Another Perspective On Love

Later that night (the night I surrendered intellectual chatter to intuition and introspection) I jotted down the following words: "There is no need to fill myself up with love. I am already filled up with love. Everyone is. The problem is that we allow our windows to get all dirty and sooty with tension and confusion, thereby blocking the inward and outward view of what is already inside. Love seems to be the appreciation that we are all little lumps in the same earthly soup which is a little lump in the cosmic soup. So, love is an awareness of beautiful energetic relationship and a natural appreciation of the situation. It doesn't seem to be a matter of finding love...it is a matter of being aware of it. It's not a question of invention, but rather of discovery."

Before that day, I had been brainwashed, or rather "heartwashed", into believing love was something that you "made" or "broke up". In addition, I had learned love was a commodity that could be "given" and "taken", as well as something you could "fall into" and "out of" like a hole. It had the power to "break hearts" and then "mend them" again. It appeared to me that love was a cross between a laser beam, a birthday present, an open manhole, and a trophy. Absurd.

I am not about to suggest that I know what love is or that it is anything at all. I would like to share, however, my perception that love is probably not something you can "have" like a possession, or something you can "make", like a table, or something you can "lose" like a key, and that it might be experienced as an open, clear emanation of goodness that wells up within the bodymind and projects out through the vortex of the heart.

From "Body Mind" by Ken Dychtwald

From "Invitation To A Journey"

by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

...spiritual formation as "being conformed" brings its own spiritual work into our objectivizing, informational-functional, instant-gratification modes of being and doing. The first work of transformation is the reversal of these deeply ingrained and powerfully controlling dynamics of our cultural shaping. This means that our spiritual journey is not our setting out (by gathering information and applying it correctly) to find God (as an object "out there" to be grasped and controlled by us). It is a journey of learning to yield ourselves to God and discovering where God will take us.

Flowing Through the Rapids

The Chinese sages tell us to be like reeds that bend in the river with the current...and to flow like fish through rocky rapids. I've literally experienced this "bending and flowing". Many years ago, two college friends and I capsized in a boat while enjoying a ride down the rapids of a local river. As the boat capsized on top of me, and I was sucked under the water, I started to struggle. I knew I could hit the rocks, be knocked unconscious and possibly die. Suddenly, an amazing peace came over me and I knew I needed to relax. I let my body go limp. Not able to see well because of nearsightedness, I saw vague shadows moving by and felt my body slip around and over large boulders. When I was finally washed out of the rapids, I was about 15 feet below the surface and completely disoriented. The thought came to my mind, "look for the light". Almost out of breath, I turn here and there to find the light. Finally finding a faint starlike glimmer of light, I swam towards it and reached the surface much to my boyfriend's relief.

This life lesson has served me well. Each year I become aware of another aspect of this teaching. This year I realize that life is like a mountain river. It has different kinds of rapids, tranquil ponds, snags, waterfalls and shallow rocky areas. Sometimes the river dries up and sometimes it is a raging torrent. By it's nature, life, like a river, is as unpredictable, fierce and wild as it is beautiful and peaceful. The wise man respects it's force, keeps his eyes open, enjoys it's multifacted beauties and is as well prepared as possible for the unexpected. Most importantly, the wise man relaxes and moves with the river...flows with the water around the rocks. One cannot fight the nature of something wild...one must learn to love wildness and accept it for what it is.

From Sojourners

Jeff Carr: How Do You Know Someone Until You Talk?

We have been keeping quite a schedule here in Iran, meeting with various religious leaders, government officials, and visiting historic and cultural sites. We have had two dialogue sessions with Muslim clerics in the last two days, both of which were very interesting. The first dialogue was at the Center for Islamic Culture and Information headquarters, in Tehran, and a significant number of media outlets were in attendance. It operated more like a theological conference, with three presentations made by each side. It was quite formal, but I was particularly fascinated by how well Muslim religious leaders understood Christianity. They quoted liberally from the Bible and made many links to corresponding verses from the Quran.

One of the leaders said that he had read the Bible from cover to cover 10-20 times in the course of his study, but he wondered if any of us had ever read the entire Quran. It was a fair question, and one that actually made me feel somewhat guilty. As I began to think about the primacy of the role of religion in Iran, and how much of their nation's value system comes out of the Quran, I began to think about whether or not you can truly understand a people if you have not read their holy book. Could people truly know me as a person, and understand me, if they had no real knowledge of the Bible?

These conversations, as well as many others, have also made it clear that the Iranians are very interested in being respected, but feel like they have not received much respect from the West. Everyone we have talked to has expressed this pain and frustration, and yet they have been so gracious, and continue to want to reach out and build bridges with us, in spite of feeling disrespected. It's a value I think we as Christians in America could learn from our Islamic brothers and sisters in Iran, and it's a value that would go a long way in helping us solve some of the differences between our nations.

Jeff Carr is the Chief Operations Officer for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

Learn more about this delegation at www.irandelegation.org.

To learn more about the Quran http://www.maroc-oase.de/_islam/sura.htm

Good Reminders After "Venting"

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

Luke 6:36-38

Those called by God to proclaim the good news need to be both faithful and courageous. Our prophetic call, however, does not come without a cost. Managing the enmity of foes and friends requires a teachable spirit and contentment with failure. We are not usually in a very teachable mood until life has whipped us into an attitude to learn and a willingness to change; then God can get our undivided attention.

Charles G. Adams
excerpt from "The Priestly Faithful and Prophetically Courageous" (essay)

Sobornost

From "Sobornost" by Catherine Doherty

Often under the guise of Christianity, people begin to break up sobornost*. They do it very simply: by rationalizing Christ's teachings, selecting only the parts that satisfy them. Obedience is not in them, neither in reality nor in desire. They have forgotten the Christ who was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." So they tear apart his teachings.

[edit]

Yes, this is the truly "great obstacle" to unity: when the mind of man challenges the mind of God, refusing obedience, refusing submission, refusing entry into the reality which is Christ. This is the most painful, the most tragic picture that exists today: man worshipping himself, man saying loudly and clearly, "I am master of my own destiny. I can solve all the problems of my life."

Some will acknowledge, in moments of grave difficulty, that they might turn their face to God and (almost as if they were his equal) ask his advice. Others simply deny there is a God. Still others, beholding the modern scene, are almost afraid to move. They have been reluctant to put out their hand, to grasp the hand of another so as to be able to hold onto the hand of God - which would have given them strength and peace in the midst of turmoil.

*Sobornost: (Russian) A unity that has been effected though the word of the Gospel. "Vox Dei, vox populi...Sobornost is you and me constantly listening to God, and with an open heart, asking him, "What is your will?" - Doherty

Prayer Request

Please pray for and visualize God's light surrounding my brother. He had a heart attack Thursday morning and is in the hospital. Another spiritual wake-up call? Heart disease doesn't run in the family, so this is an anomaly. The docs still don't really know what caused it. Yes, my bro has lived a hard life, made some poor choices and recently had a tough four years emotionally. The heart bears the brunt of sorrow. Coming on the heels of his daughter's car accident and injury this new crisis also took my mom down. She's been assigned to bed ( a forced vacation) for three days to heal a serious infection.

Phew!

Not to be fatalistic, but my family has had about twenty major life stresses occur in the last two years. Many of these incidents were beyond our control. Some could definitely be the result of poor choices made years ago. However, the unrelenting onslaught of Job like crisis month after month is beginning to seem odd. Yep, we're fighters and we keep getting back up punch after punch, but I'm beginning to wonder how much continuous trauma a person can take.

God help me let go of my desire to control things I can't control. Allow me to trust your will and know difficulties occur randomly as well as the results of a cause. The fact bad things happen to "good" people, or to people who are trying to change their lives for the better, is not evidence of a Godless world but is a reality of temporal, human existence. Peace, healing, love and all that is good comes from God working in the world through his creation.

Help me to listen for your voice in each moment of Life,
even in sorrow and above the roar of angry frustration.
Your voice is always there waiting for me to open my ears.
Your light is always waiting for me to open my eyes.
Your love is always there waiting for me to open my heart.

Nature's Geometry

"How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated!I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat."

Henry David Thoreau, 1856

http://www.snowcrystals.com/

Asleep in the Light?

A troubling phenomenon recurs among young Christians reared in solid homes and sound churches. After living their early years as outstanding examples of Christian faith, many become spiritual dropouts. Did they fail because they concentrated on the exterior, visible Christian life? Did they learn to mimic certain behaviors, nuances of words, and emotional responses? Crayfish-like, did they develop a hard exterior that resembled everyone else’s and conclude such was the kingdom of God, while inside they were weak and vulnerable? ... An outside shell can seem attractive, trustworthy, and protective. It certainly has advantages over a dead, useless skeleton or over no skeleton at all. But God desires for us a more advanced skeleton that serves as it stays hidden.

Paul Brand
Source: "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

When I read the above quote on Sojourner e-digest I was glad someone articulated this point. I have observed Brand's statement to be true both when I was a young Christian and afterwards when I returned to Christianity this year with the perspective of an unbeliever.

When I was young, I was one of Brand's church-fed Christians who did not understand the reality of the need to surrender to Christ's will. Because I had not submitted to Christ, I was blind, didn't understand Love, was unsure and lacked true faith. I moved within the embrace of the Holy Spirit but I had not opened my heart to His transforming power. I had not experienced the deeper spiritual truths of God's amazing Love for his creation. Instead, I found security in the sanctuary of my Christian peer group and meaningless church youth activities. Together, my friends and I looked out at the "unsaved world" with a disdainful curiosity and a great deal of fear. And yet, I always questioned the tendency I saw in the church towards cliquish isolation, biased "us and them" attitudes and superficial relationships. I truly wanted to know the Truth. I had to look outside the church to find it. That's a sad thing.

When I finally experienced Christ's love this year, it really blew me out of the water. All the things I had heard and read as a child finally made sense. I realized faith and Godly love are the fruit of surrender to God's will. On fire with the Spirit, I began to search for other Christians who could explain what was happening to me. I found only a handful of Christians who knew what I was even talking about. With great surprise, I realized being baptized in the Holy Spirit is not a common experience in the modern church today. Out of necessity, I turned to the Bible, classic Christian literature and books written by Christian mystics to understand what was happening to me. There, I finally found Believers who shared my spiritual experiences and could explain them. I was relieved because the common experiences of these Believers assured me my spiritual experiences were valid. Since reading these books, I've happily been led to other Christians who are part of the spiritual rebirth I sense is occuring in this century. The Holy Spirit is on the move. Are we being led to work within the established church to share the true message of Christ's Love?