"William Barclay" Tagged Touchpoints
Love Economy
Grace and peace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and move, and have our being. The widow’s offering. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:38-44 The Widow’s Offering “It is a strange and lovely thing…
The Sigh
“After the sigh Jesus looks up into heaven. What does this mean? To me, it means that heaven is indeed a place where there is freedom, even more evidence that heaven is not a place we go, but is with us right now. Heaven is, as Jesus said, “at hand.” “Ephphatha!” Be opened he sighed, and it was… and all the windows of his soul’s senses were thrown wide open.”
Gospel Unshackled
“Good religion becomes bad religion when practices move toward superstitions, rather than a way of being receptive to Presence and the movements of Spirit. No wonder Paul felt free when he was in prison, Peter felt free when he was being whipped like his friend, and Forrest felt free when his shackles were flying off! They live free in the heart.”
The Tortilla of Life
“As a man in recovery from bulimia, I can tell you of the unrelenting desire to be satiated… avoiding the fear of being deprived, thereby nurturing a relationship with food that is a dopamine blanket of comfort. Food that disappoints as a substitute for loss, leaving an emptiness for the real hunger and thirst of the soul. For others it is a beverage that allows a temporary chemical remedy for a thirsty soul. When it finally satisfies the body, the soul is weakened and the Spirit weeps with you. For us the words, “Whoever eats this bread will never hunger or thirst again,” is huge!”
Water and Spirit
“They were both in their own way earnestly seeking. Why didn’t Jesus acknowledge their desire and baptize them? Why didn’t he put his hands on the kneeling ruler and bless him? If hell hung precariously in the balance of their decision to follow Jesus, why wouldn’t Jesus tell them? Perhaps it’s because Nicodemus and the rich young ruler represents today’s church, who just can’t let go of their way, to follow The Way.”
All in One and One in All
“Love has its source in God, because God is love. To love one another, means the source of love I offer the world, is also from God. If love is too much a burden to engage for me, then I have not come to know God, the source of all the love I have access. How can I understand a command to love my enemies, when I am not aware of the source of all love? Love would in some cases be a heavy burden because on our own, we have a limited capacity for love.”
All in the Game, or the Name?
“’In the name of Jesus’ to me means, In the name of the one who wears the wounds of our lives on his back. It is not magical, but it is mystical. In the name of the one whose reputation was of loving indiscriminately. In the name of the one who found a way out of no way, even through doubt and confusion. In the name of the one who has more power than any therapist suggesting I sit beside still waters. Rather, “In the name of” refers to the one who makes me lie down, in the revelation of Gods compassion, beside still waters. Even more, who is calm waters, and whose spirit restores my soul.”
Jesus at the Waffle House
“I don’t believe that God works in mysterious ways. I believe, our mysterious God works in familiar ways; we just need to open our eyes. That’s what it means to experience the second coming of Christ. For me, it is to be able to see Christ in others. Christ in this moment, where matter and spiritual connect. For me, it’s not what we believe about the future that matters, it’s how we experience the Second Coming of Christ breaking through.”