Tuesday, March 31, 2015
A Radiance Within
"God does not die on the day we cease to believe in a personal deity. But we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance of wonder renewed daily, the source of which is beyond all reason." (Dag Hammarskjold, UN Secretary General 1953-1961 and Nobel Peace Prize recipient)
I love it when people say things that make my thinking stop in its tracks. Dag Hammarskjold had that ability. It's like the first crocus in the Spring. Once you see it, you can't help yourself. You just have to stop for a moment and take it in. Its tiny radiance doesn't just fill you with a sense of joy. It points to something far bigger than itself. It heralds Spring!
The radiance that Hammarskjold says can be present within each of us isn't based on a particular set of beliefs about God--be they Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Christian or whatever. These are all human constructs created in an attempt to understand something far beyond all reason--that which we have named "God." Our beliefs have their place, yes, but they are not the source of our radiance.
Rather, the radiance within comes from beyond us and from beyond anything we can do. Through a staid commitment to pray and/or meditate, or in other words, to wonder, to ponder, to stop and take in both the physical world around us and the spiritual world within us, we become exposed to this Radiance. And we glow.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Listen for the Holy
There it sat perched on a small coffee table next to Dad's favorite chair. It was a mug we kids gave him at his 80th birthday party. Inscribed on one side was the caption, “Dad...thanks to your lectures, I never change horses in the middle of a job worth doing, I know the squeaky wheel gets the worm, and I never count my chickens until I’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” and on the other side, it read,”And you thought I wasn’t listening!”
“How true!” we chuckle. But what, exactly, is the truth of it? Sadly, it seems to be this: we listen in half. Oh, we may hear the whole but only half (on a good day!) is heavy enough to sink into our consciousness to be applied at the moment or stored for future retrieval. Then, having listened in half, we attempt to put the whole back together. It doesn’t work and we chide ourselves, “Why didn’t I listen more carefully?!”
And it gets worse. We may think we really were listening! We may think we heard our parents’ words correctly so we proceed—but on an erroneous basis. No wonder we get confused. No wonder things go awry in our lives. It’s like trying to navigate New York City while reading a map of Minneapolis. We wander. And we wonder.
Today, having entered into what the church calls "Holy Week," let's listen whole-ly...wholly...for the holy in each day. Faith says it's here. Hope says if we give ourselves to such listening, we'll hear it. Love says it will be holy for us...that is, it will be what we truly need to hear.
“If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
“How true!” we chuckle. But what, exactly, is the truth of it? Sadly, it seems to be this: we listen in half. Oh, we may hear the whole but only half (on a good day!) is heavy enough to sink into our consciousness to be applied at the moment or stored for future retrieval. Then, having listened in half, we attempt to put the whole back together. It doesn’t work and we chide ourselves, “Why didn’t I listen more carefully?!”
And it gets worse. We may think we really were listening! We may think we heard our parents’ words correctly so we proceed—but on an erroneous basis. No wonder we get confused. No wonder things go awry in our lives. It’s like trying to navigate New York City while reading a map of Minneapolis. We wander. And we wonder.
Today, having entered into what the church calls "Holy Week," let's listen whole-ly...wholly...for the holy in each day. Faith says it's here. Hope says if we give ourselves to such listening, we'll hear it. Love says it will be holy for us...that is, it will be what we truly need to hear.
“If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Refreshing Reflections
Monday: Night Games
I was blessed with a mother and father who loved my siblings and me deeply...deeply enough to call us in--or call us out, depending on what was needed. No, I'm not a kid anymore. Life's circumstances have become far more complicated than back in those idyllic days. All the more reason why I am thankful that God's all-prevailing love comes to us...and through us...no matter what we think or do.
Tuesday: Water Ride!
Having someone explain what an experience is like is virtually nothing in comparison to experiencing it ourselves!!! So it is with following Jesus Christ.
Wednesday: Awareness
When Jesus speaks of denying ourselves, might he be saying that we are to deny our ego-centricity...and that we learn to do this through the awareness that comes to life in us through following him?
Thursday: Missing the Point
Because we grossly underestimate God's meaning of "being," we reduce our existence to the level of valuing ourselves and each other on the basis of doing. In other words, our greatest sin is that we diminish ourselves and each other.
Friday: All Consuming Ego
Gracious God,
Help us to become more aware of our egos and their power in our lives and relationships. Help us to love the "things" that will add life rather than the ones that make promises they can't deliver. Most of all, thank you for creating us with the potential for true awareness and the freedom to make life-transforming choices. Amen.
Friday, March 27, 2015
All Consuming Ego
Eckhart Tolle, in his book, A New Earth: Awakening Your Life's Purpose, shares the best understanding of the ego and some of its ramifications that I have come across in some time. Here are a couple more snippets...
"Paradoxically, what keeps the so-called consumer society going is the fact that trying to find yourself through things doesn’t work: The ego satisfaction is short-lived and so you keep looking for more, keep buying, keep consuming." (Pg. 36)
and...
"Ego-identification with things creates attachment to things, obsession with things, which in turn creates our consumer society and economic structures where the only measure of progress is always more. The unchecked striving for more, for endless growth, is a dysfunction and a disease." (Pg.37)
Contrast Tolle's understanding of the ego with the Bible's understanding of how we have been created:
"Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." (I Timothy 6:6-10)
Gracious God,
Help us to become more aware of our egos and their power in our lives and relationships. Help us to love the "things" that will add life rather than the ones that make promises they can't deliver. Most of all, thank you for creating us with the potential for true awareness and the freedom to make life-transforming choices. Amen.
"Paradoxically, what keeps the so-called consumer society going is the fact that trying to find yourself through things doesn’t work: The ego satisfaction is short-lived and so you keep looking for more, keep buying, keep consuming." (Pg. 36)
and...
"Ego-identification with things creates attachment to things, obsession with things, which in turn creates our consumer society and economic structures where the only measure of progress is always more. The unchecked striving for more, for endless growth, is a dysfunction and a disease." (Pg.37)
Contrast Tolle's understanding of the ego with the Bible's understanding of how we have been created:
"Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." (I Timothy 6:6-10)
Gracious God,
Help us to become more aware of our egos and their power in our lives and relationships. Help us to love the "things" that will add life rather than the ones that make promises they can't deliver. Most of all, thank you for creating us with the potential for true awareness and the freedom to make life-transforming choices. Amen.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Missing the Point
"According to Christian teachings, the normal collective state of humanity is one of “original sin.” Sin is a word that has been greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Literally translated from the ancient Greek in which the NT was written, to sin means to miss the mark, as an archer who misses the target, so to sin means to miss the point of human existence." (Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth)
Maybe we have missed the mark by thinking that "sin" refers to the things we do that we shouldn't do and the things we shouldn't do that we do. This definition is both narrow and shallow.
What Tolle is suggesting is much bigger...that sin has to do with missing the mark of our "being" and not our "doing." According to him, our definition of being is too narrow and shallow. And here's the kicker! Because we grossly underestimate God's meaning of "being," we reduce our existence to the level of valuing ourselves and each other on the basis of doing. In other words, our greatest sin is that we diminish ourselves and each other.
I think the psalmist was thinking the same thing as he sang, "O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!...When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8: 3-5)
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Awareness
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24 NRSV).
To become free of the ego is not really a big job but a very small one. All you need to do is be aware of your thoughts and emotions—as they happen. (E. Tolle, A New Earth)
One of the bridges between psychology and theology is the concept of awareness--which lies the heart of both Jesus' invitation to follow him and Eckhart Tolle's words about being free of the ego's power. When Jesus speaks of denying ourselves, might he be saying that we are to deny our ego-centricity...and that we learn to do this through the awareness that comes to life in us through following him? I think so.
One of the bridges between psychology and theology is the concept of awareness--which lies the heart of both Jesus' invitation to follow him and Eckhart Tolle's words about being free of the ego's power. When Jesus speaks of denying ourselves, might he be saying that we are to deny our ego-centricity...and that we learn to do this through the awareness that comes to life in us through following him? I think so.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Water Ride!
“Here goes!" you say somewhat unconvincingly to your 9-year old self.
Standing at the top of the water ride, you're out of breath. You've just climbed the ladder to the "Start Here" platform. And what a ride it is! Twisting. Turning. Skidding. Screaming. You pick up speed in the rolling, roiling froth, as you torpedo down the big blue tube. Can’t see around the next corner or the next or the next, but you know exactly what's coming. After a few seconds of what seems like forever, you break into the sunshine. You blast into the light. A huge wet 'n wild splashdown! Water everywhere! Fist-pumping fun! You laugh out loud! You catch your breath, then you get back in line to do it all over again.
Sound fun? Yes! Whether we're 9 or 90, our imaginations can take us there. We can see the dazzlingly bright light. We can almost smell the water as we bounce off the blue walls. We can feel it sloshing against our skin.
But having someone explain what such an experience is like is virtually nothing in comparison to experiencing it ourselves!!!
So it is with following Jesus Christ. Consider the personal invitation below which comes from the Bible's Song of Solomon 2:10-13. Actually, the invite comes from God, the Beloved One.
My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; 11 for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."
Monday, March 23, 2015
Night Games
When I was a child one of my favorite evening activities from the first of spring to the last of autumn was to gather with my young friends in the neighborhood and play outdoor games...Captain May I, Anti-Over, Red Light Green Light, Vanishing Riders, King of the Mountain. Chasing after one of my cronies or racing to escape his or her clutches, I felt, "Life doesn't get any better than this!" In deed, in those moments life was good, very good.
But then, from somewhere between houses and hedges in my quaint little Minnesota town, I heard a voice. Felt like God but no, it was Mom or Dad calling, "Jerry...time to come in!" I was being summoned to bath, bed and beyond. And I hated it. I pretended I didn't hear it. I did my best to ignore it. I'd argue "I only heard you call once!" when I finally showed up, hot and sweaty at the back door. "Just a little while longer? The other kids..." But it never worked. Instead, love prevailed. Whether I understood it as this or not, love prevailed.
I was blessed with a mother and father who loved my siblings and me deeply...deeply enough to call us in--or call us out, depending on what was needed. No, I'm not a kid anymore. And, the names of the games have all changed. But I am one of the fortunate ones. My parents loved me with a love that prevailed. And so, most days and nights, I still feel "Life doesn't get any better than this!"
Life's circumstances have become far more complicated than back in those idyllic days. All the more reason why I am thankful that God's all-prevailing love comes to us...and through us...no matter what we think or do.
"The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore." (Psalm 121:8)
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Refreshing Reflections
Monday: Eternal Delight
"God" is a word we have been using to describe the life force at the root of all for a very, very long time. And we must admit we have made "God" in our image. Have we boxed this life force, this energy, this "eternal delight" in by doing so? In naming it, have we created a way to control or contain it? Have we unwittingly created a golden calf just as the Israelites did?
Tuesday: At Last
As the ultimate expression of God's love, creation is yearning to tell us that we are inextricably linked together. Every move, great or small, toward this linkage is a movement toward Life. Every move away from it is a movement toward Death.
Thursday: Disturb Us
"Disturb us, O Lord, when with the abundance of the things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build the new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to grow dim." (Sir Francis Drake)
Friday: Risk It
There are three risks we can't afford not to take: 1. Believing we are each created in the image and likeness of God; 2. Believing we are each irreplaceable and unique in all the world; 3. Believing we are each of authentic worth solely because we exist.
"God" is a word we have been using to describe the life force at the root of all for a very, very long time. And we must admit we have made "God" in our image. Have we boxed this life force, this energy, this "eternal delight" in by doing so? In naming it, have we created a way to control or contain it? Have we unwittingly created a golden calf just as the Israelites did?
Tuesday: At Last
As the ultimate expression of God's love, creation is yearning to tell us that we are inextricably linked together. Every move, great or small, toward this linkage is a movement toward Life. Every move away from it is a movement toward Death.
Thursday: Disturb Us
"Disturb us, O Lord, when with the abundance of the things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build the new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to grow dim." (Sir Francis Drake)
Friday: Risk It
There are three risks we can't afford not to take: 1. Believing we are each created in the image and likeness of God; 2. Believing we are each irreplaceable and unique in all the world; 3. Believing we are each of authentic worth solely because we exist.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Risk It
There are three risks I can't afford not to take...
1. Believing I’m created in the image and likeness of God.
In other words, every person I meet today is created to be creative and compassionate.
2. Believing I am irreplaceable and unique in all the world.
In other words, every person I meet today is a one-of-a-kind expression of God’s love made flesh.
3. Believing I am of authentic worth solely because I exist.
In other words, every person I meet today has inherent dignity and eternal significance.
If you and I do not take these risks, we resign ourselves and each other to lives that are narrow, shallow, and determined by all that we fear. Insofar as we do take these risks, our lives are broadened by each other's perspective, deepened by each other's wisdom and transformed by each other's power.
I’ll take my chances. Will you?
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love and self-control.” (II Timothy 1:7)
1. Believing I’m created in the image and likeness of God.
In other words, every person I meet today is created to be creative and compassionate.
2. Believing I am irreplaceable and unique in all the world.
In other words, every person I meet today is a one-of-a-kind expression of God’s love made flesh.
3. Believing I am of authentic worth solely because I exist.
In other words, every person I meet today has inherent dignity and eternal significance.
If you and I do not take these risks, we resign ourselves and each other to lives that are narrow, shallow, and determined by all that we fear. Insofar as we do take these risks, our lives are broadened by each other's perspective, deepened by each other's wisdom and transformed by each other's power.
I’ll take my chances. Will you?
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love and self-control.” (II Timothy 1:7)
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Disburb Us
Today I share with you one of my favorite prayers attributed to 16th century explorer Sir Francis Drake. If you are familiar with his colorful but disturbing exploits, once you read this prayer you'll see that God can work through any of us...even you and me!
Disturb us, O Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves; when our dreams come true because we dreamed too little; when we have arrived in safety because we have sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, O Lord, when with the abundance of the things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build the new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to grow dim.
Stir us, O Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms shall show thy mastery and, where losing sight of the land, we shall find the stars.
In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and invited the brave to follow, even the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Disturb us, O Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves; when our dreams come true because we dreamed too little; when we have arrived in safety because we have sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, O Lord, when with the abundance of the things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build the new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to grow dim.
Stir us, O Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms shall show thy mastery and, where losing sight of the land, we shall find the stars.
In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and invited the brave to follow, even the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
At Last
Love all God's creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to understand it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all embracing love...Things flow and are indirectly linked together, and if you push here, something will move at the other end of the world. If you strike here, something somewhere will wince; if you sin here, something somewhere will suffer. (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)
As the ultimate expression of God's love, creation is yearning to tell us that we are inextricably linked together. Every move, great or small, toward this linkage is a movement toward Life. Every move away from it is a movement toward Death.
As the ultimate expression of God's love, creation is yearning to tell us that we are inextricably linked together. Every move, great or small, toward this linkage is a movement toward Life. Every move away from it is a movement toward Death.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Eternal Delight
"Energy is eternal delight," wrote William Blake, the English poet/painter (1757-1827).
Scientists tell us that, to the best of their knowledge, they believe that energy lies at the very core of the universe, of all that is--animate and inanimate. Christianity (like most religions) teaches that God is at that same core of all that exists. Could the two be one? Can energy be benevolent? Forgiving? Gracious? Is energy the "father" of all life? Have we religious types personified energy and named it "God?" Are we somehow reducing God if we think of God as the energy that lies at the heart of all that is? Or, are we expanding our understanding of God?
One thing seems certain; both God and energy are committed to Life with a capital "L."
"God" is a word we have been using to describe the life force at the root of all for a very, very long time. And we must admit we have made "God" in our image. (Even Jesus suggested we call God "Our father in heaven.") Have we boxed this life force, this energy, this "eternal delight" in by doing so? In naming it, have we created a way to control or contain it? Have we unwittingly created a golden calf idol just as the Israelites did when Moses spent too much time on a mountaintop getting the Ten Commandments?
Challenging questions! Questions that take us to the edge of the "universe" of our understanding of both God and energy. They invite us continue the ever-important conversation between science and religion. And they invite us to revisit what we believe, how we came to believe it and why we continue to believe it--certainly an appropriate endeavor in the season of Lent.
Meanwhile, we can eternally delight in both science and religion, in both the physical and spiritual "worlds." Along side the physical universe, we can expand spiritually.
Scientists tell us that, to the best of their knowledge, they believe that energy lies at the very core of the universe, of all that is--animate and inanimate. Christianity (like most religions) teaches that God is at that same core of all that exists. Could the two be one? Can energy be benevolent? Forgiving? Gracious? Is energy the "father" of all life? Have we religious types personified energy and named it "God?" Are we somehow reducing God if we think of God as the energy that lies at the heart of all that is? Or, are we expanding our understanding of God?
One thing seems certain; both God and energy are committed to Life with a capital "L."
"God" is a word we have been using to describe the life force at the root of all for a very, very long time. And we must admit we have made "God" in our image. (Even Jesus suggested we call God "Our father in heaven.") Have we boxed this life force, this energy, this "eternal delight" in by doing so? In naming it, have we created a way to control or contain it? Have we unwittingly created a golden calf idol just as the Israelites did when Moses spent too much time on a mountaintop getting the Ten Commandments?
Challenging questions! Questions that take us to the edge of the "universe" of our understanding of both God and energy. They invite us continue the ever-important conversation between science and religion. And they invite us to revisit what we believe, how we came to believe it and why we continue to believe it--certainly an appropriate endeavor in the season of Lent.
Meanwhile, we can eternally delight in both science and religion, in both the physical and spiritual "worlds." Along side the physical universe, we can expand spiritually.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Refreshing Reflections
Monday: Score Keeping
The True Self (God Self within each of us) not only has the capacity to truly forgive the False Self of others. It can and will forgive even our own ego-based False Self. We can do this not seven times, as Peter asks Jesus, but "seventy times seven" as Jesus replies (Matthew 18:22).
Tuesday: Dual Consciousness
To enter into this training in consciousness is to be faithful to God, to life, to love and oddly, to your True Self. Consciousness is about being attuned to both what’s going on at the surface, and what’s going on deep beneath it. It is dual consciousness, that is, awareness of both the physical and the spiritual dimensions of Life at the same time.
The True Self (God Self within each of us) not only has the capacity to truly forgive the False Self of others. It can and will forgive even our own ego-based False Self. We can do this not seven times, as Peter asks Jesus, but "seventy times seven" as Jesus replies (Matthew 18:22).
Tuesday: Dual Consciousness
To enter into this training in consciousness is to be faithful to God, to life, to love and oddly, to your True Self. Consciousness is about being attuned to both what’s going on at the surface, and what’s going on deep beneath it. It is dual consciousness, that is, awareness of both the physical and the spiritual dimensions of Life at the same time.
Wednesday: If You Continue In My Power
One kind of power kills us by getting in the way of our spiritual clarity and deep lucidity; the other enlivens us with spiritual awareness and resolve. It's as if one doesn’t care about us except for what it can draw from us to support itself. The other cares so much that it gives of itself to enliven us. Jesus said, "If you continue in my word (power?)...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
Thursday: Soul Level
The spiritual awareness that comes from stepping back (or is it forward) into prayer gives us the power to recognize our anxieties as outside and separate from our “selves.” From our new vantage point we can experience an inner peace with which to deal not just with the anxiety itself, but with the issues that bring on the feelings of anxiety.
There are no anxieties at the level of the soul. As St. Paul put it, “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV).
Friday: Dealing in Immensities
We deal in self-gratification and self-aggrandizement. You deal in care and compassion for “the least of these.” We deal in inadequacies, insecurities and idiosyncrasies. You deal in courage and integrity, wisdom and truth. I thank you, God, for dealing in immensities. I will be more mindful of them today. I will celebrate them and do my best to share them just as freely as you do.
Amen.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Dealing in Immensities
Dear God,
Once again, I’m aware in this moment of solitude, that I am enveloped in the immense beauty of your natural world…and in the immense quiet around me…and and immense joy inside of me. I thank you for this, God. I believe it is you who has put it in me. And I believe it is you, God, that brings the immensity outside of me to the immensity within. You bring them together. You, who have created them, connect them. And by your graceful power, you make me aware of them.
I thank you and I will be eternally grateful to you because you obviously have an immense love for me, for my brothers and sisters of this world and for this world itself—earth and air, sea and sky.
We humans deal in “commodities” and “securities.” In truth, we mostly deal in trivialities…and frivialities. But you, God, you deal in immensities. You deal in the immensities of grace, forgiveness and mercy. You deal in the immensities of peace and patience. We humans deal in days, hours, minutes and seconds. You deal in eons and eternities. We deal in dollars and cents. You deal in faith and hope and love. We deal in micro-biology and macro-economics. You deal in energy and matter…the stuff of galaxies and universes. We deal in self-gratification and self-aggrandizement. You deal in care and compassion for “the least of these.” We deal in inadequacies, insecurities and idiosyncrasies. You deal in courage and integrity, wisdom and truth.
I thank you, God, for dealing in immensities. I will be more than mindful of them today. I will celebrate them and do my best to share them just as freely as you do.
Amen.
Once again, I’m aware in this moment of solitude, that I am enveloped in the immense beauty of your natural world…and in the immense quiet around me…and and immense joy inside of me. I thank you for this, God. I believe it is you who has put it in me. And I believe it is you, God, that brings the immensity outside of me to the immensity within. You bring them together. You, who have created them, connect them. And by your graceful power, you make me aware of them.
I thank you and I will be eternally grateful to you because you obviously have an immense love for me, for my brothers and sisters of this world and for this world itself—earth and air, sea and sky.
We humans deal in “commodities” and “securities.” In truth, we mostly deal in trivialities…and frivialities. But you, God, you deal in immensities. You deal in the immensities of grace, forgiveness and mercy. You deal in the immensities of peace and patience. We humans deal in days, hours, minutes and seconds. You deal in eons and eternities. We deal in dollars and cents. You deal in faith and hope and love. We deal in micro-biology and macro-economics. You deal in energy and matter…the stuff of galaxies and universes. We deal in self-gratification and self-aggrandizement. You deal in care and compassion for “the least of these.” We deal in inadequacies, insecurities and idiosyncrasies. You deal in courage and integrity, wisdom and truth.
I thank you, God, for dealing in immensities. I will be more than mindful of them today. I will celebrate them and do my best to share them just as freely as you do.
Amen.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Soul Level
The power of anxiety can literally stop us in our tracks, especially if we feed it by giving it our attention, and therefore, our energy. It can cut off the vital line of communication between our rational thinking (with its knack for problem-solving) and our spiritual awareness (with its capacity for seeing the whole picture). It is especially formidable because it attacks us at the root of our power—our sense of self—and here, when we feel powerless we feel worthless. Further, we often think we can do nothing about the situations or circumstances that are stressing us.
This is never the case.
The spiritual awareness that comes from stepping back (or is it forward) into prayer gives us the power to recognize our anxieties as outside and separate from our “selves.” From our new vantage point we can experience an inner peace with which to deal not just with the anxiety itself, but with the issues that bring on the feelings of anxiety.
There are no anxieties at the level of the soul. As St. Paul put it, “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV).
This is never the case.
The spiritual awareness that comes from stepping back (or is it forward) into prayer gives us the power to recognize our anxieties as outside and separate from our “selves.” From our new vantage point we can experience an inner peace with which to deal not just with the anxiety itself, but with the issues that bring on the feelings of anxiety.
There are no anxieties at the level of the soul. As St. Paul put it, “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV).
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
If You Continue In My Power
The power of distraction…it keeps pulling us away from our center, from our intentions, from our purposes and goals. It is relentlessly present. The power of desire…it pulls us out of our Life-given orbit. It takes us places we think we want to go but later often regret. The power of perceived hunger…it keeps making us think that we need something in order to feel full.
All these other powers…we unconsciously feed them! We let these powers suck life and passion from us.
But the power that comes from God is different. We actually feel it give us roots of joy and thankfulness. We feel it give us lift...wings of hope. So, we can become spiritually airborne. This is a hugely different experience.
One kind of power kills us by getting in the way of our spiritual clarity and deep lucidity; the other enlivens us with spiritual awareness and resolve. It's as if one doesn’t care about us except for what it can draw from us to support itself. The other cares so much that it gives of itself to enliven us.
Jesus said, "If you continue in my word (power?)...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
All these other powers…we unconsciously feed them! We let these powers suck life and passion from us.
But the power that comes from God is different. We actually feel it give us roots of joy and thankfulness. We feel it give us lift...wings of hope. So, we can become spiritually airborne. This is a hugely different experience.
One kind of power kills us by getting in the way of our spiritual clarity and deep lucidity; the other enlivens us with spiritual awareness and resolve. It's as if one doesn’t care about us except for what it can draw from us to support itself. The other cares so much that it gives of itself to enliven us.
Jesus said, "If you continue in my word (power?)...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Dual Consciousness
I need constant reminders of God's power for and in me. And life gives them to me; this morning’s sunshine, that cardinal’s sweet song, the breath I’m breathing. I’m surrounded with signs.
But do I see them? How can I be aware of them? How many road signs have I missed? And how lost I have become!
Slow down, Jer. Train yourself to be intentionally conscious in this moment, and then the next moment, and the next. Stop yourself right in the middle of things, right in the middle of today, right in the middle of Life and you will momentarily see deeply again and again.
To enter into this training in consciousness is to be faithful to God, to life, to love and oddly, to your True Self. Consciousness is about being attuned to both what’s going on at the surface, and what’s going on deep beneath it. It is dual consciousness, that is, awareness of both the physical and the spiritual dimensions of Life at the same time.
Dual consciousness...it is the discipline of Lent.
But do I see them? How can I be aware of them? How many road signs have I missed? And how lost I have become!
Slow down, Jer. Train yourself to be intentionally conscious in this moment, and then the next moment, and the next. Stop yourself right in the middle of things, right in the middle of today, right in the middle of Life and you will momentarily see deeply again and again.
To enter into this training in consciousness is to be faithful to God, to life, to love and oddly, to your True Self. Consciousness is about being attuned to both what’s going on at the surface, and what’s going on deep beneath it. It is dual consciousness, that is, awareness of both the physical and the spiritual dimensions of Life at the same time.
Dual consciousness...it is the discipline of Lent.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Score Keeping
In Immortal Diamond, (Chapter Two) Richard Rohr writes...
Before transformation, sin is any kind of moral mistake; afterward, sin is a mistake about who you are and whose you are. In that sense, only the False Self can and will sin. The False Self tells lies because it somehow, is a lie. It steals because it has allowed itself to be stolen As Jesus said to those who were killing him, False Self "do not even know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). The True Self is conscious, the False Self is largely unconscious, and you do evil only when you are unconscious.
Rohr quotes Jesus from the cross here, only he omits the words which precede them, "Father, forgive them..." But his line of thinking reveals what they mean; Jesus is speaking from his True Self (or "God Self" as I like to think of it) when he says these words.
It is the ego which lies at the heart of the False Self that "feels" hurt, and that encourages us to hold grudges, that can't (or more correctly won't) forgive--because it feels threatened and endangered.
The True Self (God Self within each of us) not only has the capacity to truly forgive the False Self of others. It can and will forgive even our own ego-based False Self. We can do this not seven times, as Peter asks Jesus, but "seventy times seven" as Jesus replies (Matthew 18:22).
In other words, when we like Christ, live out of our True Selves/God-within-us Selves, we feel no need but to forgive.
Before transformation, sin is any kind of moral mistake; afterward, sin is a mistake about who you are and whose you are. In that sense, only the False Self can and will sin. The False Self tells lies because it somehow, is a lie. It steals because it has allowed itself to be stolen As Jesus said to those who were killing him, False Self "do not even know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). The True Self is conscious, the False Self is largely unconscious, and you do evil only when you are unconscious.
Rohr quotes Jesus from the cross here, only he omits the words which precede them, "Father, forgive them..." But his line of thinking reveals what they mean; Jesus is speaking from his True Self (or "God Self" as I like to think of it) when he says these words.
It is the ego which lies at the heart of the False Self that "feels" hurt, and that encourages us to hold grudges, that can't (or more correctly won't) forgive--because it feels threatened and endangered.
The True Self (God Self within each of us) not only has the capacity to truly forgive the False Self of others. It can and will forgive even our own ego-based False Self. We can do this not seven times, as Peter asks Jesus, but "seventy times seven" as Jesus replies (Matthew 18:22).
In other words, when we like Christ, live out of our True Selves/God-within-us Selves, we feel no need but to forgive.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Refreshing Reflections
Monday: Immortal Diamond
The season of Lent, with its emphasis on spiritual discipline, invites us to look at the huge impact our "small ego" has upon our lives, our relationships, our thoughts and actions. And, it encourages us to see ourselves from the vantage point of God, that is, being made in God's image. This was the essence of Jesus' message.
Wednesday: The Problem of Good
Yes, as Richard Rohr says, the “death side of things grabs us,” but like winter, it can’t hold on forever—even if it feels this way sometimes. Resurrection—in all its various forms—lies at the heart of all Life.
Thursday: Here All Along
This is one of the things I find both comforting and inviting about our faith, i.e. God’s faithfulness. Like the prodigal son, off we go on our own, certain we know what we’re doing with our lives! So, we relate to God on a "Don't call me. I'll call you," basis. But we are doing this while living out of our ego-driven False Self...and the results speak for themselves. Fortunately...we can come home. God even invites us to live here. Taking this invitation seriously is nothing short of life-changing in the most positive sense of the term.
Friday: Just Sit Still
This is the job of our True Self which we can only discover through opening ourselves ever more deeply to God. To some this sounds simply esoteric and largely unattainable. Not so. It just requires a willingness to detach ourselves from our False Self shell, sit still and listen--until we hear God speaking into our center, our core, our soul...as God has promised to do.
The season of Lent, with its emphasis on spiritual discipline, invites us to look at the huge impact our "small ego" has upon our lives, our relationships, our thoughts and actions. And, it encourages us to see ourselves from the vantage point of God, that is, being made in God's image. This was the essence of Jesus' message.
Wednesday: The Problem of Good
Yes, as Richard Rohr says, the “death side of things grabs us,” but like winter, it can’t hold on forever—even if it feels this way sometimes. Resurrection—in all its various forms—lies at the heart of all Life.
Thursday: Here All Along
This is one of the things I find both comforting and inviting about our faith, i.e. God’s faithfulness. Like the prodigal son, off we go on our own, certain we know what we’re doing with our lives! So, we relate to God on a "Don't call me. I'll call you," basis. But we are doing this while living out of our ego-driven False Self...and the results speak for themselves. Fortunately...we can come home. God even invites us to live here. Taking this invitation seriously is nothing short of life-changing in the most positive sense of the term.
Friday: Just Sit Still
This is the job of our True Self which we can only discover through opening ourselves ever more deeply to God. To some this sounds simply esoteric and largely unattainable. Not so. It just requires a willingness to detach ourselves from our False Self shell, sit still and listen--until we hear God speaking into our center, our core, our soul...as God has promised to do.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Just Sit Still
Today's thought by Richard Rohr from his book Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self is...
Your False Self is how you define yourself outside of love, relationship, or divine union. After you have spent many years laboriously building this separate self, with all its labels and preoccupations, you are very attached to it. And why wouldn't you be? It's what you know and all you know. To move beyond it will always feels like losing or dying.
As Rohr points out earlier in his book, the False Self is not inherently bad, it's just not enough. It will only take us to a certain level of maturity in life. It was never intended to take us all the way.
This is the job of our True Self which we can only discover through opening ourselves ever more deeply to God. To some this sounds simply esoteric and largely unattainable. Not so. It just requires a willingness to detach ourselves from our False Self shell, sit still and listen--until we hear God speaking into our center, our core, our soul...as God has promised to do.
This, like many of the greatest promises in our lives, is simple, but not necessarily easy. Nonetheless, it's worth it. But you can not take my word for it. You can only experience it by yourself, for yourself, and in yourself.
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it..." Matthew 16:24-25
Your False Self is how you define yourself outside of love, relationship, or divine union. After you have spent many years laboriously building this separate self, with all its labels and preoccupations, you are very attached to it. And why wouldn't you be? It's what you know and all you know. To move beyond it will always feels like losing or dying.
As Rohr points out earlier in his book, the False Self is not inherently bad, it's just not enough. It will only take us to a certain level of maturity in life. It was never intended to take us all the way.
This is the job of our True Self which we can only discover through opening ourselves ever more deeply to God. To some this sounds simply esoteric and largely unattainable. Not so. It just requires a willingness to detach ourselves from our False Self shell, sit still and listen--until we hear God speaking into our center, our core, our soul...as God has promised to do.
This, like many of the greatest promises in our lives, is simple, but not necessarily easy. Nonetheless, it's worth it. But you can not take my word for it. You can only experience it by yourself, for yourself, and in yourself.
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it..." Matthew 16:24-25
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Here All Along
Our thought for the day from Richard Rohr’s Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self is…
I promise you that the discovery of your True Self will feel like a thousand pounds of weight have fallen from your back. You will no longer have to build, protect, or promote any idealized self-image. Living in the True Self is quite simply a much happier existence, even though we never live there a full twenty-four hours a day. But you henceforth have it as a place to always go back to. You have finally discovered the alternative to your False Self…You are like Jacob awakening from sleep and [saying] “You were here all along, and I never knew it!” (Genesis 28:16)
This is one of the things I find both comforting and inviting about our faith, i.e. God’s faithfulness. Like the prodigal son, off we go on our own, certain we know what we’re doing with our lives! So, we relate to God on a "Don't call me. I'll call you," basis. But we are doing this while living out of our ego-driven False Self...and the results speak for themselves.
Fortunately...we can go home. God even invites us to live there. God's faithfulness is always available to us. Taking this seriously is nothing short of life-changing in the most positive sense of the term.
I promise you that the discovery of your True Self will feel like a thousand pounds of weight have fallen from your back. You will no longer have to build, protect, or promote any idealized self-image. Living in the True Self is quite simply a much happier existence, even though we never live there a full twenty-four hours a day. But you henceforth have it as a place to always go back to. You have finally discovered the alternative to your False Self…You are like Jacob awakening from sleep and [saying] “You were here all along, and I never knew it!” (Genesis 28:16)
This is one of the things I find both comforting and inviting about our faith, i.e. God’s faithfulness. Like the prodigal son, off we go on our own, certain we know what we’re doing with our lives! So, we relate to God on a "Don't call me. I'll call you," basis. But we are doing this while living out of our ego-driven False Self...and the results speak for themselves.
Fortunately...we can go home. God even invites us to live there. God's faithfulness is always available to us. Taking this seriously is nothing short of life-changing in the most positive sense of the term.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
The Problem of Good
Our thought for the day from Richard Rohr’s book Immortal Diamond is…
We are not so at home with the resurrected form of things despite a yearly springtime, healings in our bodies, the ten thousand forms of newness in every event and in every life. The death side of things grabs our attention and fascinates us as fear and negativity always do, I am so sad to say. We have to be taught how to look for anything infinite, positive or good, which for some reason is much more difficult. We have spent centuries of philosophy trying to solve “the problem of evil,” yet I believe the much more confounding and astounding issue is “the problem of good.” How do we account for so much gratuitous and sheer goodness in this world?
After a winter of severely cold temperatures and record snowfalls in many parts of the country, we are on the cusp of spring…on the cusp of nature’s resurrection. Thank God! This is also the season in which the Church triumphantly engages in the celebration of Easter—the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Yes, the “death side of things grabs us,” but like winter, it can’t hold on forever—even if it feels this way sometimes. Resurrection—in all its various forms—lies at the heart of all Life. And, fortunately for each of us, the problem of good remains in force, whether we comprehend it or not.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Immortal Diamond
This week I'm going to share some of Richard Rohr's book Immortal Diamond. Here is today's thought:
"We are made for transcendence and endless horizons but our small ego usually gets in the way until we become aware of its petty preoccupations and eventually seek a deeper truth. It is like mining for a diamond. "
The season of Lent, with its emphasis on spiritual discipline, invites us to look at the huge impact our "small ego" has upon our lives, our relationships, our thoughts and actions. And, it encourages us to see ourselves from the vantage point of God, that is, being made in God's image. This was the essence of Jesus' message. How do we examine our egos, increase our self awareness and seek a deeper truth?
This is the role of prayer and meditation in our lives. Take some time for these today.
Wait and see.
"We are made for transcendence and endless horizons but our small ego usually gets in the way until we become aware of its petty preoccupations and eventually seek a deeper truth. It is like mining for a diamond. "
The season of Lent, with its emphasis on spiritual discipline, invites us to look at the huge impact our "small ego" has upon our lives, our relationships, our thoughts and actions. And, it encourages us to see ourselves from the vantage point of God, that is, being made in God's image. This was the essence of Jesus' message. How do we examine our egos, increase our self awareness and seek a deeper truth?
This is the role of prayer and meditation in our lives. Take some time for these today.
Wait and see.
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