Transmissions from Mobius Faith

RESOLVING THE CRISIS OF PERCEPTIONIS A CHOICE

2012-01-25T11:47:00.001-05:00

This is a continuation of my previous post. An expansion of the ideas I started with. I actually posted this on my photo blog because I had images to help illustrate what I wanted to say. So rather than just copy it here I'll just include this link for those that are interested.

http://mobiusfaith.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/resolving-the-crisis-of-perception-is-a-choice/

Thanks everyone for reading. Peace.

mobius faith

A CRISIS OF PERCEPTION

2012-01-10T11:30:00.000-05:00

I sometimes wonder if what we are suffering from in our world today is simply the result of a crisis of perception. Why do we have the perceptions that we have? Can those perceptions be changed? Should they be changed?

Albert Einstein said,

"The problems that exist in the world today
cannot be solved at the same level
of thinking that created them."

I wonder if that's the mistake we are making as we look at different issues in our world - the issues of Terrorism, Islam, fundamentalism and patriotism. I think we are trying to resolve these issues at the same level of thinking that allows these problems to be manifest in the first place. It seems so far that the Wests response to these issues is no different than the response of the perpetrators. Both sides claim they are in the "right" on religious and political grounds and seek the enslavement or elimination of the other. Here in the United states this same crisis was seen during the Revolution, the expansion into the west and it's reservation policy to the original inhabitants of this land. It was also seen in the Civil War and the civil rights movement with America's European values toward slavery and the black man. And now we see a repetition of this crisis in the West's view towards Islam. Trying to attack a problem with the same approaches that created the problem - even if they were from different ideological basis - does not resolve the problem - it only escalates the conflict.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith.

Snippet #9

2012-01-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

Our differences make life beautiful - finding reasons to praise our enemies.

Maybe the above sentiment may seem strange to you but that is what I found myself thinking this morning in my devotional time. My reading today included Psalm 8. The verse that triggered the whole thought process for me was #2,

"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."

Children and infants are so non-judgemental. They are innocent. They have not learned the perceptions and prejudices that will later be ingrained in their personalities by the environment they grow up in. They are innocent because they depend on others to care for them or they would die. And a child does not care where that help comes from. Their praise will will disarm any foe or enemy. In fact this same praise silences the "foe" and "avenger." Now this is a different way of looking at our enemies than what adults have. In fact many have interpreted this as "state your position louder and with more force". But a child's praise is neither forceful or obnoxious. It just is. As adults I think we can learn from this that we really should look at celebrating our differences and seek a peaceful coexistence with those who disagree with us, are argumentative, hateful and even violent. When we seek opportunities to praise those who we may/may not label as enemies we are seeking a peaceful solution to life's difficulties and disarming others of that which may be disagreeable in their personalities, expressions, and ideas

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The above image is titled BROKEN LINES

Snippet #8

2012-01-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

The image to the above is titled LOVE SONG FOR A DYING UNIVERSE. It was photographed at an abandoned, burned-out, pottery factory. While the title suggests some environmental theme I am thinking more about capital punishment a.k.a. the death penalty. Primarily; even in the presence of decaying circumstances beauty and life can be found and should have the chance to exist.

I've heard many religious people use the Bible to justify the death penalty. But I have never felt that way. It just never seemed to make sense in light of what Jesus taught. Today I read something the really confirms my point of view. My text is Genesis 4. The story of Cain and Abel. I'm not going to repeat the whole story here - after all this is just a "snippet". But the key point comes after Cain has murdered his brother and God has pronounced judgement. Cain replies (verse 13, 14)

"My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

God's response to Cain's complaint is evidence that he does not approve of the death penalty. (verse 15) He says,

"Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over. Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him."

Wow! First of all God could have just killed him - but didn't. Then he even pronounces extreme vengeance on anyone who does kill him. If God supported capital punishment he would have killed Cain outright. Even with Cains parents (Adam and Eve) God does not kill them for their sin. Sure he says they will die -- but the death he is talking about is loss of innocence.

It seems that today people are more concerned with vengeance than justice. They would rather see someone die than allow them a natural life with every opportunity to repent and change their mind about what they've done.

Still...

I love these people.

I encourage you, to join me and let your voice be heard with your local chapter of the NCADP (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty) or any local organizing in your country that supports this just cause.

For more info about the NCADP click on following links:

http://www.ncadp.org/affiliate.cfm?affID=24

http://www.otse.org/

Some good news. People are waking up to this issue as can be seen in the following article. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/2011__Year__End.pdf

Thanks for reading, Happy New Year and long life to all my readers.

mobius faith

I'M WRAPPING UP MY LOVE FOR CHRISTMAS

2011-12-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

So what are you giving the world this Christmas? How about a little forgiveness? Yep you read right. Forgiveness can be one of the greatest gifts ever given. Take some time think about people who have disappointed you. People you may be afraid of. People you may hate. People who may hate you. People who may want to harm you or may have actually harmed you physically, emotionally, spiritually & philosophically. I know here in America ever since 9/11 people have been fearful and hateful toward Muslims. But that is inappropriate and improper. It does not change anything for the good. There is a great website http://myfellowamerican.us/ that aims to change this. Muslims in America are our fellow Americans and should be treated with respect and love. Forgive those who have done wrong in the name of Islam and hopefully they will forgive us for what has been done in the name of Christianity. One of my favorite Christmas albums by Over The Rhine has a couple of songs that deal with Forgiveness. This is not a common theme for the holidays - but an appropriate theme nonetheless. So enjoy these songs and think about who you may need to forgive. And when you get a chance check out the website http://myfellowamerican.us/. Take the pledge.

Over The Rhine - HERE IT IS

Over The Rhine - DARLIN' (CHRISTMAS IS COMING)

Over The Rhine - REDEMPTION SONG

How do Muslims feel about forgiveness?

More thoughts on forgiveness.

You are forgiven.

mobius faith

moving art

2011-12-22T05:58:00.002-05:00

One of the most beautiful films I've seen. A collaboration between Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. Surrealism never looked so good. Enjoy.

Thanks for watching,

mobius faith

Merry Christmas - What Would Jesus Buy?

2011-12-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this movie. Something to consider.

Are you addicted to the consumerism?
Do you feel like you need to BUY something for Christmas?
Do you feel like others expect you to spend money you don't have just for Christmas?
If you're a manager - does your employer pressure you to buy gifts for your employees?
Do you buy things just because it's the "next big thing" and discard what you have even before it's usefulness is gone?
Are you more interested in "flash" and blowing your stash?
Have you ever had something you actually needed but could not afford because you spent the money on something you did not need?

Please, just stop shopping. You are buying your own destruction and creating your own poverty.

The old testament prophet Nahum pointed out another aspect of what is happening which is that the merchants do not care about you. They only pretend to care as long as you have money to spend. Nahum 3:16,

"You have increased the number of your merchants
till they are more than the stars of the sky,
but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away." ~ Nahum 3:16

If it's not from the heart, it don't belong in the cart!

Thanks for watching,

mobius faith

THE PRESENT, PAST AND FUTURE SELF

2011-12-14T09:36:00.001-05:00

Your future is not written in stone. Maybe that's a new idea for some. I started thinking about this when I was reading the book of Revelation this morning in the Bible. Chapter 1 vs 8 says,

"I am the alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was , and who is to come, the Almighty."

What we see expressed here is a continuity. A continuous thread throughout history. Something unchangeable. A perfect and unwavering balance. Now some people have used this to promote the idea of "predetermination" (a thinly-veiled religious disguise for fatalism). But I wonder if its different. As I've written in previous posts about Jesus teaching about the kingdom of heaven within, and living with God not for God... I think that our future is not predetermined and is in fact a distraction made popular by movies like "It's A Wonderful Life".

To quote a popular TV character from Star Trek: the next generation,

"I prefer to look on the future as something which is not written in stone. A lot of things can happen in 25 years." ~ Jean-Luc Picard.

We can only live in the present and while our present is writing the future; the end is not written until we take our last breath. So if the future is not yet written we still have a choice. Every action, every thought, every word is only a pen-stroke in the story of our lives; a point along the golden thread that weaves through our lives. This notion of continuity, a golden thread is actually a very old idea. Is expressed in an ancient book of Confucian teaching called DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN, sometimes referred to as the "Golden Mean" or "Golden Path". The purpose of the "mean" is to direct the mind to a state of constant equilibrium - a perfect balance. Aristotle also addressed this in his book on Ethics, by describing the Golden Mean as that middle ground between two extremes. Those extremes consist of excess and deficiency. A popular example is the virtue of courage: taken to extremes courage is manifest as recklessness, when there is a deficiency it is manifest as cowardice. We need to find the balance in our lives. And when our lives are filled with busyness we need to find time for stillness and meditation as a way of bringing balance to our lives. Even the Christian philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that Christian morality is consistent with this golden mean or the "middle way". He wrote in his Summa Theologica that

"evil consists in discordance from their rule or measure. Now this may happen either by their exceeding the measure or by their falling short of it;...Therefore it is evident that moral virtue observes the mean."

In short, the evil we do or that we observe in our world that is inconsistent with the morality and teachings of Jesus Christ is a result of either excess or deficiency - a falling off the golden path to one side or the other. Going through life can be like a high-wire act sometimes - but the goal is to stay on the wire while crossing it.

Live in the present the way you want to live in the future.

If you are a follower of The Way, that will mean that you will be living, and seeking to live a life of harmony and brotherly love for, and with, all humanity even when others may not support you or agree with you - even when others may attempt to undermine you or even bring you harm (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual).

Well that's all I have for now. What started out as just a snippet of an idea for this post has grown into a full-fledged article. Feel free to add your comments and ideas. Thanks for reading. Also just a quick word about this blog. I have changed the format of this blog to only show one post at a time. You can view and access older posts in the blog archive in the sidebar.

mobius faith

Here is a nice jazz piece by Andy Summers called THE GOLDEN WIRE. Enjoy.

FASCISM IN OHIO

2011-12-11T16:55:00.001-05:00

I don't know if anyone else out there is concerned with how Fascism is creeping into our country. Maybe no one gives a damn! Maybe people are just too afraid that they are willing to let the Jackboots and Brownshirts of our governments do anything they want to curb our freedoms so that we may "feel" a little safer. Do we still have a choice? Do we want a choice? Given the option of choosing feeling safe or having freedom of choice, which would you choose?

Case in point:
The weblink article below is titled,

"Police in Lorain use technology to help predict crime before it happens, make break-in arrest"

the preceding article praises the police of a local community in Ohio, USA that is using technological means to "predict" crimes before they happen and make arrests. This is incredibly insane. This is very shaky ground. What ever happened to the idea of "innocent until proven guilty"? Now if you read the article you'll say, "Yeah but this guy had stolen goods on him". I don't deny that at this time but the time to ask these questions I'm posing is NOW; not after the abuse of technology strips us of our freedom, innocence and rights.

What happens when incorrect and alleged information is entered into this database?

It is only a matter of time before police are making arrests on "suspected" criminals before any crime is ever committed. Has 9/11 fucked us up that bad? Who's asking the questions like, "Should we do this?" and "Should we be using technology in this way?"

Makes me think of the Steven Spielberg movie MINORITY REPORT. This film is based on the short story (with same title) that was written in 1956 by popular science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick. Many of his stories have been made into films. Probably the other most recognizable story is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" which was made into the film BLADE RUNNER. I highly recommend you check out this film if you haven't seen it. Here's the trailer for it.

Another great film that deals where surveillance in our culture is another character in the film even though it's not specifically spoken about. The film shows how it is used and misused. Wim Wenders, THE END OF VIOLENCE.

Here is the trailer for that film.

Promote FREEDOM and INNOCENCE! If the fascists gain control of our governments and our communities we will be no different from the Pre-WWII Germany and Italy. Talk about ominous parallels. We need to change our thinking to change our lives. It's not the technology that's bad - it's the way people use it!

"You know your future, you can still choose." - MINORITY REPORT

Thanks for reading.

mobius faith

Snippet #7

2011-12-10T10:01:00.001-05:00

AUTUMN VISUAL POEM #1

Understanding metaphor/allusion/symbolism in the Bible.

I couldn't help but think this morning how too many people read the entire Bible - as if it were 100% literal.

It was not written that way so why should it be read that way in it's entirety. There are historical books and historical references. There are fictional narratives. There is poetry. One could even say there are various genres like science-fiction, mystery, horror and even romance.

A lot of the prophets used poetical allusion, metaphor, as well as, literal references to convey their ideas. Allusion and metaphor are also used in the New Testament writings. Jesus used them and his followers used them.

This morning I was reading in I John, chapter 5;

"Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the one who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ."

The references to "water" and "blood" are metaphors for "spirit" and "flesh" or metaphysical and physical existence. John also writes in verse 8;

"For there are three that testify; the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement."

In this verse the word "spirit" is capitalized and is a reference to God as Father/Holy Spirit. while "water" and "blood" are still a reference to Jesus as both spirit and flesh. So the spirit is interchangeable between father and son.

Just some of my thoughts this morning,

Have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

EATING CROW

2011-12-07T07:35:00.001-05:00

Well, every so often I have to eat my hefty helping of crow. For those of you who may not be from the US, Wikipedia describes "eating crow" as American colloquialism that means, "humiliation by admitting wrongness or having been proved wrong after taking a strong position."

As all of my readers know, I have very strong opinions and am not afraid to express them here on this blog. This week (already, and this is only Wednesday) I came face to face with my "inner hypocrite". I know all to well what the apostle Paul was saying when he wrote, in Romans 7:15 New American Standard Bible (©1995)

"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate."

Here's what happened: On Monday morning I went to the post office to pick up a package that I was expecting. It was raining hard and I didn't really want to be out and about. There was no close parking space. So I zipped up my parka and walked from the end of the parking lot toward the door of the building expecting to have to wait in a long line. Just outside the door I saw a woman on a cell phone. She stopped me and asked if I had jumper cables for the car. I quickly responded "NO" and continued inside. From the moment I said "no" I knew that I was wrong. Immediately I tried to justify my response 5 different ways but that fact is that I had lied. I had plenty of time that morning to help someone. But I was too selfish and in a mood of self-preservation. Why? because I didn't want to be bothered. Now here's the thing; If someone needs help I should be available to help them. I've talked about that before. But I wasn't even willing in this case. I wasn't looking for the opportunity so when it came I responded without even thinking. And my response was wrong. Oh sure, I could schluff it off by saying, "I'm only human" but that doesn't make it right.

When I went inside the post office I noticed no line just one person ahead of me that the clerk was helping. I had all of two minutes to evaluate my response to the woman outside. It felt like 10 minutes(It's amazing how a guilty conscience works.) I kept looking out the window at the woman as she kept dialing different phone numbers trying to reach someone. I decided that after I picked up my package I would go out and offer to help whatever she needed help with. At that moment the postal clerk offered to help me. He got my package and as I turned to leave I looked out the window again, this time hoping to see the woman, so I could help her out. But she was gone. I felt a little dejected. I do hope she found someone to help her. Or maybe it was just one of God's angels here to test me and teach me a lesson about myself. I don't know. I only know that when I left there was no sign of her anywhere. No one was sitting in cars, no one was walking in the rain. There was just no one in sight. And because of the location I'm pretty sure I would've seen her if she were walking away or was setting in her car.

At any rate. I was a little perturbed with myself and had to get to a point of self forgiveness with a plan so that the same mistake doesn't happen yet again. I decided that I really need to go about my day with the expectation that someone may need my help at some point. I think God uses us to help others and he gives us opportunities to do so. If I was expecting to come across this woman (or anyone) that needed help I would have readily said, "Yes, I have jumper cables. Are you having car troubles?" So that's my practice tip for the day. A difficult lesson I had to learn. Live your life with expectation of the opportunity that God can and will use you if you make yourself available.

Well thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The image above is titled DARKNESS HAS TWO FACES. To me, I see two different facial profiles back to back.

EXPLOITATION BY SECULAR CHRISTIANITY

2011-12-05T08:25:00.001-05:00

This image is titled "LEST WE FORGET" and is at the cornerstone of what I am writing about today. Much of what passes for Christianity in this day and age is merely exploitation of the masses. Complexity and confusion resulting in hypocrisy and bigotry. I am not surprised by the number of people who claim to be atheists because of what the so-called church has done. The apostle Peter writes about this in his 2nd letter. He wrote this letter to all those who are followers of Jesus teachings and may be discouraged by what they see and hear in their world and in their own congregations. Chapter 2 he names these problems. What we often ignore today is that he is addressing specifically those problems with the institution and we have failed to see them in our own time with our religious institutions.

So what does he say to the "church"?

There are false teachers among you. - this does not mean that just because you disagree with someone that they are a false teacher. (vs 1)
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord - Wow! You will not see these destructive ideas coming and they are denying God in their ideas. I'm thinking of these people who claim that when Jesus said we should "Love our enemies," and his socialist ideas of sharing, do not apply to our time. (vs 1)
Many will follow these shameful ways bringing the way of truth into disrepute, which discredits the very teachings of Jesus that they claim to cling to. (vs 2)
These people will exploit the Christian community with stories they have made up. Stories that may seem true but are not. This happens every Sunday in just about every church today. (vs 3)
These people are bold and arrogant (i.e. they claim to be right and will do everything in their power to make you believe it). (vs 10)
They seduce the unstable (vs 14) Wow, does that ring true. The churches are full of unstable people. And when one of these people does something horrible the church denies them.
Experts in greed - Hmmmmmmm. Pretty self explanatory, fund raising, fund raising, fund raising. "let's raise money to justify our existence so that we can raise more money...." (vs 14)
Appeals are made to the desires of human nature, enticing people who are trying to escape those who live in error. (vs 18) In other words they prey on peoples desires, and promise a destination that does not exist.
Promises of freedom (vs 19) one of the biggest lies of all because if you don't fit their model of what a Christian should be then you are not part of the in-crowd. You are not free because you do not benefit - you are still the outcast.
The message and method of operation is no different from the rest of the world - it's just wrapped up in religiosity. (vs 20-21) It is nothing more than secular Christianity.

So, what are we to do with this brutally frank characterization of the church? Quite simply, we need to use it to look at our own organization. A self-examination of our own institution to see how our institution or organization may have fallen prey to this modus operandi. In other words - get back to basics. Study the teachings of Jesus and apply them to our individual lives. Test our ideas and the ideas that come from the pulpit to see if they are in alignment with the teachings of Jesus.

Sprinkled throughout this chapter, Peter makes reference to the day of judgement and he is referring to the judgement of the Church - of those who are it's leaders and promoters.

So if you suffer like I do, tormented by the deeds you see and hear about in the church, there is hope. We just need to keep in touch with The Way, taught by Jesus. Don't point your finger in judgement at others but point it back at yourself and ask yourself if you are living the Christian life.

Now some may think that I have pointed my finger at others unfairly. But I have not named people or specific institutions I have merely looked at Christianity, as a whole, as I have experienced it in America. It is not my desire to offend anyone with my ideas but I certainly do wish people would wake up and redirect their search for the kingdom that dwells within and live their lives WITH (not for) God.

Naturally I'll be curious to see what other people may think so feel free to leave your comments.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

SNIPPET #6

2011-11-26T07:39:00.001-05:00

THIS IS THE END!

Just a question really; Do the "end times" keep recurring as part of the life cycle of all things?

An odd question? Perhaps. But I seriously started to think of this while reading the books of Daniel and Revelations. I also am keeping in mind that religious people are constantly referring to the time we live in now as the end times. It seems like every generation has it's "end times". In the book of Daniel (mid 6th century BC) those end times have already happened. In the book of Revelation (late 1st century AD) there is an interpretation that discusses the notion that most of that has already happened. Their lives (culture, politics, religious and social practices) as they had known it have passed on. They have ended long ago.

What are actually the "end times" for our current life cycle? Each life cycle seems to have it's prophets that have a vision of the end. Who are our prophets? And I'm not talking about the false prophets, like the one that claimed the world would end on May 21, 2011,and later again, that the world would end on October 21, 2011 (obviously neither happened). Why call these prophets of prediction false? Because the world didn't end. Life goes on. Why were these prophets wrong? I wonder if it's because the Christian community has been basing their thinking of the end times on what was written in Daniel and Revelation which have already happened. Maybe what we need is some earnest insight into our current life situation and be aware of the prophets who are predicting an end to life as we know it based on the natural life cycle of all things. I don't know. Just thinking. I have more questions than answers here.

I think, quite possibly, George Carlin is one of the great prophets of our time. He calls out the "weaknesses" in our culture and pokes fun at them where they need to be poked fun at. In this case religion he is rejecting what religion has become and how God is portrayed. Enjoy this video.

"If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."
~ William Blake ~

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The image above is titled "WORKING TOWARD EXTINCTION"

SECULAR CHRISTIANITY

2011-11-25T11:15:00.001-05:00

Secular Christianity.

What is it?

How is it exhibited today?

I'm going to start with that last question. It is exhibited in politics, social activity, religious institutions, causes/missions and media.

Probably the best definite of Secular Christianity is defined by the Bible itself by the writer, Apostle Paul. It is found in his 2nd letter to Timothy. Paul writes, in chapter 3, verses 1-5,

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy , without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

The key is having the "form of godliness" and denying its power. Many church-goers like to use this list to describe and point an accusatory finger at everyone else but themselves. They love to blame others for the state of things. In short; the lives of people who claim to be Christian are no different from their secular counterparts.

The overall description lists characteristics that are running rampant in American Christianity. It is the way people behave toward others and their views of others. It is in the mission organizations views of the people they serve and in the churches that claim to be houses of worship. Maybe better more contemporary synonyms would be, lovers of pop psychology, lovers of affluence, proud of their status and accomplishments within the community. They are without care and compassion for people that do not agree with them and seek to destroy them. They lack any sort of self restraint in their daily practice. They claim to be lovers of good but treacherous and react out of fear and emotional disturbance and distrust. They brag about their accomplishments. They are involved with activist causes, volunteering or donating goods and money, that allows them to be involved from a distance but they won't lift a finger to be involved in positive way in their day to day living. Even though they invoke God and the name of Jesus Christ the attributes of neither are present. They say one thing and do another.

Why have I stopped going to church? Verse 5 ends with "Have nothing to do with them." I cannot promote change among them because they do not want to hear it. I do not need to waste my time and breath. I choose to no longer be called a "christian" but I am a follower of THE WAY (as taught by Christ). Acts 24:14, "However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way...." I do not wish to support or promote the Secular Christianity that is running rampant and unchecked in America today. God is NOT in programs & institutions.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The image above is titled, ARCHITETTURA ILLUMINATA

STOPPING THE CYCLE OF "HISTORY REPEATS"

2011-11-24T07:20:00.001-05:00

Many cynics will say "history repeats" with the notion of an unbreakable cycle. And many people have pondered how to stop that cycle. I am no different. What I hope to offer you is a different way of looking how we live our lives as the end of that destructive repetitive cycle. This is about personal accountability - not the accountability we hold over others.

Hebrews chapter 11 starts with a definition of faith,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for."

This does not mean we will never see the thing we hope for but that we do not see it right now in this physical existence. It means we need to look beyond the physical realm to the spiritual realm as a starting point as it then says in verse 3,

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

The rest of the chapter, verses 4-38 gives examples of all the people in the bible who had a hope for something better - the "ancients" spoken of in verse 2. But verse 39 puts a unique spin on their experience. It says,

"These were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us that that only together with us would they be made perfect."

Some people have stopped with the first part of this verse and have taken a rather cynical view toward faith and hope by saying or suggesting that "we will never see these good things in our lives. We will only see them in the afterlife. We will only see them in 'heaven' and that's where we place our hope." In doing this we are setting ourselves up for not seeing anything in our current existence and setting ourselves up for failure in the present. We are in danger of disappointing our ancestors by not fulfilling their hope.

Don't forget the rest of this verse, "GOD HAD PLANNED SOMETHING BETTER FOR US SO THAT ONLY TOGETHER WITH US WOULD THEY (the ancients) BE MADE PERFECT" We live in a time where we can experience that which is "better" the thing God actually planned for. That which is better is not some unattainable future outside this present existence. it is the NOW! In this better state all the sins of the past are forgiven and and all the hopes of our ancestors is made real. Now you may look around at the world and just not see it. But let's not forget some of the things I've mentioned in previous posts about what Jesus taught about the "Kingdom of heaven is here and now," it is "within you" and that is our starting point. Looking within, to our spiritual existence, as a starting point from which our physical/material existence is born from. After all as it says back in verse 3; the universe was not made out of pre-existing physical materials - but it came from a place of "nothingness/absence" - a spiritual realm. Our lives are no different. This may mean that we need to get in touch with our inner mystic as opposed to our "inner child." Now many Christians are afraid of that word "mystic." but it simply means that we need to step outside our physical framework, look at the possibilities and start acting on those possibilities from a positive, supportive, non-suffering, point-of-view in our actions toward ourselves and others. By doing this we will then be fulfilling verse 39 by living that "something better" and satisfying what the ancients only hoped for. We stopping the closed cycle of history repeats and instead are building a ladder and climbing upward.

Now you may say, "Oh yeah those are some pretty words and nice ideas but, how is this accomplished?" As I said it starts from within which means we need to look within ourselves, understand ourselves, read the great wisdom not only in the bible itself (Judaism, Christianity) but other great wisdom traditions (i.e. Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Sufism, etc). We need to find the similarities, those positive things that ALL wisdom traditions support, and look at applying them to our present physical/material existence. That means looking at our motives, our ego, our emotions and our reactions (Any tool that helps us understand these is good (i.e. the enneagram). It means that after our awareness of these things we can then change our actions from negative to positive. For example, picking on the emotion of "anger": I'm not saying you will never or should never be angry. I am saying that how you react to that anger will define the level of positive influence that you experience. Do you react to your own anger by lashing out and destroy and/or demean the other person you are angry at? Or, do you recognize the anger, and respond to it positively? For example; do you tell the person you are angry at, "Listen, I'm not very happy with what you did, and it really kinda pisses me off. Did I misunderstand you? Why would you say/do that?" This (for example) would disarm the person that would make you angry and would cause them to reconsider what they said or did. Maybe they didn't mean to harm you in the first place. Maybe they were just reacting out of their own frustration and anger. Your response stops that cycle.

Now I'm not saying you will instantly be able to make these changes. You may or may not. I know I have not and still struggle with this myself. It's not easy changing (in my case - 50+) years of cultural/social nurturing and orientation to the negative. But don't give you. Awareness is the first step. Even if, every time you are angry you have that seed of a thought, that inner voice, that says "Wow! I probably should have handled that better" you are making progress. Continue in that. Be encouraged. Look forward to the next opportunity when you may be able to react more positively. Set for yourself, a "first strength", a determination to react more positively and productively when those strong emotions that have the ability to destroy/demean creep up into your life experience. Again, by doing this you are changing the course of history, from a spiritual base, and you can live this better physical/material life that your ancestors hoped for.

Don't be too hard on yourself and don't be to hard on others. Don't wait on others to change before you change. We all need to help each other. We will succeed.

This classic song takes on whole new meanings in the context of the previous discussion.

Look at the person in the mirror. It starts with you. Tell youself, "I'm starting with me. I'm starting with the "man" in the mirror."

Now this is something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers who celebrate this holiday.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

Some

Snippet #5

2011-11-22T17:44:00.001-05:00

Just a thought:

From the moment we are born we spend the rest of our lives learning how to die.

Snippets #4

2011-11-21T10:59:00.001-05:00

Temptation. I was raised with the idea that temptation comes from outside ourselves. Like the story of the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness. But I have begun to wonder if true temptation does not come from within. Do we tempt ourselves more than what we are tempted by others? The other thing that I was raised with is that temptation is something to be overcome. Now in Hebrews 2:18 we read that Christ suffered in his temptations. "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." That is something new. The idea of temptation as suffering. Add to that the notion that because he suffered, Christ is able to help us when we suffer/are tempted.

Temptation is a kind of suffering. We typically associate temptation with things that are not beneficial to us that we strongly desire or are dependent on (i.e. drugs, alcohol, casual sex, etc...). I heard one Buddhist teach say, regarding addictions and things that are bad for us - "we stop doing them when we are tired of them." And we can keep from continuing them by having a dialogue with our own ego. Saying, "Ego, I'm not happy that you are wanting me to suffer in this way. I do not like you right now. Go away and leave me alone." This idea is also very biblical in regard to commanding "spirits."

So now we have a new understanding of temptation and how to deal with it.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The image above is titled "PUSH FOR STEAM". It was taken at a "controlled burn" of an abandoned farm house and was used for training purposes by the local volunteer fire department.

Fresh Water

2011-11-20T11:53:00.001-05:00

What kind of water are you?

Are you fresh water like that which flows in a stream or from an underground spring?

Or are you salty like Ocean water or the so-called "Dead Sea"?

I know that in film and art water represents the spirit/spirituality/holy spirit. It doesn't matter what form that water may take - river, lake, ocean, stream, rain, puddle, snow, ice, steam, mist/fog. The films of Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Fellini and Angelopoulos, make good use of this metaphor.

I started thinking about what kind of water I may be to others I interact with on a daily/weekly basis. What triggered these thoughts was my reading of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel in chapter 47:1-12, 22-23.

Ezekiel has a vision of a river coming out from the south side of the temple threshold and flowing east (which was the same direction the temple faced.

Next a man takes Ezekiel along the river and measures the depth periodically.

The thing that stood out for me is that the further away from the temple the river flowed the deeper it became. It was shallowest at the temple itself. To my mind the temple represents God - the source. And while initial enlightenment/refreshment is celebrated it is not meant to be boxed, packaged, caged or restrained in any way (vs 11 "But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt."). Like the river it is meant to flow. And the further it flows the deeper it becomes. The more we include the wisdom in our every day lives, no matter how mundane they may seem at times our wisdom will grow and enlightenment be enhanced by our live experience and the interactions we have with others.

Are you Fresh?

I'm not talking hygiene here. I'm talking about your spiritual experience. This same river that we've been talking about flows all the way to the sea where it empties into the sea. This river water (spirituality) is so powerful that it actually transforms the sea itself turning the sea water into fresh water. If we are fresh water; where we flow, everyone will benefit - not just us. And those benefits will be never ending. Ezekiel is given the metaphor of trees along the river of fresh water and is told, "Fruit trees of ALL kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." Now that is some powerful water! And again I believe what he is saying here is that we are to be that water to others. We don't need to bring them to the sanctuary to become part of our religious institution. We don't need to try and bottle the water. Why? Because, again, the water must flow to remain fresh.

An example of practical application is given a little later on in the chapter. The next section Ezekiel is given a plan for dividing up the land Israel after the exile. Again, remember the people (we) are to be the fresh water for others. Ezekiel is told in verses 21-23, "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes o Israel, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign Lord.

I couldn't help but think of the Israeli/Palestinian question and how things would be different if Israel actually followed this teaching and welcomed the Palestinians as one of them. There's no reason why a Palestinian state could not exist within the nation of Israel.

After all, here in the United States we have 50 states and a federal district that coexist.

Too often we look at others who believe differently from us as aliens and treat them differently. We use generic words like "they" and "them" in a derogatory way. That needs to stop! We are to consider others to be one of us - without regard for nationality, religion, philosophy and world view. This also means that if you hear someone that has forgotten this we need to gently remind them of the beneficial approach to inclusiveness.

So let's dial this down to an even more personal level. When you are engaged in conversation with someone (either at work or home) do you use a language of inclusiveness or separation? When you hear the person you are talking to make character remarks against someone they work with - how do you respond? Do you join in the complaining? Do you listen politely and change the subject? Do you provide an alternative? I know that it's popular for Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians to bash Muslims. But that is wrong and completely against what God has revealed to Ezekiel. Yep you read right. There is no reason why Christians can't coexist with Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Hindu's, Sufi, Orthodox, etc, etc with each tradition enriching the Christians experience (and vice versa). Coexistence is GODS WAY. Oh, and it is also at the core of Jesus' teachings. And why not? It makes sense that the son would continue in the teachings of the father. I will even go so far as to suggest that failure to coexist and accept others as one of us is not christian and is instead anti-christian.

WE ALL ARE ONE - Jimmy Cliff

Thanks for reading.

mobius faith.

The image above is simply titled "LEAVES ON BLUE WATER".

Snippets #3

2011-11-11T11:26:00.001-05:00

Is your life murky? Or is it just clouded by wrong perceptions?

Those are questions I ask myself often. Usually I find that what I may feel is murky does not have to determine my emotional state or outlook on life at that moment. I can change my perceptions.

This morning I read in Psalm 129:1-4

"They have greatly oppressed me from my youth -
let Israel say - they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.
But the Lord is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked."

In this Psalm we see the reality, the perception and the conscious choice to change that perception in spite of the reality. It's not about escape. It's about perception. Sometimes the difficulties of our real lives can serve as a reminder to get back to our spiritual sources. It's where that freedom of spirit comes from that no one can oppress. People can only oppress the physical body the realities of day to day living but they can only oppress the spirit if we let them. The fight is a spiritual one not a physical one.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

Snippets - #2

2011-11-09T06:42:00.000-05:00

The lost art of meditation.

Isn't it time to stop moving at the blur of life? How do we stop the speed of life?

Meditation.

The image above is titled "DEEP IN THE ROTHKO NIGHT" and is part of a series of images of ICM - intentional camera movement. Since starting meditation I have learned to see the blur of life around me while being in the stillness - centered in meditation. I then choose when to enter that stream of activity.

The challenge is that we (in the west) have come to think of meditation as an action as opposed to a state stillness and silence. In the west,Christians typically perceive meditation as something other religions do. We have even justified it as a form of prayer. We seldom/if ever consider meditation as a genuine practice from a "believers" perspective. We skip over the fact that the patriarchs of the faith practiced meditation. We don't even know what meditation is anymore. Now I could trot out a dozen scriptures about meditation from the Bible. But they would do no good because they primarily deal with directed/guided meditation - an advanced form of meditation. But as the old saying goes "before you can run you must first learn to walk and before you walk you must first learn to crawl." So before we even can advance to directed meditation we must first know how to meditate in the first place. The fundamentals.

I think the Bible actually tells us the first step in the practice of meditation in Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

Wow, it doesn't get any simpler than that: stillness. Stopping. Silence. Yet - guess what? Here in the 20th century, in the West, where we have come to think of "time is money" we have missed out on this experience of practicing stillness and silence. Life has become a blur of activity and noise/sound. So it's no surprise that meditation has become such a foreign idea. We have lost sight of its benefits. As a result, starting a practice of meditation may be difficult. But don't give up. Even if you can start with just 5 minutes of meditation you will find benefits. Then in that restfulness you can start doing it for longer periods of time. The key is to just start. I've been practicing for a couple of years now and am still a beginner. About the longest I can meditate is about 1/2 to 1 hr to time. But It has benefited me greatly. So don't be hard on yourself if you can only do about 5 minutes at a time when starting. That's okay. It's normal. The important thing is to start.

When we are still, the only thing we are doing is breathing. The breath is all important. It is needed for life. So the first step to meditation is just being still and becoming aware of your breathing. Take time to get caught up in the inhale and exhale of the breath. The repetition. That is the first step to a practice of meditation.

This first video is of Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh talking about breathing. I have the greatest respect and admiration for this man who has taught me to see the benefits of meditation and how to do meditate. Enjoy.

This second video is a reading is by Eckart Tolle on SILENCE and STILLNESS

This final video is a guided meditation on Breathing.

Thanks for reading and for your meditations

mobius faith

SNIPPETS #1

2011-11-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

Today's post is the first it what may become a series simply called Snippets. No long drawn out arguments. Just an idea and some questions for thinkers.

For this first entry in the series My text is Psalm 126, verse 6.

"He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him."

I've often heard this verse used in the context of being a comfort for people who are suffering. But, like most things these days, I wonder if there isn't another lesson here. Let's consider the following questions:

What if this is meant to apply to our everyday lives and not just times of difficulty and/or suffering?
What if we use this verse to examine our attitudes about our work, our obligations, our commitments and our duties?
Do we go out "weeping" with negative and bad attitudes?
Do we get stuck in our "weeping"?
Do we even recognize the "seed" we have?
Do we understand the abilities and gifts we bring to any and every situation (even if others may not)?
Do we end our day, or leave an event carrying with us the "sheaves" (products) of our labors?
Are we grateful for the product of our labors?
Do we look at the mountain as an excuse to NOT take the first step in climbing to the peak?

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The image above is called "CLIMBING MOUNT IMPROBABLE"

CLARITY AND PRACTICE

2011-10-26T10:00:00.002-04:00

Finding clarity is something we say that we all want and need to do. Our lives often become so jumbled up with competing priorities that it is difficult to sort everything out in the fog that is created. We stumble through life hoping for the best.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

I had two dreams this morning that I remembered as I was waking. I wrote both in my journal but will only relay one of them here at this time. This second dream was related to an event at work yesterday. One of my co-workers was complaining about their job, the political situation, the economic situation, other people and life in general - as they are in the habit of doing. And since this person also claims to be a Christian they added their hope that Christ would come soon to whisk them away from the madness in this life to a blissful existence in heaven. I was speechless. I was tongue-tied unable to say what was rolling through my mind and I wasn't even sure (in reality) if I could find the right words for what I was feeling and thinking. But the thing about dreams is that they can often take a real life situation and redirect it so that we may approach it better next time it arises. This is what I dreamt.

I want to say the following: being taken away does not relieve the problems in this world and life. When we are removed the situation nothing is resolved and we become totally ineffective. In many ways people use their Christian faith as an aphrodisiac or escape from life in the same way people use drugs and alcohol. I believe it was never intended to be that way.

One thing that comes to mind is what the Apostle John wrote about Heaven in Revelation 21:22,

"I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are it's temple."

If we add that bit of knowledge to what Christ taught on so many occasions that "the kingdom of heaven is within you" then we have a whole new understanding of this verse from revelation. In revelation there is no church/temple/religious institution. Why? Because God and the Lamb(Jesus Christ) are that temple. If we are followers of Christ and he dwells within us and the kingdom of heaven is within us in the here-and-now then our approach will be and should be completely different. If God is the temple and he dwells within us we become that temple. We become that access point for others who are suffering. We become the point of entry where they can experience the relief that comes from God Almighty. We become the vessel. doesn't that change everything?

So every time someone comes to you they are also coming to the temple of Gods existence that dwells within you (whether-or-not they know it or acknowledge it). Because of Gods dwelling within us we have the ability to resolve these problems in our life NOW. There is no escape from this responsibility.

Think about ALL the people you come in contact with each day, at work, home, or at a social event. Every single person you come in contact with comes to your church - the temple within (which is God and Jesus Christ himself). We need to ask - are we closing the doors to the church through complaint and rejection and looking for escape for ourselves? Are we closing the doors of the Temple within by our actions, attitudes etc.? Or are we opening these doors and allowing others who interact with us - including those who are suffering - to come in so God can heal them and bless them? When we open these doors and let people in they are transformed (or can be) by God and Christ who dwells within us. These people can then say as we and the psalmist says (118:19-21),

"Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give thanks for you answered me; you have become my salvation."

Again, it is not for us to judge who is righteous because it is God to makes us and them righteous. We are merely to be the vessels through which others may be transformed.

So I want to encourage you when you are at work, with family, or at "play" look at who is coming to the "temple" Let them in, love them, welcome them to church - don't send them to church.

Ephesians 4:17, 22-24,
"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as other people do, in the futility of their thinking. You however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life (a former way of life that was no different from non-believers - ed.), to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desire; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Stop thinking about how you are different or the same because of what you believe. Open the doors for God's sake! Be the Church! Stop looking to run away to paradise. Reveal the paradise within. This actually could be paradise.

(this was the end of the second dream. It actually sequels nicely into the first dream I had which I will write about next - if God wills and permits).

I love this song by Coldplay which looks at the cages we are in and our desire for escape. I love how the evolution of the chorus changes from dreaming of paradise in the beginning to the realization that this could be paradise at the end. It takes openness and release. It could be what Isaiah said and Jesus echoed in Luke 4:18,19, "...freedom for prisoner...release for the oppressed...."

Coldplay - PARADISE

Thanks for reading.

Peace.

mobius faith

*the image at the beginning of the post is titled FINDING CLARITY IN THE FOG OF COMPLACENCY.

RISE LIKE THE PHOENIX

2011-10-22T19:11:00.001-04:00

So, how do we deal with life's downers? Do we let them keep us down? Dare we rise again, like the phoenix?

I've always been intrigued by the mythical bird - the Phoenix - at once terrifying and beautiful. Rising out of the ashes of its destruction. We have the ability to re-invent ourselves to change from one thing into another. It isn't easy and sometimes it may feel like that change is forced upon us. But have no fear, you will rise up again. It only remains for you to decide whether your experience will make you "terrifying" or "beautiful."

"The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph."

And for more on the beauty that can come from ashes. This Mortal Coil - THE JEWELLER

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

***the image above is titled BIRTHPLACE OF THE PHOENIX. It was taken at a location called Beaver Pond near Akron, OH in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I've always loved this spot. To my eyes - one of the prettiest places on earth.

The phoenix was created using a detail from a decaying leaf that I found in the park.

http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

Cultivating Compassion In Pain

2011-10-16T12:04:00.000-04:00

This photo on the right is titled GROWING IN THE PAIIN and is intended as a play on words. As often as we try to avoid pain it is ultimately unavoidable. It then becomes an issue of, How do we deal with the pain and suffering that we experience and is around us? How do we practice compassion with ourselves and others?

16th Lojong Slogan - "Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation."

"In this slogan, the word "join" has the feeling of putting together butter and bread. You put together or join situations with meditation, or with shamatha-vipashyana. The idea is that whatever comes up is not a sudden threat or an encouragement. Instead it simply goes along with one's discipline, one's awareness of compassion. If somebody hits you in the face, that's fine. Or if somebody decides to steal your bottle of Coke, that's fine too. It is simply to be open and precise, and to know your territory at the same time.... carrying whatever occurs in our life onto the path, which is connected with patience and nonaggression.

~ from TRAINING THE MIND AND CULTIVATING LOVING-KINDNESS by Chogyam Trungpa

Included with these ideas is what Christians would call "turning the other cheek" which Jesus Christ specifically taught in Matthew 5:38-45a
"You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven."

These ideas are very difficult for westerners who have been nurtured and entrenched in capitalism and consumerism. Many give lip service to these ideas but few are willing to actually practice them when push comes to shove.

Thanks for reading,
Peace
mobius faith

LEARNING TO KILL

2011-10-04T07:35:00.003-04:00

Here in America we love guns. We treat life cheaply and learn to kill at a very young age.   We train our kids to kill with games like this.   We teach them that loss of life is a game and should be viewed as fun. This photo, titled LEARNING TO KILL, was the most shocking display I'd seen at the local county fair this year - kids shooting at each other (yes, there were others just out of frame pointing back at these kids). There are people who will fight to the death for the "right to bear arms" and go to church on Sunday and pretend they believe in a God of Love. To quote the apostle Paul, "All things are permissible but not all things are beneficial".   I wonder if it may not be time for this 2nd Amendment to the constitution to be changed. We need to lay down our guns and "melt our swords into plowshares" if we are truly going to have a positive impact on our neighbors, and our enemies.

"I see the flash of guns
how red the mud becomes
I've got a close-up view..."
(from I AM THE 6 O'CLOCK NEWS by Larry Norman)

"It's always funny until someone get's hurt." - Mom

Irony: in America people who promote ownership, sale, and use of guns are considered conservatives while people who promote gun control, and denounce use of guns are considered liberal.    One would think it would be the other way around based on the meanings of liberal and conservative.

In this sad irony -----------------------

conservative = murder/death/killing

liberal = life/freedom/responsibility.

And Americans think this is a Christian Nation?

Do we even consider how non-beneficial this is?

Do we even consider the harm that is being done in these games?

Do we consider the harm we are not only doing to ourselves but that we are now inflicting on our children?

LAY DOWN YOUR GUNS - Emerson Lake & Powell

"Lay down your guns I come in peace
No need to run my friend into the trees
We've been through this so much before
But still we get it wrong
Lay down your guns and stand up strong

Lay down your guns feel no regret
Life is too short my friend, lest we forget
No matter how we rise and fall
And how our love is torn
We'll stand up high above the storm.

And still our passion calls
And the juices fall like rain from the sky
We have to understand we're the flame
That feeds our desire
God knows we must survive

Lay down your guns and hold on tight
We'll prove the world is wrong and get it right
No need for you to worry now the best is yet to come
Lay down your guns and stand up strong

And though the cut is deep
We can heal it, trust me and keep
Your spirits high
It should be easy now that we've talked it over
And God knows we have to try

Lay down your guns just don't say goodnight
We'll prove the world is wrong, and get it right
But even in your darkest dreams
Some things you can't foresee
Lay down your love, lay it all on me"

I have no disclaimer. For those of you who are NRA members and pro-gun and are shocked, angered and/or offended by what I'm implying - I receive your anger and passion and release it. I send you goodness and caring.

Thanks again for reading

mobius faith

darkness AND light

2011-09-22T09:04:00.001-04:00

Probably two of the most misunderstood and misrepresented metaphors/ideas in Christendom are light and darkness. Based on our culture and popular teachings the most common associations with these words are (in no particular order)

good & evil
right & wrong
day & night
revelation & mystery
sound & silence
lawful & unlawful
courage & fear
awake & asleep (and the list could go on forever).

The point is that we often use and approach the metaphor of dark and light to describe those things that are opposite, or people who are different from us. And we also use them to judge states of being. In my opinion this is a totally inappropriate use of these concepts.

I'm going to delve into the Old Testament, specifically the writings of the prophet Isaiah. I want to show you that there is room for both. There is purpose for both and we all experience both. The first verse (Isa. 45:7) is probably the most mind-blowing;

"I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things."

Okay, now I want you to just take a couple of minutes to meditate on that verse. Think about ALL the implications and logical conclusion that is inherent in that that verse.

That seems completely opposite to what we have come to think about God and certainly not what people want to believe about God. But it is there. It is true and confirms the very beginning of the Genesis story that describes God's creation of the world and all of those things that impact our life's existence (Genesis chapter 1 - if you want to read it for yourself).

Now let's continue to consider this. If God creates darkness who are we to fear it? Who are we to say it is something "bad" that must be abolished? Who are we to judge?

In the second reference (Isa 50:10,11) the prophet speaks about a proper acceptance of darkness in life and what will happen if we try to escape it.

"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment."

Ouch! If we deny or try to escape the darkness we are going to suffer even more. Why? because (back at the beginning) we are afraid and do not trust or rely on God. Our suffering often times has more to do with escape than accepting and trust in that Higher Power, patiently working through this present darkness that we may be experiencing. Hey, no one said this was gonna be easy.

Now, allow me to continue with the last reference to darkness from Isaiah that I want to talk about. The prophet writes in Isaiah 58 talks about fasting and he repeats his ideas throughout so I will just focus on verses 9b-11. [I just want to add a quick note about fasting. Fasting as a religious practice is often used to make oneself more available to susceptible to hearing the Spirit of God speak to our souls, giving encouragement and direction where we may need it. So it follows that if people are afraid of darkness they may take up fasting to find a way into the light.] The prophet writes

"...If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

These verses tell me a couple of things. One - for those that accept the darkness and are willing to trust God and rely on him that darkness will not last forever. In fact it will go away. We can facilitate that by not engaging in oppression (in our culture that would include not consuming products of manufacturers that engage in oppression of their employees or other people). We can also facilitate it by stop pointing the finger at other people (I have certainly been guilty of that in the past myself); singling them out for their differences. We can also stop malicious talk (yeah I've done this also) - this means to stop the gossip, stop verbally degrading and abusing others. Verse 10 starts out with something that we often judge (myself included). The prophet says we should spend ourselves in behalf of the hungry. That means that if someone is without food it would be inappropriate to judge them for why they are in that situation and act to reverse it. The fact that the word "spend" to describe our act is not intended to say, "throw money at the problem." It says to spend OURSELVES. This is something that will cost us our time and our resources. Linked to this "spending" idea is the direction to "satisfy the needs" of those who are oppressed. So not only should we NOT oppress others but we should seek to reverse the oppression of others by meeting their needs. We need to look at who is oppressed and determine what those needs are and meet those needs. And this too will be part of the spending of ourselves. This is so completely contrary to our western society and culture that is built upon the idea of spending FOR ONESELF not for others; of acquiring more and more things (possessions, property etc) Yet, only when we trust and rely on God looking to others will we finally find relief from the darkness.

I may not be the right person to talk about this stuff because I have certainly failed in each of these areas (repeatedly) But I have found myself in darkness (yet again) relating to my artistic aspirations and my work. I am not afraid of it but accept it. I do know that I will work at these things listed above and rely and trust in God to bring the wisdom and direction I need in this area. I'll test God in this to see if his word is true. And I'll let you know the results. As is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1,

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...."

So this darkness I'm experiencing is only for a time. I do think that if I didn't explore this darkness I may never have come upon the wisdom of the prophet. So I am grateful.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE by Simon and Garfunkle

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence

Thanks for reading, listening, watching and praying.

mobius faith

The title of the image posted above is "HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND" and is a direct reference to the song by Simon and Garfunkle called SOUNDS OF SILENCE (which I think may be more of a Christian song than most sung in churches today). The image was taken in an abandoned factory where I found this unplugged radio/cassette player setting in the middle of the floor.

different journeys one destination

2011-09-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

To each his own journey. The image above is titled DIFFERENT JOURNEYS. In my mind it shows how different journeys can be. I'm not gonna focus on the destination but the journey itself. One type of journey is the life cycle (one we all share) as shown by the decaying pipes and the flora (in the background). Another type of journey is the pipe itself. It is an enclosed travel space for liquids or gas which also represents the interior/spiritual journey. Then there is the roadway or surface journey of everyday life full of bridges, tunnels and all sorts of intersections and crossings.

Because we were created individually and with the gift of free will each journey is different. One favorite question asked of spiritual teachers is, "Why are there so many religions?" And the answer is invariably the same, "Because there are so many people." People often get hung up on the name of God. Regardless of what name we use - we use it to describe one ultimate universal being - the source of all things. Because there are many names for God and religions that try to steer their believers to God there are many journeys. Again we each have our own journey to make and discover. I have discovered in my own journey people who are more tolerant of other religions than my own faith background, which is (if you haven't guessed from previous discussions) Christianity. I am not going to criticize my fellow Christian brothers and sisters - although it is admittedly tempting. But I do want to share 3 scriptures that actually point to tolerance of others regardless of their religion and beliefs. In our time the term enemy is often applied to people of different religion, and/or ideological & cultural background. Obviously the most famous teaching regarding this matter (which actually goes way beyond tolerance and understanding) is in Matthew 5:43,44 when Jesus says,

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...."

And in a discussion in Acts 15 there is a discussion among the early church about whether to have people follow many of the Jewish practices that the early church still followed. James says,

"Simon (Peter) has described to us how Gad at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written (in Isaiah 45:21) 'After this I will return...that the remnant of humanity may seek the Lord....' It is my judgement, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God."

In other words, Don't persecute people whose religious practice is different from yours. And don't be trying to force on them all your rules and regulations. They are from the same human stock as you are. They also are searching for the divine in life and should be encouraged in their search. In fact this discussion goes further in saying that we should only looking at what is not beneficial and leave those practices behind; at that time it included sexual immorality, meat from strangled(suffering) animals, food that is part of a sacrifice to idols, and consumption/shedding of blood(the life essence). Then there is that earlier example that I've mentioned in a previous post from Acts10 where Peter has a vision and is told by God,

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (vs 15).

The journeys are different but the destination, or goal, is the same - to know and experience God and godly living.

Here's a wonderful song by Dan Fogelberg called ALONG THE WAY from his Phoenix album.

Along The Road

Joy at the start
Fear in the journey
Joy in the coming home
A part of the heart gets lost in the learning
Somewhere along the road

Along the road your path may wander
A pilgrim's faith may fail
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Darkness obscures the trail

Cursing the quest
Courting disaster
Measureless nights forebode
Moments of rest
Glimpses of laughter
Are treasured along the road

Along the road your steps may stumble
Your thoughts may start to stray
But through it all a heart held humble
Levels and lights your way

Joy at the start
Fear in the journey
Joy in the coming home
A part of the heart gets lost in the learning
Somewhere along the road
Somewhere along the road
Somewhere along the road

Thanks for reading

mobius faith

Patriot Day 2011

2011-09-08T07:46:00.002-04:00

When is patriotism not patriotism? Patriotism is defined as a love of and devotion to one's country. We are coming up on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 when America was attacked and the World Trade Center towers and surrounding buildings fell. A day that would forever change peoples ideas on patriotism and how they respond to fear. Naturally the initial response was one of shock at what happened. But what happened next is just as insidious and ridiculous as the attack itself. Our Government decided to launch a war against an idea instead of an actual enemy. That's right we launched a War on Terrorism. Our government decided to put the face of a dictator (Saddam Hussein) on Terrorism and the attacks on 9/11 that did not fit and was later proven to be a lie. Later the face changed to Osama Bin Laden, which did fit, but at that point it was too late. Later our media and Government insidiously suggested that all affiliation with the perpetrators, physically and philosophically were guilty which unfortunately involved a whole race of people and their religion. Our Government enacted laws against it's own citizens out of fear that curbed freedoms and restricted rights (something that dictators/terrorist do to their own people). Later the U.S. Government decided to commemorate 9/11 by calling it Patriot Day for the 2,977 people killed in the attacks. But there was nothing patriotic about these people. They were just going about their daily business. Some probably loved our country, some probably didn't and some probably just didn't care. That's life. That's not patriotism. Those who responded to the attacks, the emergency responders were doing their jobs. Again some were doing it out of love of country, some were doing it just to do it because it was a paycheck. That's life - not patriotism.

Instigating - starting a war is not patriotism. Especially the wars that began after 9/11. These were wars based on fear and revenge. They had nothing to do with patriotism. These wars that were started by the American Government have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions of displaced people and millions of orphaned children. These wars that our American Government have launched have done more to create our enemies of the future than ensuring our own freedom and security.

Surely the prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote (Isaiah 24:18a),

"Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit: whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare."

It is important to understand that terror(terrorism) is an idea not an enemy that can be fought with military bombs, ships, planes. Terrorism is what the victims feel not what the perpetrators do. When we are terrorized and run from that which we fear we are immediately trapped in a pit (fear). When we decide to stand up bravely, and climb out the pit we have fallen into by taking military action we will be only effective at destruction ourselves and end up trying to fight smoke with a sword. It is futile. When we try to fight ideas we become ensnared/enslaved in false and destructive ideas of separation and value: an us vs. them mentality. We have lost though we delude ourselves by trying to justify our actions. As Isaiah further writes, that when we flee the sound of terror (24:18b-20),

"The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls - NEVER TO RISE AGAIN."

That is our fate at this point. Our actions decided it. The good news is that it is not too late. The message that Jesus taught and the wisdom in many of the worlds religions offer hope and direction on how to correct this horrible mistake. After all, as Jesus taught, the Kingdom of heaven is within you. When we realize that we can start acting in the courage and bravery that affords and stop running from fear (the "sound of terror").

So how will I remember 9/11? I will remember how people, both here and abroad, died in the wake of the attacks and the subsequent wars that we started. I will contemplate in sadness the unnecessary loss of life on all fronts how our response actually justified the actions of those who hated us. I will remember with sadness how people still live in utter fear and have created laws based on fear instead of what is right. I will continue to strive to be and actually BE THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD as Mahatma Gandhi suggested.

BE THE CHANGE - Luminaries ft. Trevor Hall

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The image above is titled RECONSTRUCTING PATRIOTISM

Spiritual Perception

2011-09-07T10:58:00.000-04:00

What is real? Is 6% real less real than 100%? Is 6% enough in a world and culture that demands 150%? What if 6% is ALL you have to give? Obviously these are questions of value(s). And while I may not address these questions specifically, in terms of reality, I do hope you will think about them at least a little (say 6%). :-p

I do want to talk about values in a more spiritual sense. I want, specifically, to talk about values that come out of perceptions that may be a result of wrong teaching or misreading. The subject today concerns Peter and Cornelius from Acts Chapter 10. As I discussed in previous posts its good to ask questions about the bible and "test the spirits." As a brief background to the story - Peter is asked by God to go to the Gentiles (a name given to people outside the Jewish religion). This is done very poetically through a vision that Peter has. Now I have heard many preachers/teachers use this to justify missions trips, programs within the institutional framework, and evangelism. However, I decided today to ask the question "Why? What was God's motivation for these event?" When I started researching the answers I found something quite unexpected. In this "event" God actually revealed himself first to the so-called Gentile. It was Cornelius a Roman Centurion (a professional military man). Acts 10:3 describes it this way,

"One day at about three in the afternoon Cornelius had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, 'Cornelius!' Cornelius stared at him in awe, 'What is it Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, 'Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'"

Now isn't this interesting that here is a person who is already living the Christian life by prayer and looking after the poor. Not something typically associated with a military professional from a completely different cultural affiliation. Cornelius never claims to be a Christian he just does it and that's what God notices. What's even more amazing is that the angel then tells Cornelius to send for someone called Peter, There is no mention of reward for his "good deeds", no mention of some sort of Ministry or blessing that will come from Peter - he is just asked to send for him. Why Cornelius? Because he was aware/awake to Gods spirit and was living in the spirit in his real life. Because there is no mention of reward tor special event in doing this one must then ask if this wasn't to benefit Cornelius was the purpose of this whole event to teach Peter something. Peter the insider, a somewhat sycophantic, do-gooder. God had something to teach Peter from outside his own culture and understanding. In the vision that peter has God prepares him for what is going to happen. Peter is on a journey and during the journey he becomes hungry and while the meal is being prepared he goes to pray and has a vision of a sheet being let down from heaven with all kinds of animals that were considered by Jewish religious tradition as as impure or unclean. God tells Peter to eat. Peter, being the dutiful religious person that he is says, "NO WAY! I've never eaten anything unclean!" Then God said to Peter (vs.15),

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

The Bible goes on to say this happened three times. Talk about not getting it the first time!

The point is that we tend to view others outside out culture, even religion, as unclean. We make those value judgements about people who are different from us and this is often used to create division, fear, and violence. I wonder if the lesson here is that God is not limited to one religion, one faith, one cultural distinction. After all as the Bible says later in Romans 10:20 (quoting old testament prophet Isaiah)

"I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."

In short God reveals himself to whomever he chooses regardless of cultural orientation. So who are we to decide that we are the "insiders"?

One other amazing thing that comes out at the end of this story in Chapter 10. Peter goes to Cornelius house and he starts preaching to them there. After all they were the Gentiles, the outsiders - surely they must convert to Judaism and Jesus teachings if they are to be saved. At least this is how it's presented and often looked at today by those "insiders" looking to grow their numbers. The amazing thing is that God has not only taught Peter one important lesson but he will teach him yet another. Acts 10:44 says,

"while he was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on ALL who heard the message."

The insiders that were with Peter were "ASTONISHED" that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on these people - these outsiders. Peter stops talking because of what happened. I'm sure he must've been disappointed that he didn't even get to have an altar call. Once again God stepped in to show that these people that we know as outsiders are already part of him. After this there was nothing left to do but for Peter to propose baptism as a way of recognizing that these people also were part of Gods plan and kingdom. God had shown Peter, once again, that he (God) is bigger than anything man may try to do to define, or distinguish among himself as being special or different from people of other cultural affiliations. Peter experienced the equivalent of someone who just learned how to drive a nail go to the builder and say "I think this is the best way to hammer a nail." That builder will respond, "Yes, I've been doing that for 40 years now." It kinda takes the edge off doesn't it? It's somewhat humbling. But the side benefit is that it does free up the person to get on with there life and start hammering away and looking to learn new things. I wonder if that's maybe what we should be doing in our lives with regard to people of different cultural and religious affiliations. Get to know them. Be with them. Learn from them. Back to the question of values - what makes us think that our values are not shared because someone is of a different religious or cultural affiliation?

I know in my own experience that as I start looking at other religious and philosophical texts my faith is actually enhanced because of them. For example. Many of my friends know that I am very attracted to Buddhist philosophy. I could be like Peter and say, "No, no, no, these are not Christian texts (i.e. unclean) I will not consider them. And I will stay away from any Buddhist unless they are interested in Christianity." What hogwash! I have chosen the other route and have found great truths in Buddhism that parallel and match up easily with what Jesus taught. For this reason it not only gives me an appreciation for Buddhism but also gives me new enlightenment, understanding, and appreciation for the faith I was raised in. Add to that it enhances my understanding and appreciation for how big God actually is and what he is able to do. God is good!

Here's a song from the early 90's that I've always loved and seemed to fit this post. By Jesus Jones (not a "Christian band" but the message fits)

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW
"I was alive and I waited waited
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now, there is no other place I want to be
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history"

And from the 80's ABSOLUTE REALITY by THE ALARM

Well that's all I have for now.

Thanks for reading.

mobius faith.

The image above is titled 6% REAL.

Yo! Where'd He Go - Addional questions.

2011-09-04T09:57:00.006-04:00

Okay in my previous post I asked where Christ went after he resurrected and if he still comes and goes between earth and heaven. Today I have some additional questions about this subject. and my text is in Acts 3. Some quick background: what had just happened is that Peter caused a major disruption in the daily life's schedule of the temple service. He healed (instead of just giving money), in the name of Jesus, a crippled beggar that was begging at the temple gate. This was at a time during the day devoted to prayer in the religious schedule and when people saw and heard about this healing they " were astonished ad came running to them...." (Peter and the others.) Peter then speaks to these people and during his discourse says, (verse 21),

"He (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything as he promised long ago through his prophets."

So my questions from this verse are as follows:

When will this restoration occur?
Is this what is talked about in Revelation regarding a new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1)?
Has this restoration already occurred or is it occurring as we speak?
Does Jesus come and go, as he please, during this restoration process?
How will it be accomplished?

Well I think you can see where I'm going with this. Regarding this restoration we also need to read further as to what Peter is quoted as saying and we also need to remember what Jesus himself taught about the Kingdom of God/Heaven. First of all lets read further. In verses 22-26 Peter says,

"For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' Indeed all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoke have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. he said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on the earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to your to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

So what we learn from this is that Peter is clearly speaking about Jesus here as the prophet that God had "raised up". Remember he's talking about the restoration of ALL THINGS (vs 21). So this is not some future event. This has already happened. That's the thing that pissed off so many of the community and religious leaders at that time. They had to either decide to accept that there was no future hope because the Messiah had come and they killed him or they had to decide to blindly believe in something that was not going to happen which would preserve a false sense of stability and false hope. Now we also need to understand that if this restoration of all things already started it must be continuing because there are new people being born everyday that need to understand and know this. And the fact that people choose not to believe explains why it has not yet been completed.

Now let's review something that Jesus himself taught. I've mentioned it in previous posts. Jesus talked about the good news (gospel) of the Kingdom of God/Heaven. He said repeatedly that it was within us. So as Peter was saying Jesus is the one that would bring restoration and what did Jesus say, "The kingdom of God is within you." That restoration has already begun in fact it has happened. That is the only way the kingdom of God could be within us. All we need to do is embrace it, live it, reveal it. It is not some external place. Look within. Is is within you. We must each choose how we will live out that restoration and reveal it to others. There is GREAT GREAT hope here and now.

Does Jesus come and go as he pleases, between heaven and earth? That's a bit trickier because we need to decide if he resurrected and exists in bodily form or if he exists in spirit. Has the time of his bodily existence passed? I'm not so sure he is in bodily form (I can hear the gasps now). My understanding is that God exists as a trinity - a union of 3 different manifestations (father/creator image, man/Jesus Christ, holy spirit). I once told a friend that I think that God chooses for each situation what is the best way to communicate with his creation. He tried first as the father/creator image to communicate through a nation, then he actually existed in human form as Jesus Christ (because seeing is believing), and now he is spirit and seeks on a more individual basis to communicate and touch each individual person. When we can see God in our fellow man and treat our fellow man regardless of their form, their ideals, their religion, their culture, and their status within their culture then we can take correct action. After all what did Jesus say about how we will be judged by God at the end of our bodily existence? (Matt 25:31-46),

Either "Then the King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Or, "He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"

My final question above was, How will restoration be accomplished? Based on what I've previously discussed I wonder if that restoration will be done by God, in and through us. I suppose the follow-up question has to be, what are we (you and I) doing to accomplish this?

Okay I'll let you chew on that for awhile. As always, comments and ideas are welcome here.

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

*The image above is titled COUNTDOWN TO OBLIVION. It is the top of the Key Bank building in downtown Cleveland, OH. It was beautifully lit as part of the background for filming of the Avengers movie that was going on when I was there.

Enjoy this favorite song of mine, RESTORATION a funky gospel classic by the Winan's off their first album.

YO! Where'd he go?

2011-08-30T10:18:00.007-04:00

Who is that person?
Is it a ghost?
Have you seen Jesus in person lately?

I've often wondered that if Jesus is still alive in bodily form, resurrected as the bible claims, where is he? Now I'm NOT going to give the usual answer of, he is now in heaven, having ascended to be with his Father. The bible does address that issue - but what if he still comes down from time to time and walks the earth? Would anybody recognize him?

I suspect that we would be no different than those who knew him best when they encountered him after his resurrection. His followers/disciples/students did not recognize him until he either said something or did something where he revealed who he was to them. The other question I have is, "How much of the reality that I currently perceive is an illusion?" Let me jump right to the scriptures that started me thinking about this. Mary has a conversation with angels in the tomb (John 20:13-14),

"They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, BUT SHE DID NOT REALIZE THIS IT WAS JESUS.

And in John 21:4,

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but THE DISCIPLES DID NOT REALIZE IT WAS JESUS.

(John 21:12) Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "WHO ARE YOU?" They knew it was the Lord.

Even though the disciples didn't dare ask the question the fact that it is mentioned means that it sure was rolling around in their brains. And of course the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is yet another example in Luke 24:13-37 (vs. 16)

BUT THEY WERE KEPT FROM RECOGNIZING HIM...AND ASKED HIM, "ARE YOU ONLY A VISITOR TO JERUSALEM...."

And after these two met up with the other disciples verses 36,37 says,

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." THEY WERE STARTLED AND FRIGHTENED, THINKING THEY SAW A GHOST.

Mark writes (Mark 16:12),

Afterward Jesus APPEARED IN A DIFFERENT FORM TO TWO THEM WHILE THEY WERE WALKING IN THE COUNTRY.

Okay, so was this actually Jesus and why didn't the disciples recognize him? They actually knew him before he was brutally murdered. Does something happen to us psychologically when someone dies that we block out any possibility of there being another life another existence? Is this a problem in western culture? I sometimes wonder if other religions that believe in re-incarnation may not know something we in the west have forgotten.
Well I don't have any answers about this (yet). God willing, some day I will have the answer. I guess it will take Jesus revealing himself to me. I do believe in his existence but I just haven't seen him. I have many questions.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above is titled, DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD and is a reference to the Highlander series of films and television. Also a reference to the song by Queen.

black AND white

2011-08-25T08:44:00.022-04:00

What happens when you choose between opposites or extremes?

That is the question. In my studies today I read a teaching from Jesus that speaks of non-attachment which is also a Buddhist idea. In John 12:25 Jesus says,

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it.

When I really thought about what he said it started to make sense in a whole new way. For so long I have heard teachings about this that have said that it means "if you love your life you lose it and therefore not get into heaven. And if you hate your life you will get into heaven and live forever." Oh joy! (sarcastically). Just what we need more choosing between opposites.

But wait a minute is that really what Jesus is talking about? I question that old teaching. I wonder if Jesus wasn't actually saying that if we choose between extremes we will end up disappointed. For example: if we love our life and have formed attachments to this life we will be disappointed because this life will eventually end and then you will have nothing to be happy in. I can think of many people that express this cultural subtexts that even encourage this. There are many people who support their decisions for cosmetic surgery, hair coloring or any other cosmetic process or procedure by saying, "I don't intend to grow old gracefully, I will fight it every step of the way." The expresses an attachment to youth which is so prevalent in our culture. It also expresses an attachment to superficial/exterior beauty. The sad thing is that these people will be disappointed as they get older and will eventually not be able to deny the natural aging process.

For the opposite example we can also become attached to our own hatred and misery. And if we hate our lives or our lives situations and/or have a delusional view of them as some sort of necessary sacrifice we will always be dissatisfied and are in the process of creating our own hell that will last eternally. I think of people who are involved in religious activity and are miserable at it: they view it as some sort of worthy cause at the expense of their own happiness. They become slaves to a cause. This is complete bullshit! Sorry for the strong language but it's ridiculous and not at all what Jesus was teaching. They are trapped by their false ideals.

The subtext of Jesus examples is that we need to find the balance. Recognize where we've adopted one extreme or another instead of finding the value in both. For example a coin has two sides. But the value is not in one side or another but in both joined together.

The Buddha also spoke of finding balance and the pursuit of non-attachment. From the Dhammapada, (171)

Come, look on this world
As a beautiful royal chariot.
Fools flounder in it,
But the discerning do not cling.

And again in the Dhammapada, Buddha Gotama taught (348),

Let go of the past, let go of the future,
Let go of the present.
Gone beyond becoming,
With the mind released in every way,
You do not again undergo birth and old age.

In other words when we are not attached we are actually free to live this life with a sense of peace and satisfaction that can bring genuine happiness and comfort. When we can do this with our own lives we can then be of benefit to others. This is consistent with the teaching of Jesus Christ. With this balanced view we find the unity between spiritual and material living. And this is one way we can, as Jesus taught, reveal the kingdom of Heaven on earth, here and now. Balance is the narrow gate into kingdom living. Jesus was recorded in Matthew 7:13-14 saying, Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Jesus understood that this balance is not easy to find. It's easy to get caught in the trap of opposites or extremes which why so many fall into that trap. To start saying "us" and "them". But Jesus is always encouraging us to find the "we". We have to look for it. There is even a seemingly nonsensical children's nursery rhyme than can be used in this context. It's the famous finger-play (sometimes toes) that many parents (including my own) have used. Maybe you've heard of it but never thought of it in this context.

This little piggy went to market.
This little piggy stayed at home.
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went "Wee! Wee! Wee!" all the way home

This illustrates how it's not the decision we make, what we have or don't have but it is in the sense of unity where we can find a sense of home and satisfaction.
Like the character, Harry Tuttle, said in the movie BRAZIL, "Listen, kid, we're all in it together."

The images I've included are all black and white. Too many discussions revolve around choosing either black or white, night or day,...etc. We forget that God created both light and darkness (Isaiah 47:7) Both are useful. We do not need to choose between the two but should be able to reconcile them for useful purpose. Knowing this our discussions about opposites are a moot point. They just are. Together they form an interesting photograph. An interesting and valuable picture of life. If you feel you are being pressured to make a choice between sink or swim don't forget you have a third choice - Float. I also find it humorous actually how so many people talk about "taking a stand" to describe their fight. But this is not what the Bible teaches. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians talks about putting on the armor of God. He is NOT talking about literal armor and even if he was it wouldn't matter because as he writes in 6:13, Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything , to stand. Why is this so important and so misunderstood? I think what he's saying is that when you live a contemplative life of truth, right/beneficial living (righteousness), being aware and awake (readiness), have faith and are devoted to wisdom you will be saved. Why? Because at that point the fight doesn't matter. I think an excellent visual example of this is in the movie MATRIX where Neo stops bullets. Taking a stand does NOT mean fighting. It means you won't have to fight.

Floating Chicago - A collection of mirrored skyline timelapses from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.

Thanks for reading,
Peace.
mobius faith

disenfranchised

2011-08-22T08:58:00.010-04:00

Let me ask you a question. Do you believe in the Son of God or the Son of Man?

Take your time... Selah (pause and think calmly about this.)

I would venture to say that 99 percent of those identifying themselves as Christian would say, either, the Son of God or maybe they may dare to say both. Pay careful attention here because Jesus does NOT say, "Do you believe in Son of Man and Son of God?"

Understanding the relationship between these two labels and what that means for believers is a key part of the Christian faith (note, I didn't say religion). To understand this relationship we need to look at what Jesus said. Jesus exclusively refers to himself as the Son of Man. The closest he comes to claiming to be the Son of God is when he is on trial before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council). In Matthew 26:63,64 we read,

...The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. (then he quickly turns it around) "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

This insistence on being linked to humanity is what the religious leaders of his time (nor today) can accept. Many other people called Jesus the Son of God as a response to what he was doing. But to accept him as one of us, a living breathing person like you and me, that is the trick. It changes how we view other people and interact with them.

Jesus sets that example in John chapter 9. Jesus has just healed a man born blind. Jesus gave him back his physical sight. There's a great discussion on what caused the blindness and the Pharisees then investigate this event including an inquest with the man that was healed. They eventually decided that he cannot continue to be a part of the temple service because of all the violations of their dogmatic rules. So they effectively throw him out of the institution. For Christians the equivalent would be if you are thrown out of the church, ex-communicated because those who make the rules think you've either broken the rules or maybe you just don't fit their expectations. At any rate you leave that institution. Now if you are like me (rather how I used to be) you go to another institution looking to fit in there because you don't want to abandon the faith. You equate living in faith with being part of the institution. I've discussed institutional faith in previous blog entries so I will not rehash that here. What I want to discuss is what Jesus did when the man who was healed left the institution. Verses 35-37 say,

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" "Who is he sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

Jesus seeks him out. He searches for him. I don't know of a single institution that would do that today. Now days if you leave or if they throw you out they "wash their hands" of you. I've never seen any one from any institution seek me out after I left. The next thing Jesus does after he finally finds the guy is ask an unexpected question. He asks "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" Pay close attention here to what he does NOT ask. He does not ask, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" This is very important. Why? Because of Jesus' views and understanding of humanity and it's relationship to God and humanity's place in the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus has been preaching all along that the kingdom of heaven is within us he also knows that humanity was made in Gods image. To believe in the human being does not mean you don't believe in God. To believe in the human being, the Son of Man, does not mean you make a choice between God and Man. For Jesus; humanity, since it was created in God's image, is an extension of God. With that understanding, to believe in oneself is to believe in God. This is what the Pharisees of his time and the majority of Christians today don't understand. If you were born/created in God's image and the kingdom of God is within you how could you see it any other way. This is a real game-changer (to use a sports metaphor). The other noticeable thing here is that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man as a way of saying, I'm just like you, a human being. Christ seeks out this man out of a need to show compassion and possibly befriend someone who the institution has tossed out/discarded. The result is that the man finds encouragement and strength to believe. He can now move on, outside the institution, to live a fulfilling and rewarding life.

Jesus' response after this basically saying, this is what it's all about. Verse 39, Jesus said,

For Judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.

The Pharisees/religious people of his time challenge him on this and ask (rather mockingly), "What? Are we blind too?" Jesus answers them with

If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Here Jesus does an amazing thing. He is basically saying two different things. The most obvious is, "Be careful...." The next thing in his response is this - we need to live and view life as a discovery not as if we and our religion have all the answers. The implication here is that God is bigger than any one religion because God inhabits a part of every human being. What we do with that is up to us. Some will use it for doing good, others will use it for doing evil. It is not ours to judge.

So are you disenfranchised? Have you been "thrown out"? Have you left the institution of the church because you no longer "fit in" to their vision or their ideal? Have you been rejected because of something you've done that was perceived as "sin"? Do you believe in the Son of Man? If so, you are welcome here. Take courage, God still exists and God still loves YOU. This is NOT an institution. This is life.

Here is an unlikely song that fit's this post perfectly.

SON OF MAN by Phil Collins

Oh, the power to be strong
And the wisdom to be wise
All these things will
Come to you in time
On this journey that you're making
There'll be answers that you'll seek
And its you who'll climb the mountain
Its you who'll reach the peak
Son of man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Some day you'll walk tall with pride
Son of man, a man in time you'll be
Though there's no one there to guide you
No one to take your hand
But with faith and understanding
You will journey from boy to man
Son of man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Some day you'll walk tall with pride
Son of man, a man in time you'll be
In learning you will teach
And in teaching you will learn
You'll find your place beside the
Ones you love
Oh, and all the things you dreamed of
The visions that you saw
Well, the time is drawing near now
Its yours to claim in all
Son of man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Some day you'll walk tall with pride
Son of man, a man in time you'll be
Son of man,
Son of man's a man for all to see

Well that's all for now. I hope all of you have a great week. Thanks for reading.
mobius faith

what is SERVICE?

2011-08-20T16:05:00.009-04:00

My reading today included the Gospel of John. Chapter 6, verse 15 still amazes me.

"Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

Now days there is so much emphasis on volunteerism and service. There are institutions and organizations built and run by volunteers. Politicians always talk about "serving" the people - public service. But these are all illusions. They have nothing to do with what Jesus practiced and taught. One of the things I've emphasized over and over again in previous posts is that Jesus cares about the individual NOT the institution. Sadly in today's world there is no room for the individual in the truest sense of identity. There is only the institution or group with different people to serve that institution or group. Jesus never served the group or the institution. He interacted with and served individuals. In the verse sited above can you imagine what people were saying? "Hey Jesus, imagine how many people you would serve if you ran for office?" "Imagine how many people you could serve if you put together a service organization." "Even his brothers and disciples were pressuring him when they said in 7:3&4,

"You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your other disciples may see the miracles you do....Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."

And herein lies the problem. When you are part of a group or institution you will always be expected to do as others tell you. Because each group, institution, religion has a hierarchy of authority that makes the rules and decision in the best interest of that group, religion, or institution. The individual no longer matters. It's the group that matters. My closest friends know how I cringe when I here people talk about their causes because and the groups they are involved to accomplish those causes. When we serve the group/institution we no longer serve the individual. If we look only to our "community involvement" as a way of defining service we negate the individuals we interact with on a daily basis. We demean them and will ultimately sacrifice them to the cause. I've seen it happen to many times to think otherwise. Now I know some of my readers may be shaking their heads right now in disagreement. I would just refer you back to the example set by Christ. What did Christ do with his so-called social responsibility? He walked away from it and went to the mountains to be by himself. That social responsibility was not his it was placed on him by those around him.

How does this fit in with a consistent message that Christ taught? One of the consistent messages was that the kingdom of God is within us, here and now. It doesn't get any more individual than that. Jesus was able to do the work that he did not because he had the backing of the institution. He was successful because he interacted with individuals trying to reveal the kingdom to them, in and through them. We have so screwed up this notion of service that we have stopped looking for God's revelation of the kingdom in others and sacrificed it for seeing the kingdom as an institution or political group. "My kingdom is not of this world."
Jesus did not care about politics or religion. And he died because of it. We need to stop trying to mold God's kingdom to our experience and start to model our life experience after God's kingdom.

Here in the United States we are entering into a new presidential election season. Listen for how many of the politicians use the word "service" or "serve" They will look hold up examples of what true service looks like. I hope you wince. Christ would NEVER EVER do this! These politicians are not looking to serve - even if they've deluded themselves into thinking so - they are just looking to get elected and be in positions of power and decision making. They are looking to persuade others to their cause, to make converts of their ideals.

In many ways Jesus was the ultimate socialist. He cared about the people. He knew that God cares for ALL people and he emphasizes this in 6:45 where he says,

"They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the father and learns from him comes to me."

He does NOT say "You need to come to me first." And this is totally in line with his kingdom teaching. Of course God can teach all people regardless of their race, creed, sexual orientation, belief system. We don't need to convert people or persuade them to join any cause. This idea has been around for a long time. In fact Jesus is actually quoting the old prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah when he said this. The thing that Jesus changed was the context. While Isaiah and Jeremiah were speaking of the Jewish people Jesus expands that to all people. Why? Because God created ALL people and loves ALL people as his own. In this teaching Jesus also emphasizes the value of the individual because there is no mention of people being part of some institution, social organization, or group to get this teaching and revelation. It's one on one. YOU AND GOD!
It doesn't get any better than that.

L.S. Underground - WAKING UP THE DEAD

thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above is titled RUSTY SAVIOR. 'Nuff said.

I Still Believe!

2011-08-12T11:04:00.006-04:00

I STILL BELIEVE by THE CALL

I been in a cave
For forty days
Only a spark
To light my way
I wanna give out
I wanna give in
This is our crime
This is our sin

But I still believe
I still believe
Through the pain
And the grief
Through the lives
Through the storms
Through the cries
And through the wars
Oh, I still believe

Flat on my back
Out at sea
Hopin' these waves
Don't cover me
I'm turned and tossed
Upon the waves
When the darkness comes
I feel the grave

But I still believe
I still believe
Through the cold
And through heat
Through the rain
And through the tears
Through the crowds
And through the cheers
Oh, I still believe

I'll march this road
I'll climb this hill
Upon on my knees if I have to
I'll take my place
Up on this stage
I'll wait 'til the end of time
for you like everybody else

I'm out on my own
Walkin' the streets
Look at the faces
That I meet
I feel like I Like I want to go home
What do I feel
What do I know

But I still believe
I still believe
Through the shame
And through the grief
Through the heartache
Through the tears
Through the waiting
Through the years

For people like us
In places like this
We need all the hope
That we can get
Oh, I still believe

This is one of those songs that have been an anthem for me in my faith journey which has seen many ups and downs. I remember at the lowest point I recalled the story of a wealthy Shunammite whose son had died. When she met up with the prophet Elisha she grasped his feet and clung to him. Elisha commanded his assistant to take the staff and lay it on the boys face so that he would be healed. But that was not enough for the widow. She wanted Elisha himself to go to her son and she said, she would not leave until he went. So Elisha did go. It is amazing the faith of this woman and the determination she had to not let go to hang on to a belief. Too often these days people change their views and ideas about faith like going to the market and finding a new brand of soap.

For myself the more I read the bible and Jesus' teachings the more convinced I am of the journey I am on. And I remember at that lowest point in my life that I spoke of earlier that I was in prayer and while on my knees I wrapped my arms around the chair I was kneeling against and grasped it so tightly. I prayed to God that like this chair I would not let go of him. Well it was a symbolic gesture but I will never forget it. I STILL BELIEVE!!!

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

why?

2011-08-11T10:55:00.011-04:00

So tell me - why do we always look at other people's stupidity and forget our own?

I had a dream last night. In this dream there were Christians and Muslims. I saw a Muslim and Christian built their houses on the sand. A wonderful beach. And the houses were quite beautiful. I saw a Buddhist build his house on the rocks above. A storm came and washed the Muslim and Christian believers houses away but the house on the rocks stood firm. The Muslim told the Christian, "You lost your house and everything because of God's judgement on your misguided beliefs." The Christian responded by saying, "It is merely God's way of testing me and he will help me rebuild right here." The Christian went on to add that the Christian God was the true God and that the Muslim should convert to their way of thinking. The two men started fighting about who's God was the just and true God. It got very ugly.

Meanwhile the Buddhist is up in his home on the Rocks a quiet and peaceful setting. He hears the shouting and looks out his window to the wreckage on the beach below. He shouts down to the others - to get their attention - and says, "Hey down there, why don't you build your houses up here on the rock. I'll even help you. It has nothing to do with God. It was just plain foolish to build on the sand in the first place and not expect something bad to happen to all your hard work."

And God said to the Muslim and the Christian, "Hey could you guys just listen to the Buddhist for a change? I gave him some wisdom that you all can benefit from."

Maybe it's time we stop looking to use God for our own means and self-justification. Consider that most things happen as a result of our own foolishness or as a natural course of events. Let's look to lift up the people that are "down" regardless of what they may believe. It's what Jesus would do. Bad things happen to all of us sometimes because of our own foolishness or the foolishness of others. Sometimes bad things, like disease, being attacked by an animal or being poisoned by a plant, are just a part of nature. It's not the bad things that are important. It's how we respond to them that matters.

Here's a link for the COEXIST foundation that I think is probably doing the work of God in our time. http://www.coexistfoundation.net/
Also enjoy this video.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above it titled MYSTERY TRAIN

Jesus Makes A Joke

2011-08-06T08:38:00.012-04:00

Why do people take everything Jesus Christ says as literal and so seriously?
As a human being Jesus undoubtedly had a funny bone. He also undoubtedly made jokes - and they most likely weren't the "heavenly" kind that we hear today.

Bob Dylan sang, "everybody must get stoned" - which I think is what's happened with most of Christianity. Most Christians are "stoned" on religion.
We no longer see the teachings of Christ as applicable to EVERY area of life and EVERY area of human experience. We relegate Jesus to the shadows of human experience to the dark padded corner of the asylum.

So let's lighten up a little. *expressive* Jesus! (oops, I let that one slip). Hahaha.

Okay let's move on to the joke. It concerns Rocks and the Apostle Peter. Now Jesus had basically two points about rocks. One: they make the best foundation if you're going to build a building - an institutional structure (Matthew 7:24-27). Two: They are horrible for growing things. (Matthew 13:5&6, Mark 4:16&17, Luke 8:6). If you're going to grow something you need good soil that will hold moisture, support a healthy root system, and allow good drainage.

Now, let's look at the apostle Peter. He was one of the "weaker" apostles because he wavered in his faith, his inability to believe, and he was a strong adherent to Jewish Dogma - he did what he was told and believed only what he could see (Matthew 14:25-31, Mark 8:33, Acts 10:9-16), He also denied knowing who Jesus was when Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26:69-75). Can't help but think that these are the kind of friends that Jesus didn't need. Still they were his friends.

"Yeah, but where's the punch line?" you may be asking about now.
Okay the punch line is in Matthew 16:18 when Jesus tells Peter that Peter will be the ROCK where his church will be built. How funny is that? A man like Peter being called a rock. That's like calling a lemon sweet. At best if Peter was the rock it would be a crumbling rock. No institution could stand on a rock like that. But here's the thing - Jesus is interested in the "flaws", the "weaknesses" of humanity those things that make us question our own ability and cause us to rely on, and seek out, God. Jesus is interested in growing not building. Let me repeat that - JESUS IS INTERESTED IN GROWING NOT BUILDING! He is interested in us having hearts and minds that are like good soil where his ideas can grow, blossom, and bear fruit bringing about positive change in our own time. He is interested in the ability of humanity to change themselves and reveal the kingdom of God on earth. To change our world. We can't do this if we are focused on building. Building more churches & faith-based institutions, Nothing of value will ever come out of the institution. The true value is in people. That's why the weak and crumbling ROCK the builders reject has become the CORNERSTONE. As I said before - it's not about the institution - it's not about building - it's not about programs propagated by institutions. It's not about rules.

It's about our ability to change. So lighten up don't take your religion too seriously.

Jesus Tells A Joke (part 1)

(part 2)

(part 3)

Thanks for reading and keep smiling.
mobius faith

The image at the beginning of the post is titled "einstürzendes altes Gebäude im Halo von Gleichgültigkeit" Translated it means "collapsing old building in the halo of indifference"

the cauldron of faith

2011-08-04T10:51:00.006-04:00

Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

The quote above is an utterance from the witches in William Shakespeare's play MACBETH. We spend so much time and effort trying to avoid and get out of trouble. Speak the above incantation in a whiny voice and you have something utterly contemporary. We also spend a lot of time placing blame for our trouble on other people and situations. We don't want to accept responsibility that our troubles may be our own doing, or that maybe our trouble is a result of the natural course of things and maybe the trouble is not that bad. Now I'm not suggesting that we view trouble in the same way as the flagellants of old by claiming we are suffering for a cause. That in itself I find no purpose or use in. We tend to look at trouble as restrictive instead of freeing.

Psalm 34:19 says,

"A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all...."

Too often in our ego-centric culture we mistakenly interpreting it one of 3 ways.
1 - entitlement: "I don't deserve this much trouble"
2 - self-justification: "This is happening because I know I'm right and doing the right thing. It's not my fault."
3 - victimization: "O Lord, why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?"
All three of these views are misleading as they shift the focus from God to ourselves. And we deny and/or don't see God's deliverance.

Problems are a part of life. Everyone has problems. How we deal with these problems determines the degree and or success of God's deliverance. For every problem there is a way out. God is that way he will deliver us. First of all this is GREAT NEWS!!!!!
Why? Well think about it: There is a way out meaning we don't have to be stuck with these problems and continue suffering. Secondly there is someone to help us out. God is here. We now have a choice of perpetuating the cycle of complaint which only satisfies the ego or embrace the promised deliverance with faith. Remember, "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) We may, at times be too aware of our problems to see any solution but just because we can't see it doesn't mean that the solution doesn't exist. It exists! It's up to us to find it; to seek it's revelation. Don't give up. There is a way. Our troubles are merely a distraction.

thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above is titled "JOURNEY OF A WIND-WHIPPED SPIRIT"

content vs. context/method

2011-08-03T08:57:00.008-04:00

I was going to title this post, "Just SHUT-UP Already!!!" But I thought that might be a little too aggressive. I want to focus on what we say compared with how we say it. I am convinced that what we say is not as important as the tone and body language used to give expression to the words. We live in a text heavy society. The majority of all our communication now is done with words. With the technological boom of the internet and all the social networking sites out there (twitter, facebook, linkedin, friendster and a host of others) we have become even more content focused than ever before. The context has become about technological design verses personal expression. And as "personalized" as this new boom in socialization is I wonder if it is nothing more than ego-centric self gratification. A sort or social masturbation if you will; where it becomes less about how you communicate, serve, satisfy others you are attempting to communicate with and more about expressing yourself. It becomes all about you and you in turn expect others to respond to the "you" that is expressed either for reinforcement or encouragement of what you have expressed.

Is that why we become so easily offended? Is it why we in turn seek to control and impose moral codes on others? I wonder. Are we too focused on expression, context, methodology and appearance and too little focused on the finer points of communication like listening, silence and observation. Have we become too ego centric and and not focused enough of HOW we communicate "with" others? Does what you say have any value in the big picture if you say it in such a way that others refuse to listen or even just ignore you?

I wonder if the fine art of persuasion comes not in getting others to agree with you but in expressing ourselves in a way that is considerate, polite, showing an awareness of others views, ideas and perceptions. By now you may be wondering where this is going. I have two examples (and I'm sure you can think of your own):

1. I am a "on again" "off again" member of one such "social network" site that is quite popular. I've recently gotten annoyed by a member who is constantly babbling about her ovarian cancer and is always updating everyone with progress of her chemotherapy and she is always asking for other to "pray" for her and her family.

2. I recently attended a wedding and I heard one of the people there say to someone else, "What are you doing here?" And it had the tone and serious facial expression that suggest the idea "Are you sure you should be here?" Who let you in?" The person that said this works in a popular local shelter "ministry". I've worked with this person before and I can tell you that they take the same attitude and approach to the people they supposedly serve. It's an "us" vs. "them" mentality that refers to other people in need as "clients" and not as persons who are part of the human race. They end up treating these "clients" no different from cattle in a barnyard - which, from the reaction of the person they addressed the question to obviously felt like. The person who was asked this question, after a moment, smiled and politely explained that they were invited and (wisely) walked away.

In the first example example the person who is constantly talking about her personal problems in public: I have to say, TMI (too much information)! It does absolutely no good. It does not help your cancer and will not bring a cure or healing. It only strokes your ego and your desire for ego-centric response from others. You would be much better off focusing on your family and friends that you have a physical personal connection with. Don't delude yourself. The people that are close to you truly care. The people that respond online are only expressing their own ego-centric sympathies.

In the second example. I happen to know that this worker was physically attacked by one of the clients while I was working there. I am not surprised. When you treat people like animals eventually they (if they don't have the means or wisdom to remove themselves from that situation) will eventually fulfill all your perceptions and act as animals. This worker needs to be more aware of how he responds and less worried about trying to get others to "fall in line" with his moral code. The moral code is useless! For this individual "no response" would be better than any other response. It's not what we say but how we say it. It's not the ideas we express but how we express them.

How. How. How.
It's not about finding the right words.
It's about finding the right expression for words.
Words are not always necessary. Sometimes a warm smile, a handshake, a hug, do more than words can express. As a photographer I grew up with the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words." That also fits any social situation these days. We need fewer words and ideas and more action. I'm not talking about causes or getting involved in organizations and institutions but personal responsible action on a day to day level; of people being aware of every move and action they make taking care to make it in a way that would be healing and sympathetic toward others and less focused on self expression and self preservation.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above is title "SPECIAL FX" What kind of FX do you have on others?

Is your faith as strong as steel?

2011-07-29T11:14:00.006-04:00

We often think of steel as such a strong substance. So strong in fact that we make huge structures out of it and place our very lives in its "hands." That's when we look at the obvious virtues. But it is a bit of self deception isn't it? Because steel, no matter how strong, hard, sturdy it may be when it's first created it does decay, rust and eventually return to the earth from which it came. Water, oxygen and heat. These three less tangible elements are used to forge steel. And they are also the elements that can defeat steel. They can render steel useless and unsafe. We saw that in the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center. The heat from the planes that exploded when they crashed into the towers melted the steel weakening it to a catastrophic point. It was the heat that caused the the chain reaction of the towers collapse. We also see it every time we see rust on any steel item like the wheels in the photo above. So these three elements are just as important as the steel itself. They were not only used to create it but also can be the source of its destruction. Keeping it all in balance is the trick.

Now let's look at our lives. We have our material, physical, tangible bodies and existence. We go to work. We have families. We get married. We do this or that. But the thing that is more powerful and therefore more important than our obvious material existence is our faith and spiritual connections. It is our faith that can destroy us or allow us to grow strong. It is Spirituality that provides the connectivity between us and other living things. Faith and spirituality is not something to be controlled. But it can be useful/beneficial. Our faith and spirituality is the water, air and heat that gives us life and can shape our lives but it can also be used as a weapon (as it often has) to keep control and even destroy others. What we really need to find a way to keep it in balance realizing we still have choices to make but that spirituality can actually provide wisdom in making the right choices and responding appropriately to the choices others make. Too many people are caught up in the material world and use spirituality as a weapon out of their own fear, ignorance, or misguided loyalties (social, religious, political). These people need to step back from their material existence and re-evaluate their own lives putting those things that are beneficial in their faith to work for them and not use them as weapons against others.

As Jesus said in Matthew 7:3-5,

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Too many people think this applies to the "other" person. They totally miss the point Jesus is making which is to quit judging others and look within. This is not easy especially in our culture that always points out others differences and flaws. But more than ever before it is necessary to follow Christ's teaching if there is going to be change.

So next time you hear yourself make a judgemental comment about someone else - STOP - remind yourself of your weaknesses and imperfections and then look back at that other person and have a little compassion on them. Treat them as you would have them treat you.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

growing the seed

2011-07-20T08:15:00.008-04:00

How does your garden grow? Or maybe a better question would be how do you grow your garden? For myself its a healthy dose of realism and abstract expressionism. I've tried to realize this in the image included here which is titled POLLOCKS FARM in which I imagined two painters, Jackson Pollock and The Hudson School of landscape paintings combined. For me this is what makes life so interesting. I think that it also applies to our spiritual lives. In my previous post I wrote about Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. I want to expound on that for just a minute.

A refresher of 3 key points:

The kingdom of heaven is within you
You have the choice and decision whether you accept or reject that idea.
If you should choose to accept that the kingdom is within you also get to choose how you will reveal that kingdom through your life.

Our lives are like a garden. I believe that when we are born God places within each of us a seed. An seed called the kingdom of heaven. There are several ways to people react to that seed and the consequences of their decisions. Again - the decision is up to each one of us. Let me repeat - THE DECISION IS YOURS.
We are all gardeners. There are 4 types of gardeners when speaking of spiritual life.

There is the gardener that doesn't see themselves as a gardener and they will reject the seed within and will do nothing to make it germinate and grow. They may even seek to actively destroy or remove that seed. That is only to their own loss.

The next type of gardener is the one who over-waters the seed causing it to drown and rot it to will not grow. This type of gardener is what we typically find in the Christianity today. They are so active in externals of their religion (church activities, missions, causes, purposes, and practices) that they forget that the seed is within and they lose sight of the goal which is to create a fertile environment for that seed to grow. The seed may germinate but soon dies because of a wrong focus. They become ineffective in their daily lives.

There is another gardener seen within much of Christianity today and that is the one who over-fertilizes. The person who doesn't know when too much of a good thing becomes too much. This person is focused on the power and prosperity of the faith and they end up forming many of the institutions within the faith. Again they have lost sight of the goal. They have a wrong focus that is ineffectual in revealing the kingdom of heaven here on earth. What happens when we over-fertilize? the seed will become burned by the fertilizer and die a quick death. Because of this many have left the church and turned their backs on the kingdom of heaven.

The last type of gardener is one who is of the right type of soil and knows not to over-water or over-fertilize. They have found a balance between their external practice and their internal growth. The are working to grow that seed of the kingdom of heaven and reveal it to those around them in their work, play, to their friends and families. The kingdom of heaven is an ideal. A collection of truth and wisdom that has many hybrids just as we are all individuals - each unique. This truth and wisdom is the same though found through many different expressions. This means that the kingdom of heaven can contain many faiths. This type of gardener, often a mystic sees hope for all humanity and seeks the best for all individuals even those that may reject them.

So what kind of gardener are you? What are you doing to grow the seed of heaven in your heart.

Neal Morse - HEAVEN IN MY HEART

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

Good News

2011-07-18T08:18:00.011-04:00

Did you know that the word gospel is a general word that means good news? And while it is often used to describe the first four books in the New Testament that describe the life and teachings of Jesus it is also used by Jesus in his teachings. Yes, Jesus spoke of the gospel.

I read this morning in Matthew 24;14 that Jesus said,

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Now the gospel most often talked about in Christianity today is about the life of Jesus. And while his life was good news - what he taught was even better news. His gospel was that "The kingdom of heaven is within you". And all his parables had to do with how we accept or don't accept this good news. Whether we are ready for it when we hear it. We can either accept the good news that the kingdom of heaven is within and we can change how we think and approach our daily lives or we can reject it and continue to subvert the gospel by shoving it to the outer fringes of religious thought.

Jesus did NOT say, the end would come when He or What he did had been preached to the whole world. This is completely contrary to contemporary Christian thought and preaching especially when churches apply this to missions. So what was the Gospel of the Kingdom, the good news that Jesus was talking about that we either accept or reject when we hear it? Here are some verses where Jesus specifically talks about the kingdom of God/Heaven.

Mark 4:11 "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you." In other words, the secret is out. It is no longer a secret. The kingdom of heaven is within each of you.

Mark 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Why is that? What happens when you have an abundance of material possessions and wealth? You become preoccupied with protecting them. And in the case of wealth, because of the economy, if you don't continue to grow it you will lose it all. In other words you become totally preoccupied with this physical and material life. You no longer have time to look within.

Luke 9:60 "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." In other words let those who are focused on the physical/material world take care of the physical material things. But YOU go and tell the good news.... (that is what I want to do here)

Luke 10:9 "tell them, 'the kingdom of God is near.'" Why near? It is within - you can't get any closer than that!

Luke 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." So it's not something earned. It is something that God is PLEASED to give us (this revelation). It is a gift.

Luke 16:16 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time the good new of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it." AMAZING! Jesus himself is the starting point for when this kingdom within originates. And because of his teaching, his good news, everyone can get into the kingdom because we each have an internal life.

Luke 17:20,21 "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Again, we need to look within.

John 3:3 "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Why? because it is an internal thing, it is within you. It is a state of mind.

John 18:36 "My kingdom is not of this world" doesn't mean that the kingdom is a physical reality of some other location. It does mean that his kingdom is not a material/physical reality; it is within the hearts and minds of his followers.

I think these things; the gospel of the kingdom, that good news, are what makes Jesus the Savior of the world because he was the FIRST to teach us to look within. All his miracles, including his resurrection, were icing on the cake so-to-speak. They were an atonement, a making right of the internal person so that this teaching could be accepted and proliferated. There are many wisdom traditions and religions that deal with the inner person and all have some merit but again, so far as I can tell, Jesus was the very first person to actually us that heaven is within us. Knowing that the kingdom is within us how does that change how we live now in the physical present? How does that change how you view others? How does that change how you help others? How does that change how you work, live and play with others? How does it change the way you speak about others? If you are living the kingdom life these things will change.

Many people talk about these "times" as the END TIMES. But I think they are sadly mistaken. The gospel of the kingdom has been misrepresented and mis-preached for so long that it will take a while for this corrected view of things to get through. Jesus said in Matthew that only after the gospel of the kingdom of God (looking within) was preached throughout the world that the end would come. I know that there are some that may cry "heretic!!!" but they need only investigate the Bible and Jesus teaching for themselves and then accept or reject.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above is titled "Eruption" and pretty much exemplifies that state of mind I felt when I realized these truths. When I first realized this today it was like a giant eruption and everything made sense and fell into place....

on miracles

2011-07-08T11:32:00.005-04:00

I've been looking at miracles lately. Those that I've experienced in my own life those spoken of in the Bible and a view of miracles as spoken of in, the popular Metaphysics book, A Course In Miracles (ACIM). One of the things I like about what ACIM says is that a miracle is a way of atonement; a way of making right with the creator. Now whether you call God by some other name, Source of Being, Yahweh, Allah, Buddha Nature, etc is irrelevant here. It's not the name of God that matters but that we are in right relationship with "Him". We have too long looked at the outward form of the miracle or the shape of the miracle such as physical healing, but in fact the form or shape the miracle takes is not important. I think this makes total sense when looking at the life of Jesus and the miracles he performed. So often his miracles were accompanied by the words "your sins are forgiven". He even said to his critics (religious and political leaders of his time) "Is it easier to say 'your sins are forgiven' or 'get up and walk'?"
Then, like now, the people were preoccupied with the manifestation of the miracle not what the miracle actually did. When Jesus said "your sins are forgiven" that meant that you were in right standing with God. And if it took a physical manifestation as evidence of that - so be it. I sometimes wonder if the reason we don't see more miracles today that we are looking for the wrong thing. We are looking for the magical, the unexplained. When in reality the miracle is so easy to explain. I wrote in my book (Visual Glossolalia) that the definition for miracle should be "God is in control." For the person that is in right standing with the Creator that could never be truer. And that person might very well experience a miracle as a manifestation of that right standing. A change from one state of being to another.

The next question is, who are the miracle workers today? Can you or I work miracles? I can answer with a resounding YES!. If we are seeking to bring others into a right relationship with God, Creator, Source of Being, Allah, etc we can perform miracles. Some will be seen and some not. If your just trying to perform magic you will fail except in how you deceive people. But the true miracle is lasting and life changing. So seek first to lead people in right relationship and if a manifestation of that occurs - Praise God!

Well that's all I have right now. Go and "be" the miracle for someone today.
Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

independence day is about independence

2011-07-04T10:03:00.010-04:00

It will be a very long time before
you ever see me waving an American Flag. Okay, so I'm not a flag waver. But it's more than that. Here in America we've let Business and various groups define what is patriotism. And I'm sick and tired of it. Prevailing attitudes that accompany this are:

You must be a part of a group (any group that waves the American flag).

You must promote and defend America at ALL times

You must not criticize anyone who does these things

You must believe in the infallibility of the idea of America

And it's funny how often I've heard from people that "if you don't like it, leave!" Naturally as a Christian I think this is pure bull shit. Christ was a defendant of the individual that's why he was such a threat to the organizations and institutions of his time (political and religious). I've come to believe that the true Christian does not attach themselves to any political affiliation or religious ideal. They stand up for what's right even if it means criticizing those institutions that demean or stomp on individualism, humanity, creation, and surround themselves with group-think. The sad thing is that these groups often act, as a group, in the name of humanity or creation. What's funny is that so little is accomplished by their causes except for the fact that they are well-funded and organized striving to increase membership. How does that happen? Well they make an appeal to the individual based on what they perceive are common ideals and then once that individual answers the "call" they are expected to toe-the-line and fall-in with the group's leadership supporting everything the group sets forth. This happens in ALL groups (churches, unions, businesses, political party's & social organizations) Many people try to justify joining a group by saying the hope to change things from the inside. But this never happens. Usually what happens is when they realize they are unable to change the group they break off and form another group. Again nothing changes. The group itself must be abolished and individuals taught to think and act for themselves. Of course this makes many people nervous because they fear this will bring social chaos. Oddly enough they don't acknowledge the social chaos as a result of their own group.

Now I know some of my "conservative" friends will say that they think there is a place for law and order. Now I want to ask something here. Did I say anything about not having law and order? No, no, NO! There is a place for law and order but it isn't the laws of men in groups or organizations. Anyone who follows the law of love taught by Jesus and the great mystics will be free and independent. Anyone who follows the laws of men in groups and organizations are NOT FREE. When the laws, rules, bylaws of those groups and organizations are broken they hold the individual responsible.

I think the saddest thing in the world today is that the church(a name for like-minded individuals who follow the law of love on an individual basis) has become THE CHURCH (an institution with properties, expenses, by-laws, constitutions, etc). Through-out history THE CHURCH has been supportive of political organization. The Evangelical Church Liked and supported the idea of the Reichskonkordat, the notion of a Protestant Reich Church, which would unify the Protestant Churches when it was set up by Hitler in Nazi Germany. The individuals that opposed such a thing during that time were typically imprisoned and put to death in the concentration camps. Are things really that different in America today? I would say no. America is a country asleep, dreaming a capitalist perception of the "American Dream" and afraid of waking up. Capitalism and institutions have long hung their banner on the words "American Dream" but have little to do with it and what it originally described;

Historian James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase "American Dream" in his 1931 book Epic of America:

"The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."

Maybe if the church promoted individualism and the actual teachings of the man called Jesus, actually working to reveal heaven on earth instead of creating more separation, division and hatred, things would be different. Maybe if the church didn't equate Christianity with the American Dream things would be different.

The song for the day is from a favorite musical of mine. The musical is CHESS and the song is ANTHEM and talks about politics, land, groups don't matter. What DOES matter is what's in the heart.

Thanks for reading.
mobius faith

* The image at the top of the post is title RECONSTRUCTING PATRIOTISM
* The image near the bottom is titled ANTHEM

imagination, creativity and faith

2011-07-01T07:58:00.006-04:00

I recently had someone ask me if I had any exercises to develop the imagination.

My first response was this:
#1 - Find the obvious.
#2 - Look at what's not there.
#3 - Imagine that what's "hidden" is actually manifest.

An example is the image presented here called 5 CONES: 4 dairy & 1 vegetarian wannabe
The first thing I did (almost instinctively at this point) when I saw this scene was see the obvious of 4 ice cream cones on the wall. The second thing I "saw" was the thing that was missing - a 5th cone. So I then imagined the tree being a cone with the way it was shaped and just standing there against the wall. I could imagine it wanting to be a part of the "party" - but being of the flora genus it could never fit in unless it found a way to "market" itself differently - hence "vegetarian." It was in that renaming or re-identification where I could imagine the tree actually being a cone that really sparked my imagination - by taking what was not obvious and turning it into something interesting.

I also started to think that imagination is a bit like faith. Did you know that the Bible (Hebrews 11:1-3) defines faith this way;

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

It continues with,

"this is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

So in many ways, for the artist, creativity and imagination are no different than faith.
When we exercise our imagination and create something out of nothing we are exercising part of the "likeness" of God, those traits that he gave us when he created us. Creating something out of nothing is an act of faith.
How would our world change if more people did this?

The artist is the great equalizer of all the destruction in the world. I know that Pablo Picasso said, “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” I think that in the material world or the larger sociological context the artist and creators are the ones who provide the balance for those who are bent on destruction (i.e. terrorists, fundamentalists activists, those on the far right and far left - basically any extremists). I suppose that, in the larger socio-political context I would rewrite what Picasso said to read, Every act of creation is born out of the destruction. It is the classic tale of the phoenix rising from the ashes. In another sense I wonder if this is why artists are so revered and underfunded. The people without imagination can't even imagine what the artist will come up with so why would they fund such a thing. The artist must first create before he can spark the inspiration and imagination of others. There is no mistake when there are artists who are considered prophets of their times (i.e. Jesus, Buddha, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Andy Warhol, Frank Lloyd Wright, Andy Goldsworthy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Mother Theresa, just to name a few - a list that is not conclusive by any means).

That's all for now,
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading,
mobius faith

"the good ol' days"

2011-06-20T12:08:00.003-04:00

How often do we look to the past for good times? That's my question for today. All my life I've heard people say things like;
"If only it could be like it used to be,"
"We need to return to the way it used to be,"
"Those were the good times,"
"Remember how much fun we had back then?"
And the list goes on....

Ecclesiastes is such a wonderful source of wisdom. This morning I read in Chapter 7 verse 10,

"Do not say, 'why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions."

This verse fits so perfectly with the overall theme in Ecclesiastes - What is meaning? And, what is happiness? I couldn't help but think that we tend to remember the past fondly when we are miserable and suffering in the present. But we so quickly forget that we did the exact same thing in the same past we now remember fondly.

So if we can remember the past fondly now, can we also find happiness in our present - in the now - so that we may be content and satisfied now AND in the future? So that we do not need to wait for the future to remember THIS happy moment.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

The image above is called AND THE BAND DIDN'T PLAY ON and was taken at an abandoned amphitheater in Columbus Ohio.

oppression

2011-06-18T16:10:00.005-04:00

This morning I was reading in the wonderful book called Ecclesiastes, specifically chapter 4. Now I've always loved this book for it's sense of existential angst. It's rock-bottom look at life. I've been even more amazed at it's authorship. Don't know if you know this but the Christian tradition claims it was written by Solomon. Because it says "Son of David". But this has been debated because of the style of writing and also the human habit to want to identify with a well known historical figure to lend authenticity to ones arguments. Another fact is that "David" is such a common name for the time period. The author refers to himself as Koheleth (in Jewish tradition) which is simply a title that means Sage, Teacher or Preacher. Because Solomon is widely regarded as one of the wisest people on earth and had written many of the proverbs in the Christian Bible and since his authorship has not been dis-proven at this time I will presume that he is also the author of Ecclesiastes. Regarding the writing style. I have no problem with the writing style because Solomon was exposed to so many cultures in his time that he could have easily adopted those styles. The writing style follows more a Greek philosophical mold but I think it also has some eastern influence.

Let me get right to the verse that stood out for me today. It was chapter 4, verse 1. The writer says,

"I further observed all the oppression that goes on under the sun:
The tears of the oppressed - with none to comfort them;
and the power of their oppressors - with none to comfort them."

I find that an incredibly amazing observation. Here the writer is not only stating the oppressed don't have a comforter but that those who engage in the practice of oppression also have no comforter. I can't help but think of something Thich Nhat Hanh said in his book called CREATING TRUE PEACE. He said that "people who act out in violence and cause suffering are acting out of their own deep inner suffering." It makes complete sense then why the oppressors have no comforter. They also need comforted. When we act out of own suffering, fear, frustration and anger it can be violent and oppressive causing even further harm.

What needs to happen is that the cycle NEEDS to be broken. I think this is one of the things that Jesus was attempting to do with his teaching to "Love your enemies." We can recognize that those we view as our enemies are also suffering. We can cease to react to our enemies in a defensive way and seek ways to ease their own suffering. All the great mystics suggest this.

When it comes to religion I wonder if the first thing that needs to happen is for everyone to stop privatizing their religious beliefs that create separation and start listening to people of other beliefs. The image above is titled DON'T BE AFRAID TO GET YOUR ROOTS WET. And I think that is a perfect way to phrase this. Your religious beliefs and traditions (roots) are yours and yours alone and nothing can threaten that, so don't be afraid to open up to hear what others are saying.

When it comes to work or being in public. Who are the aggressors/oppressors. Start seeing them as people who are suffering in their own right. Seek to ease their suffering. It may not take much. And don't be afraid to acknowledge that suffering. When you are in public, at the store, driving down the street, at an event seek out those who are suffering, be aware of them and seek to ease their suffering if you can. That way you will not be blind-sided by them and they will not cause you suffering. Awareness is so important.

Home sometimes is the worst because nobody knows how to "push your buttons" like family. They may not even realise their doing it. Why? Because they to are suffering. So how can you ease your family's suffering when you feel you are starting to suffer. This is probably the hardest one - I know this from experience.

Well I think that's all for today. All from that one verse. I'll see you all later. Thanks to everyone who checks in from time to time on these ideas of mine. I always welcome comments, opposing arguments and opinions. Have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading.
mobius faith
.

Construction Evolution

2011-06-17T10:50:00.008-04:00

I was reading in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 today. I found verses 18-21 to be very curious and found myself thinking again of evolution and animal rights activism etc.

These verses read as follows:

"...As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath,; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth."

Now isn't that amazing; this notion of man's likeness to animal life, of there being very little difference? I have always appreciated those people who care for and deeply care about animals. Even though I personally don't have the same appreciation I'm so glad that there are those who do. Should we not take care of and protect all life? After all there is very little difference. It seems that the biggest difference people use when attacking evolution is the notion that humanity is a "higher" life form and that that animals are "lower" therefore humans are to be valued more highly because they are "better". I think this is a mistake. I think when Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution that he was actually showing us our relationship to other life and life forms on this planet called earth. I think that God was using him as a voice to say, "Hey there! You are not all that different." Charles Darwin does not condemn creation/intelligent design He even said that intelligent design is not contradictory to evolution. In his exam of the eye he writes in THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES,

"To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree....

" He then goes on describing the complexity of the eye and concludes,

"...then, the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our imagination, should not be considered as subversive of the theory."

I think here he is clearly stating that just because we can't explain something now doesn't mean there isn't a way to explain it or that it should be a reason to throw out a whole theory. Intelligent design is often an oversimplification of how life began and evolved. There is nothing wrong with that. But we should not discount other ideas just because we may not understand them or feel threatened with the understanding. Intelligent Design is great for giving a starting point but evolution is great for what happened during that process. There is no reason to be afraid of it or condemn it. As we continue to develop and understand our world our ideas are bound to change. That is normal.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.
mobius faith

***the image above is titled COLOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION. The photo was taken from a local construction site where a new addition to a hospital is being built.

new book available

2011-06-13T10:24:00.003-04:00

visual glossolalia by terry s. amstutz | Make Your Own Book

Wholly Human

2011-06-12T07:54:00.032-04:00

Today I want to talk about something all too often overlooked today in Christianity. The humanity of Christ. With Christianity being a major religion there is so much emphasis on the Godhood of Jesus that we either downplay or forget altogether his human origins. That is a grave error. I actually started thinking about this the other day when I read in the Apostle Johns 1st letter about how the Anti-Christ doesn't acknowledge that Christ was a man. The Anti-Christ acknowledges the deification of Jesus but denies his humanity. This is a MAJOR point!!!!!

Today I started thinking about how the church and our society has done the same thing - denied the humanity of Jesus - and what the consequences are of doing that. My first clue came in Proverbs 29:26:

"Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that man gets justice."

We may not have kings and rulers today like in the past. And even those countries that still have a Monarchy - their style of government has changed considerably in favor of a general democratic cultural approach. However in an age of Celebrity, media, fame and notoriety the response is the same. People clamor to have an "audience" with a celebrity. In our time the Celebrity is viewed as a person of power and ability to grant wishes and make changes. They are sought after for fund-raisers, and product endorsements. They are sought out by fans in eager anticipation of the notion of coming in contact with greatness. People who claim to be Christians are no different. In fact stardom is totally embraced by the church (often defended by leaders and lay people as being more relevant to it's culture - usually in an attempt to draw more crowds). I think this is one reason why people have fallen into the trap of the deification of Jesus. They only want to know him as God not as man. (Now this may be offensive to some) But he drank, ate, pissed, crapped and bled like any other person. He was completely human with a unique psychological and philosophical approach to the human situation. When we deny his humanity we deny God. We deny God the ability to interact directly with humans - with you and me. We deny the fact this direct relationship between God and humanity can be day by day and moment by moment. We deny by relegating to "miracle" status the rarity of times that this relationship comes to the forefront of our lives. Most Christians come closest to recognizing Jesus as human at Christmas (born as a human infant) and at Easter (crucified as a criminal) but even then their acknowledgement is only a half-baked attempt because they then jump to the miracle of the virgin birth, angel choirs and the resurrection from the tomb. This is wrong (don't mistake me here - the godliness of Jesus is not wrong but devaluing his humanity is wrong). We should not be denying or devaluing the manliness of Jesus. In making Jesus more human than human or only deifying him we turn him into a cosmic freak show as expressed in this excellent White Zombie video for their song MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN.

The miracle is that God chose to reveal himself and his greatest desire for humanity in human form in the form of his creation. When we deny the humanity of Jesus it results in limiting our own ability to change and experience godliness. I'm not talking about power, or abuse of power because God never abuses his power (although I'm sure some would like to disagree with that). But the godliness of changing and living as Jesus taught - living a life based on love. In his second letter, the Apostle John makes three very concise points (themes and points that are in his record of the gospel as well as his other letters).

#1 - to Live each day obedient to Jesus teachings on Love (2John verses 5,6).
#2 - Do not forget that Jesus was a man. A human being (2John verse 7).
#3 - Don't pay any attention to people who have forgotten that Jesus was a man - a human being like you and me - because of the danger that you may end up following their ideas. (2 John verses 9-11).

These are some very serious ideas that require thought and consideration. We need to consider where we stand in relation to these ideas. Do we share these ideas? Where do we fit in?

John writes in his Gospel record (chapter 4:1-3):

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.... This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

It's funny how we've let Hollywood define the Antichrist as some larger than life, all powerful destructive, conniving, conspiratorial, evil being - a mean-spirited big baddie. In fact the Antichrist is simply someone that does not acknowledge the humanity of Christ. So where do you come down on this issue? If we accept the humanity of Jesus and what he was able to accomplish we can then start to think of the possibilities of what we might be able to accomplish; the possibility of us to change and actually live his teachings. We CAN do it!

Enjoy this song from 1971 by a group called Ocean.
Think about the humanity of Jesus.

The Apostle John recorded Jesus saying the following:

John 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these."

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Why is this so important. Accepting the humanity and divinity of Jesus is a balanced approach to godly living. You cannot have one without the other and expect to live in a right relationship to God or other human beings.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

Is You Is or Is you Ain't

2011-06-09T09:33:00.015-04:00

So, what the HELL does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean when someone says, Jesus is the Christ? Or, he is the Messiah? Or the Savior of the world? These are words that are loaded with religious connotation and have gotten lost in the scuffle for religious control.

With that in mind I will try to break it down to what it means for me. Like many of you I have given up on the notion that Religion can do any good. I reject the religious institutions and so-called faith-based organizations that claim otherwise. Okay, Now that I've lost half my readership.... For the remaining half: If you want to remain comfortable in what you think you know and don't want to be challenged just stop reading right now. I'm not trying to cause you to stumble in your faith. I am writing this for the outsiders, the non-believers, those who are disenchanted and disenfranchised by mainstream Christianity. And there are those people who will damn me to hell for saying what I will say in the following paragraphs. So put on your boots and sit back. Here we go - down the rabbit hole.

First of all I want to let you know that Jesus was a human being, just like you and me. And I do mean JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. That is something important to recognize. Another thing to understand about him is that he didn't give in to religion or politics to determine how he lived his life. It is true that he came from a religious background, Judaism and he was aware of the wisdom literature in the context. We know this because the vast majority of his teachings came from the prophets where he was either inspired by them or quoted directly from them. But his religion rejected him and he also rejected it as a methodology for living and force for doing good.

So what makes him the "Savior"? His teaching actually save us from religion and politics because instead of needing some institution to get to God or have a relationship with God or achieve a perfect government. He has shown us first that we can have direct, one-on-one relationship with God. No politics and no religion. Just you and God. Second; he has shown us that God accepts us just as we are. God accepts you and me with all our imperfections whether we believe or not. Yep you read right. God accepts you right now regardless of what you've done, what you're doing or will do in the future. Third; if we accept God, as he accepts us and want to do the right thing we actually can do it regardless of any restrictions, mental or physical, that we face or place on ourselves. Damn! If that isn't good news I don't know what is. The good news is that we, you and I don't need to conform or be a member of some religion to know God or do good.

This good news is what was really radical and revolutionary about Jesus life and teachings. This was how he saved humanity. And like today, most of the people of his time reject these ideas as impossible, out of reach, or just plain crackpot ideas. But I wonder if many people haven't made the mistake of confusing the message with those who confine the message within an institutional context. I think that probably the first people to call for his crucifixion today would be religious institutions that bear his name. Okay I hear some of you crying out "not fair". But, sadly, I think I may be right. Jesus is the man-on-the-street saying there's a better way and here it is. But Christian institutions will say, there may be a better way and you will need to be a part of the institution, conform to our interpretation, to be with the in crowd. The institution will say that no individual can truly know the way on their own. Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the light. I wonder if what he was saying was that, because of what he was doing and teaching, all other ways became acceptable to God as a way to relationship with humanity.

What about the Bible? The bible is the most owned and most unread book in the world. To some it's just daunting. To others it's ignored just because of it's institutional affiliation. And to others still it is just a text, the "good book" to be read at weddings, funeral, interpreted by others, read at special occasions, or read in church or Sunday school. But if we view the Bible in that way we miss a great opportunity to learn wisdom and truth about Jesus and God. All the Bible does is tell us the story of Jesus; his background - the history of his people (the Hebrews) - the circumstances of his birth - how he lived his life - how he died - how he was resurrected and continues to influence and inspire people, like me (and hopefully you), today. You don't need no church or religion to tell you that. Another thing that may really cause some people to get their "shorts in a twist" is that Christianity does not have the lock on truth and wisdom in the world. There is much truth and wisdom out there. Because God reveals himself to whoever he chooses. There are many paths to God. All Christ did was say that, because of what he did we now have the freedom to choose. He paved the way for everyone to have a relationship to God regardless of their religious background or affiliation. I look forward to seeing people of all faiths in Heaven (Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Democrats, Republicans, Communists, Socialists, and others with no religious or political affiliation). We should be reading other religious and philosophical texts to study and learn the truth and wisdom that God has revealed to others.

Another thing about Jesus is that if he was the "first" it follows that there can be a second, third, hundreds, thousands, millions etc who can live as individuals and have a relationship with God. He provided a pattern for individualist living. It was no accident that Jesus said, "...the kingdom is within you...," and "...the kingdom of heaven has already come...", "I have shown you...," "He who believes me will do even greater things....," "Go and do likewise...." The mistake religion makes is that it is still looking "beyond" or "outside" this existence. It cannot accept what is already here. And religion has never accepted that it's practitioners would do even greater things than Jesus or it's leaders outside the institutional framework. Religion has never accepted that people can "go and do likewise" without making them jump through hoops of rules and regulations, membership and group acceptance.

So I would close by saying, don't get discouraged by institutions. There is a better way. A way that matters for you as an individual. For God cares about you whether you believe it or not. He knows how you struggle mentally, emotionally and even physically. He is apart of you. If you deny him you are denying a part of your self. Your source. If Jesus did not come for the WHOLE world those who believe in him believe in vain. Salvation and heaven are available for everyone! The Bible: read it for yourself.

Here is a list of some references from the Christian Bible that justify my position (in no particular order). I hope you look them up yourself.
James 3:17-8, Ephesians 2:4-7,22, Galatians 3:26-29, Galatians 5:14, I Corinthians 10:23, I Corinthians 10:32, John 17:20-21 John 16:33, John 14:6,7&12, John 7:17, Luke 24:25, Luke 17:20, Luke 16:16, Luke 10:36-37, Matthew 5:39-42, Mark 7:6-8, Matthew 7:1-2, Matthew 23:15, 23b, 25-27.

If Screamin' Jay Hawkins was Jesus Christ he might ask all who claim to be Christian the following question, "Is you is or is you ain't my baby?"

Thanks for reading, mobius faith ***the image above is titled "ELEANOR PUT YER BOOTS BACK ON"

Be Careful What You Wish For

2011-06-07T07:29:00.009-04:00

Today's post is about the end of the world. "Oh my!!!" I can here you say. Here we go again. And you may not be too far from the truth, but I am going to show you a little different slant. I wonder if the questions we have about the end times of "who," "what," "how," "when" and "Why," are not entirely the wrong questions to be asking.

Recently we were told by some misguided, yet well-meaning soul that the end of the world would come at 6pm on 5/21/2011. Well, we are still here. Now there are scriptures in the Christian bible that say things like, we can't/won't know when the end, that final judgement occurs. But I am not going to focus on that aspect since so many have already. What I want to focus on is, should we even be spending time watching, waiting, preparing to usher in the time of the end a.k.a. the final judgement a.k.a. the apocalypse? And if we are doing this (watching, waiting, preparing) can we even call ourselves Christians? I think the answers to these questions can be found in the Bible, specifically the last chapter of 2Peter. Chapter 3 verse 10 describes this violent end, which could describe either nuclear holocaust or what would happen if/when our Sun dies:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_dying_star
or the universe collapses and then explodes into a new Big Bang (check out videos below.

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."

But verse 11 asks the most important question; the question we should be asking ourselves,

"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought we to be?"

Peter then talks about the hope of humanity in these circumstances and that we should be looking for this hope.

"But in keeping with his promise (of salvation) we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."

He DOES NOT say that we should be looking for this destruction (the mistake most Christians make today). No, he says we SHOULD be looking for the hope of the salvation and the new heaven and new earth. He then goes on to make his final point,

"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him (God)."

That how we should be trying to live: lives without blame, lives that are spotless and at peace with God. And if we are at peace with God we should also be at peace with our fellow man. Why? Because God also created them. We may not agree with everyone but we are to make every effort to live at peace with them. Peter goes on to remind us about something important when he says,

"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation."

Wow!!!! Is that a mind-blowing statement or what? Why is this SO important? Back in verse 8,9 Peter writes,

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you , not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

That's the key right there. If we are impatient for the end, the final judgement, the apocalypse because we, as believers, are looking to save our own hide and escape the madness we have made a colossal mistake. You read right. WE HAVE MADE A COLOSSAL MISTAKE! We should be celebrating God's patience and not want anyone to perish. We should be praying that God continue in his patience so that every single man, woman, and child on this planet has an opportunity make their peace with God, whether they do it in a way that we agree with or not. If we are looking for the end times and blaming every ill in the world on them we do not care about the other people that have not yet made their peace with God. We do not care about God patience. And we do not care about God's will and his love. We do not care. We are only seeking a quick escape for ourselves - the rest of the world be damned. In doing this we no different than lawless men and women. God may say to you, "you claimed to know me but I didn't know you."

God forgive us. As Peter wraps up this argument, and letter in the final verses he encourages us to be on our guard

"so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...."

So lets look at our world with different eyes. Let's stop being haters of the world. It is God's creation. Let's love it like he does. Let's be environmentalists, accepting people from all walks of life and beliefs, lets take care of animals. Let's take care of this wonderful world so that people can have a taste of the kingdom of heaven.

Big Bang and Intelligent Design

Big Bang

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

***The image about is titled HANDLE WITH CARE

ANXIETY

2011-06-05T07:49:00.015-04:00

This image is titled "an+iChris+" because of its machine/non-human elements. Although when I gaze at it I do see a face peering through which gives this image a very dangerous anxious feeling. A Giger-esque quality. The core image was a shot of a train that was traveling through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park one morning. And thanks to Photoshop I was able to create this haunting image. If you want to see a larger version of this image you can either click on the image itself or check out the larger version I posted on my photo blog (linked here and with the title) - mobius faith imaging - "anxiety".

I recently watched one of the most disturbing and horrifying films I've ever see. The film was a Norwegian film starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainesbourg. It's called AntiChrist. I don't recommend it for the faint of heart/mind. The film is about coping/not coping with loss, the grief process and anxiety. It's definitely a horror film but there are no monsters, no devils and it's not a slasher flick (although there is blood). I found the interviews that were part of the extras most enlightening. It seems that the director, Lars Von Trier, suffers from extreme anxiety - so much so, that he is known to not show up on the set for days at a time because he is too anxious to even leave the house. He had gone through several therapists with different approaches (all which are dealt with in the film) but none have helped him. And it seems like he has rejected religion/faith/Christianity as an option. Now I would actually want to dare him (Von Trier) to actually read the Bible for himself and forget about what he has heard from others.

Yesterday I read in I Peter 5:6&7,

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Now that second sentence is one of those Christian-ism's that get bandied about liberally so that it has lost much of its power over the years. But if we take the time to think about it - it really is remarkable. Another great example where the Bible tells us what to do about a specific problem and why. But as, I've said before the Bible doesn't always give us the "how". If we apply mindfulness to the this act of casting our anxiety on God we can actually overcome anxiety and its negative effects. God wouldn't want us to do otherwise if it didn't benefit us in some way.

So I started thinking about the process or "how." And in Buddhism there is a practice called "mindful breathing". Now I am no expert and am still new to this practice but It would go something like this:

breathing in, I acknowledge that God cares for me
breathing out, I accept Gods care for me

breathing in, I acknowledge my anxiety, fear, and its physical symptoms
breathing out, I release the anxiety and fear to God

breathing in, I acknowledge those symptoms of difficult breathing and pressure.
breathing out, I release the difficulty and pressure to God

breathing in, I accept the restoration of steady breath
breathing out, I release the tenseness and pressure

breathing in, I accept Gods grace that will allow this wonderful event to occur
breathing out, I release all the stress of planning and participation
and so on......

One of the great things about Christianity is that it gives us the freedom of the "how". Unfortunately that "how" has gotten lost over the years. The Bible gives us great freedom in "how" because it doesn't specify. And because the Bible gives us the freedom of how and doesn't specifically/give concrete practices for "how" many Christians have stopped practicing the "how" and focused on the intellectual pursuit of "what", "why", "where" and "when". We need to start working the "how" back into our vocabulary and practice.

Today I started reading 2 Peter. And i noticed that it seems to be a continuation of his first letter. I love verse 3 that says,

"His divine power has give us everything we need for life and godliness...."

Wow! Can you believe that? He gave us everything we need.... We have EVERYTHING WE NEED to go through the different events and activities in our life. You have EVERYTHING YOU NEED. It's already there. Amazing! (sorry, I'm getting excited here). If we accept that we have everything we need (sorry if I'm focusing too hard on this) then we can let go of anxiety, worry, fear about anything we may be facing.

There's a great song by musician Michael Olson that is called "Fear and Faith" from his album WHERE FEAR AND FAITH COLLIDE. I couldn't find a video for it but Here are the lyrics. I have found that that When I'm stressing or anxious about something and I listen to this song it helps because usually at that point I am totally at the crossroads. That exact place where fear and faith collide. And this song helps in how covers acknowledgment of my limitations and the commitment and strength to continue.

I've never been here before
Suddenly I'm feeling over my head
This place is so foreign to me
There's nothing familiar as I look ahead
But something inside of
Senses you guiding me
So help me to follow, follow
I'm being brought to the brink
Stepping up to the line
And I'm not giving up this time
It seems more than I can take
It takes more than I've got
But I'm gonna live this life
Where fear and faith collide
My heart wants to follow you
But all of the thoughts in my head disagree
Yeah, I've got some faith to give
But I'm so afraid and I'm stuck in between
It's more than just reticence
It contradicts common sense
To go where you're leading, but lead me
Crash in the atmosphere
Logic has disappeared
Feel my soul give way
I hear Jesus calling me
To walk where I cannot see
I step to the edge and let faith rise
I'm trusting in you this time
It seems more than I can take
It takes more than I've got
But I'm gonna live this life
Where fear and faith collide

And a couple of music videos to consider.
Casting Crowns - SET ME FREE

Michael Olson - GOD IS WITH US

Thank for reading/watching,
mobius faith

The Hungry Buzzard

2011-06-04T06:09:00.008-04:00

Buzzard picking at carcass.
Baking hot asphalt road.
Lines blurring in the desert heat.
Buzzard flies away to avoid

a speeding 8-cylinder terrorist.

Buzzard comes back.

Scavenger pride.
Picking apart

only what it needs for survival.

And I, bewildered and numb, stare helplessly

as faith is picked apart in the west
and marketed like dog food.

Even the carcass has value.
But nobody cares.
They drive on,

past religions roadkill.

Something a little different today. This prose/poem came to me early this morning while in meditation. The image above is called "Aftermath" (if you click on the image itself you can view a larger version).
Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

the art of "Be"

2011-06-01T07:51:00.015-04:00

Welcome to the month of June. By the end of this month the year of 2011 will be half over. Maybe it's me, but it seems that the older I get, the faster time flies. Or maybe our lives just become busier and it's more difficult to manage/balance the time we're given. I think that one thing we need to be aware of is finding the balance between doing and being. In our busy lives we create the busyness that fills our time. We find all sorts of reasons to blame this on. And the act of placing blame then ends up taking up even more time. So it is an endless cycle of do, do, do, do, do, do - in short a bunch of "doodoo". This is not a biblical way of life. I'm directing this to all those Christians out there that are tied up with missions, work in faith-based organizations and church activities. Too many Christians become trapped in the doing and they think it's for a good cause, or that its part of some calling that they must sacrifice themselves for at ALL COST. And they perpetuate their trapped existence making excuses for why they are unable (I would say, unwilling) to change. Again as I stated earlier, this is not biblical.

Okay, now that I got your attention.... My text today is from I Peter, chapter 1. Peter address his letter to "God's elect" calling them "strangers in the world." Take a moment and think about what that means. What does it mean to be a stranger? Think of times when you may have been in a foreign situation where you were the stranger; how did it feel? How did your mind work? What actions did you take as a result of being in that situation? Peter then launches into his first topic (a set-up for the rest of the letter which we will return to) of re-verifying a "living hope". But for the purpose of my subject I'm going to jump to the first meaty bite which comes in chapter 1 verses13-17

"Therefore prepare your minds for action, be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be give you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children do not conform to the evil desire you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy. Since you call on a father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."

Now I think a whole book could be written on these verses alone. But I will limit it to a single post on this blog today. You may have noticed that I highlighted, in bold, the key words here regarding life. If I was focusing on faith different words would be singled out. But I am dealing specifically with Christian living at this point. I'm going to start with the last sentence. Remember, at the beginning what I wrote about being strangers? In this last sentence Peter actually tells us live as strangers. We need to seriously think about what that means for us. It will shape not only how we view ourselves but the world around us. What is it like to be a stranger? When one is a stranger in any situation or location they are cautious, protective, not confident in their surroundings, a little uncomfortable, humble and polite with an increased awareness and perception of their surroundings. You experience a sort of hyper-awareness where you are slow to act. Still not quite clear? Think about when you have been a stranger.

- Think about what it's like to travel somewhere you've never been; how you felt and acted.
- Think about what you felt like and how you reacted when you started a new job.

Now, imagine applying that to every day of your life, interactions & thoughts, with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and strangers. Just take a couple of minutes to think about that.

Now, moving on to the next idea. I want to focus on the highlighted words in the first part of the quote; "prepare," "for action," "be," "do not conform" and "do". Those words are loaded with meaning on their own. When applied to Christian living they take on added importance. For the first two items - prepare for action: It really is amazing how often we go through our daily lives without preparation. Yet when you take a trip somewhere, or when you move from one location to another, you take great care in preparing. The actions we take each day become pointless if we don't prepare before we act. And don't get hung up on the amount of time it takes to prepare for those things because you will get sidetracked and discouraged. Focus on the mental act of preparation. That is something you CAN do each day. It may include a daily practice/meditation/devotional time. For myself, I have found that the practice of a structured Bible reading followed by prayer and meditation each morning (7 days a week) is beneficial. Your practice/preparation may vary and that's fine but the point is to have that time each day (it doesn't matter what time of day) to reflect and prepare is so beneficial. It provides a point of grounding, a point of return to touch base with what matters. The amount of time I spend in preparation varies. Sometimes it's 20 minutes - sometimes it's 2 hours. So don't let time be a regulator or trap. Feel flexible with this time.

Now that we are thinking about preparation the next key word is "Be". What does it mean to Be? It is a state of being. Actual existence itself. Imagine lying under a shade tree with a cool breeze on a hot summer day. Your eyes are closed. For all intents and purposed you are doing nothing. You are just existing/being. Can you feel the peacefulness of that moment? Can you feel the restfulness and restorative power of that moment? You create that by doing nothing. You momentarily let go of those things that had kept you busy/running up to that point. Now get ready for this: you can create that same "being" during your preparation time each day. And that "being" will follow you through your day. Tied in with being is the notion of "do not conform" which is advising us to no go back to the way we were before, to not revert. And that is accomplished through a daily practice. Peter encourages us to "Be holy in all we do." Now don't get hung up on the word "Holy". It simply means the right(or best) way of living. And he is quoting Leviticus 11:44,45 when he writes, "Be holy, because I am holy." So humanity and believers have had this directive since way back in the time of Moses. Be (state of existence) holy (best way to live). Why? Because God is (state of being/existence) holy (best way to live). Jesus said it a little differently and takes it to the next level in John 16:33,

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

This is the equivalent of "If I can do it, so can you!" Wow! How amazing is that. We can do this. We can find balance and peace. We don't have to continually fail, or worse, compromise/have imbalance in our being and doing. We don't have to constantly suffer defeat in our being and doing. This is why Peter started off his first letter praising God for the "living hope". So I think in our day and age we need to focus a little less on "doing" because everything around us is focused on do, do, do. And we need, instead to focus on being. If we choose a slightly different vocabulary for being and doing it would be nothing (being) and something(doing) I think the eastern wisdom traditions (i.e. Buddhism) understand this need for balance between being and doing better than we do in western society. For the eastern traditions doing is a natural by-product of being. But being comes first. For example one of my favorite quotes from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu says,

"Clay is molded to make a pot, but it is in the space where there is nothing
that we find usefulness.

...Therefore benefit may be found in something,
but it is in nothing that we find usefulness."

And Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche said,

"Praying is not about asking;
it's about listening...
It is just opening your eyes to see
what was there all along.

Your being is your soul. If you don't practice the art of being your soul will not grow and may be damaged. Everything you do will be a complete and utter waste of time. All you do will be completely pointless if you don't practice the art of being. Now I know some of you may be starting to huff and puff saying, "wait a minute! I do good things and it's not a complete waste! I'm helping people, I'm doing good things!" I would only respond with a kind smile, "There you go again." I'm not asking you to agree with everything I say but I'd at least appreciate it if you would consider it. After all, as Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain (again, the idea of doing) the whole world, yet forfeit his soul(his very being, his self)?" (Mark 8:36, Luke9:25). Your soul is more important than any other activity you do. It doesn't matter if its work, missions, church, play etc. These activities will only be of some good after you take care of your soul/self/being.

So I encourage to create the time for daily practice of being so that your doing may be more effortless and beneficial for everyone you interact with. So that as a stranger/guest in every situation (no matter how familiar it may be) you may be of some value. Life is good. Enjoy it.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith.

meditation on I Timothy (part 1)

2011-05-19T10:31:00.007-04:00

Finally here is the first part of my meditations on I Timothy. This installment is from the 2ND chapter. I couldn't help but think about another mythical teaching that has pervaded modern Christianity over the last century that is still being touted by fundamentalists. It is the teaching or notion that Women should be married, at home, and having children.

The scripture cited frequently is I Timothy 2:15 which says,

"...women will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."

Now that's all fine and well if that's really what Paul was talking about. But Paul was not commenting specifically on domestic life but he was commenting, in my opinion, on salvation using language that was first used back in Genesis in the story of "original sin" with Adam and Eve. We know this because verse 14 says,

"...Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner..."

So at this point we need to go back and revisit the Genesis story. That original sin described in Genesis 2 and 3. What happens?

God tells Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil

God creates Eve and tells her the same thing

The Serpent comes and tells Eve that what God told her was wrong

Eve eats the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The problem of sin happens between points 3 and 4. Eve believes the serpent which is why she eats. I think that means that her sin was not eating the fruit because that was the end result but her sin was not believing God. As the story Goes on Adam then makes the same error. In Adams case his sin was not believing the devil but believing his wife Eve. He also ended up not believing God because he believed his wife instead who told him something contrary to what God told him. So that's when things went wrong.

Now what was the punishment/disciplinary action, for not believing God? (I will only address Eve in this case because of Paul's teaching in I Timothy) The result for not believing God was that the woman would experience increased pain in childbirth and a strong desire for her husband that would not be returned (because "he will rule over her"). This is What Paul was referring to when he talked about being saved through childbirth it was a reference to this Genesis story. Paul is careful to not emphasize the material/physical act of childbirth but stresses with a mighty "IF" - "if they (women) continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. So Paul's whole point is not childbirth at all but the spiritual life of women specifically faith, love and holiness. I think what Paul is saying is women should be focusing on the "higher things". And that men should encourage women. It's not about having children, being married etc. It's about (vs 10) good deeds, (vs 15) faith, love and holiness.

Why do we continue to misread, misinterpret, and profess things that are simply not true?

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith

*The image above is titled THE ACTS WE DO TODAY WILL SHADOW US THE REST OF OUR LIVES (if we let them)
.