Monthly Archives: August 2016
“The World”
Spirituality of Letting Go: Week 1 “The World” Wednesday, August 31, 2016 Living in this consumer-driven world, we are all deeply infected by what some call “affluenza,” a toxic and blinding disease with the basic assumption that more is always better and more of self is always good. It is fair to say that such… Continue Reading “The World”
Staying Watchful
Spirituality of Letting Go: Week 1 Staying Watchful Tuesday, August 30, 2016 We cannot attain the presence of God because we’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness. Little do we realize that God is maintaining us in existence with every breath we take. Each time you take another breath, realize… Continue Reading Staying Watchful
Alumni Newsletter – August 2016
Alumni Newsletter August 2016 A Note from the Staff “There is a line of poetry, a sentence in a fable, a word in an essay, by which my existence is justified; find that line, and immortality is assured.” —Alberto Manguel, The Library at Night For the last twenty years or so, I’ve carried with me… Continue Reading Alumni Newsletter – August 2016
Mature Spirituality
Spirituality of Letting Go: Week 1 Mature Spirituality Monday, August 29, 2016 The primary result of mature religion is to help us grow up early so we don’t keep going down the same dead ends and making the same mistakes over and over again—“doing the same thing and expecting different results,” as the Twelve Steppers… Continue Reading Mature Spirituality
Rise Up Rooted Like Trees
Spirituality of Letting Go: Week 1 Rise Up Rooted Like Trees Sunday, August 28, 2016 How surely gravity’s law, strong as an ocean current, takes hold of even the smallest thing and pulls it toward the heart of the world. Each thing— each stone, blossom, child— is held in place. Only we, in our arrogance,… Continue Reading Rise Up Rooted Like Trees
Paradox Weekly Summary
Paradox Summary: Sunday, August 21-Friday, August 26, 2016 The binary, dualistic mind cannot deal with contradictions, paradox, or mystery, all of which are at the heart of religion. (Sunday) The very nature of spiritual truth is that it is paradoxical. (Monday) The times where we meet or reckon with our contradictions are often turning points,… Continue Reading Paradox Weekly Summary
The Third Way
Paradox The Third Way Friday, August 26, 2016 Paul is a marvelous dialectical teacher. The word dialectic originally referred to the Greek art of debate. A dialectic (different than our political debates) does not move forward by either/or thinking. It’s when you play the two off of one another and then come to a tertium… Continue Reading The Third Way
Faith, Hope, and Love
Paradox Faith, Hope, and Love Thursday, August 25, 2016 I want to talk about what I mean in the practical order by holding the opposites. This is “the third way” thinking I referenced earlier this week. The reconciling third isn’t necessarily a third opinion. It’s much more subtle than that. The third way acknowledges: “That… Continue Reading Faith, Hope, and Love
At Home in Mystery
Paradox At Home in Mystery Wednesday, August 24, 2016 Discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10), rightly understood, is not choosing between a total good and a total evil. Authentic wisdom is found at a much more subtle and nondualistic level. It is choosing between two partial goods. If you hold both sides seriously, within this space you… Continue Reading At Home in Mystery
Mystery Is Endless Knowability
Paradox Mystery Is Endless Knowability Tuesday, August 23, 2016 How do we live the contradictions? Live them—not just endure them or relieve ourselves from the tension by quickly resolving them. The times where we meet or reckon with our contradictions are often turning points, opportunities to enter into the deeper mystery of God or, alternatively,… Continue Reading Mystery Is Endless Knowability