I just launched a new blog today; A Paradigm Shift For Thoughtful Evangelicals

I just launched a new blog today. It is called A Paradigm Shift For Thoughtful Evangelicals. It is a blog that will unfold my paradigm shift five hundred words at a time. This is a shift that I have gone through over a period of time and I think that it could have an important effect on Christianity if enough people would grab a hold of it. At this point I am hopeful...that is cautiously optimistic. I hope you would pass it on to as many people as you think would be interested.


Check it out.

Holism; the future begins now

It is interesting to me that we humans fragment our existence. We compartmentalize so to speak. Thus, our lives are compartmentalized and fragmented. By this I mean that we have a certain way to be at work, another at home, another in our spiritual pursuits and it is not often that we are able to be a whole natural person. This is especially true with what I should like to call our practical selves and our spiritual selves. This is in my view the most compartmental and fragmented part of our existence. It seems to be quite difficult to merge our practical and spiritual selves. To be certain that I am communicating, I will define as precisely as possible the practical self and the spiritual self.

First, I define the practical self as the self that engages in commerce, politics, education and, socialization. It is the self that cooks meals, cleans the house, mows the lawn. It is the self that writes letters and communicates and eats meals. In other words it is the self that advances living day by day. The spiritual self then is the self that wonders about why we exist, that senses that there is more to life than what meets the eye. It is the self that is religious and superstitious. It is the creative self that seems connected to the muses. It is the self that senses the presence of God.

In many people, all too often these selves are separated and, as I have written in previous paragraphs they are fragmented and compartmentalized. This is not natural; children are not this way naturally. They are far more comfortable uniting the two. They are more holistic by nature and it seems that as they grow up and learn the ways of the elders they become more and more compartmentalized less holistic. I would like to suggest that we would be better off if we were able to have a more holistic approach to life. Connecting the natural mind and the spiritual mind brings about a level of creativity and problem solving that is not possible in a fragmented model of being.

This is one of the things that I am discovering as I do holosync. Without going into the workings of holosync technology, it seems to me that this type of meditation works toward allowing the practical and the spiritual to work together. This can be especially helpful in working the law of attraction. This allows me to bring affirmations of creativity into the practical realm. I guess what I am saying is that it is a good thing to take our awareness of the presence of the divine into the work place. I do not mean in the judgmental ways of condemning or approving of ones behaviors and mannerisms; not in an evangelical way of trying to get another person to think a certain way or be a certain way. I mean rather that it is good to realize the holistic nature of our selves and to allow the communication of the spiritual nature to interact with the practical. I am confident that it will add to success in very dynamic ways.

If you would like to comment it would be appreciated. This is an idea that welcomes discussion and disagreement.

Perfect love casts out fear

There seems to be a lot of fear mongering these days on every front. People are fearful of the economy, of the government, of gangs, of terrorists, of national debt and, the list goes on and on. From my evangelical circle connections come warnings of impending judgment and doom. It seems that fear is prevalent and, a driving force in day to day living and, yet those who are spiritual from many different persuasions have a message of the unconditional and undying love of the God of the Universe. Many are afraid, (here is fear again ;), of the connotation that the term God has received by various religious groups and, thereby are fearful to use the term; Yet, Bill Harris, in his Longevity CD, presents the following affirmation. “You are vibrating with energy, perfection and love,” What an interesting phrase; energy, perfection and love describe God. In other words, he suggests that we are vibrating God; that God indwells us at a molecular level. The New Testament says something very profound and I quote, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1John, 4).

As I meditate these days, I am becoming increasingly aware of the fact that I personally must allow myself to be made perfect in love and this realization casts out all fear and brings peace. In other words, being in the presence of God casts out fear and being in the presence of God is as easy as acknowledging his presence in all things. It is living in the present moment, in the now (thanks Eckhart Tolle). The present moment is the presence.

I am tired of the fear mongering. If you are fear mongering, don’t share it with me. On the other hand, if you are vibrating with energy perfection and love, I will take all the encouragement I can get. I want to reclaim some of the terms that have been co-opted and corrupted by evangelical Christianity. The indwelling Christ, the Christ within is this vibration of energy perfection and love. If you want to thump the bible, claim a specific revelation and, demand that a certain meaning is absolute then go ahead, but I for one am going to begin to use the combination of terms and allow them to have a new earth meaning. There are ways that we can be far more inclusive and remain true to an abiding faith in Christ. I am hopeful that over time more and more people of all faiths will embrace this ideal.

Finally, if this post seems to be scary remember that perfect love casts out all fear and that the one who fears has not been perfected in love.  I am trying my best not to throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to my Christian walk and faith. I know, a good writer shouldn’t use so many clichés but sometimes you have to

The Forty Day Rule

Remember the scene in the movie the secret where they were explaining why things don’t manifest immediately when you think them; it was an elephant in the room and the aftermath of what that may have meant….big smile. I have come to realize that there is a specific time lag in the manifestation of intentions. It is the six weeks rule or more accurately the forty-day rule. Why forty days you ask? Well we can find that forty days is an important period of time in the bible. After all, Jesus went into the desert to fast for forty days after receiving the Holy Spirit. It essentially took forty days before he returned to manifest his spiritual power.

Think about it; it is said that it takes between thirty and forty days to create a habit, and personally, I intuitively go with the idea that it takes forty days. In fact, I would encourage you to test out this theory. Anything that you can put your attention towards for forty days will begin to manifest. Often, when it appears that the law of attraction is not working for people they tend to give up rather quickly and I know that I have been guilty of this myself. How often do we put our attention toward any kind of an affirmation for forty days straight? There are ancient calendars that have the years broken into forty day segments.

You can find this explanation at creation-answers.com “A quite exact cross-reference between the cycle of the solar day and the cycle of the solar year can thus be recognized in the rate of a 40-day cycle--where the rate of 1 day in 40 days is equal to 2.5 percent of time and the rate of 3205 days in 9 years is equal to 97.5 percent of time. (The combination of these two rates of days--when extended perpetually throughout time--can be used to effectively account for 100 percent of the passage of each annual annual circle on the average).”

There are other sources that speak of forty days and you can find out about it at the creation-answers website. Numerology and the cycle of nine relates nicely to the forty day period.

I would like to have a group of people test this theory. If you would sincerely concentrate and focus on affirmations for forty days, and give me feedback it would be greatly appreciated. You can give me the feedback at joe@rijenterprises.com. Here is what I propose you do. Mark the calendar and begin to concentrate with your full intention for forty days. I would appreciate a detailed report of your findings. You should develop affirmations for the forty-day period. You should concentrate, meditate and put your full present intention on this for forty days. I am believing that you will be amazed with the results and will be able to give positive feed back.

Remember. Email me with the results in forty days.

Freeing Your Mind by Roy Heeley; A book review

I recently read an e-book written by Roy Heeley entitled Freeing Your Mind. It is an excellent read that will help you evaluate your thinking and provide you specific steps to alter your thinking which in turn will help you have a more positive outlook which will bring more positive outcomes in your life. Roy writes about “life sentences” which, is a play on words meaning that we often speak and think things that become self fulfilling prophecies that act like “life sentences” to us. These “life sentences” keep us bound in deleterious thought patterns that continue to manifest things that are not in our best interest and, end up causing us trouble in life.

Here is Roy’s own words about life sentences: “So what are these Life Sentences that I am talking about and affect our lives so significantly? Well as you can imagine from the name, just like a lifetime jail sentence, it’s something that that places you in bondage, holds you captive and controls your life. It’s every bit as confining and limiting as a jail cell but, resides in the confines of the mind, the sub-concious.”

He goes on to provide details that are very helpful in understanding this phenomenon. He helps you identify some of the “life sentences” that may be operating in your mind. Things that people say when you are a child often form these things very deeply. You may have been told that you cannot carry a tune, or you’re no good at math; they can be sentences that adults say to you that keep being repeated until they become a belief that your subconscious mind believes and acts upon.

He also offers techniques that will help to free you from these life sentences ergo, the title Freeing Your Mind. The method that he recommends and uses as a life and motivational coach is EFT by Larry Craig. If you are inclined to look at books like the Secret, The Power of Now and A New Earth, you will do yourself a favor by reading Freeing Your Mind. You can find it here and you can check out Roy’s blog and website. Thanks Roy!

A New Story for a New World: Post III; Atonement 2

Moving on with post three of this series, let me remind you of the genesis of this project. Frank Spencer of KedgeForward challenged, invited as many as would be willing, to blog a new story for a new world. His hope was that the collective story would begin to frame a new way of being and thinking in the twenty-first century.

I have been blogging about how personal mysticism and atonement fit into the new story…at least, my new story. I look at atonement as at-one-ment, i.e., being at one with the source of all that is, God the Father. I think it will be beneficial for me to look at the way the “old story” viewed atonement and contrast that with the way I see it today.

I grew up among fundamentalist Protestants and was introduced to the penal substitutionary theory of atonement for much of my life. Simply put, it posits that mankind fell through Adam and Eve, and that Jesus paid the penalty for the fall and all sin. As I advanced theologically, I began to adopt the Christus Victor theory of the atonement which, basically acknowledges the divine conflict between good and evil that holds humans captive, and looked to Christ as the victor or liberator. Now however, I do not accept either one and look at it a little differently.

The phenomenon that has been called sin by the church is really a condition that is the result of greed. The ego, the alone separate self…the self separated from awareness of the divine connection, is subject to death. Death through the survival instinct brings about the condition of greed. Further reasoning, the knowledge of good and evil, brings the ability to judge into existence and, humans can judge between right and wrong. The problem is that the survival instinct breeds greed. Individuals that are unaware of their eternalness or at the very least not sure about it, feel alone separated from the source of all that is, God the Father. In reality at a deep subconscious level, they judge themselves as inferior and try to avoid it by dwelling on the past or hoping for the future…but never really address the present moment, the place where eternity resides. Outwardly, they judge themselves right and others wrong. In this way, the knowledge of good and evil and mortality work together to create human suffering via separated egos.

So then, Jesus had perfect faith in the source of all that is, Father God. He was able to set aside his ego/self because he was connected by faith to the source. The bible states that he was the first born of many brothers and sisters. He was the first born, the first human that was certain of his eternal connectedness to the Father. He was so sure of this fact that he could completely lay his ego aside even to the point of willingness to die. His death and resurrection demonstrated his eternalness. He realized that he was at-one with God. He was the pattern that would allow us to set our egos aside and believe in our eternalness. Though faith in his story we can have that same faith in our connection to the source of all that is, God the Father. 

Don’t forget to check out the other blogs in this project and if you blog, take up the challenge yourself and share your new story for a new world.

A New Story for a New World: Part Two; Atonement 1

I think that it was fitting that I began this series with a post about do-it-yourself-mysticism because it implies that we jointly and severally, are able to receive creative ways to look at things from the source, the mind at large…i.e., the spiritual eternal oneness. In the past, and especially within Judeo Christian tradition, this has been referred to as revelation. It is a connection with something outside ones self that brings clarity of thought and purpose to the story. It allows the story to be reframed and retooled to be a benefit to a specific situation or occasion. Thus, the scripture as we Christians know it, was as Luther stated, occasional. While I am not trying to be bold and say that I think that I or anyone else is writing scripture, I would argue that the Apostle Paul et. al., did not think that they were writing scripture either…although there is an obscure passage in 2Peter that suggests that they were but, that is more than likely a reflective comment made by some well meaning editor many years distant from Peter.

I want to get back to the point at hand but the previous digression was/is important for framing the ideas to be set forth. The word atonement is rich, perhaps smothered in connotation from the “old story.” It shall be my purpose in this series of posts to create a bridge between Christianity and its view of “a new earth” and Eckhart Tolle’s. Hopefully there will be a connection or a synthesis that will allow a meaningful dialogue of interested parties and so, I hope for a rich reaction, interaction that is made possible so readily in the social media setting. In other words, I think that atonement is an important part of one’s relationship with the source, the mind at large, God, The Father. I list all of these because I think that a more inclusive way of story telling is absolutely critical to synthesis. It will allow diverse belief systems to dialogue and perhaps find common ground that is the experience of all people and will lead toward a “new world” new earth kind of thinking.

Atonement….at-one-ment, being one with the source, God, is “the” necessary ingredient for a personal relationship with deity. In fact, I would argue that it is impossible to have a relationship of any kind with the source without this at-one-ment. It implies a reconciliation between a person and the eternal. In traditional Christian doctrine, the atonement, is the remedy for the fall. I would like to try to create a word at this point and label the fall as the atmanyment, (at-many-ment.) It is the birth of the ego which separates one from the source. Any of you who are students of Tolle recognize this quite readily. In reality the fall is aloneness awareness.

Now in Christian thought, Jesus of Nazareth is the source of at-one-ment. He is the reconciler, that bridges the aloneness and brings one into the realized awareness of being atoned, at one with God. I am going to divide this into digestible chunks as I go along. My first purpose is to demonstrate that there is potential for a common description of how this story can be made a part of our new story for a new world.

Next time, I will begin to look at the historical view of atonement, how it formed the old story and will try to weave ways in which we can see it as a fresh story that will help our spiritual development. I have already run over on this one…I try to keep my posts at the 500 word essay limit. Don’t forget to keep watching the other blogs in this project. KedgeForward, Zoecarnate, Transmillenial Blog and, The Sensual Jesus.

A New Story for A New World: Part One; “do-it-yourself-mysticism”

I got this idea from the KedgeForward Blog and Frank Spencer. It’s a great idea and fits in quite well with my goals here on the Freedom Blog. Simply put, Frank is encouraging and challenging as many as will participate to begin to create a new story for a new world. This assumes the obvious. The old story is tired and spent. It is told in yesterday’s language with yesterday’s ideas and quite frankly, it lacks relevance for us today. I know that is what I have experienced in the past as I tried to live out and practice my faith in community. I have shifted, changed course and, am heading to previously unexplored vistas. Well, that is not entirely true…in the earlier college days and for me, that was quite a while ago, I explored these vistas to a degree but without a focus on my personal relationship with Jesus and the Father. Let me state right from the beginning… I have a personal relationship with Jesus and the Father but, do to the old story narrative, and connotation, you will find that my meaning is different than the classic evangelical meaning but, in the ways that are important, it is the same.

So anyway…let me move forward with the sub title/theme, “do-it-yourself-mysticism.” Let me state plainly in the new story context, mysticism is for everyone that wants to develop it. In the old story, it is often relegated to the elders and those that have been given the public approval for spirituality but, I have found over a relatively long life that mysticism has always been something that I could practice if and when I chose to. By mysticism, I mean to partake of the divine nature or to be one with the source of all that is. It means to participate in supernatural healing and deliverance from the snarls and snags of life. While others, influenced by the old story say that one must be prayed up, confessed up and all other kinds of ups, I have found that the source of all that is…Father God, is accessible to all, at all times if we but believe. There have been so many times that I have witnessed the power of God move in and on my behalf when if the truth was known, the elders of the old story would have said it was impossible.

So then, the new story for the new world must emphasize this fact. It is an empirical fact as I can testify of its efficacious reality. It works in the midst of meditation and many other things frowned upon by those married to the old story and the old world. The new story will be far more inclusive than the old story. The new story will unite where the old story divides. But, the new story cannot evolve without a willingness to embrace new ideas……..I hope that the language I have chosen will alert my evangelical friends to the fact that I am still a staunch believer in Jesus…..and that my new age friends will be less afraid of the term Jesus and Father God, and allow old connotations to melt away. You can see other post on this topic at the following blogs: Kedge Forward, Zoecarnate, The Sensual Jesus and, the Transmillenial Blog.

While you are at it check out this video; Frank Spencer

Holosync, The Power of Now, the Law of Attraction, and Christian Faith.

Looking at the big picture spiritually, there is a way in which all of the above title aspects fit together very well. My wife and I just began the Holosync Program from CenterPoint Research. Essentially, this program uses tones to bring about a deep meditative state. I must admit that after just a few sessions, I am inclined to sing the praises of holosync’s effectiveness. I have never found an easier way to meditate and it produces a deep relaxing state. It is explained in the material that the tones themselves bring about the meditative state. I began to try some experimentation as I use the holosync program and the results are amazing in my view.

Here’s what I have begun to experiment with. During my time of meditation, I make audible affirmations that coincide with the ideas of The Power of Now, A New Earth and the Law of Attraction. I use the meditative state to become aware of me the observer, that is the self that can be aware of the connection to the source in the present moment. I literally become aware of my connectedness to all that is during this time. It is an “I and the Father are one” kind of moment. Likewise, I become acutely aware of the nowness of all time, or to put it another way, of the fact that in reality the only time that exists is the present moment. There is a grand lucidity in all of this that makes me realize that this can be a perfect time of creativity in my thought processes. The affirmations state the positive aspects of what I have in the now. It is more real than the experience outside of the meditative state and, it is the place where I can call into existence or attract those positive aspects that I am seeking.

I speak to health issues, financial issues, business and success issues as I dwell in the meditative state created by the holosync CD. Interestingly enough, I am beginning to be far more comfortable with my Christianity, that is, my relationship with Christ and the Father as I am in this process. It is an integration of the parts of a whole. My faith in Christ is not separate from all of the present moments and when I acknowledge the now, the connection to the source, I realize that it is a connection to the Father.

I have been freaking out some of my evangelical friends and they fear for me…afraid that I am dipping into demonic or satanic practices. This could not be farther from the truth. Actually, in the beginning there was a slight anxiety that I could feel in combining holosync with my faith, but then, I began to remember biblical phrases like “perfect love casts out all fear” and I realized that this is just another vehicle for bringing me into the presence of God. The power and effectiveness of this comes from being able to bring the aspects of the Law of Attraction into this time of great connectedness to the source of all that is. I hope that as time goes on, I will be able to express this in a vocabulary that will really communicate what I mean. I will keep you posted so keep tuning in.

Thinking and Feeling the Combination for Success

I watched The Secret again last evening. One of the main focuses that I saw running through out the entire video was that it is not enough to just think about your success. You must feel it at the core of your being. Thoughts and feelings must work together to create the great reality you deserve. In the west especially, we are taught and conditioned to be thinking people. If the truth is told, we have established an unwritten law that feelings are bad and should be avoided. We should be rational and think things clearly. But, as Tolle so succinctly points out, the ego has kidnapped the thought process to be focused on non real issues aimed at egoic survival. We think of the past and the future and rarely think about the now, the present moment. We fear the present moment and often see it as our enemy or a means to a future end. It makes sense then to me that ,the visualization (attracting) that we do must be in the present and it must involve both thought and feelings. It must be focused in the present moment. We must see the possession of what we desire now. We must realize that time is not really existent in the eternal nature of absolute spiritual reality.

This will allow us to think about the fact that we have this success (whatever it is, car, home, money) now, and it must be linked to the good feelings that are caused by the realization of this fact. We must visualize the thing that we are attracting to be a reality right now and we must then acknowledge how it makes us feel. The feeling will be joyous and peaceful. One thing that I am finding in writing this is that it is difficult to put into writing a spiritual awareness. I just spoke with my wife while writing and she said that the reason is that we, humanity, are on the verge of awakening. It is only in the now that one can be the observer of the self. In the present moment you can be set apart from your ego and view all of your thoughts and feelings in an objective way. This is the place where you should do your visualization and affirmation, seeing it as a present, now moment and then allowing you the observer to think and feel about the thing you are attracting. This will greatly strengthen the attraction.

Awareness is just the first step on this journey to becoming completely conscious and a participant with the source in the creation process. It is an important step and I think that the combination of thought and feeling will make the law of attraction work for you.

The Law of Attraction and Social Media Networking

If any of you business owners are interested in the Law of Attraction or, if any of you Law of Attraction enthusiasts are interested in being entrepreneurs, consider this. Social media networking is a perfect way to allow the universe to bring your positive affirmations to fruition. I don’t want to downplay the role that hard work plays in success but, one must also acknowledge that positive thinking and affirmation are a big part of success also. If any of you are interested in the word of faith or prosperity movement, just so you know, positive confession is affirmation. In fact, it should be obvious that the individuals who used “The Secret” so well were masters at networking. So then, it should naturally follow that since social media has become the powerful networking force that it is, it only makes sense that one who is trying to take advantage of thought creativity should use the social media networks as an important tool. I guess one could call it spirituality 2.0.

Since we see at the molecular level that all that we come in contact with, all that we own and participate in, where we live and work, what we drive, where we sleep, and all of our recreation including the beautiful scenery we enjoy on vacation is merely vibrating energy; It may behoove us to consider positive thought process in all that we say and do. The “law of attraction” guru’s all tell us that we can create our success in life. They state that we can bring positive vibrations into our energy fields that create reality for us. If this is true, and I believe that there is a lot of truth to it, then, it makes perfect sense to incorporate a social media strategy in all that we do so that it will make it easier for the universe, the source, to create prosperity and success.

Next time you form a connection with some one think about how you can benefit them in creating success and likewise how they can help you to bring about the success you desire. I think that this kind of a “what can I give” attitude will go a long way toward bringing prosperity and success your way. So then, socialize your self all you want….it has a “Secret” purpose.

The Pain Body and Demonology; The Cure Redemption

In re-reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, chapter six, “Breaking Free,” the story that he tells about counseling a woman with a dense pain body and the events that followed remind me a lot of what Charismatic Christians say about demons and exorcism. The conclusion one would have to draw is that the collective pain body as Tolle refers to it is a spiritual entity with a maleficent mission. He even suggested that when the woman was able to release some of it, that it perhaps followed along with him to a restaurant and found a willing participant there.

This brings me to the idea of spiritual evil and pain. It certainly seems, if one looks at the nightly news or the cable news channels, that humanity is encumbered with a strong influence of evil. Further, when you look at road rage and, the apparent rage that is generated on both sides of the political spectrum within the health care debate, one must wonder if we are improving or digressing. It seems rather apparent to me that there is definitely a spiritual entity in this world that could be labeled evil or bad. And, it seems that this entity has the capability of taking people over at times. From the earliest times of western civilization it was called demons or the devil. Most all societies have a belief in evil spirits.

So then, it appears that there was at some point in time, some kind of a spiritual fall in humanity that begat the evil that we experience. Tolle explains it as being the development of the ego. In his view, although he does not state this to my knowledge, the devil, Satan is the ego. I like that definition. The survival instinct is the driving force of greed and, greed is the source of all pain and suffering. It was when we inherited the survival instinct coupled with the knowledge of good and evil, or in other words, the ability to judge right from wrong in our minds that the ego began. It came into being to justify why our efforts toward surviving was right and just, and, why when our survival came in conflict with another’s survival it was this ability to judge ourselves as right and the other as wrong that caused the development of ego.

This is why redemption is so important. Whether one can regain the relationship with the source through believing in the cross of Christ, or if they can become present and realize that they are an intricate part of the source, in other words, an intricate part of God, it does not seem to matter. This however is what is necessary for eliminating the pain body and exorcising the devil/ego. This must come from a sure knowledge that we are eternal, that we are considered okay and loved by God, the source and, that we have a purpose and, that purpose is to bring consciousness of the God within into the natural world. Our absolute faith in our eternal state, in our acceptance with God is the very thing that will overcome the greed and thereby help us release the pain body that the ego has caused.

Emergent; Emergent Church, Emergent Creativity, Emergent Marketing: The Emerging Age

There is a radical shift taking place in all of humanity. This awareness comes from a knowing deep within. It is reflected in the hopes of many people in various walks of life with varying focus but, it all points to the fact that on the horizon, just ahead there is great change coming. It comes with the millennial shift as a new age is dawning. It will be an age where the whole person, the whole brain, the whole of society will rise to a heightened awareness with a shift to wholeness of being and wholeness of purpose. It is under way and irreversible.

In the former age, people, families, governments and businesses were compartmentalized. We as individuals have/had one way of being at work, one way of being at home with family, another way of being in church or social groups. I believe that all of these ways of being are becoming merged into a whole. This is certainly suggested by Eckhart Tolle in The New Earth, but as I explore the emerging scene, I find that there are those on the radical front that are already incorporating the spiritual with the natural in new areas, especially in business and marketing. They are suggesting that one, anyone can tap the creative source, the mind at large, God if you will allow that term. While they do not use the term, they point toward the intuitive in a way that validates the idea of the muses.

This shift, as Tolle points out is a shift in awareness of being. We are more than the sum of our parts. It will be interesting to watch how our institutions will react to this shift. I am sure that some will radically oppose the shift and will fight against it every step of the way. In the end however, it will only be those who surrender to the shift that will find that the change will happen painlessly and quietly.

This is a critical time. It is a time to reflect and reevaluate. It is a time to learn and grow and mostly, it is a time of incredible opportunity!

Nuance VS. Tradition

I was a speaker at a conference over the weekend, one of several. It was a conference on evangelism. The setting was an inner city ministry in the San Francisco Bayview District. My goal was to give a fresh perspective on evangelism and discipleship as I see the two inextricably linked. They are two sides of the coin of church/kingdom growth. Since it was a mixture, it seemed to me that the topics sort of canceled each other. In the past, I would have been angry and would have tried to fight against those ideas that I thought were counter productive. Since reading A New Earth by Eric Tolle, I see things differently.

Instead of being up tight, I readily accepted the conference for what it was, i.e. all that it was. An interesting thing happened as a result of that. The course of events evolved to the point where I was able to connect with someone who could really benefit from my understanding...point of view. So, when I was able to recognize my ego getting up-tight and then by simple awareness let go and relax, it all worked out miraculously.

The problem I see with much of evangelical Christianity is, many people cannot distinguish between nuance and tradition when interpreting the bible. It seems that so many think that they can literally understand the bible and that its message is plain. I say that it is only really plain when one looks through the lens of tradition...and then, it is not really plain, but it is easy to pick out the plain traditional message. Furthermore, when people find the Spirit of God, whispering an idea that does not square with the traditional view of interpretation, they discard the voice of the Spirit and sometimes even credit the Spirits promptings with the voice of the Devil.

I believe that the Spirit is showing me by nuance, a slight difference that ends up making a drastic distinction in interpretation. The bible in my view is solely redemptive in its message. It is designed to bring the individual to the point of understanding the great love of God and the lengths that God went to have a relationship with humanity. In the nuance, I see that it does not really support the egoic group constructs that divide so many. I have also learned that I need to let go and allow God to change the situation. He acheives that through me at times one person at a time.

Health Care Reform WWJD

From time to time there arises a political issue that I cannot pass up. The healthcare issue is it for me right now. I cannot believe that there are any people who object to a public option for healthcare. It seems so obvious to me that the politicians who are against the public option and, healthcare reform in general are indebted to the insurance companies. I guess I shouldn't get started on the subject of large corporations and what they are doing to us. One thing is certain, they are not interested in benefiting us common people. They are interested in making as much money and building up as much profits as is possible.

The truth is that we should have a government operated single payer plan here in our country but, I guess we will have to settle for a public option. I would think that the middle class would rise up with anger at those who are trying to thwart the advancement of significant healthcare reform. My goodness gracious...did I say it was obvious that the insurance companies are trying to maintain their profit at the expense of the poor, the uninsured and finally the middle class. Certainly we pay the price for all of the people that insurance companies will not cover. We pay it in higher health care costs.

Next, when the Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats claim that health care will hurt small businesses I think to myself...give me a break! You cannot be serious! A public option would allow small business employers to forget healthcare all together. They would not have to pay for the insurance of their employees period. I suggest that we all look at who is receiving money from the insurance companies and then reach the reasonable conclusion that they are not looking out for us!

Finally, what would Jesus do? Well, read Matthew 25:31-46 and I think you will see that Jesus was all about making sure that we take care of the underpriviledged and less fortunate. In fact, it was selfishness that would cause one to not make it into the kingdom (Matt 25:46). And, for the law of attraction, generosity begets prosperity.

The Self, The Flesh, The Ego

Eckhart Tolle, in his book A New Earth writes about the ego...egoic mind and explains how that keeps us acting in an unconscious manner. According to Tolle, and I believe him, the ego...egoic mind prevents us from experiencing a greater sense of our purpose, of our connection to the source, God and, to the peace and fulfillment that we were created to have. In my view, from a Christian paradigm, it is the ego that keeps us from being aware of the Christ within each of us and, keeps us in what Paul called the flesh and what we have come to call the self.

The ego, the flesh, the self want to be in control of all situations. In fact, we feel helpless and anxious when the self/ego is not in control. The self/ego is our seperateness. It is what distinguishes us from others. It is part of our survival instinct. The ego does not want to surrender to God and his ultimate goodness. It keeps us fearful of what may happen when we are not in control, but, as Tolle points out so graphically, our ego/self/flesh is an illusion. It is really not in control at all... not really.

Therefore, dying to flesh is really dying to the ego...egoic mind, the self. In the beginning of our transformation, it is merely recognizing the ego whenever it shows itself. It is recognizing that there is no past or future but really only "right now." It is in the "now" that we begin to experience the Christ within us. One has to be focused on the Christ within right now. Now, whenever now is for you is really the only time you can experience the Christ within. Tolle points out that we cannot rid ourselves of the ego by our actions or by our doing anything. There is no solution except to be aware that we are connected to the source, his words, I would choose to say the Christ within but in any event, there is no way to be transformed by our connectedness to the Christ within except for seeking it and communing with it in the present moment. We can do this in every present moment. As we recognize our ego, self, flesh for what it is, acknowledge it and then transfer our attention to the Christ within, this is the mechanism for transformation.

So then listen you Christian, you disciple of Jesus Christ, you cannot transform yourself by conforming to written rules and regulations. You can only be transformed when you recognize the self, flesh, ego and surrender it to the Christ within in the present moment. The more consistantly you do this the greater the outward transformation will be and the sooner self, ego, the flesh will die off.

Meditative Prayer

I have recently found that what I call meditative prayer is a very effective technique for my personal prayer time. I call it meditative prayer because I use some of the meditative techniques to prepare for and participate in the prayer. I begin by taking deep breaths and talking my way through the process. Initially, I take three deep breaths to concentrate on my breathing. I instruct my self and my wife as she often participates with me in each of the steps. I will say, "take three deep breaths.....inhale....exhale" and I will repeat this all three times. Next, I tell myself and who ever may be participating with me to stop the dialogue in the mind. I will say just cut off all of the thought chatter and concentrate on your breathing. These techniques tend to bring one into awareness of what is happening right now...at the very moment.

I continue then with relaxation instructions beginning with the feet. This technique can be used either by one sitting down in a chair or by one lying flat on his or her back. I will say, relax all the muscles in the feet and feel the stress of the day and life begin to flow out of the feet. These verbal instructions tend to cause a heightened awareness of the body part spoken of and it begins to tingle and feel very alive. Step by step, the instructions move on to the ankles, thighs and up the body torso to the tip of the head. It is important to mention the neck, forehead and cheeks.

Next in the process is instructions to begin to feel that the Holy Spirit will quicken (bring life) to the physical body. I actually acknowledge this out loud and the awareness comes into being. Of course we realize that this is a scriptural reality promised to all believers but, it helps immensely to become aware of it. You can really begin to feel your body come to life and you can feel a pulsing sensation through out your body and overall you become more and more aware and in tune with the present moment, the now. This is a good time to openly acknowledge the forgiveness that has been received via Christ and furthermore, it is important to recall the things forgiveness is needed for and acknowledge that you also forgive yourself and others. Forgiveness is very important in spiritual growth.

The idea behind all of this is to reduce the thought process and begin to commune on a spiritual level. I find that it really works. The next step that I often take, not always but often is to encourage my spirit to begin to praise God in tongues. The Spirit has allowed me to see that one of the major benefits of unknown tongues is to stop the thinking process and allow the spirit to commune with the Father in the now, i.e., the present moment.

Finally, I begin to thank God for all of my blessings and his goodness and love. I thank and worship him for his kingdom and all that is happening in the realm of spiritual growth. I have felt the anointing rush in my hands and course through my body. It is at this juncture that I totally allow the Spirit to take over and sometimes I will pray for others, sometime I will pray for healing...whatever the Spirit directs that is what I do.

One thing I can say for certain is that I find it to be a powerful experience!

New Age

I find that many of my Christian friends are fearful of the term "New Age" and see it as something to be avoided at all costs. That seems a little curious to me from a group that were the original "new agers." The ushering in of Christianity two thousand years ago brought to fruition a new age that has lasted for two thousand years. It was a shift in worship and awareness of God. It was a major shift in who could worship the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. It was a shift that brought about a new kind of mysticism and relationship with God. It was the "age to come" that was spoken of so often in the New Testament writings. It was prophesied by the great prophet Isaiah who speaking for God wrote, spoke, "behold I do a new thing." Still, when one considers any of the ideas that have come to be labled "new age" many Christians become mortified fearful that hell and damnation is at the very door.

A new age is just that it is a new age. It is a shift in spirituality and awareness of our connection to the God of the universe the ONE creative source of all that is. We are on the dawn, will I scare you if I use the term cusp of a "new age." It is dawning right now! It is so ripe that one can smell it in the air. It is a fragrance of change and the transformation of humanity yet again. Even among some of the most calcitrant evangelicals there is blossoming a new awareness of the Christ within. You can hear more and more of them acknowledging that they can be just like Jesus in this world. There is a longing for the kingdom to manifest in greater power.

Correct me if I am wrong, but one of the main focuses of Christianity is the Holy Spirit and therefore, it is a focus of spirituality and spirit. I think that we can safely embrace the spirit to guide us into all truth. There is much of the truth that is still shrouded from our awareness. Light will illuminate it. Sometimes it takes explorers to uncover new frontiers to later inhabit. There are many explorers that are venturing out into new awareness of spirit and connectedness to the source of all that is. I celebrate this and continue in the spirit of exploration. Maybe we should lighten up just a little with some of our fears. We could possibly miss out on a new land flowing with milk and honey.

One with the Father

Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." He also said, "that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Now then, what does it mean to be one with the Father? Well, for Jesus it meant that he had prefect communion with the Father. Jesus meant for us to be one with the Father just as he was. Yes, that means being one with God; one with the source. That is what we were meant to be. We were meant to have total communion with the Father and to be one with the source. Not disconnected but one with him.

It also means being one with the Father now. Not in the sweet bye and bye; Not someday but right now and always in every now. When we commune with the source we are timeless. In the now with the Father there is only timeless eternity. There is a lot to be gained by reading Eckhart Tolle's *The Power of Now.* The book is devoted to explaining why and how one should be connected to the source in the now. Paul wrote now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Unfortunately, all to often, we allow our minds to keep us in the past or day dreaming of the future.

We tell ourselves that tomorrow we will be successful; we will be happy if only we have this or do that. Friend, the time to be successful and happy is now. In the presence of the Lord there is complete peace and it is something that you experience now. You may remember that you experienced it yesterday but to have peace one has to have it now, in the present moment. Being one with the Father is acknowledging the presence of God; feeling that presence now. Not tomorrow or when you get your life straignt but you must feel the presence of Him now. I encourage you to take time for meditative prayer. Not a prayer where you are asking for something but, a prayer of silence where you are acknowledging the presence of God in the now, in the present. That is what presence means it means that you experience God in the present because he is present.

The Fall, Redemption and What it Means to Humanity Part III

In Part II we discovered that faith is the only way to overcome the greed brought about by the survival instinct. It is in this that Jesus of Nazareth became the first born among many brothers/sisters. If we can truly believe, rest in the certain knowing that we are eternal, then and only then can we transcend the ego and become selfless or unselfish. This was Jesus true obedience. He had perfect faith and, his perfect faith was his obedience. He was able to completely transcend ego. We are told in John's gospel account that Jesus didn't do anything unless he was told to do it by the Father. In this way, Jesus was completely connected to the source. He achieved this via the Holy Spirit, that is to say, the Spirit of God had connected perfectly with his spirit. That was the Christ nature that Jesus had. It is the same Christ/anointing that is promised to the believer. It is the Christ that indwells us and is our hope of glory. Faith in Jesus is what gives us the Christ anointing. If we will truly accept with a deep knowing that we have this Christ in us, the Christ will give life to our natural body.

If we stay connected to the source at all times via the Christ, then we are made alive in the spirit and it is this spiritual life that will bring healing and deliverance. In fact, this is the only place in which humanity can receive true deliverance. It is a deliverance that enables us to transcend the ego just as Jesus did. The scripture also states that as Jesus was in the world so are we. We are if we stay connected to the source by acknowledging the Christ in each of us. It is truly the hope of our glory. It is the hope and the source of the transformation that is approaching. This transformation is a shift in the spirit. It is a shift from the ego to the spirit. It is a shift from greed to selfless love; the agape love of God the source. It is all by virtue of the indwelling Christ which is another way of saying the indwelling ever present spirit of God; our connection to the source.

Herein lies deliverance, healing and the transcendence of the ego. Herein lies the kingdom of God and the shift from ego to anointing. Jesus is the pattern. Let us acknowledge the ever presence of the source, God and thereby we connect to it.

The Fall, Redemption and What it Means to Humanity Part II

In part I we found that the knowledge of good and evil, coupled with mortality or death was/is the cause of most of the suffering in the world. This is at least true of all of the suffering caused by humanity against members of the human race. And furthermore, a future discussion could prove that we, via the same fallen state, are responsible collectively for the suffering caused by nature but, that is another article. This suffering stems from the greed that results from human mortality. This greed is merely the survival instinct left unchecked. This condition creates faulty judgment of what is good and what is evil in the world. Therefore, many times, when people think that they understand good and how to achieve it, they actually are clueless as to what true good is. True good is found in absolute justice and fairness. All of the great religions teach that God is good and just. Jesus stated that there is none good but God. So then, if one is to determine what is truely good, one must be in communication with God or the source of creation. Some people call it the mind at large or collective consciousness. What ever the case, the true knowledge of good can only come from the source. One finds that goodness is the nature of God.

What is the nature of God you may ask? Well, the apostle John stated that God is love. God is selfless love. The apostle Paul describes this love with the following definition: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." It seems that human nature is the opposite of these things. There is no way that natural humanity can fulfill these statements by nature, unless, they gain the qualities of God or the source. If we are made in the image of God, if we are inhabited by the divine, if the divine nature is our true nature then it should be possible for us to have these qualities.

This is where redemption comes into place. Redemption brings us back to the state we enjoyed before we were born into this world. If we are part of the eternal, and I believe we are with all my heart, then we have these timeless qualities. We need to connect with them however. The way to do that is to be able to transcend our mortality. We must be convinced, i.e., know for certain, that we are eternal. This can only be accomplished by faith. We must have faith in the eternal goodness and purpose of God. Furthermore, we must be convinced that we are children of God with a direct connection to the source of creation and the ultimate creating power of the universe and finally, we must rest completely in this knowing. It is not a mental assent. It is not an intellectual knowing. It is a spiritual knowing at the very base of our spiritual existence. It must come from the indwelling Christ/anointing.

In Part III we will look at the role Jesus of Nazareth played in this redemptive process and find out what is meant by the phrase, "the first born of many brethren."

The Fall, Redemption and What it Means to Humanity Part I

When one looks at the violence in the world; at wars and man's inhumanity to man it becomes obvious that we humans suffer from some sort of pathology. I actually prefer the word pathology to the term sin. the term sin has developed a religious connotation over time that I do not think was intended in its original use. Both of the scriptural words translated as sin have essentially the same meaning. CHATA, the Hebrew word translated sin and HAMARTIA the Greek word translated sin have similar meanings. CHATA means to miss the way and HAMARTIA means to miss the mark. In my view this means that one misses the mark or way in terms of God's intention; It means to miss the intention of the creative source of the universe whether one calls it God, the creative source, or the collective consciousness. I like to think of it and describe it as humanities pathology.

So then, how did this pathology enter into the life and affairs of humans? It appears that there was/is some kind of fall. It was/is a falling away from the intention of God. It seems an obvious conclusion to draw whenever one looks at the local or national news broadcasts. The symptoms and results of our pathology seems to be everywhere all the time. Certainly it is not the result of the prototypes eating a certain forbidden fruit. That is a metaphor and the story is an allegory. The creation story however has some interesting truths about it. The fruit is the knowledge of good and evil and the punishment for partaking is death. It would be fair to characterize the reason for the fall, as the combination of the ability to discern good from evil, along side the ever present fact of mortality. These seem to be conditions brought on by the four dimensional universe and self awareness.

Further, it seems that the knowledge of good and evil coupled with mortality are responsible for most of the evil in the world. Death creates the need for the survival instinct. The survival instinct promotes greed. In the animal world this is merely a fact and the strongest deadliest predators triumph over the weaker species. But, when you add the element of the knowledge of good and evil, and one realizes that living is good and death is bad; that abundance is good and scarcity is bad, judgment comes into being. Judgment is a good thing if one judges fairly. However, humans with the survival instinct tend to judge erroneously in favor of themselves. They use the knowledge of good and evil to justify themselves over others. Therefore, the knowledge of good and evil, combined with the human ego controlled by the survival instinct, causes humans to exercise faulty judgment. We end with the situation where those with power judge and, by virtue of the power can cause their judgment to stand. This is the source of much of the suffering in the world. We have looked at the pathology, the sin. Tomorrow we will look at the redemption and a possible cure.

The Mystery of Christ in You

The Apostle Paul wrote about a mystery that was being revealed in his day. It was the concept of Christ dwelling in the saints. We all have that ability to connect directly to the source of all that is. The creative source of the universe. It is the Christ, anointing that dwells within us. It lays dormant only because we do not recognize and exercise it. All of the power we need for life is found in this source, It is that part of us that is divine. Peter explained that we become partakers of the divine nature. I personally don't think that we fully appreciate and understand what that means. We, are too often guided by religious connotations imposed by the thinking and thought processes of men and women.

What it really means is that in each of us is the essence of the Christ or anointing that Jesus of Nazareth had. It will not be manifest unless we truly believe we possess it. We need to exercise the gift and realize that it is ever present and that we by virtue of this connection to the source are ever in the presence of God. Jesus demonstrated the way to access this. He completely set his ego aside when he died on the cross. The concept of dying to self is dying to ego. It is dying to being right and defending our rightness. Jesus surrendered his ego to those who wanted to do him harm. He was able to do this because of his unique connection to the source. Through him, we have that same connection to the divine and we can set our egos aside through faith.

Faith is the action that allows us to set our egos aside....to completely trust in a loving Father that wants the best for us always. We can surrender to the source.... Surrender to the source means setting our ego driven world aside. We may not be tested to the point of death, but connecting to and, believing in our connectedness to the eternal source will enable us to face the trials of life and emerge victorious.

God loves his creatures.....He loves us and wants us to acknowledge the Christ in us, knowing that it is our source of glory. The Kingdom of God is within us and at hand! Celebrate!

The Primal Dream

the primal dream

energy, thought, inseparable,
conceived the primal dream
substance gave it life
thus, physical existence was born
at first, hydrogen
clouds swirling, condensing growing warmer
warmer still, heat rising
fusion
birthing helium,
the heavier elements the same
ever so slowly, so slow
exploding, condensing
exploding, condensing
building blocks of stars and planets
enjoying a rhythmic dance
thought, the catalyst
energy of the universe
thoughts from the mind of God
perfection of knowing all
limited
limited by choice,
flowing from the center through stages
growth and learning
striving for perfection in corporeal reality
advancing, growing tired,
resting in the mind of God
cyclical
circular
the dance of life
God’s dance!

The Primal Dream
How the diagram and poem came about

One evening, in the seventies, I dreamed and it was a particularly vivid dream. During the course of the dream, I walked on thick dark green carpet, ate a piece of birthday cake and conversed and touched several people. When I awoke, the details were vivid in my mind and I was struck with this thought. During the time that I was dreaming, I was locked in the reality of the dream. I could actually taste the birthday cake. I felt the plush carpet. It was thicker than anything I had experienced. In other words, my mind had created corporeal reality.

Now then, had anyone observed me during the dream, no doubt they would have reported that I was lying asleep next to my wife and was not eating birthday cake. I had not just been to a birthday party so it was not something that I was rehashing. I then realized that since I was locked into that reality for the duration of the dream, that it was quite likely that my life and existence was a part of God’s dream, and that further, I was a limited part of God dreaming my own existence yet locked into the dream for the duration of my life.

I then began to examine the reasons for my existence. It came to me that God, being all knowing and eternal was confined to perfection in the state of being God. I reasoned that this existence would in fact be boring. There would essentially be no challenges. Within an eternal existence there is really no morality. God is not immoral or moral. God is amoral. God cannot die. God is eternal.

However, if God were to limit a part of itself, and create a corporeal reality within a multi-dimensional universe, and set for itself a problem to solve, then boredom would be alleviated. One such problem could be to try to advance through many lives, trying to create the perfection in corporeal reality that exists in the eternal God realm. Within this realm, this dream world, God would create linear time and bring about a finite time for existence. To make it even more interesting, God could completely limit the knowledge in the first pass through corporeal reality. This would make this life quite primitive and not very godlike. God would also provide challenges that would cause the lifetime to be interesting. First, many of the challenges would be linked to survival.

Slowly over time and many life experiences, the part of God locked into a specific dream cycle would learn things. Knowing that the goal was to create the perfection of the eternal in the physical the things learned would be carried over from one life experience to another. This would readily explain why some people are more evolved spiritually than others. I had reasoned that in my family, i.e., my siblings, my brothers and sisters were at different places on the evolution of awareness. We all had the same environment so there must be a different explanation for us being at different stages in spiritual development. I reasoned that it could be that we were at different stages in the progression of God’s dreams. Some had more experience and depth than others.

Finally, after many, many, many cycles of trying to obtain the spiritual perfection of God in the corporeal world, one would realize that it was impossible. At that point of surrender, one would be willing to re-enter the center of all knowing rest and relaxation; But not for ever, just to catch the spiritual breath, and then to plunge headlong into another cycle of dreams.