“It may seem unorthodox according to temple rules, but maybe it wasn’t so unorthodox after all. Maybe it was simply the truth—that there was no more need for ceremonial washing water. All was becoming new—not just the joining of two people in marriage but the joining together of the embodied Christ and new wine.”
“I’m not saying Jesus was or wasn’t God. I’m saying what we know is that Jesus was a man who saw deeply into the mystical oceans of connection and Divine love without ever claiming to be anything other than human, yet still one with God. Jesus was a man who acknowledged the frailty and resilience of humanity, yet embodied hope for us all, a man whose voice cried, “You belong” to the adulteress, the leper, the thief, and the Pharisee. His love and compassion unmasked their false identities and declared, “You belong.” Undeserved, unearned and seemingly out of nowhere, “You belong.” You belong, and have always belonged, and will always belong to the Divine Oneness of the Mystery we call God. What you’re seeking is knowing this and waking up to it – as it always was, and is and always will be. Even when you didn’t know it, you belonged.”
“The unconditional presence of Spirit midwifed my own inner birth. The One who awakens me in the mornings of my distress with the anointing of compassion. In me, the power of pride is brought down and my soul is grateful.”
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” vs. 7 1 Corinthians 11:7-11 From the beginning it has been enormously difficult for humans to recognize that life is communal, particularly when the culture has been taken captive by the curse of individualism. Some actually begin to believe that everything is up to them, and that any talk of the common good is misguided. Our spiritual ancestors would have found such notions ridiculous. For them it…
Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.” vs. 4 Isaiah 43:4-7 Even though the people of Israel had regularly engaged in idolatry and their kings had been inept, in their captivity the prophet brought them words of encouragement and hope. In their brokenness he tells them they are precious in the sight of the Lord and that they are loved. That…
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” vs. 1 Isaiah 43:1-7 Through the centuries Israelites had come to believe that they had a special relationship with God. They weren’t just a scattered group of people, free to do as they pleased with life, they actually belonged to God. They were God’s own…
I came for the Healing of Memories workshop for veterans, and I almost didn’t come because of the trauma I wrestle with, but your staff, the workshop leaders and the quiet and safe campus held me there and I’ve found a new sense of peace and healing.
A retreat for religious leaders who have experienced emotional, psychological and spiritual distress in their personal or professional lives — facilitated by the Institute for Healing of Memories — is coming June 3-6, 2024.