“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott
“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott
The problem with mirror images is they don’t lie. Fortunately the image in the mirror is not how I perceive myself. For us self-deluded people, Looking in a mirror is not a pleasant experience. Ironically looking in a mirror may be the most neglected spiritual discipline. Seeing ourself truthfully is a prerequisite to transformation. Being exposed to truth does not transform us, it an opportunity to choose between what is true and what is not. My inclination is to ignore the mirror image.
The pandemic is proving to be a mirror, reflecting images that don’t match up with my self-perceptions. When confronted with ugly truths about myself, my thought is “That damned pandemic!”. How silly it is to blame the mirror, she has no agenda except the truth. As famously said, “You can’t handle the truth!”
Last evening, I looked in the mirror, saw ugly truth, and thought “That damned pandemic!”. That is a lie. It was me. Choosing truth is really hard.
Richard Beck‘s bog post today was reassuring, at least I am not alone.
It seems to be a mathematical law that the more words you say the more likely you’re going to say something stupid or hurtful. It’s just a matter of volume. The more words the more risk. It’s a direct correlation.
Consequently, I spend a lot of my day feeling regret for something I’ve said. I’m always kicking myself with, “I wish I hadn’t said that.” To be clear, I’m not a mean, abusive person. But very often, my opinions get too strong, my jokes too cutting, my judgments too dismissive. And sometimes it’s just the problem that I need to stop talking and listen more. Richard Beck
I use the iPhone Notes app religiously ( no pun intended). Most often I save quotes, quips, etc from daily readings. I save them, hoping to eventually post about them or share later. Mostly they stay hidden on my iPhone. There is no intended theme or thread, but they may give some insight into the drumbeat in my head.
“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.” Orson Welles
Resentment …resentment, even where justified or at least understandable, is never a constructive emotion: for in any given situation, it suggests to the one who feels it: all that he cannot do to improve his situation rather than all that he can, thus inhibiting effort. And even when, despite his resentment, he makes successful efforts at improvement, his resentment often sours his success. Many are the successful men and women who carry their resentment with them to their grave. Theodore Dalrymple https://lawliberty.org/against-history-as-nightmare/
Disorder There must be, and if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand. Normally a job, a fortune, or a reputation has to be lost, a house has to be flooded, an illness has to be endured. Some kind of falling, what I call “necessary suffering,” is programmed into the journey. By denying our pain or avoiding our necessary falling, many of us have kept ourselves from our own spiritual depths. We still want some kind of order and reason, instead of suffering life’s inherent disorder and tragedy. Richard Rohr
Bonds of Love The soft bonds of love are indifferent to life and death. They hold through time so that yesterday’s love is part of today’s and the confidence in tomorrow’s love is also part of today’s. And when one dies, the memory lives in the other, and is warm and breathing. And when both die — I almost believe, rationalist though I am — that somewhere it remains, indestructible and eternal, enriching all of the universe by the mere fact that once it existed. Isaac Asimov, It’s been a good life
Atheist’s musings on Morality What is real is a shared, by and large, understanding of morality. And that understanding is shared across boundaries. Only extremists shout that one can kill left, right, and centre – most of humanity do not agree.
I often find that some religious people assume that once you are an atheist, you do what you want irrespective of morality etc. That is balderdash – because morality is evolved behaviour (with some humans a bit behind), and, rationally considered, harm to others harms me too, as everything is interconnected. The chickens will come home to roost. Klasie Kraalogies
Moving “The moving ever shall stay,” [twelfth-century Hindu mystic and poet] Basava said. Those words contradict so much of our inherited religious sensibility. “Stay the same. Don’t move. Hold on. Survival depends on resistance to change,” we were told again and again. “Foment change. Keep moving. Evolve. Survival depends on mobility,” the Spirit persistently says. . . . If you want to see the future of Christianity as a great spiritual migration, don’t look at a church building. Go look in the mirror and look at your neighbor. God’s message of love is sent into the world in human envelopes. If you want to see a great spiritual migration begin, then let it start right in your body. Let your life be a foothold of liberation. Richard Rohr
Eckhart Tolle once wrote, “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.”
Being Right Being right is one of the hardest burdens human beings have to bear. Few succeed in bearing up under it gracefully. Dallas Willard
God speaking to us His speaking to us does not in itself make us important. If we allow God’s conversational walk with us to make us think we are people of great importance his guidance will certainly be withdrawn. Dallas Willard
Help from the outside Help must come from the outside…God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings. Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain and disheartened because, living by their own resources, they cannot help themselves without cheating themselves out of the truth…The Christ in their own hearts is weaker than the Christ in the word of other Christians. Their own hearts are uncertain; those of their brothers and sisters are sure. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Forgiveness To forgive is to condemn the wrongdoing but not count the wrongdoing against the wrongdoer. It’s hard to forgive because it’s hard not count the wrongdoing against the wrongdoer. It’s hard to receive forgiveness because it’s hard to experience our wrongdoing named and condemned. Miroslav Volf
A Final Word
Critique Fatigue Everyone gets tired of critique after a while. We cannot build on exclusively negative or critical energy. We can only build on life and what we are for, not what we are against. Negativity keeps us in a state of victimhood and/or a state of anger. Mere critique and analysis are not salvation; they are not liberation, nor are they spacious. They are not wonderful at all. We only become enlightened as the ego dies to its pretenses, and we begin to be led by soul and Spirit. That dying to ourselves is something we are led through by the grace of God. Richard Rohr
Sep 2. How do my values align with “Christian Values”? In the process of assessing my values, I encountered a problem. The term “Christian Values” is problematic. As evidenced by two articles cited in my first post, “Christian Values” are not the same for all Christians. There is no general consensus on “Christian Values” in American Christianity. Sadly, non-Christians have to interpret confusing messages of “Christian Values” and much is being lost in translation. Christians’ witness in the world is being sullied.
Values are derived from what we believe and trust. I have concluded dissonance regarding “Christian Values” in American Christianity reflects the influence of a secular ethos that holds values, like truth, are discerned from within ourselves. As Christians, influenced by that ethos, we become arbiters of values for ourselves and others, all the while believing them to be Christian. To the extent our values are derived from within, they are the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. With some exceptions, values espoused as Christian are little more than Golden Calves , well intentioned but blasphemous idols, created out of distrust in God. Essentially trusting our understanding and judgement over God’s. The implications of my conclusion are profound.
Realizing I am not exempt from that secular spirit, assessment of how my values align with “Christian Values” is clear… they align very well. Given my conclusion about “Christian Values”, that is not good news. My values are self-derived, I believe they are good and standards by which to judge others. However, fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil is susceptible to evil.
Accordingly, I am revising Step 2. to “How do my values align with values of the Tree of Life?” I will share my results in the next post.
I use the iPhone Notes app religiously ( no pun intended). Most often I save quotes, quips, etc from daily readings. I save them, hoping to eventually post about them or share later. Mostly they stay hidden on my iPhone. There is no intended theme or thread, but they may give some insight into the drumbeat in my head.
Arsonist “I think politicians are arsonists, the main thing the G.O.P. does is try to light the Democrats on fire, and the main thing the Democrats do is light the Republicans on fire. That’s why there’s so little trust in politics.” Ben Sasse
Numbers As ego-inflating (or deflating) as the case may be, when it comes to the kingdom of God, numbers are at best an unreliable source and at worst a deceptive measure of success. J D Walt
Solid Ground The psyche cannot live with everything changing every day, everything a matter of opinion, everything relative. There must be a sound container holding us long enough so we can move beyond survival mode. There has to be solid ground, trust, and shared security, or we cannot move outward. There has to be a foundational hope, and for hope to be a shared experience there must be agreed-upon meanings and shared stories that excite and inspire us all. If there are truly stories from the great patterns that are always true, they will catapult us into a universal humanity and pluralistic society. We will both stand on solid ground and, from that solid ground, create common ground. If it does not support our movement outward, then it is not solid ground at all. Richard Rohr
Sins …the sins a particular religious community is good at avoiding tend to be the ones identified as most important to avoid in the mind of that community, while the sins a community is not good at avoiding tend to be minimized or ignored altogether—regardless of what emphasis the Bible puts on those sins. Greg Boyd -Repenting of Religion
Christians and power There is a deep hypocrisy where Christians profess to believe that PEOPLE should take care of people — Not the government… But then they need the government to enforce their vision of morality. And they profess to believe that God is on control of things… But they don’t trust God to take care of things unless christians are electing leaders who give them more political power. Their longing for power belies a lack of faith. The Boeskool
The Bible The Bible is first, middle, and last about revealing the name and nature of God to the world. The design of divine revelation is not to give us tips on how to live a better life or be a better Christian. No, divine revelation designs to draw our knees to the earth, our faces to the ground, and our hearts into the heavens where we cry out, “Holy! Holy! Holy!” J D Walt
Going the Second Mile For Christians, going the second mile isn’t unheard of; it is simply to do things God’s way. Healing for our brokenness, forgiveness for our sins, kindness towards us in Christ, welcome to the least, last and lost, new creation for the heart in the power of the Spirit, springs of living water welling up to eternal life; God did none of that out of necessity, but from love. Grace is the gift of the second mile God, who in Christ came amongst us, walked with us, lived a sinless life of self-giving love, and when sinful humanity, ourselves included, have nothing left to offer, no further steps to take, He walked the second mile for us, to Calvary. Jim Gordon
Self Delusion It’s taken me a long time to realize how self-deluded I’ve been. I convinced myself that my “tough love” was about the other person when in fact, it was about me being right. Or being unwilling to admit when I was wrong. Jarod Byas
Be an ordinary human being Be an ordinary person, one of the human race. Be polite with everyone, first of all, family members. Be faithful in little things. Do your work, then forget it. Be simple, hidden, quiet, and small. Think and talk about things no more than necessary. Flee imagination, fantasy, analysis, figuring things out. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath. Fr. Thomas Hopko
Wonder Wonder is our birthright. It comes easily in childhood—the feeling of watching dust motes dancing in sunlight, or climbing a tree to touch the sky, or falling asleep thinking about where the universe ends. If we are safe and nurtured enough to develop our capacity to wonder, we start to wonder about the people in our lives, too—their thoughts and experiences, their pain and joy, their wants and needs. We begin to sense that they are to themselves as vast and complex as we are to ourselves, their inner world as infinite as our own. In other words, we are seeing them as our equal. We are gaining information about how to love them. Wonder is the wellspring for love. . . . Valarie Kaur
They will know us by our love The book says they will know us by our love and that is true, as long as you’re not among the myriad groups we hate. Phoenix Preacher
Paralysis Our politics are paralyzing the country. We practice suspicion or contempt where trust is needed, imposing a sentence of anger and loneliness on others and ourselves. We scorch our opponents with language that precludes compromise. We brush aside the possibility that a person with whom we disagree might be right. We talk about what divides us and seldom acknowledge what unites us. David French
Church History Richard Halverson, former chaplain to the United States Senate once wrote, “In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next it moved to Europe where it became a culture, and finally it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.” via J D Walt
I use the iPhone Notes app religiously ( no pun intended). Most often I save quotes, quips, etc from daily readings. I save them, hoping to eventually post about them or share later. Mostly they stay hidden on my iPhone. There is no intended theme or thread, but they may give some insight into the drumbeat in my head.
A Better Future I don’t know who it was who said, “Every generation makes the mistake of assuming it lives at the most important time in history,” but it’s a healthy corrective. No, previous generations have been through worse than we’re enduring. And those generations emerged with enough optimism to dream of a better future and enough energy to start building it. Michael Frost
Trauma “People often think of trauma as a discrete event — a fire, getting mugged,” said Daphne de Marneffe, author of an excellent book about marriage called “The Rough Patch” and one of the most astute psychologists I know. “But what it’s really about is helplessness, about being on the receiving end of forces you can’t control. Which is what we have now. It’s like we’re in an endless car ride with a drunk at the wheel. No one knows when the pain will stop.”
The Battle Against Evil …the battle against evil cannot be reduced to using power against it. Power used even in a just cause is only going to perpetuate evil. But it increasingly seems that this is the path our world is taking, the Good using power against the Bad. Using power in a just cause. R Beck
A God who wears sandals God stands among you and you do not recognize him because you do not know him. He stands among you in the midst of the crowd, unrecognized, hidden in the ordinary; in the frail frame of a human person. God is not in the temple. God is not some noumenal presence in the air creating a spiritual atmosphere in which people can experience him. No. God is somewhere in the crowd. He has a face. And he is wearing sandals. Remember, God is a human being. J D Walt
Christians and conspiracies …the fact that Christians seem extra open to conspiracies does reveal that something is deeply broken in how people of faith are spreading their worldview. When Christianity is set up as a cultural battle instead of an opportunity to serve, others are seen not as people in need of love but enemies who need to be feared and mistrusted. https://relevantmagazine.com/god/church/why-are-so-many-christians-falling-for-qanon/
Money …money is a tool, a means toward an end, the created good itself. But due to money’s liquidity and fungibility, we stop using money as a tool and begin pursing money as an end in itself. Instead of seeking an experience of God’s goodness and grace in created gifts, our goal becomes simply to get money, and more of it. Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy – Mary Hirshfeld
Self Censorship To break this cycle [self-censorship], we can’t just ask lone individuals to stand up in any given group. How many of us can make a habit of standing alone? No, we have to join the “voice of sanity” as the “one compatriot.” Do not let dissenters twist in the wind—stand up for their dignity when you disagree. Stand up for their argument when you agree. Because we have met the enemies of free speech, and they’re not the distant “other,” but the people in our own social circles who impose a direct and immediate relational cost on those who speak their minds. David French
Struggles .. know that there is no such thing as life without struggle. There is no one, not anyone, who escapes the soul-wrenching experiences that stretch the mind but threaten to calcify the spirit. There is no one who has not known what it is to lose in the game of life, to feel defeat, to know humiliation, to be left standing naked and alone before the cold and staring eyes of a world that does not grieve for your grief. Joan Chittister – Scarred By Struggle – Transformed by Hope
1918
Traffic Lights “This is a new invention, it’s called a traffic light. When it’s green, you can drive through it. When it’s red, you have to stop and wait for it to turn green.” “Sounds like the government thinks it knows more than I do about how to drive my own car!” “Well, people are dying in intersections. At a very sad rate. And getting hurt pretty badly, too. And this is something pretty easy we can all do together to keep people from dying and getting hurt.” “But I haven’t died in this intersection. And I actually don’t know anyone else who’s died here either. You sure people aren’t maybe, like, falling off their roofs and you’re just saying they died in this intersection? To make us scared so you can control us?” “People are definitely dying in this very intersection. But just look at the light, and go when it’s green. Stop when it’s red. We’ll add a yellow one so you know when it’s about to turn red.” “But if I have to stop when it’s red, I won’t get where I’m going as fast. Sounds like you’re infringing on my freedom. Sounds like you don’t want me to get to work to earn a living and you want me to rely on the government for everything.” “That’s….no. No one wants that. Look, we know no one’s going to like stopping at the red light. It’s going to be a small inconvenience for everyone. But again, if we all do this perfectly, together, we can keep people from dying in this intersection.” “Well if people are so scared of this intersection, maybe they should just walk! Leave the cars to those of us who don’t want to live in fear!” “That’s the thing – many of the people dying *are* pedestrians.” “Look, how about if someone wants to stop at the light they can, but if someone else doesn’t want to stop, they don’t have to. It should be my choice. This is a free country, you know.” “Again, this will work if everyone does it together. Just one person doing whatever they want has the potential to kill other people.” Libby Jones
