Monthly Archive for April, 2008

Letting Go And….?

I must have heard the phrase, “Let Go and Let God“, several dozen times in my lifetime. Letting go and letting God sounds so easy. There are many people who’d rather not get involved in the touhg issues of life so, just letting go and having God do it sure sounds nice. Oh yes and by the way, we only pretend to let go. Our ego never really wants to do that! Continue reading ‘Letting Go And….?’

Richard Rohr Saturday Conference: “Things Hidden”

In this all-day conference, Fr. Richard Rohr communicates some of the most exciting themes of the Bible, “things hidden” as Jesus said, “since the foundation of the World.” How do we gradually come to believe for ourselves, and know with immense inner authority?

Learn a method for reading Scripture that puts heart and head together. Discover how a theme unfolds inside the entire Bible, creating a spirituality that is grounded, traditional, and yet frequently “counter-intuitive” in its mature form. Give the Biblical text true authority, and yet avoid fundamentalism.

(NOTE: POOR AUDIO QUALITY. Due to down-to-the-wire construction delays, our audio crew was unable to record this event properly to CD. The audio file posted here is from a portable audio recorder placed on the podium. We are happy to provide it here, free of charge, and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to make progress on our new facility.)

 
icon for podpress  Things Hidden: Part One [58:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (61)

 
icon for podpress  Things Hidden: Part Two [64:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (31)

 
icon for podpress  Things Hidden: Part Three: Practicing "Consequential Debate" [60:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (29)

 
icon for podpress  Things Hidden: Part Four: Q&A [49:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (36)

The Hound Of Heaven!

It was Francis Thompson who gave us the “hound of heaven” depiction or metaphor. God is ever in pursuit of us. The Spirit of God is always there, whispering in our ear. A very popular book was entitled, The God Chasers, had it all backwards as far as I am concerned. God is the creator, sustainer, and aggressor on our behalf. Continue reading ‘The Hound Of Heaven!’

Richard Rohr: Is the Church Emerging?

People are beginning to speak of “the Emerging Church” as a phenomenon which seems to be happening inside and between all major Christian denominations. Is this something good? A new kind of reformation? In this teaching, Fr. Richard Rohr describes the hopes and possibilities that are being offered by the Holy Spirit.

(NOTE: POOR AUDIO QUALITY. Due to last-minute construction delays, the power for the audio system in our brand new facilities was only enabled minutes before this event was scheduled to begin. As a result, our audio crew was unable to record this event properly to CD. The audio file posted here is from a portable audio recorder placed on a nearby table. We are happy to provide it here, free of charge, and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to make progress on our new facilities.)

 
icon for podpress  Richard Rohr: Is the Church Emerging? [50:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (49)

Fighting The Current?

There is one main current, but many tributaries with a lot of power. Many times unknowingly, we try and swim upstream when the best thing to do would to just go with the flow- of the Spirit! We simply don’t trust the Spirit to take us out to sea. It’s a big ocean out there where the safety of land (our ego) get’s lost from vision. Others knowingly cling to land- it’s safe! Continue reading ‘Fighting The Current?’

Blinded By Judgmentalism!

I have always thought of myself as a FAIR person. I’ve known fewer people who are quick to forgive as I. And when it comes to giving mercy, I always want to give it because I know that I need it. And yet I wonder just how valid my assessments are after discovering how judgmental I’ve been when I thought I wasn’t. Self deception is scary! Continue reading ‘Blinded By Judgmentalism!’

The Dark Side!

None are righteous! So, why is it then that we love to point out the failures in others since we ALL have them. Granted, some have more serious problems than others but we all have the dark side to battle. Those thoughts that visit us frequently that no one knows about are always there ready to swing into action at the first good opportunity. Pity those who’ve not truly dealt with their limitations. Continue reading ‘The Dark Side!’

Knowing God

Let’s make sure that before I begin this article that you know that I know that we can’t fully know God. How can finite homo sapien sapien begin to comprehend the infinite whatever that’s been known by hundreds of names throughout history wherein dastardly deeds have been committed in His name (though He-She has no gender of course). Knowing God is much like trying to KNOW a woman! Continue reading ‘Knowing God’

Hitler & Christians

You’re probably not going to like this commentary, but with most of my readers located in the Bible belt , this won’t be the first time the reading is not to your liking. Being stretched though does have it benefits- even having to grapple with opposites can sometimes bring a new synthesis. Maybe comparing Hitler & Christians could do the the same. Let’s see. Continue reading ‘Hitler & Christians’

Gracious Justice (Part 2)

As Michael Beckwith says, “God created man in His image and then man returned the favor, creating God in our image.” Thus we have created a God that adheres to our cultural and religious bias—and there are many. Funny (and sad) how we think only our values are true while all others are wrong.

 
icon for podpress  Gracious Justice (Part 2 - Poor Audio Recording) [43:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (19)

 
icon for podpress  A Brief Testimony by Ed Blalock (Poor Audio Recording) [7:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (12)