Back to the Beginning – The Presence

November 17, 2012

The Presence is available to you all the time – to come in and quiet your fears. The problem is we are convinced that we have to do something special – be somewhere special, say something special, “do the right thing” – in order to get it. The thing about the Gift is that it is just that – a Gift. This is also the beauty of the Gospel: as soon as you want it, you can have it. It might take some practicing of the Presence, but what is more important and life-giving ...  Keep reading

Never Fear

August 25, 2012

Notice what God doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “there is nothing to be afraid of.” Rather, he says “Do not be afraid.” It seems implied that there are things which will cause us fear. Jesus even asserts that, “In this world, you will have trouble.” But then he also says, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”

In our frailty, we perceive threat everywhere – insecurity about money, the future, what others think. And this is to say ...  Keep reading

Attachment

August 4, 2012

What is called human attachment is really a profound idea. It’s the idea that from day one, we are all seeking connection with others, specifically “higher minds” in order to organize ourselves, feel sure of ourselves and secure.

If you think about it, nearly everything could be seen as attachment behavior. Everything is an attempt to secure our place, know we are safe, feel valued. I just remember thinking as a kid: “If someone could just notice me enough, then I would ...  Keep reading

I Am Too Serious

June 23, 2012

I think when we are always busy trying to be “contemplative” and get to a deeper level of prayer, we miss something. I think one of the truest forms of prayer is my daughter running through the grass at full speed, saying, “Look at me, Daddy!” She marvels at what her legs can do and is truly abandoned to the moment and the speed at which she carries her little body.

We can do a lot for our hearts by just being what we are. There is a gamut of emotions that I feel like I ...  Keep reading

The Never-Ending Shed

June 20, 2012

Life is a continual series of surrenderings. Once you think you have died enough, life and God are back to prune some more. There is more to shed. If you are wise, you will continue to be open and ready for these little deaths. Do not build up your shields against them because then they will just fall harder and faster – it will take more to undo the cozy shelter you have built for yourself. The shelter is that which you have built to protect yourself from what – more abundant life? ...  Keep reading

Truth vs. Fact

June 18, 2012

Truth is far different than fact. Facts are something you can learn and to which you can attach yourself. The truth is something you experience and which you assimilate into your being. Once you have experienced real Truth, you cannot go back. It will change your life. You will not be able to just replace it with some new information. On the other hand, facts are replaceable. Once you learn something new which opposes the understanding you held previously, you can discard the old like waste.

The ...  Keep reading

Survival

June 17, 2012

The greatest incongruity the Christ’s teaching has with Darwinian Theory is not about the origins of the universe. It is with this idea of “survival of the fittest.” Now, Darwin probably did not endorse this survival of the fittest idea as one by which to live your life (I don’t know if he did), but it stands in stark opposition to what the Christ teaches about how to get “life.” This idea of survival of the fittest would say that the members of a species who ...  Keep reading