Category: Bread & Butter Morsels

The Cachalot Whale, Peaceful and Extraordinary – and Hunted to its Death

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels2 Comments

Moby Dick by Herman Melville, 1851

During my unplugged week I read Moby Dick by Herman Melville. It was a fascination – like experiencing a bizarre traveling circus that only appears after midnight.

The whole book filled me with sadness. I’m reading it with 170 additional years of history and knowledge and I think; the suffering we inflicted on entire species of whales in the name of profit and indulgence. And then I think, in what ways are we doing the same thing now in 2021? How about plastics and oil for starters…

I never formally studied this book so I have no preconceived scholarly analysis. The endless exposition that was a mix of fact and speculation was just boring. I have to attribute my attitude to that 170 year chasm. I wouldn’t have been any wiser at the time.

I’m too sensitive when it comes to animals to ever be able to admire Moby Dick and appreciate the story. All I could think about was how wrong humankind was about the nature of whales and God…how wrong we still are in some cases.

A Leviathan?

Leviathan was not a whale. The peaceful, curious nature of whales was all I could think about when reading how Melville described the beast Captain Ahab hunted – and I couldn’t separate the author from the ruthless nature of the Captain.

Below is the Sperm whale (wholly misnamed out of ignorance); and the demon, the monster, the man-killing beast from hell, the Leviathan that Melville described…and this was all I could think about while reading Moby Dick:

The Light Bulb – the Bright Idea seekers

The whale population was being decimated. In 1835 the first constant electric light was demonstrated. It took 44 more years of scientists tinkering with the bulb device before a usable one was created in 1879. Thank God someone was striving for a better way. Reminds me of electric cars and Elon Musk. Reminds me of anyone launching out against the flow in pursuit of a better world.

But humankind continued hunting whales for profit, some countries even now continue. (Sometime in the year 2100, But humankind continued using gasoline and oil for cars….)

I really can’t enjoy this book. I know it was about revenge; I know it was about deeper symbolic references of man and their madness to dominate. It didn’t move me. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to. Maybe Herman just wanted to incite me, end of story.

Some Decent Prose When Not Choked by the Exposition

There were only one or two portions that gripped me and really pulled me onto the deck of the ship, in all her fiery madness. Here is one of them:

“…darkness was licked up by the fierce flames, which at

intervals forked forth from the sooty flues, and illuminated

every lofty rope in the rigging, as with the famed Greek fire.

The burning ship drove on, as if remorselessly commissioned

to some vengeful deed. So the pitch and sulphur-freighted brigs

of the bold Hydriote, Canaris, issuing from their midnight harbors,

with broad sheets of flame for sails, bore down upon

the Turkish frigates, and folded them in conflagrations.

“…as their uncivilized laughter

forked upwards out of them, like the flames from the furnace;

as to and fro, in their front, the harpooneers wildly gesticulated

with their huge pronged forks and dippers; as the wind howled on,

and the sea leaped, and the ship groaned and dived, and yet steadfastly

shot her red hell further and further into the blackness of the sea

and the night, and scornfully champed the white bone in her mouth,

and viciously spat round her on all sides; then the rushing Pequod,

freighted with savages, and laden with fire, and burning a corpse,

and plunging into that blackness of darkness, seemed the material

counterpart of her monomaniac commander’s soul. So seemed it to me, as I stood at her helm, and for long

hours silently guided the way of this fire-ship on the sea.”

-Excerpt, pg 398 Moby Dick

In Conclusion

This book could be 200 pages; better yet, a short story. The overindulgent exposition and the fact that it was a true horror story of the slaughter of such a beautiful, peaceful animal, killed my soul and any hint of enjoyment for me.

One more extraordinary clip of the beautiful cachalot, it’s accurate name…enjoy

Stay safe beautiful people, stay extraordinary – even if the world would rather you not be~

Featured Photo by Samuel Bryant, 1956

Unplugged: A Week without the Internet

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels5 Comments

From noon last Wednesday until noon this Wednesday I spent an entire week not utilizing the internet. It was an eye-opening foray into the dark murky waters of-

>Eminent boredom and time stretching into an infinite blackhole<

My trepidation was a bit melodramatic but the anxiety was real.

In the wee hours of the first morning I sat down with my coffee on the couch and instead of reaching for my laptop I just sat there staring at the table. I had put my laptop in a drawer out of sight. I opened my notebook/scheduler and my bible and started reading, praying and meditating on a few verses God had impressed on my heart for this year.

I seriously had an anxious outlook on this whole unplugged thing. It’s hard to express it in words – perhaps you should try it yourself to see what I mean – it’s a habit or addiction almost. Something about the internet and the year 2020 has ingrained in us this idea of being cutoff with only social media to keep everyone together. Quarantine and lockdowns exacerbated this feeling.

Whatever it was, I knew I had to break that habit if for no other reason than because it is a false belief.

I went about my day as usual; workout, walking, swimming, cleaning and working: just a normal day. But every time I’d sit down or relax I’d catch myself wanting my laptop. Pretty sure it was the feeling of withdrawal I was experiencing, haha!

So, I got into a huge book. None other than Moby Dick. I mean, seriously. Of all things that could curb my internet withdrawals. But sure enough, it was the perfect book. Off on a great seafaring journey I went. Read the whole thing. (No, no, that’s a lie. I skipped the pretentious, ever-rambling expositions). And I now know more about the insides of a whale and the whaling industry of the 1850’s than I ever wanted to know.

I might write a blog post of what I think about this book in the future.

Anyway, on the third day something interesting started happening. The desire to get on the internet faded into the background and I settled into my immediate surroundings. I started going through some boxes in the closets and realized I had two aquariums purchased back in 2018 that I had yet to setup. A small 5 gallon and a larger 40 gallon.

All the equipment and most of the accessories were there. It was a treat really. Since I’ve been working from home and endeavoring to change my career, I haven’t had the luxury of shopping. I enjoy shopping. But I’m on a mission this year, so thrifty is the name of the game at present. Opening up everything which I had put away almost 3 years ago was fun and therapeutic in a way.

Not to mention I now had another project to add to my unplugged week: what type of aquariums do I want to setup! I love planted aquariums, biotopes, little interesting and extraordinary fishes 🙂 Fish-keeping isn’t guppies and mollies and goldfish. That’s kid’s play. Fish-keeping is dwarf pea puffers and shell dwellers and honey gourami. Fish with personalities and adorable quirks. It’s cichlid tanks, blackwater biotopes and lush jungle tanks.

#GOALS…

So now all things were good! I had projects – I always need projects. Something to think about and challenge myself with. The internet was floating somewhere under the dark waters Captain Ahab was sailing through, keeping company with the Great White Whale lost in the darkness.

I can read and study forever. And the internet is full of any and everything a curious mind could get into. It’s the easy fix. And I’ve found it can be a big distraction from other interesting projects.

Let me not make light of my time in the word of God and the peace I experienced giving Him more of my time, at the very beginning of the day as opposed to just sinking into the billion dots on the screen.

I’ve decided on some rearranging in the house that I’ve been mulling over for months. A little unplugged clarity and I arrived at the solution – where to house the aquariums, what furniture needed to be moved, moved out or donated – and after my week unplugged I feel I’ve been through a cleansing and refreshing. The internet has been an excuse to delay things.

I highly recommend going unplugged for a week. I kept email going of course; I have to work and get back with people. I don’t want to miss opportunities but I think anyone can do without all the social media sites for a week.

I’m thinking of going unplugged for a week every month. Maybe not the entire internet – I will need it for my work. But Twitter, FB, etc can take a backburner far more often. Think about how many times we check our phones….

I have a ton of blog post ideas too – so much to talk about – diets, swimming, health, food….

Several of which will have to be about aquariums 🙂

Be free, be well friends~

Integrity and Expectations

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter MorselsLeave a comment

“No, you may not do evil so that good may come from it.” ~Fulton J Sheen

If a decision you made was good, moral and ethical, then you made the right decision. If anyone ever asks you to do something that is contrary to integrity and uprightness (no matter who they are) and you refuse to back down because you know it would be the wrong thing to do, then at the risk of losing them, you have done the right thing.

People’s expectations are not your responsibility. It’s not your fault you may not ‘live up to’ someone else’s expectations of you. When your life belongs to God, you live it for Him to the best of your ability. Doing the good and just thing is admirable. Seeking fairness and justice are esteemed qualities which balances out those that would seek only to benefit themselves in this world.

There are already too many suffering at the hand of greed and selfishness.

If anyone expects you to do something contrary to your convictions and what you know to be right and honorable, then you must hold fast to your conventions. At the end of the day, people must deal with their own losses and ill-intentioned ambitions when they fall through.

Featured Image by Frank Mckenna.

The Difference Between Righteousness and Holiness

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels2 Comments


Righteousness and Holiness are not the same thing, but it’s easy to get them confused. They sound like the same thing, right? But they are actually quite different. Here is the difference between each. let’s take righteousness first.

Righteousness: Being right with God the father. 

If you are a believer, you are right with God. This reality is true because of one Man, Jesus Christ. Make no mistake, you and I have nothing to do with how right we are with God. Our righteousness is as filthy rags the bible says. That means we can live our lives following every rule and always doing good in the world – which is impossible, even rush hour traffic takes care of most of our own righteousness – and we still would not be right with God. Only one Man could have ever paid the price of our right standing with God and remain standing in the gap today as High Priest and Intercessor, and that is the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Since God Himself wrought this work, it is perfect. He alone has made us right with God. No mortal man could do it. The righteousness of God IN CHRIST JESUS. Without Jesus, there is no beginning your walk with God. 

Which brings up the next reality: Holiness.

As Christians we want to walk with God…well most of us do. Relationship is the whole reason why Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice and God accepted him, so that God might be reunited with His people. Sin separated God from His chosen people, it’s a long story but His chosen people started with Israel and then God graciously allowed us Gentiles to also be grafted into the olive tree. Before Christ, God could only get as near as the appointed earthly mortal priest, the Levite who would be appointed to carry out certain tasks in the tabernacle. Only the priest could enter the Holy of Holies, the very innermost part fashioned on this earth where God’s presence resided.

Jesus made it possible for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Oh but praise God for Jesus! No more of that, God lives in our hearts, Paul said WE are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. John Chapter 15 explains it. Wow, just take a moment and wrap your mind around the awesome power of God and the blessings which come through Jesus Christ…thank you Lord.

So now we have God so close to us, we become one in Him. the root, the branches the fruit, we are one with God as Jesus said He was one with the Father, I in You and they in me. This is where holiness is so very important to understand. 

Holiness: Right living before God.

Those who are not Christians don’t have to worry about this – they have much bigger things to worry about…like understanding who Christ is and accepting Him as Savior. One cannot begin to understand the need for holy living until they understand the reality of the need for a Savior. 

God is not present in unholiness. He has mercy and grace in the face of it, but He isn’t going to hang around for long without holiness. Be holy for I am holy He said. One cannot do this without the Holy Spirit and some good old fashion discipline. Let’s take a look at what hospitality means.

Our Hospitality toward the Holy Spirit

You have a friend you’ve invited over for lunch. You know he doesn’t like smoke and is allergic to it, but you like to smoke. When you know your friend is coming, you do your best to clean the house and to not smoke while your friend is with you. Now, what kind of friend would invite you over, knowing you hate smoke and are allergic to it, and fill the house with it right before you show up – maybe blow it in your face while you’re eating, and continue smoking while you are trying to talk, share and visit with each other? Not a very respectful gesture right? Not a hospitable environment for your friend. That friend isn’t going to hang around for long! Not because they don’t love you, but because they are allergic to smoke, eyes burning and watering, unable to beathe and terribly uncomfortable.

Let’s work to welcome the Holy Spirit into our daily lives! And make an environment He would be pleased to dwell in and remain. This is where holiness is so important. Holiness is what we can do for Him, just like we would for a friend.

Don’t Be Nonchalant About Sin: It still has consequences

Paul warned us of having a nonchalant attitude towards sin and God’s mercy saying “God forbid we go on sining just because grace would abound.” There is still death residing in sin, dear people, and it will kill. And believe me, there are a lot of ways death can happen without it being mortal death. Remember King David sinning with Bathsheba and killing her husband? What did God say, “The sword will never leave your family…” That’s what the prophet Nathan said to King David and David had trouble with his family for the rest of his life. Please take heed of this – there are inescapable consequences to sin.

So in wrapping up, we must rightfully divide between these two realities.

1.Holiness is not being right with God. Holiness is right living before God and it is the only way to grow our relationship with God.

2. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is what qualifies you to walk with God in the first place. We as human beings can never be righteous enough – Jesus took all of our unrighteousness, He was the only One who could because He was perfect and blameless before God. We have the righteousness of Christ, what a gift from God!

I pray we all gain understanding of the difference between righteousness and holiness, and that your passion for God far out shines the need to walk according to the flesh. Walk in the Spirit and be led by Him and you won’t fulfill the desires of the flesh. It takes practice, patience and persistence. Praise God He is faithful and long-suffering and will never give up on us!

Featured Image by: Bart LaRue@bartlarueeppler

Complaining Moves the Hand of God – But You’ll Regret It.

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels, How to Follow Your DreamLeave a comment

Don’t wander in the Desert, move through it to get to your Promise Land.

Want to wander around out there and die of exhaustion? Of course you don’t. The key to not fainting in the desert is to remain faithful to God in seasons of discomfort.

Sometimes life just isn’t fair. I mean, don’t we all think that sometimes? And isn’t ‘fair’ relative? Right, well before getting too upset that you could be doing so much more if only, I’d advise anyone feeling the pressures of life to not complain to God about it.

Israel did that and lived to regret it. After being delivered out of the hands of their Egyptian oppressors, they grew tired of following God in the desert and started complaining. They wanted meat to eat, not the same old manna day after day – you know, that got boring!

I can relate partially. It’s hard when you have to walk through the desert or wilderness in order to make it to your Promised Land. Whatever your goals or dreams may be, you’re going to hit rough patches, character building seasons (that go on and on forever!!) and believe me, I understand.

It’s like ‘let me shed another tear to put in the bottle He keeps with my name on it’ (you do know scripture tells us He collects all our tears in a bottle…I’ll write about that sometime). Be encouraged, this season in the wilderness won’t last forever. And it will make you stronger and build more character than one could imagine.

Another awesome truth to know is this:

The quicker you submit to God’s will and be faithful in the season He’s taking you through, the more expedient your journey will be to your Promised Land.

I can complain, not going to lie. But refocusing that energy into something more positive gets me moving forward and keeps me from reaping the consequences of whatever I’m tempted to complain about. It makes me stronger and builds my endurance in difficult times. Let me get back to the illustration..

So God was feeding Israel with manna from heaven which was sort of like bread they would pound into cakes and boil or cook over a fire and eat. Day after day after day, the same stuff – it’s just like life sometimes, whatever it is we’re doing that makes us weary — diaper after diaper, dirty socks-wash-pickup from floor-fold-wash again, baby puke, (lol, the struggle is real though I wouldn’t personally know. I deal in feline coughed-up fur balls which are pretty gross) pushing papers, fixing computers, answering phones day after day after…

Ooo, don’t complain. Because sure enough, God will hear it. And He heard Israel and called Moses into a meeting. He told Moses, I’ve heard the complaining of the people that they want meat, so they will get it. They will eat meat until it’s coming out of their eyes, ears noses…. (whew, don’t make God angry). So God brought the people quail, and they journeyed out and caught it, loads of it! But there was also another consequence…

Numbers 11, specifically 31-35 but the chapter gives you a good idea of the problem at hand.

But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.

While the meat was still between their teeth…for sure, if we skirt the edge of God’s plan for our lives, when we get what we think we want , then even before we can satiate our appetite with it, there will be consequences to bear. If we shortcut the path God has laid before us, we will not be ready for what we want. We won’t be ready for our dreams and our visions.

Let’s understand a couple of things here:

  1. God still feels the same way about sin, He just deals with us differently now than in the Old Testament due to the work of our Savior Jesus Christ. His mercies endure forever~
  2. God will always give us reprieve in the desert that does not bring sorrow with it.

The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

And here’s is how you get the blessings of God – remain faithful through the difficult times, knowing with surety that God will deliver you from distress.

One of the most powerful verses in scripture on deliverance is also one of my favorites and one that I have used to build my faith and receive the promises of God for my life. So I’m here to tell you, this works and is powerful if you only believe!

“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

So beautiful, so lovely and filled with power to deliver. God’s word never returns to Him void. Because it’s truth. But we must remain faithful. No shortcuts — or what was supposed to be our victory will end up a pile of ashes and we might even find we get burned in the process.

Stay true and fixed on God’s word. You’ll get there, one faithful decision at a time~ Until God delivers us and sets us free from our distress~

Featured Photo by Yeo Khee 

Freedom 2020

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels, How to Follow Your DreamLeave a comment

 I don’t usually do the typical New Year’s Resolutions. Instead, I have a theme which usually builds on the year before. I spend the month of January focusing my prayer on it – what I want to do differently, what I want in my life (what/who I want out of it) etc, and after writing a brief note-to-self, I tuck it away and let it go. Because honestly, I’m going to forget, but God never forgets.

End of year, I pull the note out and see just how intricately God has weaved the results of those prayers into my life. Some of the most important unfolding events were the ones that I wanted and He stopped – I have found myself more thankful for those things than actually receiving the desires of my heart. God saves us from all evil if we allow Him too. Oh sure, I get frustrated and hurt sometimes, but once I see what awesome thing I thought was behind ‘Curtain No. One” I thank God He kept me from it.

God always opens other doors more suited to us and our purpose.

Sometimes we get stuck viewing life only one way. We get too focused on the means in order to obtain the end we want, and we lose site of how creative and infinitely intelligent God is. We think something can only be resolved one way and God is saying, ‘Trust Me and I’ll show you many ways which are better for you.” Fear holds us back – we fear the unknown so we stick with what we know (which limits God) in order to stay comfortable.

“Comfort and a fear of the unknown keep us stunted and living a less fulfilled life.”

So this year’s theme for me is Freedom. I hope you try this approach instead of the conventional NY Resolutions and see how it works in your life. You’ll be surprised at just how present and attuned God is to you and how your prayers really work powerful results!

Love and Blessings to you in the upcoming year 2020!

Love One Another

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels4 Comments

I don’t think a person can love someone and be ashamed of them at the same time. Maybe I’m wrong? Love and shame don’t seem to mix. Love draws a person in closer while shame pushes them away. Shame runs into the darkness but love is happy to show itself because it has nothing to hide. Shame endures nothing and breaks easily. Love endures all things; always hopes, always trusts.

Love never fails.

Surround yourself with people who love you – the real you – and not people who are ashamed of you. And be sure you are not carrying shame towards yourself or who you are; who God made you to be. The world needs who you were created to be. Don’t beat yourself up for not being perfect – no one is perfect. Be at peace with who you are and know that God loves you right where you are; and He wants you to love him right now where you are, on the journey, halfway there, imperfection and all, He doesn’t mind because you are His child and He accepts you.

Let’s learn to accept others for who they are. Shame doesn’t bring healing to anyone – it is love that heals the soul.