Friday, March 23, 2012

On the Book of Romans

"Paul's piling up of loanguage in superfluous repetition is an instinctive or deliberate attemp to mirror the super abundant quality of grace given and received."   -James Dunn, WB Commentary on Romans, pg281

Thursday, March 15, 2012

grace through culture and art

http://www.ted.com/talks/sheikha_al_mayassa_globalizing_the_local_localizing_the_global.html

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Love the Lord Your God with All Your Soul -Mid-week Lent Reflection


 Cicero, a Roman philosopher, statesmen and orator –living in 100BC, once said:  “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
 And I would say that the opposite is true:  not only a body but, a soul without depth is like a room without books.  
Many argue about the soul and what it is, where it is; is it the same as Spirit?  My understanding is that soul is the piece inside that holds one’s unique essence.  It is ethic, faith, hope, charisma; life.  It is the part of an individual that connects them to the whole.  It is the part of humans that often is forgotten, not fed or taken care of.
Tonight we focus on the phrase: love the Lord your God with all your soul.

Anthony de Mello tells a tale of an ancient island a mile or two offshore that had a great temple with thousands of bells.  Whenever the wind blew, the bells, in unison, would peel out in awesome clarity and grace.  Over the centuries the island sank deep in to the ocean, yet a legend arose that if someone listened carefully the temple bells could still be heard in all their beauty. 
One young man sought the mystical experience of the fabled bells and spent weeks and weeks trying with all his attention to hear them.  Yet all he heard was the wind in the palm trees and the endless sound of the surf. Frustrated, he gave up all his exercises to empty his ears and decided to go home.
 Before he departed, however, he decided to lie on the beach and enjoy the sand, the warmth of the sun and the sound of the endless waves.  In the depth of his relaxed silence, he unexpectedly heard a faint tinkling of a bell, then several bells a bit more loudly, until finally he could hear all thousands bells in all their splendor.  To his amazement, the young man was swept away in wonder and joy.  
 ( –as told by Edward Hays, “A Lenten Hobo Honeymoon” pg56)

This story is telling. Is it not when we stop trying so hard, when we finally take time to unplug, to relax...that then our souls have the opportunity to hear –to be mystical – to transport us from our bodies, full of books that say nothing; to a richness of a well crafted library, where books of significance, beauty, grace, knowledge have been collected for centuries –full of truths, full of hope, full of hidden promise.

These are the texts, the sounds, the silence that grow one’s soul. Tonight when commanded to love the Lord your God with all your soul – this requires lying on the beach, enjoying the sand, the warmth of the sun, the sound of the waves; in the depth so silence your soul will reconnect with the love of its existence –God, creator, redeemer, sanctified...
As one spends more time reconnecting, the soul grows bigger; it becomes easier and easier to walk each step of the day, as if on the beach. Each step becomes prayer; feeding your soul and in the process it seeks other souls to feed, to love.

For the healing of the world, relax in silence and be blessed with the tinkling of holy bells, holy words, holy experience.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

"....This is a first world problem"

Twice during the day yesterday, this phrase was used in my hearing.  ..."but this is a first world problem".  It was said in the context of the gripes North Americans have and the complaints typically made. 
Ponder the things you complain about: weather, health, politics, finances, cost of living, jobs or lack thereof....really in comparison to the same issues in other parts of this world, the gripes are from a first world perspective.
I wonder if we heard and pondered more often, "...but this is a first world problem", would  we be more likely to live out of abundance, be content, generous, and thankful?
Next time you are standing in a group of people who are giving "an organ recital" (a litany of ones aches and pains) -perhaps direct people to ponder that many of our aches and pains are first world problems. 

Grace for me is found in the re-defining of perception; in an awakening of pondering what it is that matters.  I believe that re-defining perception and pondering what matters leads people to a fuller understanding of self, God, and one's relationship with other creatures.  Healing in the world can not occur without this kind of reflection.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

A New Experience

Some people were born to be readers and some people were not. 
Reading has always been a pleasure -in a variety of forms- novels, non-fiction writing, essays, poems, blogs, and daily comics.  Today, a commentary can be added to the list.
Commentary reading (this one on the book of Romans) is not for everyone, although is highly recommended, particularly for those who preach or teach the Bible.  A whole new world of insight, logistics, and dots and tittles whelming to a climax of thought, was opened through the experience. 
Thank-you is extended to the professor who deemed this exercise necessary, for it would not have been embarked upon without prompting.  Every year it is intended that a commentary will be added to the reading list.
Grace comes from the most unexpected places.

God Is Known- Eye to Eye, Heart to Heart

  The following lines from today’s scripture weave together in my mind.   I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their he...