Archives for “spirituality”
The thing is, I don't hear the Source of Love calling me to adopt a non-violent strategy for getting by in the world. The call I hear is way simpler, and in some ways harder. It's a call to drop my agenda, to surrender, all the way, to love.
A couple of days ago, I tweeted this: Wish the atheists would notice that we don’t believe in that God, either. Several folks retweeted that, but a few atheists replied, suggesting that it didn’t matter which god I don’t believe in. What matters is that I believe in some god, and so I’m silly. (That’s [...]
This is a poem by Hafiz of Shiraz, an Islamic mystic from the 14th century, translated by Daniel Ladinsky. (I found it on the website of Gina Cenciose, a teacher of empathy and mindfulness practices based on NVC.) I know the way you can get by Hafiz I know the way you can get, When [...]
This is something I have a really hard time putting into words. I want to try, but please bear with me. If it doesn't make sense to you, I'd love it if you'd ask questions to help me flesh it out.
In the 80s, when “Message in a Bottle” and “Roxane” were on the radio, I wasn’t really listening. I didn’t know Sting from Adam from Gordon Sumner. But now I’m reading his memoir, Broken Music. How that happened is this: I was looking up version of “People Get Ready”, and I found one that Sting [...]
"So long as men live together on earth and need means to deal with one another—their only substitute, if they abandon money, is the muzzle of a gun." Ayn Rand... I read this and remembered how it felt to think that those were the only choices. It's a feeling that has the comfort of familiarity. But I'm glad to be rid of it.
There was a time when I wouldn’t say the Nicene Creed (or any other I’d come across) just because I didn’t “agree with” it. When that was the case, some folks said that it was ok if I didn’t want to say it. I could just listen. Other people wanted me to understand why they [...]
What if every time we choose love over fear every time we let redemption happen every time we forgive we add a thread to the tapestry of reality what if all those threads of love and grace become the substance that makes up the universe? What if they become god? What if we are creating [...]
I’m putting this p.s. at the top… it’s something I forgot to mention when I posted this. Someone told me recently that he was not doing well, that he was addicted and actively using. He said to me that he wished he were surrounded by the kind of radical acceptance (love) that Tracy & I [...]
Shane Claiborne wrote recently about the “emergent church”. He says it’s “a very confusing trend within the contemporary renewal happening in the Church.” I was sad reading his piece, and a little frustrated. He misses so much of what I hold dear about the emergent Christianity. Misses it entirely. Emergence is how the world works [...]
In Christian Zen, author William Johnston relates this conversation he had with his Zen teacher. “I’m doing what you, I suppose, would call ‘gedo Zen.’” “Very good! Very good! Many Christians do that. But what precisely do you mean by ‘gedo Zen’?” “I mean that I am sitting silently in the presence of God without [...]
I’m finding I don’t much care about what did or didn’t “actually happen.” The lesson I’m learning from this Good Friday is that some things are more important than staying alive, more important than self-protection. What’s real is love, and love doesn’t die.
One night recently, I woke up four or five times with anxiety, and I did some combination of meditation and prayer each time. The anxiety began to lift by morning. I am so grateful that, instead of being alone on my zafu (meditation cushion), I am in the loving arms of my Brother. It makes it easier to remember that everything is, in fact, just fine. Just as sparrow is fed and the lilies in the field are clothed, I have all I need.
This was originally posted at EpinoiaCafe.com Dear Brian McLaren, I woke up this glorious inaugural morning–when he-who-must-not-be-named is leaving the white house, and a man who is beloved, who offers hope and change, takes his place–I woke up to your invitation to the Mobilization to End Poverty. And I was sad. I opened the email [...]
...So I got to be a little less sanctimonious about being a freethinker. That was an improvement. A little healthy remorse.
On the Emergent Village weblog today, we get a taste of what emerging Christians in Broward County, Florida are doing. One of the members left a “mega-church” to start a church community. I clicked over, and was really excited by what I found. I wished y’all were here so I could say “Look!” And I [...]
This was originally posted at EpinoiaCafe.com. I never lied to my kids about Santa. They asked me if Santa was real, and I said Yes! They asked who he was, and I said he was a pretend guy, an idea that inspires us to be kind and generous and give people presents on Christmas. Those [...]
This was originally posted at EpinoiaCafe.com Emergent Christianity is amazing and wonderful–it allowed me to come in. I was a non-Christian for my whole life, doing my best to follow God without Jesus’ help. Why? Because Christianity appeared completely insane. (I won’t specify… I assume you know what I mean by “insane.”) So I’m a [...]
This was originally posted at EpinoiaCafe.com In Tony Jones’ blog on BeliefNet, he posted a video of famous atheist Penn Gillette talking about being given a bible by a Christian man. Penn says the guy was really nice, and twice mentions that he looked him “right in the eyes.” He has a lot of respect [...]
Have you heard about Twitter of Faith? If you’re on Twitter, you are invited to post your statement of faith in 136 characters or less (140 minus the four needed to tag it #TOF). It’s a fun project. Interesting, too. I settled on one, but I think I could something very different, and it would [...]
Our car died, and we decided to try living without one. It’s been interesting. Lots of things are harder, but not so hard we can’t manage, generally. Being sick is harder, for sure. But one thing I notice is that I get to experience the world more directly from a bike. In a car, you’re [...]
Did you ever wonder why you’ll run across a spiritual teacher who clearly has genuine insight, and then as you get to know them you’ll find attachments and judgements that are almost shocking? I don’t know about you, but I’ve even wondered that about myself. I “get it,” and yet I find myself judging, becoming [...]
I was sitting zazen the other day, and an image came to mind. Actually, it was more like a whole story, but it only lasted a second, I swear! :-) Anyway, I was thinking of a piano player who’d been playing by ear for years, and doing fine. She’d created beautiful music by listening to [...]
I have heard people tell me that they don’t want to study Karate (or any martial art) because, they say, it’s not practical, or it’s too structured, too choreographed to be worthwhile. I’ve even heard students complain that endless punches and blocks will not help them to become… whatever it is they hope to become. [...]
People need unconditional love. I instantly recognized the truth of that idea when I ran across the work of Carl Rogers in college. But that creates a dilemma for me. Either it’s actually possible to love unconditionally, or it’s not. If it’s not, then something is required for the full expression of humanity that we [...]
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