Tag Archive: Living Christ


Easter – Experiencing God

Filed under: Faith & Doubt, Life Lessons
March 27, 2016

ascension-dayThe Easter sun rises through my patio window. Another Easter, another year of challenges – another year remembering could haves, should haves, and would haves. Over the years, I’ve experienced several hard transitions between Good Friday and Easter. Each year I vow otherwise, but like many, I spent Easter reminiscing, not so much on loves and past dreams but more so on what went wrong.

Easter 1984 I was informed I had a major disease. I would live maybe 20, 25 years if going downhill with the wind behind me. Now, I’m 56. Go figure?

Good Friday 2010 I was fired by telephone and lost the love of my live. Both walked out the door on Good Friday and never looked back. Six years later, I have received none of the forgiveness requested.

Easter 2016 brought another round. Like an old food item, doctors gave me an expiration date. Doctors informed my body is expiring, slowly. I linger, not so much in pain, but prolongation and loneliness. I vowed never to be the guy who ingested six medications. Yet here I am. Major illness and cervical injuries to the C4 and C5 vertebrae leaves walking nearly impossible. Medications control everything from dysphagia, cardiac problems, high-blood pressure, chest pain, paraplegia and vertigo from inadequate blood flow.

In life, the body doesn’t always follow best-laid plans. Having made my living in hospitals since 2008, the variance between living fully and tragically collided daily. One day, you’re full of life. The next day, you must learn a new normal, one requiring every ounce of soul. And that newer pathway often leads to mental decline and frailty. Yes there are some joys, but for most, the declining body saps of everything.

Bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel noted that living too long is a loss. His picture of living past 75 wasn’t pretty – no skydiving, no horseback riding and endless commercials reinforce cholesterol medications and Viagra cannot rejuvenate youth.

I cannot even envision 75. At 56, I don’t ask for anything but dignity. I’ve put aside any desire to live longer. None can cure aging. Still, for the time remaining, I want to live in the real world, to accept the year head on, valuing those around me. I want to love once more, lie in someone arms and embrace the sweet nectar of romance. I want to experience a level of agape love never received. Can one live in love? It seems simple? Maybe too simple? Maybe not.

I understand Easter’s hope in ways many never will. It’s not about an Easter Bunny, coloring eggs or finding chocolate. In the late stage of life, we become housed and nurtured by those around us – a prisoner within a prison. Thus Easter’s real hope is prison’s destruction. Revering God’s ability to overcome fear and human boundary, leaving any willing to mercifully love God who will overcome breathing difficulties, aches, pains and of course death itself. That my friends is what Easter’s all about.

Live in love and experience the real beauty of God.

Tags: , ,
Comment

Super Tuesday – Cheerleading for Intolerance

Filed under: Life Lessons, Social Justice
March 1, 2016

intoleranceIt’s Super Tuesday, March 1st and I stand in New York watching teletype and news media while wondering about the maturity of the United States electorate. I’m completely baffled as to how so many people could propel any of the current crop of candidates to office.

To answer my conundrum, we need to only look unto ourselves. The mirror need not go anywhere else, as our current electoral candidates only reflect our internal state of affairs. And for the moment, that reflection looks pretty awful.

The anger oozing from our candidates’ ooze from within our very breath. Each of us has become a honeycomb of hatred and vile. Dialogue and symmetry for the common good is assassinated by legalism, conservatism, liberalism or one issue voting.

The absurdity of Black Lives Matter and University of Missouri protesters reflect our incapability of common dialogue. Opportunities to move critical racial issues were tossed like yesterday’s news, managing to become only a mere byline on a newspaper’s forgotten page. I wonder what positive contribution could have been made without the screaming and violence. Yet Ferguson, Baltimore and New York fretted golden synergistic opportunities for civil disobedience moving little, if anything, forward.

Both GOP and Democratic candidates have issues.

The GOP has carved a difficult path forward. In the aftermath of raw hatred, degrading Muslims, Mexican’s, blacks, while calling other candidates liars, losers, has-beens and unheroic are ‘en vogue.’ A leading GOP candidate has labelled women “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.” How they move forward is a vision from its past.

On the Democratic side, one leading candidate proposed free education, healthcare overhaul and cutting prison population by 50% after the first four years. It’s ludicrous.

If we look at just the prison population issue, Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson tweeted Sanders’ promise raised a serious question:

“Is it even possible, considering that the vast majority of the nation’s inmates are held in state, not federal, prisons?“

Only 215,000 of the 2,000,000 million inmates are in federal prisons. The rest are in state and local facilities. So even if we abolished federal prisons altogether, the United States would still have more prisoners than any other country.

Many claim current “social action” processes proposed purportedly intend to benefit mankind. Yet, much of the current election cycle is based upon the notion that complex or critical thinking isn’t required. In fact, both of those are highly discouraged. At its core, the political message is fairly simple: grab a Bible; go to church once per week; hang a U.S. flag; buy a gun; and repeat the talking points being fed.

America’s issues are real and require hard choices. Real “social action” requires a range from simple individual acts of charity, teaching and training, organized kinds of service, “Right Livelihood” in and outside the helping professions, and through various kinds of community development as well as to political activity in working for a better society.

Instead, we’ve become cheerleaders for intolerance.

Tags: , ,
Comment

Take Me To The Alley

Filed under: About Love, Faith & Doubt, Life Lessons
February 24, 2016

the alleyFor the last several posts, I’ve taken a broad, sometimes sarcastic swipe at politician’s who’ve claimed that God has called them to run for office. As such, a reader wrote a private email requesting my thoughts of what true servant leadership should be.

To preface, I found many people who feel the large gap between what they expect from their Christian candidates and what’s received. We’re fed a steady diet of Biblical principles, heart-felt conversational stories, endless legalistic Biblical push button rules that secularize and polarize, while promising to return the country to the state that God loves. In reality, the candidates never had a deep God-centered relationship Him, never felt Him or experienced the kind of agape love Christ exhibited.

While Donald Trump claims to have never been called by God, he labeled Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as “not a war hero;” that Bush didn’t have the IQ [to be president]; that Bush has to like the Mexican Illegals because of his wife; that if Clinton can’t satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America?; that Lindsey Graham was a total lightweight.

As for Mexican citizens, Trump noted “They’re sending people that have lots of drugs, crime are rapists and some, he assumed, are good people.” And of course Muslims and Mexicans won’t be allowed into the United States.

Ted Cruz finally disavowed merchandise designed by the overtly racist artist Sabo. Cruz’s campaign pulled the designs, once featured on posters, buttons, and t-shirts, not long after an online liberal talk show, The Young Turks, aired a segment calling accusing Sabo of being a racist. Sabo publicly disparaged “blacks,” “New Mexicans (residents from New Mexico),” Syrians and repeatedly made reference to harming President Obama. Cruz campaign also suggested GOP candidate Ben Carson might be leaving the presidential race, drawing the lasting ire of the neurosurgeon.

Rubio has his own issues. He stated President Obama has no class. News media widely reported the senator’s “imprudent” financial decisions over 15 years, including his “penchant to spend heavily on luxury items” like an $80,000 speedboat; his “inattentive accounting” with local government fees; his “unwise” decision to liquidate a retirement account; and his questionable move to use a Republican credit card for personal expenses. His Tallahassee home nearly ended in foreclosure before finally being sold.

The coup de gras went to Ben Carson. Citing Obama’s time spent in Indonesia as a child, Carson said it is “a stretch” for Obama to say he identifies with the experience of African-Americans growing up in the United States. “He’s an ‘African’ American. He was, you know, raised white,” Carson said. If I summarize Carson correctly, Obama isn’t black enough.

From my perspective, the God of faith and agape love got lost? Or if this is there God, then I would not want to be in their version of heaven.

In his song Take Me Top The Alley, Gregory Porter embraces the beauty every one should demonstrate. Take Me To The Alley reflects what Christ does upon His return.

They will be surprised

When they hear Him (Christ) say

Take me to the alley

Take me to the afflicted ones

Take me to the lonely ones

That somehow lost their way

Let them hear me say

I am your friend

Come to my table

Rest here in my arms

You have party

Rest here, rest here

Take me to the alley

I want a candidate to Take Me To The Alley. Together, let’s find those who feel alone and convince them they’re not.

Take me to the alley.

Tags: ,
Comment

The People Have Spoken

Filed under: Faith & Doubt, Life Lessons
February 22, 2016

Dump“The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision. So I am suspending my campaign.“

~~Jeb Bush~~

Way back in 2011, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum all said God lead them to run. In the 2016 electoral primary, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Ben Carson, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum also felt God’s calling.

So why does God call candidates to run but He never tells them to get out? Many claim God’s official okie dokie as a rite of passage, yet when bowing out months later, it’s often “The people spoke …” Based upon what I’ve seen so far from GOP candidates, I wish some critical thinking reporter would ask, “Which of you idiots were really called by God and which are hearing voices? And how would we know that His calling was true?”

The problem with running for election is that only one person wins, all others lose. That’s like saying the same God that honored me, dishonors all the rest. For instance, President Washington was very explicit in saying that he considered divine intervention one of the main reasons we (America) won the Revolutionary War. But remember, there were over 651,000 battle deaths in the revolutionary war. Did 651,000 have to die simply because God wanted to show Washington that divine intervention exists?

Why didn’t God just appear to him when he was taking a shit and say, “Let’s talk for a moment.” If that happened, 651,000 lives might have been saved.

In the current Presidential race, I believe the decision should be left with God – get all the candidates sitting in circle card table chairs and wait for God to appear and tell us who He elects. The last surviving GOP nutcase can print one bumper sticker with “FWDJV-M” (For Whom Did Jesus Vote – Me)?

As for the rest of us, we’ll just go about living until all of this is clarified.

More than likely though, all of us need to be prepared to hear “… the people have spoken …”

Tags: ,
Comment

Politicians Hear God’s Calling

Filed under: Faith & Doubt, Main, Religion
February 19, 2016

gods-calling-1200x800_cAlan Binder’s NY Times article Falwell and Graham Reinvent Their Fathers’ Legacies was an interesting read. Binder wrote that while Falwell and Graham, ponder the rewards and perils of creating identities apart from their fathers say there is no rivalry between them as they pursue different ways of engaging in politics.

Falwell endorsed Trump and Graham simply wants more Christians in office. Graham said, “I want to get Christians to run for office at every level. The Christian voice needs to be heard.”

That got me thinking. Why can’t Graham comprehend God is everywhere?

I mean think about it, God has been everywhere in this election has told almost every candidate to run. Need convincing? Here’s a quick rundown.

  • Scott Walker, the infamous Wisconsin Governor, was convinced God called him:

I needed to be certain that running was God’s calling — not just man’s calling. I am certain: This is God’s plan for me and I am humbled to be a candidate for President of the United States.

  • John Kasich wanted a message from God before becoming the 16th candidate to enter the GOP foray.

“… what does the Lord want me to do with my life? You know, he puts us on Earth, all of us on Earth, to achieve certain purposes, and I’m trying to determine if this is what the Lord wants, and I’m not going to figure that out laying in bed hoping lightning strikes, so I’m out there one foot in front of another. We’ll see what happens.”

  • Ben Carson’s belief was that God would make it clear if that’s something he was supposed to do. Carson also told Fox News last August:

“… that he would run “if God grabbed him by the collar and asked him to run.” 

  • Rick Perry wife’s likened him to Moses, describing his decision to run as heeding signs from above.

“He didn’t want to hear a thing about running for president,” she explained. “He felt like he needed to see the burning bush. I said ‘Look, let me tell you something. You may not see that burning bush, but there are people seeing that burning bush for you.’”

Later, Perry told CNN, “I’m getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I’ve been called to do. This is what America needs.”

  • Rick Santorum family had a divine understanding of what compelled his presidential ambitions.

“… defending God’s truth …” and “… it really boils down to God’s will. What is it that God wants? We have prayed a lot about this decision, and we believe with all our hearts that this is what God wants.”

  • Mike Huckabee asked his audience that he couldn’t think of a worse place in the world to be than in the Oval Office without God’s hand upon him. He’d rather not get near the place, but if that’s a (God’s) purpose, so be it.”

During the 2011/2012 GOP Presidential race, God told Rick Santorum (again), Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain (the same Cain who infamously quoted as being a brother (to the Koch brothers) from another mother, to run as well.

I am amazed the same God reached out Falwell, Graham and all these candidates. The ironic theme running through every message is that it’s from the same God.  You’d think all the candidates would compare notes. ” What? God told you to run too?” But while they’re somehow qualified to run the country, they can’t figure out how bizarre it is for God to have called everyone.

That means either God is extremely confused or has a huge a problem with commitment. I mean this is the same God that parted water, turned water into wine, had His Son killed, raised and then left for vacation. He could have selected any one for president, but each either failed or will fail. So what does this mean for God and for the candidates that claim to be doing his work in running for president? I sort of expect God to call and say, “Sorry, My bad!“

At the end of the day, God is either a particularly cruel practical joker, He never really endorsed any of them or most Americans don’t give a crap. The first would be hilarious but the third is most likely.

There is no universal agreement among Buddhists about the right solutions to political issues or even how to prioritize them. There can be agreement, however, about trying to not make one’s political actions the product of greed, aversion, or delusion, and about acting mindfully and employing right speech, etc. That’s where many politicians fall short of God’s calling.

Tags: , ,
Comment

Loopholes

Filed under: Faith & Doubt, Life Lessons, Religion
February 15, 2016

LoveI admit up front, EMDR has wonderful benefits, so my spin on the rest of this blog post is not about EMDR, its use or merits.

I recently learned an acquaintance has been seeing a psychotherapist for depression. The counselor practices Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma.

After a year of counseling, he found himself significantly improved from his 20-year battle, to the point of calling himself cured. Newly awakened, my acquaintance, a husband and father, has decided he should never have married and is seeking a divorce. He finds his marriage unwelcoming, even to the point of mechanical. He believes the Catholic Church will allow annulment. How so? Well, his logic is based entirely upon mental state, that since he was mentally handicapped (i.e., in depressed) when married and accepting his vows, he can seek freedom and receive God’s grace.

As Philip Yancey would say, anyone who writes about grace must confront grace’s ugly side, loopholes. Retrospectively, if Moses and David could murder and God still loved them, why not a father freed from the prison of depression?

Loopholes have both personal and moral consequences. Of course his decision to leave will mostly likely inflict heavy, permanent damage on his wife and children. Even so, the force of living propels him forward, unto a new and brighter world. In essence, when most of us ask for grace, we confuse condoning and forgiving.

What my acquaintance is actually doing is simply ignoring the fact of his marital bonds, as he neglected to request and accept forgiveness. A man who admits no guilt cannot expect to receive grace. While I am happy he overcame depression, does he rationalize his decision as a way of escaping marriage?

In truth, many of us rationalize ourselves with accusers seen in life. Everyone wants to rip the flesh of some poor soul who deserves it, often chillingly destroying that person’s life forever. Think I’m wrong, just read the New York Times or any tabloid magazine.

My larger point is not whether the husband or wife mentioned should stay married or not. Certainly, I am unaware of their marital dynamics and I wish not to negate nor diminish those who have to separate. Still, often times we can only advance in God’s love by trembling, being humbled and without excuse, and begging for mercy, i.e., grace. I rarely see this very humbling experience and wonder what true repentance looks like, even in myself.

We need to move away from the “Yeah, I know it’s wrong, but I will ask for grace later” mentality.  For me, just as blood nourishes and keeps life flowing, loving one another actually nourishes our spiritual freedom, and in turn, love is kept flowing. By severing relationships so easily, we actually sever our true path of freedom, the one God calls “a religion of love.”

Love is the path to full spiritual liberation. Too bad most of us miss it.

Tags: ,
Comment

And Thy Treasure Is?

Filed under: Faith & Doubt, Life Lessons
March 31, 2015

Heart isAccording to the Bible, Christ claimed, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Sad to say, much of my life has been living in second, with spurts of third and fourth interwoven during the decade.

I became aware my own life story this afternoon.  Theoretically, spirituality includes trying to better my relationship with God and better myself as a person each day. But I was confronted by my own inadequacy overhearing a conversation at the next table.

“What are your life’s priorities?” asked one women to another.

“Family, school, work, future, other,” her friend responded.

“And you husband?”

“Oh, he’s lumped in there between families and other.”

Like this woman’s husband, I’ve lived a life of second, third and fourth. My early years was blended education from family and friends that I was not first. Through systematic thought, someone else’s opinion of me became my life and I became swallowed by a life of inadequacy.  Few, if any, placed me first.

Twenty years ago, I asked my employer if I could attend management training. I was never given the chance, as management never saw me as a trainable leader. My second wife’s priorities emphasized her mother first, family second, her image third and I was fourth.

This realization was an extremely tough to reconcile over coffee at a Panera Bread Company. Truth be told, I would never be number one. I could have climbed the Himalaya’s, cured cancer, created time travel or won the lottery, but her priorities would always remain mother, family, her image and me. I constantly fought, but I did not understand the psychological game was predestined. I would be not better than fourth.

I realize now that even my greatest love, Karen was doomed. Her priorities were, living for Christ, her image and me.  I was never the priority. She loved me deeply, as I did her. We were soul mates. But at the end of the day, she would not relinquish her image and standing in the Catholic Church nor her image of Christ for a divorced man. Karen would always be married to Christ and never to me. At that level, I was only an accessory.

As a Buddhist, we should share championing one another. Marriage is unlike any other role we fill in life. Marriage is unlike any other job we do. Marriage is elevated, by love, speaking through love and should elevate one another to the highest place of life.

Loving like Christ means wanting to please God in every part of life: at the job, in all routine work, in daily relationship, and in the big and small decisions of life. We must live in love during our earthly, human life, and become empowered by Love’s Spirit.

What we need to consider is how to obey the living Christ and Living Buddha by serving and making one another your primary ministry. Thus you, and those you love, are the priority.

So I have to ask …. Thy Treasure Is?

Tags: ,
Comment