A Soul In Animal Environment

"The problem of the soul is how to live nobly in an animal environment; how to persuade and train the tongue and the senses to behave in agreement with the insights of the Soul.

~ Abraham Heschel

Lonely heart

"The heart is often a lonely voice in the marketplace of living."

~ Abraham Heschel

Purity Is Not The Test Of Piety?

"It would be a device of conceit, if not presumption, to insist that purity of the heart is the exclusive test of piety. Perfect purity is something we rarely know how to obtain or how to retain. No one can claim to have purged all the drawers even from his finest desire."

( Abraham Heschel. God In Search Of Man )

God Desire Heart Because He Loves Lived.

"The world needs more than the secret holiness of individual inwardness. It needs more of than the sacred sentiments and good intentions. God asks for the heart because he needs the lives. It is lives that the world will be redeemed, by lives that beat in concordance with God, by deeds that outbeat the finite charity of the human heart."

(Abraham Heschel. God In Search Of Man)

God Raises Us Up Easily

"There are people who try to raise their souls like a man continually taking standing jumps in the hopes that, if he jumps higher every day, a time may come when he will no longer fall back but will go right up to the sky. Thus occupied he cannot look at the sky. We cannot take a single step toward heaven. It is not in our power to travel in a vertical direction. If however we look heavenward for a long time, God comes and takes us up. He raises us easily."

—From Waiting for God by Simone Weil

Bible Worship

"I am deeply distressed by what I can only call in our Christian culture the idolatry of the Scriptures. For many Christians, the Bible is not a pointer to God but God himself. In a word – bibliolatry. God cannot be confined to a leather-bound book. I develop a nasty rash around people who speak as if mere scrutiny of its pages will reveal precisely how God thinks and precisely what God wants. The four Gospels are the key to knowing Jesus. But conversely, Jesus is the key to knowing the meaning of the gospel – and of the Bible as a whole. Instead of remaining content with the bare letter, we should pass on to the more profound mysteries that are available only through intimate and heartfelt knowledge of Jesus."

~ Brennan Manning, The Signature of Jesus

When My Prayers Are Dominated By Me and "My" People

"When we prayed to win the lottery, do we ever consider the untold numbers who will therefore not win.? Do we think about all those other folks, many of whom are in dire straits, unemployed, maybe with hungry kids? Do our prayers naturally drift to other people for whom a winning ticket would be a way out of poverty, abuse, or oppression? I am not just talking about a little lottery here, since so many of our prayers are an appeal for luck.

When we pray for our kids to make the basketball team or be accepted to a certain College, do we ever think of the other kids who will be left out if God fulfills our prayers?

How about when we pray for our church to grow? Do our prayers, be they private or from the pulpit, include remorse and regret regret for all the small churches that will need to close their doors to make way for another Urban mega church? The statistics are indisputable, churches grow because other churches shrink or close. Do our prayers include them?

My prayers are dominated by me and my people. Do I pray for other countries to succeed or just my country? Do I take into compassionate consideration that many, many other countries are filled with poverty, famine, and epidemics that would make our poorest neighborhoods look like paradise? Do we pray for the success of our neighbors across the globe?

How about when we pray for our soldiers? Do our appeals drift to the soldiers on the other side, for their safety and spared life? How about their families?

In the end, I believe that most of us are narcissists when it comes to our God-imaginations. God is at the game table, and we believe he should be skewing the game to support me, my people, my church, my country my.... my...my....
Am I the only one treating at all like a game?

(Tony Kriz. Aloof. Pg 26)

Desperately Seeking Nature

"But with such grand displays as Nature is making here, how grand are her reservations, bestowed only upon those who devotedly seek them!"

(John Muir. Steep Trails)

Excellence In Judgement

"“What? Me? I’d rather not,” he paused. “I don’t have any ability to judge.”“Oh, that is not true,” returned the quick reply, tinged now with a hint of sarcasm. “You have already proven yourself very capable, even in our short time together. And besides, you have judged many throughout your life. You have judged the actions and even the motivations of others, as if you somehow knew what those were in truth. You have judged the color of skin and body language and body odor. You have judged history and relationships. You have even judged the value of a person’s life by the quality of your concept of beauty. By all accounts, you are quite well-practiced in the activity.” Mack felt shame reddening his face. He had to admit he had done an awful lot of judging in his time.""

(William P. Young. The Shack)

Jesus Wants Brothers Not Slaves

"“Have you noticed that even though you call me Lord and King, I have never really acted in that capacity with you? I’ve never taken control of your choices or forced you to do anything, even when what you were about to do was destructive or hurtful to yourself and others................

"Because we want you to join us in our circle of relationship. I don’t want slaves to my will; I want brothers and sisters who will share life with me.”"

(William P. Young. The Shack)

Waiting For Our Souls To Catch Up.

"An explorer, a white man, anxious to reach his destination in the heart ofAfrica , promised an extra payment to his bearers if they would make greater speed. For several days, the bearers moved along at a faster pace. One afternoon, though, they all suddenly put down their burden and sat on the ground. No matter how much money they were offered, they refused to move on. When the explorer finally asked why they were behaving as they were, he was given the following answer: “We have been moving along at such a fast pace that we no longer know what we are doing. Now we have to wait until our soul catches up with us.”

(Paulo Coelho: Maktub)

Have You Taught How To Make Fire?

The master met one night with his disciples, and asked them to build a campfire so they could sit and talk. “The spiritual path is like a fire that burns before us,” he said. “A man who wants to light the fire has to bear with the disagreeable smoke that makes it difficult for him to breathe, and brings tears to his eyes. That is how his faith is rediscovered. However, once the fire is rekindled, the smoke disappears, and the flames illuminate everything around him -providing heat and tranquility.” “But what if someone else lights the fire for him?” asked one of the disciples. “And if someone helps us to avoid the smoke?” “If someone does that, he is a false master. A master capable of taking the fire to wherever he desires, or of extinguishing it whenever he wants to do so. And, since he has taught no one how to light the fire, he is likely to leave everyone in the darkness.”

(Paulo Coelho: Maktub)

Where is God?

"Between France and Spain is a range of mountains. In one of those mountains, there is a village named Argeles, and in the village is a hill leading to the valley. Every afternoon, an old man climbs and descends the hill. When the wanderer went to Argeles for the first time, he was not aware of this. On his second visit, he noticed that he crossed paths with the same man. And every time he went to the village, he perceived the man in greater detail -his clothing, his beret, his cane, his glasses. Nowadays, whenever he thinks about that village, he thinks of the old man, as well -even though he is not aware that this is true.

Only once did the wanderer ever speak to the man. In a joking fashion, he asked the man, “Do you think that God lives in these beautiful mountains surrounding us?” “God lives,” said the old man, “in those places where they allow Him to enter.”

(Paulo Coelho: Maktub)

You Can't Be Ugly

"Generally, by the time you are real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all because once you are real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

(The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams)

Love Creates Equals

"We are not happy because we are unforgiving, and we are unforgiving because we feel Superior to others.

Mercy is the fruit of the highest degree of love, because love creates equals...."

(Carlo Carretto In Search of The Beyond)

People Are Not Finished Products

"No person we meet from the moment we open our eyes in the morning till we shut them in sleep at night is finished."

-Eugene Peterson

Let it Rain

“The best thing to do when it rains is to let it rain.”
-Henry Longfellow

Authoritarians Are Awesome!

"I get the impression that many modern church movements see authoritarianism as a means to "make it happen" without the hindrance or inertia of group decision-making. That's basically an invitation for the power hungry to assert their dominance."

(Richy Bath)

Religious Christian Carrots Are Neither Wanted Nor Helpful

"the vast majority of Christians made Christianity into a set of morals and rituals...... Moralism (as opposed to healthy morality) is the reliance on largely arbitrary purity codes, needed rituals, and dutiful "requirements" that are framed as prerequisites....... Every group and individual usually begins this way, and I guess it is understandable. People look for something visible, seemingly demanding, and socially affirming to do or not do rather than undergo a radical transformation of the mind and heart. It is no wonder that Jesus so strongly warns against public prayer, public acts of generosity, and visible fasting in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18). Yet that is what we still do!

Any external behavior that puts you on moral high ground is always dangerous to the ego because, as Jesus says, "you have received your reward" (Matthew 6:2). Moralism and ritualism allow you to be independently "good" without the love and mercy of God and without being of service to anybody else for that matter.....

Our carrot-on-the-stick approach to religion is revealed by the fact that one is never quite pure enough, holy enough, or loyal enough for the presiding group. Obedience is normally a higher virtue than love. This process of "sin management" has kept us clergy in business. There are always outsiders to be kept outside. Hiding around the edges of this search for moral purity are evils that we have readily overlooked: slavery, sexism, wholesale classism, greed, pedophilia, national conquest, gay oppression, and the oppression of native cultures. Almost all wars were fought with the full blessing of Christians. We have, as a result, what some cynically call "churchianity" or "civil religion" rather than deep or transformative Christianity.

The good news of an incarnational religion, a Spirit-based morality, is that you are not motivated by any outside reward or punishment but actually by participating in the Mystery itself. Carrots are neither needed nor helpful. "It is God, who for [God's] own loving purpose, puts both the will and the action into you" (see Philippians 2:13). It is not mere rule-following behavior but your actual identity that is radically changing you. Henceforth, you do things because they are true, not because you have to or you are afraid of punishment. Now you are not so much driven from without (the false self method) but you are drawn from within (the True Self method). The generating motor is inside you now instead of a lure or a threat from outside."

(Richard Rohr.- Drawn from Within. Tuesday, April 12, 2016 Daily Meditation)

Accept The Weather

"..... be prepared for autumn’s sudden changes, for winter’s treacherous snow and ice, for spring’s seductive flowers, for the drought and the rain of summer. Make the most of each of these seasons, and do not complain about them."

(Paulo Coelho. Book of Manuals)

Journeys End

"Don’t forget, sooner or later, an angel will arrive, and your journey will come to an end."

(Paulo Coelho. Book of Manuals)

If - You Have Time.

"Everything is within walking distance, if you have time."

(Steven Wright)

Excellent For The Wrong Things.

"Nothing so useless as doing with great cost, fervour, excellence what should never be done at all!"
(Stephen Hill)

Choose

"Each human being is given a virtue: the capacity to choose. For those who do not use this virtue, it becomes a curse, and others will make their choices for them."

(Paulo Coelho. Book of Manuals)

Reset My Bones

"As long as we are on earth, the love that unites us will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another, because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones."

(Thomas Merton)

Choosing The Ravaged Path?

“You humans, so little in your own eyes. You are truly blind to your own place in the Creation. Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don’t even comprehend that you are dragging the entire Creation along with you.”

(William P. Young. The Shack. Sarayu, speaking to Mack)

We Know Nothing Of Our World.

"If one thing is clear as soon as the Church becomes serious about its missionary and ministerial calling for the world, it is that two difficult roads in particular have to be trodden: first, the road towards overcoming the scantiness of its knowledge of the world of today, and its ignoring of what really goes on in the world under its surface; secondly, the road towards reforming its spirit, atmosphere, and inherited structure, in so far as they give no room for new vitality.

... What can and must be said and resaid, with all gratitude for what in many places is already happening, is that a fearless scrutiny and revision of structure is one of the most urgent aspects of a renewal of the Church."
 
... Hendrik Kraemer (1888-1965), A Theology of the Laity

Trees That Winnow The Sky

"Here I slackened pace, for I drank the spicy, resiny wind, and beneath the arms of this noble tree I felt that I was safely home. Never did pine trees seem so dear. How sweet was their breath and their song, and how grandly they winnowed the sky!"

(John Muir. Steep Trails)

Show me God - Not What You Have Managed.

Brazilian lyricist and novelist. Portuguese language... sold over 210 million books. The last paragraph is a good one.

The man arrived at the monastery exhausted: - I have been looking for God for so long - he said. - Perhaps you can teach me the right way of finding Him. - Enter and see our convent - said the priest, taking him by the hand and leading him to the chapel. - Here are some fine works of art of the 16th century, which portray the life of the Lord, and His glory among men. The man waited, while the priest explained each one of the beautiful paintings and sculptures which adorned the chapel. Afterwards, he repeated the question: - Everything you showed me is very beautiful. But I’d like to learn the best way to find God. - God! - replied the priest. - You said exactly that: God! And he took the man to the refectory, where supper was being prepared for the monks. - Look around: soon supper will be served, and your are invited to dine with us. You will be able to listen to the Scriptures, while you satisfy your hunger. - I am not hungry, and I have already read the entire Scriptures - insisted the man. - I wish to learn. I have come here to find God.

Again the priest took the stranger by the hand and they began walking around the cloisters which encircled a lovely garden. - I ask my monks to always keep the grass cut, and to remove the dry leaves from the fountain you see over there in the middle. I think this must be the best kept monastery in the whole region.

The stranger walked with the priest a short way, then excused himself, saying he must be leaving. - Won’t you stay for supper? asked the priest. As he mounted his horse, the stranger spoke: - Congratulations on your fine church, your welcoming refectory and the perfectly clean courtyard. But I have journeyed many leagues just in order to learn to find God, and not to marvel at efficiency, comfort and discipline.

A flash of lightening struck, the horse reared up and the earth shook. Suddenly, the strange man removed his disguise, and the priest saw that it was Jesus. -

God is wherever He is invited in - said Jesus. - But you have closed the doors of this monastery to Him, with rules, pride, wealth, ostentation. The next time a stranger comes asking to find God, do not show him what you have managed in His name: listen to the question, and try to answer with love, charity and simplicity. And so saying, He disappeared."

(Paulo Coelho : Warrior Of The Light. Vol 1)

Rule Keeper Ways.

"People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain which God says, "if you keep a lot of rules, I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing."

C.S. Lewis

Willing His Will

"We are not and cannot become true sons (daughters) without our will willing his will, are doing following His making."

(George MacDonald Creation in Christ)

Keep Your Hands Off The Church

Lottie Moon was a missionary to China in the mid to late 19th century. She said,

"When the gospel is allowed to grow naturally in China, without forcing processes of development, the "church in the house" is usually its first form of organization. God grant us faith and courage to keep "hands off" and allow this new garden of the Lord's planting to ripen in the rays of the Divine Love, free from human interference!"
- Lottie Moon, Pingtu, September 10, 1890

Called To the Speckled and Spotted

"If you're called to the spotted and speckled, why would you despise their imperfections?"

~ Tom Zawacki