No Place Where God Expects To Be worshipped

“There is no mountain, sacred place, or church building where God expects to be worshipped."

Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge

Jesus Freed From Religious Machinery

"Once you untangle Jesus from the religious machinery of Christianity, you discover a profound and inclusive significance of Jesus for all humankind and the journey of life. No person is excluded from that kind of transformation, regardless of one’s religious context. Every person has a religious context in which the significance of Jesus can be experienced because the Truth of Jesus is not bound to any particular religious system. Jesus himself had a religious context (Judaism), which he both honored and critiqued."

(Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge)

Holy Spirit Does Not Develop Our Theology

"Being led by the spirit of Truth that is inside you is not about constructing theology, but about living and being in a whole and complete relationship with yourself, God, others, and life. The spirit of Truth inside you is not there to lead you to correct concepts and ideas about God, but is there to guide you into the same truth that Jesus lived, expressed, and was."

Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge

Expensive Sheep Sheds

"My heart is one with the body of Christ no matter where or how or why they gather, but this never hinders me from recognizing the seriousness of the errors of the institutional church approach. I'm not into isolationism, but I'm also not at peace with a system that has marginalized Jesus, usurped His headship, turned the body into passive spectators, robbed believers of billions of dollars to build expensive sheep sheds, and a leadership that lord's it over God's flock."
- Tom Sparks

How We Decide Is As Important As The Outcome

"Deciding by consensus simply requires belief that unity, love, communication, and participation are more important in the Christian scheme of things than quick, easy decisions. It requires the understanding that, ultimately, the process is as important as the outcome. How we treat each other as we make decisions together is as important as what we actually decide."

- Christian Smith

Religion Sends People Off To Find God

"Religion often implies that one meets God atop a mountain or in a temple. Still today, people often refer to a church building as the “House of God.” But Joshua ben Adam (Jesus) taught that we meet God in one another. God’s spirit comes to expression in people, especially ordinary people doing ordinary things. Religion often sends people out to find God in “sacred things” – a certain place or day, religious gatherings, rituals, and experiences, or in the presence of religious clerics or spiritual gurus. And yet, Joshua ben Adam lived and taught that the living image of God is on display in everyday life in and through us and our expressions of compassion, love, care, and friendship with one another."

Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge

A Better Jesus Than Christianity's Jesus?

"There was a historical Jesus before institutional Christianity got a hold of him and did their extreme makeover. He was a much better Jesus than the one Christianity produced."

Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge

Culture And Money

"True communication between cultures is a chancy thing especially where money is involved."

(Moritz Thomsen. The Saddest Pleasure: A Jorney On Two Rivers.)

Christians Don't Own Jesus

(There is a religion-free Jesus who belongs to all of humankind. Christianity does not own or have first rights to Jesus. His truth has universal significance. It’s often the case that you have to disentangle Jesus from institutional Christianity in order to uncover his Truth."

(Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge)

You Are Not Any Smarter.

"Be humble. In your enlightenment you gained nothing, you attained nothing. You only saw the way things are and always have been, and will be."

(Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge)

Bad Anger

"But there is nothing that can be done with anger that cannot be done better without it. The sense of self-righteousness that comes with our anger simply provokes more anger and self-righteousness on the other side."

~ Dallas Willard. The Divine Conspiracy

Jesus Would Love The Nones

"If Jesus were walking our patch of planet earth today, he would be paying extra special attention to the “Nones.” They would feel as though he understands them. His approach to them would make the religious insiders nervous. Around him, they would feel like insiders, not outsiders. And soon, they would be loving him."

~ Ken Wilson

I'll Stay Where You Want Me To Go

"Stay in Jerusalem" Jesus. Sometimes it's easier to "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord" than "I'll stay where you want me to stay"

(Leonard Sweet)

Take Peace With You Into Each Moment

"Both the enlightened and ignorant person has difficulties and hardships. The difference is that the ignorant person is attached to their circumstances for peace, happiness, and well-being and the enlightened person is not. Which is easier – striving 24/7 to get your life to line up the way you want it, or not being attached to a preference of how it must be?

You think that your peace, well-being, and happiness has something to do with your life lining up. That’s your spiritual ignorance. Wouldn’t it be better to take peace, well-being, and happiness into each moment, whatever that moment holds?'

(Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge)

You Are Spiritual Enough

"There is nothing to insert into your life to make it more spiritual. There is only the need for you to dissolve the line between “sacred” and “secular.” There is no such line; we just made it up in our head. God is inseparable from every moment of life and living."
(Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge)

Life Has Pain

"The human experience involves pain. That’s the way that is. If you cut your hand open while slicing an onion, there will be pain. No amount of transformation or enlightenment is ever going to change this. If you lose a loved one, there will be emotional or psychological pain. No amount of transformation or enlightenment is ever going to change this. If a close friend or spouse betrays you, it will hurt. No amount of transformation or enlightenment is ever going to change this."

(Jim Palmer. Notes From Over The Edge)

Pretty Little Spirit?

‎"When the Holy Spirit shows up, He doesn't come to sit in the back room and behave Himself."

~ Randy Clark

Unzipped by God

"Our struggle with sin is so deep that it was not enough for God to forgive us, so he also unzipped us and got inside of us by his Spirit." 

(Paul David Tripp)