by Roxanne -

A Walk With God

Photo TheInterviewWithGod.com

Imagine taking a walk with God. This presentation will inspire and uplift you. God lives in the deepest part of our being. We can walk with God anytime we connect with our true self.

If you are interested in different ways of imagining God watch the film Quantum Activist with physicist Amit Goswami (Netflix Play Instantly), read John Haught’s 101 Questions On God and Evolution, the best selling novel The Shack or simply read the bible.

In the bible, God is portrayed as an architect and potter in Genesis, a cloud of smoke and a pillar of fire in Exodus, even a burning bush. In the gospels, Jesus uses over 39 images for God including God as a woman with a lost coin, God as water that sustains us, and God as a vine.

In her book Models of God, theologian Sallie McFague presents us with the rich images of God as a mother, a lover and a friend. These images place God directly into the deepest and most intimate relationships we will ever have. While these images may be new for some, they are actually quite old. She has pulled these images directly from the bible. In the Book of Hosea, God is described as our mother and as Job’s friend in the Book of Job. An entire book of the bible is devoted to describing God as a lover – the Song of Songs.

What are your images of God? What new ones could you add?

You may also like The Fourth Dimension, Chronicles of Narnia and Happiness is a Choice.

by Roxanne -

Golden Temple Guests

My last post asked the question, “Who is a guest?” At the Golden Temple this question is answered every day. The least among us are treated like royalty. DH writes,

“I ate lunches there, and washed dishes and even helped cook some of the stuff, about 5 times… Quite an experience, very much like the pics show. The one thing about Golden Temple: It is CROWDED beyond anything Americans or Westerners EVER feel comfy with. You get about 15 cubic inches of space <G>… The picture of the kid sleeping is quite peaceful, but when I was there, there would have been another 15 folks sitting, sleeping and otherwise occupying the space in the picture… And yeah, the kid would have been asleep unbothered right in the middle of that :)))”

This is the vision. See for yourself. Take a virtual visit to the The Golden Temple.

You may also like Malls of Justice, Does Everyone Have a Voice? and Babette’s Feast.

by Roxanne -

The Guest

Reframe. Who is a guest? This intriguing film clip provides yet one more way to understand the core of Christian theology – in order for any of us to be saved, healed or made truly whole, ALL of us must be healed.

As St. Paul wrote long ago, “All of creation is groaning, laboring toward salvation, toward becoming a new creation” (Romans 8:19). In other words, we are saved together.

Similarly, in this short film which you can click and watch: The Guest, Henrik Malmgren writes, “In a society where we take care of each other with bullets, the old widow Elsa is trapped in old habits. When her lonely dinner gets brutally interrupted, Elsa makes a decision that changes more than her own life, understanding that Paradise is lost without others.” (Emphasis mine)

You may also like You’re Invited!, Salut! To Your Health, and Come to the Feast!.

by Roxanne -

Fundamentalism Is Fatal

Photo Beliefnet.com

Not too long ago I came across a someone who was profoundly fundamentalist. What do I mean by “fundamentalist”?

Fundamentalists believe that not only do they know what God wants them to do – they know what God wants me to do too! This is appallingly arrogant and narcissistic on two counts. First, it insists that the fundamentalist somehow knows more than other people know about others’ own lives. Second, it insists that the fundamentalist knows more than God (Spirit) working in the heart of the other person! This is pathological narcissism at its worst.

I was raised in a fundamentalist home by parents masquerading as Catholic. Catholicism, by definition, rejects fundamentalism. The term “Fundamentalist Catholic” is an impossibility and an oxymoron.

Catholicism requires on-going reflection and listening to the Spirit; in one’s heart, in one’s life, in one’s prayer. We can never know what God is calling someone else to do. The truth is that it’s often difficult to know for sure what God wants us to do. One of the fruits of the Spirit is that God will often lead us to a surprising decision, one we hadn’t considered or thought of. Usually, it’s a decision others haven’t thought of either. This belief that every person must search and follow their own conscience is called “Primacy of Conscience.” It’s a cornerstone of Catholicism.

From my upbringing I do know that fundamentalists are closed-minded, controlling and judgmental. Any attempts to convince them that they may not know best for others will result in denial, inappropriate displays of anger or manipulative behavior.

On the other hand, living in the Spirit is welcoming, curious, engaging and joyful. One is death-dealing, the other life-giving. We must choose with whom we spend our brief, but precious lifetime.

Fundamentalists repel others the way oil repels water. In the end, I think it’s true that God/reality separates the wheat from the weeds (Matt 13:24-30).

You may also like Difficult People, Irish Heritage, Exercise Your Mind, Question the Culture, and Salut! To Your Health!

by Roxanne -

Come to the Feast!

Jesus’ image for the Kingdom, salvation or healing and wholeness is most often a wedding banquet, a dinner or a feast. Life can be a feast – if we enter in.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus moves from one dinner, one feast, to another. The gospel of Luke is a series of dinners, feasts and banquets. Ask yourself “Why?”

Entering into the feast is not about creating a life of comfort. Rather it is about entering more deeply into life and allowing it to wash over us. This is a risk. Life is a risk. God took this same risk in creating a world with free will, a world free to be and to choose. We, in God’s image, must also take this risk.

In the gospels, the authors have Jesus using the Greek term metanoia. Originally this was translated as “repent.” But the modern meaning of this word means we miss the original meaning. Metanoia means “change your mind” or “see reality differently.” Jesus’ concern was not that we would do something wrong or “sin.” Rather his concern is that we would view life wrongly and miss the feast.

Jesus wanted us to enter into the feast – the feast of life, the feast of the world. All are invited. Think of the movie Harry Potter and the feasts at Hogwarts. This is a marvelous image of a feast! Everyone gathers. There are untold delights to sample, savor and explore. There is abundance – enough for all. Conversations happen. Thoughts and feelings are shared.

In Jesus’ banquets we come to be served and to serve. Serving is how we are re-oriented outward or healed. Healthy relationships must be mutual.

All have a place at the table. Can you change your mind? Can you see the enchanted feast of your life?

You may also like Babette’s Feast, Movie “Waitress” It’s All in the Pie, You’re Invited!.