Poverty, Part 4 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish… Mark 14:7 Last week I focused on the relative nature of poverty. For the most part, being poor or living in poverty are not well-defined states of existence but are assumed in relation to … Continue reading Poverty, Part 4
Poverty, Part 3
Poverty, Part 3 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, … Continue reading Poverty, Part 3
Poverty, Part 2
Poverty, Part 2 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42 I remember learning about a phenomenon called the cycle of poverty in an undergraduate class in college. For me, it was a stunning revelation about how public efforts aimed at helping prevent … Continue reading Poverty, Part 2
Poverty
Poverty Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20 I covered some impacts of poverty in my Life Notes on homelessness over the past few weeks. Certainly, homelessness is a subset of poverty, and many of the challenges of homelessness remain even after one becomes housed, but now … Continue reading Poverty
Homelessness, Part 5
Homelessness, Part 5 Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Matthew 25:40 I have written that the homeless often expose the hypocrisy of Christian churches, particularly those located in areas where marginalized persons congregate, which … Continue reading Homelessness, Part 5
Homelessness, Part 4
Homelessness, Part 4 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. Lamentations 3:19 (NRSV) Many churches, particularly downtown churches, face a challenging dilemma when it comes to the homeless. My own church is among them. There is no doubt … Continue reading Homelessness, Part 4
Homelessness, Part 3
Homelessness, Part 3 “Homelessness is associated with dereliction, dispossession, instability, rootlessness, restlessness, emptiness and chronic longing. The Book of Symbols [1] In considering the social pandemic of homelessness, it is interesting to explore the symbolism of houses and homes. Symbolically, a house often represents the container for the soul or the true self. In dreams, … Continue reading Homelessness, Part 3
Homelessness, Part 2
Homelessness, Part 2 “I like to think of this problem of homelessness as a prism held up to society, and what we see refracted are the weaknesses in our health care system, our public health system, our housing system, … our welfare system, our educational system, … our legal system, and our correctional system. Dr. … Continue reading Homelessness, Part 2
Homelessness
Homelessness “I like to think of this problem of homelessness as a prism held up to society, and what we see refracted are the weaknesses in our health care system, our public health system, our housing system, … our welfare system, our educational system, … our legal system, and our correctional system. Dr. Jim … Continue reading Homelessness
The New-Old Social Pandemic, Part 3
The New-Old Social Pandemic, Part 3 “I like to think of this problem of homelessness as a prism held up to society, and what we see refracted are the weaknesses in our health care system, our public health system, our housing system, but especially in our welfare system, our educational system, and our legal … Continue reading The New-Old Social Pandemic, Part 3
The New/Old Social Pandemic, Part 2
The New-Old Social Pandemic, Part 2 “’Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘…just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did … Continue reading The New/Old Social Pandemic, Part 2
The New/Old Social Pandemic
The New-Old Social Pandemic “’Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘…just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do … Continue reading The New/Old Social Pandemic
It Ends as It Begins
It Ends as It Begins “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. [1] In our human experience we often obsess over beginnings and endings. It is our way of making something easier to quantify or understand. Beginnings and endings, … Continue reading It Ends as It Begins
The Beginning
The Beginning In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth...[1] In the creation story most familiar to me, that of Genesis, God takes a single whole (the earth was a formless void) and divides it into parts. First was the division of light from dark (1:3). Next was the separation of the … Continue reading The Beginning
Absolutely Relative, Part 2
Absolutely Relative, Part 2 Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius[1] Our family spent one spring break in the San Francisco area. One of our stops was the Winchester House in San Jose. This large mansion – 500 rooms by some counts … Continue reading Absolutely Relative, Part 2
Absolutely Relative
Absolutely Relative Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius[1] Long ago I was taught that absolute zero – the coldest possible temperature – was 0° Kelvin, which is about -273° Celsius or -460° Fahrenheit. Likewise, the fastest possible speed any object could … Continue reading Absolutely Relative
Rethinking Christmas, Part 3
Rethinking Christmas, Part 3 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Luke 6:19 Last week I wrote that although Jesus saves us from our sins, we are not necessarily saved from the earthly consequences of our actions. We are saved from … Continue reading Rethinking Christmas, Part 3
Rethinking Christmas, Part 2
Rethinking Christmas, Part 2 At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God…which is inaccessible to the…brutalities of our own will.[1] It is easy to adopt an outward focus at Christmas. … Continue reading Rethinking Christmas, Part 2
Rethinking Christmas
Rethinking Christmas Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these… John 14:12 Christmas is a celebration of the Christ. It is also a celebration of the birth of Jesus. And while the two are One, … Continue reading Rethinking Christmas
Eternal Life, Part 5
Eternal Life, Part 5 Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your … Continue reading Eternal Life, Part 5
Eternal Life, Part 4
Eternal Life, Part 4 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to (have eternal life), go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have your treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 I once heard that sharks must be in constant motion or they will die. While … Continue reading Eternal Life, Part 4
Eternal Life, Part 3
Eternal Life, Part 3 …the direct intuitive realization that although I am not God, I am not other than God either, fans out in all directions. Although I am not you, I am not other than you either. Although I am not the earth, I am not other than the earth, either. James Finley, reflecting … Continue reading Eternal Life, Part 3
Eternal Life, Part 2
Eternal Life, Part 2 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven... Matthew 5:12a (NRSV) Last week, I wrote that the gateway to eternal life is the present moment, a concept that has been around for millennia. In Christian circles, the terms eternal life and heaven are often used synonymously. Their similarities … Continue reading Eternal Life, Part 2
Eternal Life
Eternal Life As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 10:7 (NRSV) There are mysterious boundaries that emerge as we explore the nature of our physical existence at its apparent extremes. These boundaries are of a different nature than the physical barriers that prevent us from crossing certain … Continue reading Eternal Life
Eternity and Infinity, Part 3
Eternity and Infinity, Part 3 For God so loved the world that (God) gave (God’s) only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16 (NRSV) Just as the concepts of infinity and eternity are poorly understood and beyond concrete description, so the concept of eternal … Continue reading Eternity and Infinity, Part 3
Eternity and Infinity, Part 2
Eternity and Infinity, Part 2 "We say God is eternal, but we don’t know what that means.”[1] James Finley Last week I proposed that eternity runs perpendicular to the three-dimensional, space-time continuum that we experience in our lives. As such, eternity is not a continuation of time as we know it, but a depth of … Continue reading Eternity and Infinity, Part 2
Eternity and Infinity
Eternity and Infinity "…eternal life is the realization that the present is the only reality, and that past and future can be distinguished from it in a conventional sense alone. The moment is the “door of heaven”..."[1] Alan Watts The terms eternity and infinity are sometimes used synonymously. They represent concepts that are beyond quantification, … Continue reading Eternity and Infinity
Reality, Part 6
Reality, Part 6 "The only reality is pure consciousness, and everything else, including mind and matter, is a modulation of that reality"[1] Deepak Chopra When our children were six and nine we made the obligatory (for the privileged among us) family pilgrimage to Disneyworld. My favorite ride was based on the movie series, Star Wars. … Continue reading Reality, Part 6
Reality, Part 5
Reality, Part 5 "We normally believe that experience takes place in time, and ‘now’ is the name that we give to the moment in time at which experience occurs. Time is, as such, considered to be a line extending indefinitely into a past and a future, and the now is considered to be a point … Continue reading Reality, Part 5
Reality, Part 4
Reality, Part 4 "The visible world is an active doorway to the invisible world, and the invisible world is much larger than the visible."[1] Fr. Richard Rohr What does it mean to say that reality and truth are human creations that are only relevant in the present moment? It means that what we consider real … Continue reading Reality, Part 4
Reality, Part 3
Reality, Part 3 "Real isn't how you are made... It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."[1] Our concepts of reality and truth are always relative to our time, context, and location. The … Continue reading Reality, Part 3
Reality, Part 2
Reality, Part 2 "Real isn't how you are made... It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."[1] Traditionally and irrationally, we often expect something or someone to be unchanging and reliable in order … Continue reading Reality, Part 2
Reality
Reality “Eternal life is the realization that the present is the only reality.” Alan Watts[1] What is reality? Or more fundamentally, “What is real?” Is what we see, touch, taste, hear, or smell real? What we think? Are past memories or future plans real? The question arises out of our desire to know, to be … Continue reading Reality
Matter and Energy, Part 7
Matter and Energy, Part 7 “We are slowed down sound and light waves, a walking bundle of frequencies tuned into the cosmos. We are souls dressed up in biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play the music.” Albert Einstein (1856-1943)[1] In an attempt to bring this 7-week exploration of … Continue reading Matter and Energy, Part 7
Matter and Energy, Part 6
Matter and Energy, Part 6 “We are slowed down sound and light waves, a walking bundle of frequencies tuned into the cosmos. We are souls dressed up in biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play the music.” Albert Einstein (1856-1943)[1] What follows is an exploration about which I feel … Continue reading Matter and Energy, Part 6
Matter and Energy, Part 5
Matter and Energy, Part 5 “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” Quote attributed to Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). What follows is part of an exploration about which I feel abundantly curious but poorly equipped to elucidate. I may express some aspects inaccurately, but the … Continue reading Matter and Energy, Part 5
Matter and Energy, Part 4
Matter and Energy, Part 4 “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” Quote attributed to Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). What follows is part of an exploration about which I feel abundantly curious and poorly equipped. I likely will get some details wrong, but the foundational … Continue reading Matter and Energy, Part 4
Matter and Energy, Part 3
Matter and Energy, Part 3 “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” Quote attributed to Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) What follows is part of an exploration about which I feel abundantly curious and poorly equipped. I likely will get some parts wrong, but the foundational … Continue reading Matter and Energy, Part 3
Matter and Energy, Part 2
Matter and Energy, Part 2 “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” Quote attributed to Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). This essay is one part of an exploration about which I feel abundantly curious and poorly equipped. I may get some particulars wrong, but the foundational … Continue reading Matter and Energy, Part 2
Matter and Energy
Matter and Energy “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” Quote attributed to Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). I am embarking on an exploration about which I feel insatiably curious and inadequately equipped. I will likely get some particulars wrong, but the foundational concepts I will … Continue reading Matter and Energy
The Present Moment, Part 5
The Present Moment, Part 5 You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope. Thomas Merton Figure 1 is the two-dimensional representation I … Continue reading The Present Moment, Part 5
The Present Moment, Part 4
The Present Moment, Part 4 “Eternity is in the present. Eternity is in the palm of the hand. Eternity is a seed of fire, whose sudden roots break barriers that keep my heart from being an abyss!” Thomas Merton[1] Figure 1 is the image I have been using to explore what the present moment is, … Continue reading The Present Moment, Part 4
The Present Moment, Part 2
The Present Moment, Part 2 “The present moment has no beginning and no end. It always was and always will be ‘Now.’ That which has no beginning and no end in time we call ‘eternal.’ We live and die in the eternity of the present moment; there is no other place in which we can … Continue reading The Present Moment, Part 2
The Present Moment
The Present Moment “The present moment has no beginning and no end. It always was and always will be ‘Now.’ That which has no beginning and no end in time we call ‘eternal.’ We live and die in the eternity of the present moment; there is no other place in which we can live.” Robert … Continue reading The Present Moment
Relative Time, Part 3
Relative Time, Part 3 “…you are not looking at the actual past at all. You are looking at a present trace of the past.”[1] Alan Watts1 Over the past couple of weeks I have illustrated the relative nature of time. While the aging of our physical bodies and the on-going evolution of created matter appear … Continue reading Relative Time, Part 3
Relative Time, Part 2
Relative Time, Part 2 “Eternity is in the present. Eternity is in the palm of the hand. Eternity is a seed of fire, whose sudden roots break barriers that keep my heart from being an abyss!” Thomas Merton[1] Last week I gave examples of common experiences that lead me to question the assumed regularity and … Continue reading Relative Time, Part 2
Relative Time
Relative Time “Time and space are modes by which we think and not conditions in which we live.” Albert Einstein[1] There is a wall-clock in my meditation area that ticks softly every other second. As I quiet my mind and body, I use its gentle ticking to set a rhythm for my morning breathing and … Continue reading Relative Time
Sin is Its Own Punishment
Sin is Its Own Punishment Do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you. John 5:14c There are a number of common and misleading teachings about sin. First and foremost is that sin is evidence that we are inherently bad or flawed people. It is not. Rather, sin is evidence that we are … Continue reading Sin is Its Own Punishment
Sin is Separation
Sin is Separation My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of … Continue reading Sin is Separation
Experiential Time, Part 4
Experiential Time, Part 4 “Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and … Continue reading Experiential Time, Part 4
Contemplating Grace 