In Yoke

"The mystery of the Crucified" that Paul speaks of-- in I Corinthians--isn't a statement about Jesus being victimized by the Jews and Romans, or is it a pro-Christian rallying cry, but it is a deep and meaningful metaphor for the universal pattern of disorder inside of order, tragedy inside of holiness, surprise inside of consistency, the last being first, death inside of life, and the fly that seems to get in the ointment. There is a universal pattern of paradox that is as old as the Hindu scriptures, the aphorisms of Confucius and the Books of Exodus and Job.  ---excerpted from Rohr, "The Naked Now" In science, chaos theory is mentioned. Things disintegrate, and integrate. God is One, and within that Oneness is light and dark, life and death, goodness and its opposite. His view is over all and in all. The whole is expressed in the yin/yang of the Tao. In the simple naming of himself as yhwh~~"I am". We are trained as humans to think in a binary...

"O humans, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me,  I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O humans, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, and you were then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O humans, were you to come to Me with sins as great as the earth, and you were to face Me, I would bring you forgiveness as great." --- MUHAMMAD, The Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad: Selections Annotated and explained  Perhaps the single most offensive thing about the traditional church is the judgmental stances of the members, the wholesale lack of forgiveness. This is the most difficult thing about human relationships.  I am looking in the mirror when I make this statement. I seek to keep score about slights and hurts, not simply counting my blessings and the things that I have been given by grace. This sabbath I seek to have a heart that forgives and trusts. May I be open to others and give myse...

After 35 years.  I am under no obligation to celebrate valentine's day.  This is liberating. So, what is the origin of this celebratory day? During the Roman Empire's post Christ event, during the pre Christian days of the Empire(that is - pre 333AD), in a treatise, Valentinus , who became known as Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing  weddings  for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were  persecuted under the Roman Empire . According to  legend , during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius . Before his execution he is said to have wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.   Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official  feast day  in the  Anglican Communion ,  as well as in the  Lutheran Church .   Interestingly, the  Eastern Orthodox Church  also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on...

"W ho, then, are the wise and aware among you? Let them show their wisdom through the practice of gracious and humble living. If, however, there is bitterness and jealousy among you, or if there is conflict inside your hearts, then you should not be pleased, nor should you try to deny the truth of things. None of this is true wisdom from a transcendent source; rather it is debased and self-serving—even demonic. For wherever jealousy and divisions are present, you are sure to find every other kind of disorder and disruptive practice. However, transcendent wisdom is above all, pure, impeccable, and peaceful in nature. It expresses itself in straight-forward, considerate openmindedness. It is sincere, rich in compassion and in acts of goodness, which are its fruits. Peace, then, becomes the seed-bed of integrity, and peacemakers reap the harvest." The W isdom of Y a’akov, Brother of Yeshua - by Lynn Bauman, Translation of the Epistle of James, 3:13-18...

The wise attain eternity when,  freed from pride and delusion they have conquered their love for the things of sense, when, renouncing desire and fixing their gaze on the Self,  they have ceased to be tossed to and fro by the opposing sensations,  ...like pleasure, and pain. Bhagavad Gita 15:5 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping ...

...the self controlled soul, who moves among sense objects free from either attachment or repulsion, wins eternal peace. Having attained peace, it becomes free from misery, for when the mind gains peace, right discrimination follows. Right discrimination is not for one who cannot concentrate. Without concentration, there cannot be meditation. one who cannot meditate must not expect peace, and without peace, how can anyone expect happiness? Bhagavad Gita 2:64-66 didn't learn this in Sunday School...

ar·ro·gance , noun --an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people If there is one passage of ancient scripture that rings true throughout the ages it is the word of the wise King, Solomon--found in Proverbs 3:34:- "He (YWVH) has no use for conceited people, but shows favor to those who are humble." The brother of Jesus, "old camel knees"-James quotes it: James 4:6 - "But the grace that God gives is even stronger. As the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” As does the first pope, Peter, in I Peter 5:5: "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble." Humility is a quality upon which the favor of the Creator rests.