Monthly Archive for November, 2005

Fasten Your Seat Belts

A thought came to me sometime last week when I was meditating, and it has returned at least a couple more times in the past few days. It’s one of those really wacky thoughts, but only history will be the judge of what I say here; and probably none of us will remember.

There are some events that happen over a few decades and those who are able to look back 50-100 years can see what those who were “in the moment” were not able to discern.
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Living Jesus Christ

I’m going to use this Friday to follow up on my last commentary on diversity and it’s impact on the American religious landscape. And if you think culture isn’t impacting people’s faith, let me share the following information with you.

Let me kick off with a statement from Ken Wilber, “During the last thirty years we have witnessed a historical first: all of the world’s cultures are now available to us. In the past, if you were born a Chinese person, you likely spent your entire life in one culture, often one province, sometimes in one house, living and loving and dying on one small plot of land.” Translating that into what you might relate to; fifty years ago everyone was like everyone else. Today, on one side lives a Buddhist from China, on the other a Hindu from India, and across the street is an African-American Muslim.
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Thanksgiving Lesson

What do we do with DIVERSITY and the SIN of OTHERS?

Notice how I conveniently left out OUR sins. So this should be a relatively painless exercise, right? Wrong! Unfortunately though living in America brings the paradigm that there is no pain, it’s not reality! The government or someone is messing up if I am inconvenienced in any way, right? WRONG again! So, this is what I am HEARING the day before Thanksgiving.
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Without Him

We’re about to enter THAT time of the year!

It’s time to dig out our Christmas songs, and sing the prophetic words of Isaish 8:8. The only problem is that “Immanuel’s land” is not just for Christmas! How unfortunate that we sing “God is with us”, the interpretation of the Hebrew word, and then start the New Year without Him!
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Open Up the Gift

Surely there is more- so much more!

Jesus was either a lunatic, an historical myth, a wise man, or He was the Son of God. I believe the last two. First, He showed unparalleled wisdom: wisdom that is still being unpackaged 2,000 years later. And being the true and only Son of God, He had the authority of Almighty God to empower us and reveal what promises were in store for those who would believe.
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Polytheism, or Not

How many gods are there?

Note I put the word under the small “g” category. Isn’t it convenient that the god that we believe in is a Christian god! How cool and lucky is that? But, wait. Isn’t it amazing that the god (Allah) the Muslims believe in is an Islamic god. And how about that Jewish god? If you’re still scratching your head or going back to reread the last couple of sentences, don’t worry. My point is that we SAY that we all believe in ONE GOD until someone defines their god in different terminology than we do.
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