Monthly Archive for August, 2010

A Box Of Chocolates?

Published on August 31, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 4 Comments

In the 1994 movie, Forrest Gump says, “My momma always said, Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  A reading of the New Testament is very much in that same genre. In one place it says that A is A and in another A is B! Why isn’t there more clarity, other than giving me the answer that God doesn’t cast his pearls before swine?

Be more polite please.  :-)

Let me suggest that why there is so much confusion and contradiction in the twenty seven books of the New Testament is because there were so many “competing groups” vying for having their point of view dominate. Let me be brief and list just a few as follows.

1-James the Just, the brother of Jesus was trying to keep Jesus as the Jew that he was without following some of the “non-Jewish” customs that Jesus broke such as not washing their hands before eating, healing on Sunday, etc.

2-Paul didn’t really know Jesus nor was he into the idea of Jesus being any more divine than any of us; rather, it was the universal Christos that Paul was attracted to which is why his more prominent phrase was about the Christos and not any historical Jesus.

3-There was the mythos that developed over the decades and centuries that was felt needed to elevate th historical Jesus to a level of divinity at least on par with the pagans and mystery religions: thus the virgin birth on December 25th, twelve disciples, buried for three days, and other ancient stories.

4-There was the Petrine (Peter the first bishop of Rome) segment who through the edicts of Constantine prevailed over all others (313CE) and developed Christianity into the mold that it largely is seen today.

As numerous scholars have admitted, Paul preached the gospel of immanent Christ- Peter stood for the fact and the message of a personal Jesus. Being a non-dualistic as I think I am from time to time, I believe I have come to a reconciliation of those two views. The Christos, divinity of the universal God dwells within me and I also embrace the LOVE of a personal Jesus and Abba Father.

Where are you?

You Can’t Serve Two Masters!

Published on August 30, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 1 Comment

Luke 16:13 reads, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Let’s say that it is a good principle but that I know of a few exceptions to that rule.

Are you okay with that? 

I Kings 18:21 reads, “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. But the people did not answer him a word.”  So, let me leap from those two platforms to the more difficult intellectually gymnastic move of serving a god within and a god without! 

Say What? More information please. 

I’ve discovered that many of those who have a THEISTIC view of God (God out there who intervenes from time to time) seemingly can’t get a grip on a God that’s WITHIN. Payers must be to a deity WITHOUT- somewhere out there. Now, I know that God is both transcendent and immanent; however, the PERSONAL (can you say loving?) God can only be WITHIN for me. The mental construct of God’s attributes are more akin to James 1:8 (double minded) for me. Nor, can I be double hearted (Ps. 12:2). 

I live and love the God within. 

I can’t serve a master out there and at the same time a God in here. Have you thought about it? Maybe if you experimented with each for a season you’d be able to determine IF there really is a difference- in the results of your life. Whatcha got to lose? 

Whatcha got to GAIN?

In The Beginning God

Published on August 29, 2010 in Sermon Podcasts. 0 Comments

Many Christians think that God created earth just for them and that it’s their duty to get everyone to convert to Christianity. After the first four words of the Bible, we find the words, “created heaven and earth”, not Created Christianity!

In The Beginning God [ 37:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (49)

The Baby & Bath Water

Published on August 29, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 1 Comment

Every society has been built on previous societies. Who doesn’t know that?

Every person carries some of the genes from which they came. Who doesn’t know that?

Every religion is built on the shoulders of previous ones. Who doesn’t know that?

There is a big difference though in using the phrase “built on”, and the phrase “the same as”. Who among us do not hope that our children will have a better life than we? Who doesn’t want to see the next generation go further (in whatever realm) than we have? We are here because, “In the beginning God”. We are built ON and IN the image of God-Consciousness-Creator-Etc.

But after the CREATION, then what?

1-Evolution in part

2-Near extinctions in part

3-Exponential jumps (axial ages) in part

We are here because of those that have gone before; however, we have lost touch with past civilizations, we have lost previously known technologies, and we have forgotten who we are in many ways. This is true in part because of our EGOS. We think we are so much better than societies that came before us when in fact if one were to compare what they knew and did with what they had available to them, they might be miles ahead of where we are today with what we have.

When we come to the place of thinking we’re so much smarter, we’re in trouble.

Nor can we throw the baby out with the bath water. Because such-n-such was the case 10,000 years ago doesn’t mean that was the case 5,000 years ago, and 500 years ago. We are all making judgments from biased platforms and the best advice we could follow is to honor those that have come before while holding lightly to where we think we are in comparison. In fact, it might be good to not throw any the bath water out t all; instead, let us transform it into: Fiji, Evian, or Dasani!

Wanna drink?

The Christos In Jesus!

Published on August 28, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 1 Comment

I’d like for you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Christ…………..NOT! 

You’d be amazed at the number of Christians who think Jesus had a last name and it was Christ. The reality is that Jesus developed the divine spark that was within him and he became so familiar with that “divine within” that he called it “Abba Father”. While God is not a PERSON, and therefore separate from you and I, we human have an emotional need to see God as Papa and to describe God the Creator in various anthropomorphic means. 

God is not a PERSON.  God is Spirit! 

There is no, “God in three persons, blessed trinity”, as the song goes.  

God is Consciousness and we are a part of that consciousness or as other metaphors depict: a ray of the sun, a wave of the ocean, etc. 

Alvin Boyd Kuhn puts it this way, “It is beyond question that the word ‘Christ’ means the flower of divine consciousness in man and nothing else whatever.” The self-acclaimed apostle, Paul, says that we have to build up the body of Christ until we all attain unto the unity of faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full grown man; unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 

So, how could we do that IF we’re talking about a PHYSICAL man? 

You know the answer. 

One can easily get all caught up in the dogma and doctrines of religion and miss the message that Jesus came to deliver, which was the Kingdom of God is at hand and God is LOVE!

Ancient Time Capsules

Published on August 27, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 1 Comment

The Gospel of Judas is just one of many “time capsules” that give us insights to the life and times of Jesus. 

Known as the codex Tchacos, a leather-bound Coptic papyrus was discovered during the 1970s, near Beni Masah in Egypt. It has been translated and appears to be a text from the late 2nd century A.D. describing the story of Jesus’ death from the viewpoint of Judas.  What Christian in their right (pun intended) mind would embrace such nonsense? 

Don’t answer that! 

The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel purported to document conversations between the apostle Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. The document is not claimed to have been written by Judas himself, but rather by Gnostic followers of Jesus. That of course is a lot more truthful than other books of the “authorized canon”. 

Know what I mean Gene? 

The 1940′s and 50′s find known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi works are indeed time capsules that give us insight to life 2,000 years ago. What makes those works, Gnostic or otherwise, any lesser of value than the twenty seven books of the New Testament. The answer is that the “church authorities” (those who want to protect their vested interests, which are many and great) deem anything but the twenty seven books as heretical. 

Heretical as opposed to orthodox; otherwise known as MY WAY! 

Robert Eisenman wrote, “The Dead Sea Scrolls have changed everything. They have given us native documents that did not go through Roman Empire editorial processing and were thereby untouched. These documents are a “time capsule” before the theology went overseas and became Hellenized,”  Well, that sure puts a nail in the “literal coffin”, as if we needed yet another! 

We have a choice. 

We can either embrace the ideas, attitudes, theories, and world views of 2,000 years ago as seen by the redactors and revisionists, or we can listen to what the original, hidden manuscripts have to tell us. For me, it’s a matter of blending them together and not siding with the either or complex. 

How about you?   

What’s your take mate?

Victors Write History!

Published on August 26, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 1 Comment

Finding the FACTS about history is difficult at best! 

Not only is history being constantly rewritten, altered to make the case of the redactor,  it is also subject to being forgotten. I’ll never forget my college history teacher, Dr. West, saying, “The best way to kill a culture or society is to not allow them to be able to read any books for one generation.” That was of course pre computers, pre nook, and pre iPad, etc. 

The burning and destruction of the library at Alexandria is a classic example. 

The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and most significant great library of the ancient world. No one will ever know how many books were lost, nor how much history of the world. What we do know though (as an example) is that a single piece of writing might occupy several scrolls, and this division into self-contained “books” was a major aspect of editorial work. King Ptolemy II Philadelphus  is said to have set 500,000 scrolls as an objective for the library. Mark Antony supposedly gave Cleopatra over 200,000 scrolls for the library as a wedding gift. 

And then how many books did Constantine and the Catholic Church burn when they decided what they wanted in the Bible? 

Thankfully some manuscripts were buried and we’ve recently found some (Nag Hammadi and Dead Sea Scrolls). However the tragedy of history cannot be restored. What we can do today though is to teach our kids to READ, be readers ourselves, and particularly be students of the Bible and other religions of the world. 

And never forget that victors write history, not the losers.

The ‘Gospel Truth’?

Published on August 25, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 1 Comment

The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, Nag Hammadi  find, and other recent archaeological digs have been changing the landscape of modern-day Christianity. I am not talking about the Gospel “OF” Truth though but the English idiom expression, “Gospel Truth” which means: solemn truth, plain truth, a hard fact, and the very truth.

But, there are many IDIOMS that from time to time make IDIOTS of us.

>A piece of cake

>A shot in the dark

>A slap of the wrist

>A slip of the tongue

>A drop in the bucket

>Against the grain, and hundreds more!

For those that have not decided that 2,000 year old interpretations, translations, and paradigms on the life of Jesus are entirely true and literal, there’s an even deeper meaning to be mined. The Gospels are more LITERATURE than HISTORICAL documents, which doesn’t say there isn’t history in the Gospels.

The four Gospels are FOUR VIEWS!

Each writer, and we know not exactly who the authors were since none are originals and none bear the NAME that we’ve since given them, was directing their writing to a specific audience with definite goals in mind. Irenaeus informs us that the Gospels were meant to be READ ALOUD in congregations and that it wasn’t until around 185 that all four Gospels were available to the masses, and not just regionally.

This is not a put-down of any of the richness that each Gospel imparts to us.

The main point that needs to be recognized is that there are differences, contradictions, and yes errors among the four (or more) writers of those Gospels. So, to tell someone that it’s the GOSPEL TRUTH might not be the best defense in a court of law or otherwise.

A Community Of Truth!

Published on August 24, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

Some people are smarter than others! So, tell me something I don’t know! 

There are some very bright people on the planet. Stephen Hawkings comes to mind when I think of people in our day. This British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific career spans over forty years, amazes me especially in light of his physical handicap. He is a true model of an individual not allowing a physical handicap of preventing him from some DEEP thinking. 

In the realm of spiritual matters I have been blessed with HUNDREDS of teachers. 

But I am kept on my toes by the local LRC community who challenge me, inspire me, and give me daily reasons to push the limits on what’s truth and what’s not. I’m reminded of a statement by Aristotle in this regard, as I quote him. 

“No one is able to attain the truth adequately, while, on the other hand, no one fails entirely, but everyone says something TRUE about the nature of things, and while individually they contribute little or nothing to the TRUTH, by the UNION of all a considerable amount is amassed.” 

Life isn’t about the brightest or smartest! 

I am grateful to those who excel in specific areas of life: engineering, sales, business, education, mechanics, chemistry, computers, and so forth. However, when they all come together as a community that respects and cares for one another LIFE takes on a whole new meaning. May everyone find that community to which they can become a part, contribute, and keep the RIVER of LIFE (LOVE) flowing. 

Quoting John Donne, “No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

Spiritual Cyanosis

Published on August 23, 2010 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

The BP oil spill has created a lot of rumors. One of the longer term facts though is what’s called Blue Flu. 

Blue Flu is the exposure to the toxic and oxygen depleted Gulf air and water which puts people in immediate danger of permanent and irreversible biological damage… if not death. It’s called CYANOSIS!

How humans and animals biologically react to cyanosis depends on the severity of exposure and time of exposure. At first, the body will compensate as best it can. But sooner or later, the body is overcome and severe complications begin. Without enough oxygen, the body will begin to rot and die from the inside out. The outward signs can be numbness in extremities, swollen necks and throats, blue lips, dark purple tongues, blue or gray skin color, and even bloodshot eyes as the body attempts to filter out the toxins.

Too many people suffer from SPIRITUAL CYANOSIS!

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:6-7, NKJV).We LIVE by the breath, spirit, consciousness, energy, light, and love of God. Pick any of those words, but whatever you do BE THEM! We know for numerous studies that babies who are born without  love, touching, and kind words die much sooner than later.

In religion today there are many levels of SPIRITUAL CYANOSIS.

One can walk into some church services and immediately sense and feel the presence of God while at the same time experiencing law, control, and earth in another assembly. Which all reminds me of the song, BREATHE!

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

And I, I’m desperate for you
And I, I’m I’m lost without you

Are you?