In Yoke

Burden bearer? Shift the weight.

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice.
– Miguel de Cervantes

In Kerala, a state in South India where Easwaran grew up, along the roadside there are stone parapets the height of a person’s head. When people need to rest from carrying heavy loads of rice or fruit on their heads, they stand next to the parapet and shift their load onto it.

The Lord who dwells in the hearts of all is the perennial parapet, standing at exactly the right height for each one of us. For those who are very selfish, he stands very tall to support an awesome load; for those who are average in selfishness, he stands about six feet high; and for the selfless, the parapet can hardly be seen because the burden is so light that almost no support is needed. Through the practice of meditation and contemplative prayer, we can gradually learn to shift our load into the Lord’s mighty arms.

We like to think that we make big decisions and carry terrible responsibilities on our shoulders. Our shoulders are bent, our back gives us problems, and we are too tired to stand on our feet because of the mighty weight we try to bear. The constant phrase- “ Oh, I am so busy”, or “I am so tired from this busy busy day”—are all selfishly bent.

Few of us realize there is Christ Himself standing with arms outstretched, just waiting to carry our burdens. ~adapted from Eknath Easwaran

^“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

His promises are true. He bears our burdens.

Practicing ancient wisdom about the present...and the past

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:12:00 +0000

Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet. As something is being passed around, it comes to you. When it comes to you, stretch out your hand gently, take a portion of it politely, but pass it on. Or, it has not come to you yet. Do not project your desire to meet it. So act always in life.
– Epictetus

from Sri Easwaran -"This is the nature of desire: it jumps out from the present to the future. When you have a very pleasant event planned, the desire has jumped out already to meet it. Even though this particular event will take place on Saturday, and today is Monday, half of you is already living in Saturday.
And next Monday morning, you will be at your desk, remembering the great day you had Saturday.
Epictetus says, don’t ever let your desire jump out to the future, and don’t let your mind wander to the past, because you will never be present in the here and now.
If, for example, you are going to the theater to see Anthony and Cleopatra, it is only when you get into the theater that you let your attention dwell on it completely. Until then, you don’t think about it. And when you are watching the play, you are there completely, with no wisp of consciousness wandering to what your boss said to you yesterday about the project that is late, and no wandering to what you would like for breakfast tomorrow. You are there completely, sailing down the Nile with Cleopatra."

I find this is true for me. The funny thing is, I have been doing this projection into the future and into the past as it has to do with Baylor athletics. Our sports success has been in mind as I go through the day, anticipating the next game, the upcoming chance for victory, the victories of the recent past. Gosh, I have suffered for 40 years as a Baylor Bear fan. I am very pleased when my team is victorious, however, this zeal is tempered by the reality that sooner or later, they'll break your heart.
I also do this with that elusive time period that the investment firms call "retirement". I have determined not to listen to their swan song.
I am happy working along as I go in life as it is now, and sure, I would love to have $10 million to have as a nest egg, but "my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness". I want to trust my provision to the One Who Provides:Jehovah Jireh and also project a positive future for my family, financially. I groan(pray in the Spirit) that this is occurring and that as I whistle while I work, day by day, if he desires me to retire, he will put a way in front of me to get it done.
My prayer is that today I might be present, to today’s issues, needs and actions. ..and not dwell in the future, or the past.
I pray it is so with you as well.

Binary vs. Non-dual: dealing with life’s paradoxes

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Romans 8:25-30 (ESV) - But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

My devotional life really does dynamically move into deep contemplation as I read and reread the words of Richard Rohr*, one of my favorite authors. “The contemplative or non-dual mind, which for me is the essential self, is a tree of life, and brings about continual fruitfulness for the soul. Rohr reminds me of this in the discussion of how we usually make judgments based on our binary, or “either/or” false self/or/ego”.

“A binary system of either/or choices is good and necessary in the lofty worlds of logic, mechanics, math and science…and in the everyday worlds of getting from point A to point B, whether to turn left, or right. …But these binary thinking paradigms have begun to show severe limitations, and this binary mind can only take us so far, it cannot access eternal things.
It is not ‘the tree of life’—it is ‘the tree of the knowledge of “this or that”/or/”good and evil”.”

Most of us are not very good at the unitive or non-dual way of seeing or knowing. In fact, in often seems like “groaning” as addressed by the Apostle Paul in the verse above. In recent times, in my experience, no one –none of my traditional teachers in the church setting-has taught any of this—not in any Baptist church I have been associated with. Yet, this revelation is surely the tree of life, as Rohr puts it. It is at the center of God’s garden of wisdom! … and ---it’s roots extend far and wide. It enables us to deal with the constant paradox, or conflict of the dark side and the bright side…

Rohr mentions that “it is actually at the root of what we refer to as forgiveness”.The struggle “to forgive reality for being exactly as it is right now often breaks us through to non-dual consciousness”. We have to forgive the rational domination of ego and reason ---to forgive a deep hurt or memory in the NOW or in the past.”

Rohr quotes the canticle of Zechariah in Luke 1: “you will know salvation through the mystery of forgiveness.”
And further, “You cannot bypass the necessary tension of holding contraries and inconsistencies together, if you are to live on this earth. These earthly experiences, these daily presentations of paradox, will teach duality in a way that is no longer theoretical or abstract.”
Surely this forgiveness must be extended to each person or situation we encounter, and indeed to ourselves and our own limitations and mistakes. In this, I believe is the beginning of “the peace that passes all understanding”. In this wisdom is also “the fear of the Lord”…only He holds the key to the riddle, the paradox of the constant hard edged, either-or, black-white, good-bad dichotomies we face each day, in the world, and in ourselves.
Thanks be to God, that He is teaching us to live in this hard edged world, through the groanings of His Spirit within us, and through the teaching of this modern day guru of Christ Consciousness.
*The Naked Now-Amazon link to the book-"The Naked Now" by Rohr.

The process- “Putting on the Mind of Christ”

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:32:00 +0000

In order to progress along “the path of spiritual progress”, or “spiritual formation”, Jim Marion, author of Putting on the Mind of Christ, shares this step by step pathway. This is not unlike the “eightfold path” taught by meditation masters of Buddhism or Hinduism, however, my tradition is to be an ever growing Christ follower. That is my path, my leading…but the wisdom of other masters, other than Christ, can be helpful.

1. First and foremost, in a humble, prayerful attitude, honestly and truthfully, I must allow the Holy Spirit to assist me in assessing where I am.

“Where I am” today is perfect for the lessons that the Holy Spirit wants me to learn. The Spirit is providing “mirrors”, that is, other people who reflect back to us our level of consciousness.

What is it that I fear?
What are my strengths?
What are the areas of my own life where I am weak?
What are my aptitudes?
What is the practice I am applying to growing my strengths and allowing the Spirit to decrease or eliminate my fears, and my weaknesses?

2. Am I listening to the still, small voice within?

This is the Holy Spirit, the Word of God. This is done by quieting the mind through meditation. This is to be carried out as a daily practice, seeking to comprehend what the Spirit is saying, seeking as best I know how to discern where the Spirit is leading.

3. The Work on myself must be thorough and focused. Jesus called it “shoulder to the plow”.(Luke 9:62) I must, in yoke with Him, go all out, day to day, for a life time.

4. Therefore, by His Spirit, I must be patient. God has a long view of us. Heaven cannot be changed overnight…and I cannot be changed overnight. Only the EGO works violently, wanting to push and shove, to hurry, to force. War is the ego at its extreme, the effort by violence to force things to go our way. Many of us are at a state of war within ourselves.

“The Spirit never works by force, but gently, quietly. Its movement within us is subtle and delicate. spirit flows and grows us from within, naturally, and gradually”-Bernadette Roberts

The spiritual practice is to do a little each day. Pray, Meditate, go to church, receive communion. Keep a daily journal. Keep track of your dreams. Go for a quiet walk. Each day.

5. Each of us must find a community of people* or ‘satsang’- composed of people who think as we do, who are as serious about the spiritual path as we are, and who can and will pray for us and support us.

(A satsang (originating from the Sanskrit words: sat = true, sanga = company) in Indian philosophy means in this context, keeping company with an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the truth. This typically involves listening to or reading scriptures, reflecting on, discussing and assimilating their meaning, meditating on the source of these words, and bringing their meaning into one’s daily life.)

This constitutes an integral practice of life:

Something for the body: Exercising daily. all parts of the body, with an eye to spiritual practice;
Something for the Emotions: A practice to develop the emotions(e.g psychotherapy, dream work, emotional release)…
Something for the mind—i.e. spiritual reading, journaling;
Something for the soul- meditation/quiet time.

I wrote all this down as a reminder to myself, as the new year approaches.

I sincerely hope that you are able to do these things as well, as you endeavor to live and work as a follower, in yoke with Yeshua (Jesus), the Master.

…and merry Christ-mass. May your day be one of celebration and joy.

How do I proceed?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:19:00 +0000

In these final days of 2011, I am faced with a liminal space in life. There are decisions and doors that I must cross through and it is difficult to know what are my own individual, ego driven decisions and what things I am to simply listen to the voice of the Spirit and obey.

I know that I am not able to abide by and follow the direction of “the world”—which is the guidance provided by those who own the stock and the little tech company I have sold, yet I am bound to it because of the payout that awaits me…if I can assist the company in achieving the modicum of stability that it has maintained for the past 5 years. That is dependent on so many factors, and so much future goodwill of our clients. It can create anxiety, if I but allow the anxiety to exist.

I have faced such a point several times before—where I stood on the precipice of the future with darkness and change ahead. In fact, I have and you most likely have- faced a future where it is dark and the way of God’s will was not clear before you. My pastor Bruce McIver at Wilshire Church in Dallas(late 1970’s) used the analogy of an automobile’s headlights. God’s plan and his specific desires for you lie ahead of you like a roadway in the dark, with hills and curves ahead. Your way is lit for just a few hundred feet ahead. Yet, because of your experience with autos, headlights, and highways—you gain a level of understanding that enables you to proceed along the highway at 65-70 MPH…you have gained trust in the US Highway System and the aggie engineers who built the highways in Texas, that the road is smooth and the way clear for you to proceed, hurtling into the future at breakneck speed, most of the time.

There are times, however, when you must slow down, focus your sight very carefully and proceed with utmost caution. There are also times when, because of the interest you have in the immediate surroundings, you intentionally slow down and take in the sights, with keen awareness. There are times when one must pull out his GPS* and make certain the direction one is heading is the right one to bring him to his intended destination. * GPS-“God Positioning System”

This is a good analogy for me today. The road is dark ahead. I don’t know the road, what curves or bumps or obstacles lie before me.

I awakened early, at 3:17 am, with the future’s uncertainty on my mind.

I know the truth of Erwin McManus’ point in his book, ‘Chasing Daylight’—and I summarize: we need not pray for God’s will for our lives in order to make right decisions. We need not pray about what He would have me to do. We need not pray until we have done all in our power to obey what his revealed word in clarity has clearly laid out for us to do. So the sequence is not pray then obey. It s obey, then pray.

So, in light of that, at 3:30am, I went back to His Word, which is already before me…and returned to a passage which has illuminated my path before.

It is this word –given once again today, on December 3, 2011, that the Lord intends for me to absorb, remember and obey.

The familiar passage is Luke 18, the words of the Master.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Okay, so what is the word I must obey? How should this keen word from the heart of Christ be applied to my immediate context? How can obedience come from this direct word?

Clearly, I must continue to remain, abide in Him. “Pray and not give up”, was Yeshua’s intent for his disciples as He told them this parable about the widow and the unjust judge. He uses hyperbole. He compares an unjust, crooked judge to the Father. If this sorry excuse for a judge will finally break down and act on this widow’s plea, then how much more will the Father in heaven who created you act on your behalf to grant justice to you?

Okay. Got it. I will stay before you, Lord. I will remain in yoke, Lord Christ.

But He is not done. His word continues in its application.

As usual, he is most concerned about the condition of one’s heart. So he incisively brought this general lesson to my mind and imbedded it in my heart.

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted”… and “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Okay, got it. I see now. I must be very intentional about the posture I take towards all the changes of which I am in the midst. A child-likeness. What are those characteristics? a short list…

Trust, contentment, humility, open heartedness, full dependence on my Lord and Master, awake and aware of the immediate blessings of the day, sharing and enjoying life with my playmates, loving and enjoying my family, including my Father in Heaven, and enjoying life in the church—all in the present moment of life—today!

That is what I must “do” to obey Him. It actually doesn’t involve me doing anything. It is more my posture towards the One who undergirds, and even provides the breath I breathe.

That is what being “in yoke” means to me, to obey Him, today.

Thanks be to God…for his applied word.

Thoughts taken captive

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:38:00 +0000

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

–2nd Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Ch. 10:v. 5

When thoughts arise, then do all things arise. When thoughts vanish, then do all things vanish.

– Huang Po

Sri Easwaran approaches the topic of thought control from the perspective of taking time off and simply stopping the thought process. He elaborates: “When meditation deepens, and the thinking process slows down, we will find that we don’t have to think all the time. It sounds simple, even scary, but it is a mighty achievement that yields unimaginable peace. Thoughts are no longer compulsive.“

Paul comes at it in subjecting our thinking to the “mind of Christ”. These two perspectives are similar and lend credence to one other. In my understanding, they are quite the same—in that one must allow the Spirit within to control the thoughts that we “employ”. It is the spiritual gift of self control. Sometimes it requires us to simply be quiet. Other times, with the Spirit that says, ‘I can do all things through Christ’, we can capably employ our mind to focus on a topic or project of importance to ourselves and others.

Easwaran elaborates with an analogy: “Just as we turn the key in the ignition of our car when we want to go somewhere, we should be able to find the ignition switch in our own mind. When we want to think constructively we switch the mind on and drive all the way to Los Angeles without any detours or breakdowns. Anger is a breakdown. Resentment is a protracted detour that often makes us forget our original travel plan entirely and then leaves us out of gas in the middle of nowhere. But when we know where to find the ignition switch, we can start the mind out in Seattle on Interstate 5 and drive straight through to Los Angeles. We have a wonderful trip, and when we arrive and our project is completed, we switch the mind off and let it rest. There may be a certain pleasure in letting the mind wander, but for how long? What the spiritual teacher asks us is simple: Don’t you want to decide your destination? And don’t you want to get there with your body still healthy and your mind at peace? “

This analogy of Sri Easwaran is, to me, taking thoughts captive. To the degree that we exercise self control and “put on the mind of Christ”, thereby effecting willpower over what we think, the more we begin to allow Christ’s character to be manifest in our interactions with others.

For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:16

May Christ so inhabit my heart, mind and soul so that this thought oversight is true more and more as the days he gives on this earth are opened-- as a gift…with thanksgiving.

Risk

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:48:00 +0000

As an entrepreneur, and a former banker, I have dealt with the element of risk continually. I was interested to read the chapter on risk in Erwin Raphael McManus’ book, “Chasing Daylight”. These thoughts come from chapter 5, “Risk”, pp. 132-142. I felt it exigent to express these ideas in “In Yoke”. My comments are in bold font, his words are in italics. References to scripture are in blue font.

I Samuel 14: 1-11- McManus alludes to the story of Jonathan risking his life against the Philistines while Saul sat under a pomegranate tree with his 600 soldiers all around him. Jonathan chose not to approach the Philistines by stealth, which is to try to become invisible, but to make himself visible. This involved tremendous risk. This seems foolhardy in the ways of battle, especially guerrilla warfare. Seems that Jonathan was more concerned with doing what seemed right because of his trust in the power of the God of Israel.

Many of us live our lives making sure we are not seen. We choose the cloak of invisibility. We can call it by another name, but the result is the same. We choose to remain anonymous. We treasure our anonymity. Is this the choice of the man with only one talent, Christ’s parable of the talents? We choose to remain uninvolved, and our love for personal privacy disguises both our indifference and our isolation. You can live your life and never be seen. This is not about craving to be the center of attention. It is about stepping up, taking a risk and making sure your life counts for the cause of Christ. The most important decisions of our lives will require us to forsake invisibility and risk becoming visible. Whenever you chose to seize divine moments, you move from invisibility to visibility.

Some moments carry the capacity to shape a lifetime. There is a challenge that comes from these moments. The greater the moment’s opportunity, the greater the risk required. This reality is fundamental to faith in Christ and making visible the power of God.

There is no greater moment filled with eternal ramifications than the moment we turn from our sin and turn to Christ. In that moment, when we are invited to receive the infinite grace of God, we are required to give up everything we have. To have the life that Jesus Christ offers us, we must in that moment commit ourselves to die. If we are unwilling to die to ourselves, we are unable to receive the life that only God can give. The moment in which we have the most to gain is also the moment we have the most to surrender. (Isn’t this the epitome of risk?)

This truth is consistent to life itself: the greatest opportunities require the greatest risk. If we really want to live life to the fullest, we must be willing to trust God and risk everything. If heaven had an advertising section, it would take out a full page ad that reads: “Wanted: risk takers for God.”

Women and men who seize divine moments embrace the inherent dangers that come with them. Divine moments oftentimes require us to put our own well-being aside for the well -being of others, to relinquish our safe places for the sake of others.

We can touch only those within our reach and can only the world in which we live, but we can do that often. It requires us to move from the isolation of our own invisibility to dangerous place of visibility if we are going to make the invisible visible. That is the amazing thing about seizing divine moments. We choose to no longer be invisible, to take the risk of letting others see us, and so when we become visible, the invisible presence of God becomes visible. Our action invokes God’s activity. It is as if God is waiting for someone to trust him enough to act on His word.

There is so much God wants to do that can be seen only after we begin to do it. Sometimes we just don’t realize how much latitude God gives us. In Philippians Paul wrote: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

You see, whatever is within these parameters is fair game. Think, dwell, and enjoy any of these you want. Everything and anything! They are all within the parameters for God’s will in our lives. Think anything God thought you want. Do any God deeds that you desire to do.

Truly, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

When I awoke Saturday morning(11/12/2011) I was drawn to this chapter; in fact it was the next chapter in my reading. When I turned the page, I thought, maybe this is part of what God wants told to his people. I do recommend the book.

I heard McManus preach when I was in LA at Mosaic Church on October 30.

Powerful.

Organic Business in my backyard

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:13:00 +0000

Are you familiar with “wandering Jews”?
No, not the Diaspora kind, the backyard plant kind.

As the hellish summer of 2011 brought so many of our backyard plants to an end, due to the heat, these Jews simply thrive in all kinds of soil, with little or no water for long periods.
Unlike other plants in the beds, and in the pots surrounding our backyard, I have not killed them!
Here’s what a web resource for House Plants described them as--
Common Name: Wandering Jew, Chain Plant, Purple Heart Plant; Genus: Tradescantia
Family: Commelinaceae; Plant Type: Perennial; Origin: South America
These plants have proliferated all over our backyard. The origin of this planting is my mother-in-law, Fran Porter, who was enthusiastic about these miracle plants( Fran was enthusiastic about many things, mostly encouraging others to live up to their potential!) and gave us a few sprigs back before she got ill, sometime before 2005.
Now I see these plants growing freely and exhibiting so many lessons for my life and the life of those around me, and I have to pause to remember Fran’s great spiritual depth and wisdom.
Wisdom is a theme in my life—and has been since the fateful days of the summer of 1997, when I impulsively made a career change that led me away from the comfortable life of a career banker, and caused my focus and attitude about life to change. That decision and the consequences have reverberated through our lives that year…and brought so many life lessons.
Back then, Fran’s words as legacy live on—just this morning I found the inscription in my original “The Message” New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs…dated 12/25/97—inscribing the gift as words to strengthen—”in down times and in up times, and for all times.”
I see so much wisdom as I look back on Fran’s life and the years since I left banking…and my organic escapades with backyard gardening teaches me many lessons, and analogies.
I hope to explore and share some of these insights as the next few days pass.

This just in...

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:11:00 +0000

I found this blurb in an article on the Baylor University website.
http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=100503
Very interesting, and I can personally attest to its findings.

American Entrepreneurs Pray More.

Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. Days, months and years may be spent toiling in financial uncertainty and meeting the demands of running a business, leaving little time for other endeavors, including religious involvement. But the survey found that religion does not impede starting a new business. The Baylor Religion Survey found that entrepreneurs are as likely as non-entrepreneurs to believe in God, to participate in a congregation and to read Scripture. Where American entrepreneurs do stand out is that they pray and meditate more than non-entrepreneurs. A third pray several times a day or meditate, in contrast to a quarter or less of non-entrepreneurs.

"The differences are modest but meaningful," said Kevin D. Dougherty, Ph.D., an associate professor of sociology at Baylor. "It could be that the stress and struggle of new business ventures drive people to their knees." (p. 25, Figure 27)

I agree.
Amen.

Refreshing my spirit

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:35:00 +0000

Acquire a firm will and the utmost patience.
– Anandamayi Ma

“We begin our journey towards the supreme goal of life from where we stand. Just as it is good to be patient with others, it is equally necessary to be patient with ourselves. After all, when the desire to live for others comes to us, we can be haunted by our past mistakes, by the amount of time we have wasted in selfish pursuits. But we must accept ourselves with all our strengths and weaknesses.“
“There are many obstacles on the spiritual path which can strengthen us, and these cannot be overcome unless we have infinite patience with ourselves. If we are patient with others, shouldn’t we be patient with ourselves as well? Each of us is individual, with our own special qualities. We start now, where we are, with our partial love for money, partial love for pleasure, partial love for prestige, and a little love for God. We will progress at our own pace. It is not good to compare one person’s progress with another’s.“ – Easwaran

This is a topic which is like water to a weary, and parched landscape.

I need most of all, this patience with myself.

This day is rich. I awoke to the call of a Mockingbird at 4:45am, even though the sun was not up, he wanted it to be. The day had begun for him. After helping Leslie open her browser on the computer, I had a coffee and some reading from the Gita.

I then watered the plants all over the back yard, with a liberal feeding of MiracleGro and Iron. The early morning in the dog days of Texas summer is the only time of day that it is all bearable outside. 80 degrees, not bad. Time to meditate, quieting my heart to the dong of the singing bell. Be still, my soul. I am reminded of the plight of Arjuna, who was timid in the face of the battle. The strength to do battle comes from the heart. The ultimate battle is for the mastery of one’s soul and mind. This battle is wearying. Only the Incarnate One can refresh my spirit, soul and mind.

I am in need of holy patience—patience with myself. There is work to be done on my character and my soul, the Spirit knows this all too well. The rich days and blessed times, they must be savored, and life is to be appreciated, and viewed with gratitude, with a heart of thanksgiving to God in Christ.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groans that cannot be expressed in words.

Pray for me, for my loved ones, for my church, for my friends and sojourners, Holy Spirit.

May it be so today.

so what did Jesus teach?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:32:00 +0000

As I have perused many treatises regarding the Christ, it is obvious to me that Jesus teaching was centered on three core principles.

As I have digested His message, I come back to the three pillars of Jesus' teaching. They are:

Kenosis - (letting go, non-clinging)
Abundance - ( “I have come that they might have life abundant”)
Singleness - (oneness of heart)

From Mark 12:28-31: “One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: "Which is most important of all the commandments?"

Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."

Love the Lord your God with all your passion & prayer, intelligence and energy…and your neighbor as yourself…I must stay with this for a while, allowing the truth to soak in.

Christ has sent us in peace, blessed to be a blessing.

Thanks be to God.

He lives--within

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Where are you searching for me, friend?
Look! Here am I right within you.
Not in temple, nor in mosque,
Not in Kaaba, nor Kailas,
But here right within you am I.
– Kabir

Many have begun the spiritual search while still suffering from severe personal problems. Saint Augustine was deeply enmeshed in the life of the world, and pulled himself free only after great anguish of mind. Others suffered physically. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux endured the constant pain of tuberculosis. So there is no need for any of us to feel downcast about our situation or the particular difficulties we face, provided we do everything we can to purify our mind.
Meditation is essentially a discipline for slowing down the furious pace of thinking; if you can gradually bring your mind to a state so still that no movement, no thought, can arise except those you yourself approve, your mind will have become pure. We have no need to teach pure motives to the mind. All that is necessary to make the mind pure is to undo the negative conditioning to which it has been subjected; then we will be left with pure, unconditioned awareness.
I can very much relate to Sri Easwaran in this regard. It was in the silence, in the few moments of meditation, where I sought the truth, to escape from the ravages of a life lived for self, for ambition, for gain and wealth. I selfishly wanted to blame my belief system for the mess I had created with my life. Surely my downfall was because I had depended on Christ, and he let me down.
I went on a search, through reading and silence. When I began to practice Sri Easwaran’s eight fold path, is when the real unvarnished truth became real to me. Christ is Lord, and He is the ascended Master of all the Created Universe. Since that week in 2000, I have sought to “Hear” and “See” through the eyes and ears of the heart.
For 11 years He has been My Rock and My Redeemer, in Whom I trust, and He lives, indeed—in my heart.

‘Building Towers’, or allowing the grace of G-d to provide growth

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:58:00 +0000

Mark’s Gospel states: “The Kingdom of God is as if a a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.” [Mark 4:26,27]

The way of general growth or that of “humbling oneself to the role of a seed”, in opposition to the ways of specialization or to those of “exalting oneself by building towers” – sets the preceding text in relief.

To grow or to exert one’s own energy to build – this is the choice which it comes down to – in the last analysis:

This choice is the way of salvation and the way of perdition; or the way of intimate perfection and that resulting in an impasse.

The idea of hell is simply that of a definite spiritual impasse; to complement, that of purgatory refers to the process of rejection of the tendencies towards impasses of specialization, with a view to safeguarding and keeping the way of perfection open – the way of salvation.

To exalt oneself or to abase oneself, to specialize oneself in order to gain temporary advantages or to be moved only by the hunger and thirst for truth, beauty and goodness, to build a tower, or to grow “sleeping and rising night and day..without knowing how”…here is the choice that every human being, every community, every tradition and every spiritual school, must make.

exalt self –vs. - abase self;
specialize to gain an advantage – vs. - to be moved only by the quest (hunger and thirst) for truth, beauty and goodness;
“to build a tower” – vs. – to grow “sleeping and rising night and day..without knowing how”;

These are the choices of our own doing that our human species must make in order to move forward.

We are free to choose. In that choice is a very basic human scenario.

Those who desire to grow spiritually – how can this growth be continually stimulated? How can one apply fertilizer, cultivate, and properly ‘husband’ one’s own spiritual growth?

Those who desire to grow in intimacy in relationship to the Creator are faced with a much more dramatic choice.

Shall the esoteric truths of the faith be exposed to the masses without discrimination? Why can’t we cast our pearls before the uninitiated?

Does the confusion of those who want to “do” something - with being a mason who is dedicated to building towers, or becoming a gardener – who waits for what he knows not – to sprout into a plant – cause you to pause between the choices and ponder your role in life, work, and business?

I have been trained as a mason, to build, to create. Many of our human professions are set about and given to its adherents in this way.

As a follower of the Way, my motivations and posturing should be that of a gardener, whose base energies must be patient, and whose understanding of the process of his life is to “wait”. For indeed, it is God “who grants the increase”.

The key for the gardener is the God given faculty: Grace. It is the necessary ingredient for the growth of the Body…our bodies as humans…and our body, the church.

The way of salvation is grace, given by the Creator. He is the underlying instigator of the growth, not the work of the mason, whose work is destined to someday be destroyed by a thunderbolt…like the original tower of Babel met its demise.

For the truth is expressed by Solomon of antiquity in his Proverbs and by Jesus the Christ.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

specialization vs. salvation

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 12:02:00 +0000

“He has scattered those with proud thoughts in their hearts; He has put down the mighty from their thrones; He has filled the hungry with good things; And the rich he has sent away empty handed.” Luke 1:51-53

Expressed in biological terms-it is the human/homo sapiens about whose primary innate trait Tomberg likens to the compulsion “to express oneself”. This process leads to the issue for humans who seek to better know God’s image upon him or herself.

We like to get good at something…to specialize in delivering a certain quality to life, or, because of tsimtsum, God’s intentional withdrawal from power or control of the earth, we humans are given immense freedom to create, as He-She intended, or because of the freedom, it may be an impulse of malevolent intent. The Father has withdrawn His Power, but has retained every molecule of His Authority.

But G-d configured humans with this hard wired OS driver to express oneself. This process is named Specialization, which gives us the reason to eventually exalt oneself, all this happening from a process of general growth that had been hard wired into our primordial fabric.

It is our nature is to express ourselves.

Much of the pride, and evil in the world is because of this fact.

Specialization has its antidote, what Tomberg calls Salvation. This is where we call upon The Creator’s Divine Authority, to come in accord with our prayer “Thy Will Be Done” and begin to “be” in Christ, importing his Unitive viewpoint into one’s life, dedicated to reconcile, to bring together, not divide or separate.

More on specialization and salvation, to come.

Temperance--Guardian Angels

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:03:00 +0000

In the 14th Arcanum of the Meditations, considerable effort is made to fully explain the role of Temperance in one's spiritual formation, the principle of maintaining balance in one's physical, spiritual, and mental aspirations of life.

Man is at the same time, a contemplative and an active being...that is--"faith without works is death"...and that, equally "works without faith are death". These postures in theory are as clear as a clear day.

However, Tomberg asserts--"With practice however, it is not so clear. Practice entails an arcanum--an intimate savior faire...and that, the Mystic states, is: Temperance." In describing our essential or inner self, which is the spark of the eternal--the writer calls one's monad...which is the Image or Likeness of God within each human being.

Temperance, as a spiritual exercise, signifies the task of knowing the relationship between the image or monad, the likeness of God within oneself, and one's "phenomenal personality"-singular to you, which either creates or lies stagnant.
Tomberg then adds a potent belief.

"This process is enhanced for each of us in that each of us has had a Guardian Angel assigned to support and enable himself as life presents its obstacles and difficulties. Tomberg goes on to describe Guardian Angels, agents of grace.

You see, my dear Unknown Friend, how it is in regard to the guardian Angel and the union of the soul with God. There is no reason to fear that the least hindrance to this union can ever arise on the part of the entities who are spiritual guardians of the human soul.

On the contrary, rather, it is they who make it all possible--and even beyond the possible--for the soul to be united with God in complete intimacy and with perfect authenticity and freedom. The friend of the wife only leads the wife to the husband--then she withdraws. Her joy is that of herself diminishing and seeing that of the wife increase."

This means to say that by divine grace, your Guardian Angel's work on your behalf, one should find the source, current, and direction of your inner life--in grasping its nature and role--and then work and live in confident conformity with this knowledge.

That, my friend, according to the Meditations, is Temperance.
Lord, help us by your grace to live this way.
Amen.

What is so great about God?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 12:45:00 +0000

"The reason God is great, that is, what is Divine for us in Him is not his power in the sense that He is stronger than the totality of forces in the universe, nor is it His foreknowledge in the sense that He foresees, as a perfect engineer, the future functioning of the forces of "the world machine", pre-calculated and pre-determined, nor even the fact that He is absolutely indispensable as the center of all gravitation-spiritual, psychic and physical- of the whole universe.
No, what is great and truly divine in God, i.e what makes every knee bow before Him, is His Faith, His Hope, and His Love.
For just as we believe in God, so also does God believe in us---but with a divinely greater and more elevated faith, His hope with regard to this immense community of free beings that we call "the world" is infinite, just as His love for all these free beings is infinite.
We do not worship God because He is able to do more than we are, or because He knows more than us, but rather because he has more Faith, Hope and Love than we do. Our Father in Heaven is more infinitely noble and generous, not only all-powerful, but all-informed. God is great through His Faith Hope and Love--and the Fear of God is basically that of offending such nobleness and generosity."
- Meditations on the Tarot,Letter XIII - Death, p.367-368,
"To live by Faith, to be known by Love, and to be a Voice of Hope" is a reflection of our worship of the only one worthy of such elevated admiration and adoration, our Creator, our Father, who is in heaven, as Jesus says.
Why we as a church cast this byword aside still puzzles me.

‘Viable’ spirituality

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:46:00 +0000

According to early twentieth century Russian Orthodox Christian Hermeticist Valentin Tomberg (d.1973), there are several essential conditions to which any viable spiritual tradition must adhere.

[ His perspectives on this and many other issues of vital importance to those who would intend to grow as one of those who follow seek to Christ are contained in his treatise—“Meditations on the Tarot”, published 1985, translated by Robert Powell. A spiritual director recommended it to me in 2004 and I have read and reread it twice since then. I recommend this book to anyone who desires to dive deep into the practice of contemplation/meditation.]

1. It must be founded from above. That is, it must “come from either explicit revelation, or by direct action from above—acting with moral irresistibility.” Examples: The monastic orders of Benedictine, Dominican, Franciscan, Jesuit, Cistercian…he goes on to say that “these orders have survived through the centuries because of explicit revelation or an irresistible vocation”. *I wonder if he would also apply this to the founding of Islam by Mohamed?

2. It must observe the ten commandments and be “inspired by the ideal of virginity”. The ten commandments signify much more than simply a moral code for daily life. “They signify the hygiene, the method and the fruition of the life in the Spirit”—including all degrees of practical esotericism.

In commenting on the ten commandments, Tomberg formulates, as a way of further explanation—the first four are in relation to the Living God, an awakening of one’s essential self to the individuated presence of Reality, in spiritual practice—and the other are in relation to the fundamental laws of spiritual culture or discipline serving as a basis of practice to which the first four commandments relate.

i. surrender to the living God ( thou shalt have no other gods before me.);

ii. non-substitution of the products of the human mind, or those of nature, for the reality of the Living God ( thou shalt not make for thyself a graven image, or any other likeness)

iii. activity (or verbosity) in the name of God without making use of his name in order to adorn oneself with it ( thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain);

iv. the practice of meditation ( remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy);

v. continuity of effort and experience (“honor they father and thy mother”);

vi. [promote and exemplify] a constructive attitude (“thou shalt not kill”);

vii. faithfulness to the alliance ( thou shalt not commit adultery);

viii. renunciation of the desire to accept merit which is neither the fruit of one’s own work nor the gift of grace ( thou shalt not steal);

ix. renunciation of an accusatory role towards others ( thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor);

x. maintain a respectful consideration of the personal and private lives of others ( thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, etc.)

These constitute the ten foundations of not only a healthy moral life, but also the platform for all mystical, gnostic, magical, and hermetic spiritual practice.

His interpretation of the fifth commandment is different than any I have heard of before.

In stating that one has to advance in order to learn, he infers that one has to appreciate the experiences of those who have lived before us in the past, and one must continue that experiential learning in the present and continue into the future. All progress presupposes this continuity—a coherence between, the past, the present and the future. Therefore we are to honor our father, and honor our mother.They represent a living tradition. Therefore, for life—spiritual life and even biological life—there is always tradition, that is continuity.

We must abstain from all activity that breaks continuity, thereby cutting the current of life. This is a fundamental law of a constructive attitude, or the commandment-thou shalt not kill.

Continuity—or tradition and life itself, implies faithfulness to the cause that is espoused, to the direction, or attitude that is taken, to the ideal that each of us has a guide, and to all alliances with entities above and with human beings and institutions below, for the sake of continuity of life. This is the deeper meaning of ‘thou shalt not commit adultery’.

Tomberg’s words run like a plumb line down through the truth of the ages.

“The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away”

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:14:00 +0000

It is permissible to take life’s blessings with both hands provided thou dost know thyself prepared in the opposite event to take them just as gladly. This applies to food and friends and kindred, to anything God gives and takes away.
– Meister Eckhart

In order to live in freedom, we must learn to accept a temporary disappointment, if necessary, when it is for our permanent well-being. Sometimes, when we want to eat something that appeals to us, or when we want to eat a little more than is necessary, we can’t help feeling disappointment as we push away from the table. We cannot help thinking that we could as well have stayed on for five more minutes of pleasure, forgetting that it would probably be followed by five hours of stomachache at night. The right time to get up from the meal is when we want just a little more. This is real artistry, real gourmet judgment: when we find that everything is so good that we would like to have one more helping, we get up and walk away.

Sri Easwaran uses the analogy of food moderation many times. I am continually challenged by my weight. Interesting how the Spirit gently nudges and whispers, and most of the time we are able to ignore what she is saying…how many of us are able to remain calm and consistent when we receive bad news, or good news? The analogy hits home on many levels. Especially as it refers to the walk we have with Christ.

One of the sternest challenges of The Work is not being overly excited when good happens, and not overly upset when something is taken from us.

I am summoned to pray: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, and help me carry all the burdens of walking in yoke with you, in accordance with your promise:

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Lord is here…and still cares!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:06:00 +0000

“My people are hell-bent on leaving me.
   They expect their false gods to help.
but they don’t lift a finger to help them.
But how can I give up on you?
   How can I turn you loose?
How can I leave you to be ruined?
   devastated like the luckless pagans all around you?

I can't bear to even think such thoughts.
   My insides churn in protest.
And so I'm not going to act on my anger.
   I'm not going to destroy you.
And why?

Because I am the eternal Creator and not a human.
   I'm The Holy One and I'm here—in your very midst.”

                                         ~Hosea 11:7-9, amended. from The Message

Although the prophet Hosea is an Old Testament prophet—he seemed to “get” the concept and reality of the Holy Spirit, although Pentecost was not to occur until over 400-500 years later.

One of my pet peeves is the phrase – “expecting God to show up”—as if He doesn’t show up sometimes.

It is our awareness of Him that wavers, not His presence.

…and—more importantly—Hosea emphasizes the total and complete “otherness” of the The Holy One. Nothing like us. Angry, but not acting on that anger. Pure unadulterated grace. Goodness. Forgiveness. Mercy.

Thanks be to God.

Overcoming impatience

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:07:00 +0000

When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst.

                                                  ~Lamentations 3:28-30-The Message

Lately, the most consistent and overriding message I have received in my meditation time is the simple word : “Wait”.

When I want things to change immediately, when I want to take matters in my own hands and “make something happen”, the Master quietly sits me down in my chair and says—“wait.”

… those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind. Isaiah 40

I must keep at the planting and the working, knowing that if I but wait upon him, He will keep me on the path He desires…and will bestow “fresh strength”.

Wait.

Goodness!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:29:00 +0000

Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to His good pleasure, and rest in Him.
– Saint John of the Cross

I was drawn to this vignette from Sri (teacher) Easwaran, Fulbright scholar, 1958, of Kerala, India, was Professor of Meditation and Transformational Spirituality, Cal Berkeley, 1959-to the late 80’s.

“We have many stories from the Hindu scriptures about gambling, some about kings who lost entire kingdoms gambling at dice. There is the moving story of King Yudhishthira, who lost his kingdom and went into exile, and yet came back, after a terrible battle, to regain everything through the grace of Sri Krishna. Many people are tempted to gamble, to take risks, when the stakes are high.

The mystics would ask us,

“Why don’t you bet on goodness? Try to be kind to someone who is unkind to you, and look upon it as a gamble.”

Of course we are not sure how the other person is going to respond – that is the thrill of it. If they add insult to injury, why not double your bet? Isn’t that what people do at roulette? You just keep on doubling your bet until one day you redeem all your losses. It may not work at the casino, but in life this is the only strategy that pays in the end. After all, what every one of us is trying to do is get our hands on the real treasures of life – rich relationships and resources for contributing to the happiness of all.

This is what everybody wants, and to get it we have to gamble on goodness.

Profound. In my view, this is what the leap of faith we call ‘becoming born again’ is all about.

Let’s consider a definition of GOODNESS:

The extension and manifestation of interpersonal grace. humility. love. respect. honor. integrity. hope. joy.
Positive energy.

When you seek to pattern your life and work after Jesus, then it is a guaranteed direct access to the most pure and perfect example of Goodness, and Love that humanity has ever known of, or conceived.

To be open to non-Western ideas, I have explored this topic.

Whose life has manifested goodness?

Certainly, many have come close.

Mohandas Gandhi. Siddhartha Gautama. Confucius.Thomas Merton. Many of the “saints” as they have been canonized. Certainly Francis of Assisi. Not to mention the many respected and consistent “purveyors of the Way” of our day and time. The list of these “good” people is long and is hard to create since so many of the good, are good without any recognition.

Human beings like these are the true ‘deacons’. There are doers of this intangible quality of goodness.

If you emphasize your life direction towards this overarching primary lifetime intent, then ‘discipling’ under Jesus and his church, in my opinion, is a proven direction, or strategy towards a focus on goodness…at least in this day and time and in this culture.

Humans of all backgrounds and environments are qualified.

Maybe they are writers.
Perhaps they come from a background of civil engineering, where then Christ would lead them to create infrastructure that enables the health of more of His children.
Maybe they are pastors, counselors, or teachers. Or parents. mothers. fathers. sisters. brothers. Think of the good people you remember from your past back to age 6 or earlier.
I would say that a relatively new (within the last 25 years) class or profession—that of social work, can evolve to an almost priestly class of our culture.
For social workers, this quality of character is crucial in applying their studies to the practicalities of life. But there is really aren’t many exceptions regarding the way to goodness. All professions can qualify.

Our essential self/spirit confirms the direction and blessed giftedness with which the the Eternal has provided.

Follow your heart.

Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days (Hosea 3:5).

No matter your gift, you can apply it to the best of your ability, and achieve that purpose. The focus on quality, or goodness is the bedrock philosophy of a blessed life. That is godliness, which is equal to goodness.

All this life’s ultimate trajectory or direction, in order to achieve fulfillment and a quality of life that is emotionally at peace, sold out and un-disturbed…is based on the overriding, supreme, ultimate principal of goodness.

The leader and advocate leading by serving and loving by full intention is the Master, Jesus Christ.

He is good.

Remembrance of just Who is Who

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:12:00 +0000

“This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: 'Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.' Jeremiah 33:2
I just finished reading Karen Armstrong’s 1998 book, “The History of God”, which is actually the overview of humanity's misconceptions about the Creator and about many of the explanations of who God is, and the cosmologies behind the general existence we all experience as the reality of life on earth.
From one perspective, it is really quite depressing.
So many egregious and dysfunctional human behaviors have been attributed to G-d.They cannot be counted.
The G-d concept has taken many forms and constructs, all of which seem flawed. My mind is drawn to many versions of the Creator, some of which have been constructed by Israelites and Arameans, some of which have emerged from neighboring cultures, such as the Arabs. And these are just those which have passed into our cultural stream as humans who have been the recipients of the Middle Eastern belief systems known as Western Civilization. I dare not try and capsulize all the Eastern/ Asian concepts contained in Buddhist and Hindu cultures which predate our own.( Although I admire the humility of Buddhism. There is an underlying concept of "not knowing" which seems to me to be very wise.)
From the emergence of El—the Most High ( which infers that there are “gods” who are lower than The Most High), to Elohim, which also infers that there is a pantheon, to the One, who appeared as three men to Abraham, and who then bargained with old Abe about how many people might be “good” in Sodom and Gomorrah, cities who He was going to blast into smithereens. (As it turned out, only Lot, his wife and two daughters were spared, and Lot’s wife’s confusion turned out to be her demise!)
So, “He”, G-d, just went ahead and performed his version of thermonuclear destruction and cleared the property of people, and even their animals and plants. Not a happy time. And all this, before recorded history. How did the writers of Genesis “know” this?
Hmmm.
The list goes on—from Hagar’s ElRoi, to Jacob/IsraEl’s wrestler at BethEl, to IshmaEl’s descendants conception, which later emerged as the Islamic concept of AlLah—completely a version, in my view—of the same deity.
Then finally, to Yahweh—the familiar conception of the Lord God Almighty who, in the stories related to Moses, acted quite capriciously in setting forth the 10 commandments, relented, changing His mind and then establishing His preferential attitude toward His chosen people…who over time, really did not seem to appreciate all this preference.
Whew.
Let's stick with Jesus.
All I am saying is that I much prefer Jesus’ conceptions and illustrations of “what the Kingdom of Heaven is like”, which although in most cases is characteristically vague—does help us emerge with more of a consistent G-d concept, that of LOVE, or so interprets the Apostle John—whose concepts I prefer.
It has emerged since 1945 that Thomas offered his own Jesus stories, but the “church” did not seem to buy into those interpretations, and caused Thomas’ writings to be hidden away for eons, before they were unearthed in Egypt.
Uncertain? Confusing?
When considered over the sweep of history—it is all a bit overwhelming. This is where faith comes into play.
Faith does not require certainty. Faith requires trusting in what we cannot understand. There is so much to this G-d stuff that I don't understand...
Lord, increase my "faith". Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

Love him more

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:30:00 +0000

The community of the living is the carriage of the Lord.
– Hasidic proverb

From Sri Easwaran: Where there is so little love that “the carriage of the Lord,” our essential unity, is torn asunder, we must love more. The less love there is around us, the more we need to love to make up the lack.

A man once came to Rabbi Israel, the Ba’al Shem Tov, and said, “My son is estranged from God; what shall I do?” The rabbi replied simply, “Love him more.”

Love him more. Make his happiness more important than your own. This was Easwaran’s grandmother’s approach to every problem, and he says that he knows of no more effective or artistic or satisfying way to realize the unity of life in the world today. It is an approach to life in which everything blossoms, everything comes to fruition. Where there is love, everything follows. To love is to know, is to act; all other paths to Self-realization are united in the way of love.

My wife and I have been struggling with what to do about our son, Porter, who has become estranged from the Lord.

His intense disabilities, bipolar disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and his lack of successes in college have decimated his self confidence and shrouded his life in depression and a discontented attitude of failure and inaction. He dropped out of college at Texas State in March. He has yet to secure employment of any kind, despite repeated ideas and attempts by both of us to intercede and motivate him.

He sleeps until 11:00am or noon, and generally does not much more than sit in front of the computer and participate in IRC chat and music downloading. But we know he is capable of so much more than this. We have been and are considering evicting him from our home, if he does not find employment soon.

Then this morning, Easwaran’s message of love pierces my heart once more.

In response, in helplessness, I call out to the Lord Himself— “Lord Christ, help me to love, through your Holy Spirit—in spite of my son’s laziness, lack of motivation to work and be productive and his desire to espouse atheist concepts and positions. I know this is not the first time a son has gone this direction, and has caused his parents pain and anguish. You have dealt with such issues before, successfully.

I ask you to protect him in his departure from the way of truth, and through our influence and patience, help to see your Way. I do not have the resources or the wisdom to turn him away from this direction to You…but You have all the wisdom, power and strength to do so. In the name of Jesus the Christ, please help me…and please help Porter. I need your strength, patience and especially your love to overcome this very difficult situation.”

Amen.

An Easter reading from the Gospels

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:10:00 +0000

(with thanks to Cynthia Bourgeault-"The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: at the heart of Christianity")
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me… “
Through the ordeal of death
Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene …
Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved. Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph^[a]), and Salome. Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last…
Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left.
Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
Through the bright dawn of a New Day
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. …taking the spices they had prepared.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. So the women went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come; see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.
She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
“Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene immediately found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deeds will be remembered and discussed.

All 4 Gospels witness to Mary Magdalene as the premiere witness to the Crucifixion, the witnessing of the death of Jesus and most importantly, his Return to Life in the Resurrection.
The place of honor held by Mary Magdalene is so strong that even the heavy hand of a male dominated ecclesiology could not dislodge it over the centuries. Lord knows they have tried. From parish priests to the Pope himself, have sought to discredit MM’s prominence. It was the misogynist Gregory, not the word, that labeled MM a penitent whore.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia regarding Gregory’s Sermon on Mary Magdalene
In a sermon whose text is given in Patrologia Latina,Gregory stated that he believed "that the woman Luke called a sinner and John called Mary was the Mary out of whom Mark declared that seven demons were cast" (Hanc vero quam Lucas peccatricem mulierem, Joannes Mariam nominat, illam esse Mariam credimus de qua Marcus septem damonia ejecta fuisse testatur), thus identifying the sinner of Luke 7:37, the Mary of John 11:2 and 12:3 (the sister of Lazarus and Martha of Bethany), and Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons, related in Mark 16:9.
While most Western writers shared this view, it was not seen as a Church teaching, but as an opinion, the pros and cons of which were discussed. With the liturgical changes made in 1969, there is no longer mention of Mary Magdalene as a sinner in Roman Catholic liturgical materials.
The Eastern Orthodox Church has never accepted Gregory's identification of Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman.

Why did the church ‘diss’ MM so terribly? It causes me to wonder.
Why were the men so intimidated by her authority?
Was she indeed the “One Who Got Jesus” best?
Could she have understood the core of his mission better than anyone on earth?
Is it possible that MM, not any one else, stood by Jesus through thick and thin and never ever was honored for it?
All 4 Gospels insist that while the male disciples were fleeing, Mary Magdalene stood firm.
She does not run, betray or lie about her commitment, she stands firm. She witnesses.
Hers is a clearly a demonstration of either the deepest human love or the highest spiritual understanding of what Jesus was teaching, and perhaps it is both.
Why do all our Holy Week liturgies tell and re-tell the story of Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus, while the steady and unwavering witness of Mary Magdalene is not even noticed?
How would the understanding of the Paschal Mystery change if we placed more emphasis on the passage: ‘Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.’
Instead of emphasizing that Jesus died alone “rejected by men”, let us reinforce that one did stand by Him and never left Him, throughout His grisly ordeal. Surely this story is as deeply and truly there as any other scriptural facts we can glean from the Easter Sunday ritual.

How would it change the emotional timbre of the day?
How could it affect the feeling we have about ourselves?
About women as Disciples of Christ?
About the place of women in the church?
About the nature of redemptive love?

Can I get a witness?

A foundation for life

noreply@blogger.com (C. Sam Smith) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:05:00 +0000

Watch closely.

I am laying a foundation stone in Zion.

A solid granite foundation, squared and true.

And this is the meaning of the stone:

“A TRUSTING LIFE WON’T TOPPLE.”

I will make JUSTICE the measuring stick, and RIGHTEOUSNESS the plumb line for the building (that is your life).

May I embody and manifest “a trusting life.” Trusting in faith, in Christ Jesus, who himself is the Cornerstone.

Awaken me Lord Christ, and by your Spirit, in moans and groans I cannot even understand, pray for me, and enliven my spirit, that I might live in complete trust in your Word, in your life within me, in You, alone.

For it is by your grace and only by your grace that I live move and have being.

Amen.

[Isaiah 28-The Message]