Touchpoints on Spiritual Growth (Page 3)
New Year’s Resolutions
“I went online to look at the steps to salvation, or how to be born again. And I must say, I didn’t hear many first words that had God saying to me, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.” I read a lot about me being a sinner. That seemed to be the starting point for everything. My sinfulness. I read a lot about the ‘sinner’s prayer,’ but I couldn’t find the ‘beloved child of God’ prayer.”
Stumped
“In a strange way, my two favorite seasons of the church year are Advent and Lent. I’m not sure what that says about me, but I think I like them because, for me, they are the most honest. They ask me to take a hard look at my life and my world. They don’t let me skim over or pass by the pain in my life or the lives of others. They call me to an honest accounting of myself and my society. And they call me to get back to the source, the root of life. And bear life-giving fruit.”
Father, Forgive US, For WE Know Not What WE Do
“What if we, as a Church, as Christians, focused not on saving ourselves and others, what if we focused on our being forgiven and forgiving others? Do you think the world might see us differently?”
The Miracle of Impermanence
Grace and Peace from the Mystery in whom we live and move and have our being. The greatness of God. When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’” Luke 21:5-19 The people around Jesus are caught up in the beauty of their…
Who Wants to Be a Saint?
“And one Sunday, it finally dawned on me: “I’m an addict. Only I’m addicted to socially acceptable things. Things like money, the status quo, and prestige.” I’m addicted to avoiding being seen as weak. As a LOSER. And then I realized that the only difference between those addicts and me was while they were ‘recovering addicts’ … I was an ‘uncovering addict.’”
Living a Life of “Thank You”
“To live a life of thanksgiving means I have to acknowledge a ‘giver’ … a ‘gifter.’ It means acknowledging that I am not the beginning and end of existence. To live a life of thanksgiving means to acknowledge that the idea that I have possessions is an illusion. To be thankful for everything means that everything is a gift.”
Tiny Faith
“If grace is at the foundation of life – of existence – then why are we striving? If Jesus is the Savior of the world, then quit trying to save yourself or climb some spiritual ladder.”
Commending the Dishonest Manager
“The parable catches us in the act. We are transactional at heart. Our revulsion to this steward reveals our true character, not his… and shines a light on where we stand on the economic ladder. Do you think those who were in debt are mad at the dishonest steward?”
Dispossessed
“Now I must say, in those churches where the Divine was the focus, it didn’t matter whether it was high church, or low church, or no church. When whatever they were doing put the focus on the Mystery, IT WAS DIVINE.”
Outside the Camp
“You know why I should welcome the stranger? Because I’m strange. You know why you should welcome the stranger? Because you’re strange. You know why God welcomes the stranger – because God is strange. After all, we didn’t crucify him because we thought he was TOO NORMAL!”
Straighten Up!!!
“This isn’t a demon inside of her holding her down. This is a demon in the world, its systems, its cultures, that chooses to value people on something other than being children of God.”
The Refiner’s Fire
“Sometimes I wish Jesus would have just come to earth and said, “This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.” I would have been good with that. But Jesus is not a Pollyanna. He’s a realist. He will undergo a death and resurrection. And so will we. There’s no way to do an end run around Good Friday to get to Easter. For him or us.”