Catch up on Touchpoints by Spirit in the Desert spiritual director, Henry Rojas, as well as archival Touchpoints by former faith mentor, Rev. “Bro. Jim” Hanson.
Love Your Enemy, Blah blah blah
Grace and peace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and move, and have our being. Love for Enemies. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Luke…
Speaking on the Level
“Yes, our world would be turned upside down if we lived the beatitudes, but perhaps God gives us the capacity to walk upside down, until our lives are right-side up. Haha, now that brings me joy! What would our lives look like if we let Jesus drop these bombs into our hearts?
Would we continue pouring energy listening to bad-news preoccupations and commentary, or would we begin advocating for others who are hurting and a new gospel of universal love contrary to today’s Christianity? If inner joy is a result, then that is a life worth living!”
See Deep Fishing
Grace and peace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and move, and have our being. Jesus’ first disciples. When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.” Luke 5:1-11 Jesus is choosing his first apprentices. Why didn’t he pick from the eager…
Jesus Cliff Notes
“This is the story we have to tell. The story of a God who is bigger than we can imagine. The story of One who embraces more than we can embrace. One who is beyond our limits.”
Love Before Purity
“Our rituals indeed serve a purpose, but they outlive their usefulness when it comes down to living in the reality of love and family. The demand for rituals and traditions as prerequisites can become an obstacle to intimacy with the divine—the sacred in all things, especially the intrinsic belonging of humanity to each other, the earth, and to God.”
Do That Thing You Do
“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.”
The Powerlessness of Jesus
“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.”
Magic, Miracles or Mystery?
“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.”
The Good Bad News
“Am I more disturbed that John’s words predict a God of love cutting fruitless trees down and burning them then the suffering of those around me? What weighs heavier on me, the threat to my theology concerning John’s image of a punishing God, or those mentioned who are cold and hungry?”
Making Way for The Way
“John’s cry for repentance was to prepare the way of the heart for a change in direction. To clear the way of old ways. He wasn’t yelling the repentance that says “Hey everyone, stop sinning, Jesus is coming and boy is he pissed!”, or “Just look busy!” He said prepare the way for the real deal. The way beyond all ways. It’s not a hack to make your life easier. It is a way of peace amid all the other hacks wanting to have their way. A compassionate voice crying in the wilderness of our hearts. A voice of anticipation. The voice that says create space for a new beginning.”
Beyond Belief
“No wonder Jesus asked Pilate why he called him King of the Jews! Who have you been listening to, Pilate? What kingdom do you belong to? On whose behalf do you condemn?
Would we kill Jesus if we thought he was a threat to our kingdoms? The Spirit is our witness. It offers itself to us in every breath. The kingdom Jesus speaks of cannot be killed.”
Moody Blues
“Forgive me but I’m just not in the mood! I’m not in the mood to talk about the theological significance the buildings held or why Jesus sat at the Mount of Olives or the disciple’s gazing at the majesty of the building or the actual size of stones and how difficult it must have been to carry one.”