening. But rejoice that you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed."
1 Peter 4:7-13
"His stature was still an asset to the regime, however, and Nero put him to work drafting a letter justifying the killing to the Senate. He had to claim that Nero had acted in self-defense against a dangerous woman, but not by celebrating the death of a mother. It did not impress the Senate, though only a hardcore stoic named Thrasea Paetus showed explicit disapproval of the blatant propaganda.
Seneca had made the bargain that many good men have made when agreeing to aid bad regimes. On the one hand, their presence strengthens the regime and helps it endure. But their moral influence may also improve the regime's behavior or save the lives of its enemies. For many, this has been a bargain worth making, even if it has cost them—as it may have cost Seneca—their immortal soul.
The Rome he has been trained to serve, the Rome of Augustus and Germanicus, was gone. In its place stood Neropolis, ruled by a megalomaniac brat.”
James Romm, Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero, 2014
"The end result was to be a new Imperial Order, and a New World Empire run by elite, self-perpetuating oligarchies from the leading nations of the earth."
Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope, 1966
"He fell with his face to the earth, as if kissing some one's feet. The silence continued long; then were heard the words of the aged man, broken by sobs, 'Quo vadis, Domine?'
Nazarius did not hear the answer; but to Peter's ears came a sad and sweet voice, which said, 'If you desert my people, I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time.'
The Apostle lay on the ground, his face in the dust, without motion or speech. It seemed to Nazarius that he had fainted or was dead; but he rose at last, seized the staff with trembling hands, and turned without a word toward the seven hills of the city.
The boy, seeing this, repeated as if an echo, 'Quo vadis, Domine?'
"To Rome," said the Apostle, in a low voice. And he returned.
And that same evening he went to the Ostian cemetery to teach and baptize those who wished to bathe in the water of life. And thenceforward he went there daily, and after him went increasing numbers. It seemed that out of every tear of a martyr new confessors were born, and that every groan on the arena found an echo in thousands of breasts. Caesar was swimming in blood, Rome and the whole pagan world was mad.
But those who had had enough of transgression and madness, those who were trampled upon, those whose lives were misery and oppression, all the weighed down, all the sad, all the unfortunate, came to hear the wonderful tidings of God, who out of love for men had given Himself to be crucified and redeem their sins. When they found a God whom they could love, they had found that which the society of the time could not give any one, — happiness and love."
Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis, 1905
When great powers fall into the trap of asymmetric wars against highly motivated and entrenched indigenous people, they bleed.
Stocks managed to extend their rally once again, on more fog and puffery from the Administration on a settlement to the conflict in the Middle East.
And they fell back again on more reports that Iran disavows the things that have been said.
This must surely be the oddest negotiation that I have ever witnessed, or even heard of.
Gold spiked quite hard today around 11:00 AM EDT. It gave back a some as the day wore on, but managed to hold on to an additional gain.
You may have noticed that when we get this hard selloffs into significant contract months option expirations, after a day or two of additional shenanigans we get a sharp rally back as the equilibrium of the market attempts to reassert itself.
Silver was content to wallow around.
Bitcoin managed to hold on to support and break its recent decline from a failed breakout attempt.
VIX is complacent, which is odd but in line with recent fashion in the world of the power elite.
Both the economic and the geopolitical spheres seem rather 'wobbly' these days. Having a group of pathological liars with the support of sociopaths is not constructive.
How are so many awful leaders, with strikingly high disapproval ratings, managing to stifle the world's democracies and turn them upside down? It makes one wonder.
The mighty rise and are fallen, but the word and the spirit endure — by the blood of the Risen.
Need little, want less, and love more. For those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them.
Have a pleasant weekend.
