Religious experience...

I had one on the way to church today.  I usually don't have the radio on, but had turned it on during my shopping yesterday and the first song to play was:

If God had a name what would it be?
And would you call it to his face?
If you were faced with him
In all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question?

*And yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah

What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face what would it look like?
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that
you would have to believe
in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints
and all the prophets (*)

Trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
'cept for the Pope maybe in Rome(*)

Just trying to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stone
Back up to heaven all alone
Just trying to make his way home
Nobody calling on the phone
'cept for the Pope maybe in Rome
I turned the radio off afterward and meditated on the words of the song.  I realized that no matter how you intrepret the word "God" that it speaks to a significant point about all humanity.  We are all the same.  We are just trying to get through life and the Universe, God, Cosmic Consciouness, whatever you chose to call it is there to offer guidance and direction if only we ill slow down and pay attention.  So let's pause and listen for the Great Mystery to speak to us and share our concerns with it from time to time.

I very much enjoyed this sermon...

Sermon: To Love & Be Loved - Crazy Liberals...and Conservatives

Beatitudes

I am reading A Chosen Faith and their is an exercise to rewrite the Beattitudes for yourself. Here iss what I wrote.  First here are the original Beatitudes. 

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Here are mine:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will knnow peaceuuuu8.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will be accepted.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will find answers to the Mystery.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called one with the Universe.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for they will know freedom.



Observations on Religion at Atlanta Pride

It was encouraging to see so many churches at the event this year.  Almost every type of church was represented this year.  It is the first time I recall seeing a Catholic organization.  I believe this is a reflection of the changing views on marriage which a recent poll showed.  Apparently the majority of Americans really aren't opposed to gay marriage.  Perhaps churches are beginning to resemble the beliefs of their members more closely than their historical roots.

I only saw 2 sets of protesters this year.  I was just appalled that they would call themselves Christians.  I can respect the ones who show up with signs that say, "God loves you and has a better plan for your life" or such.  They believe we are wrong and they want us to know it.  I'm not going to debate what the Bible says tonight in regards to homosexuality, I just want to make a point about the behavior of the protesters who were there.  Both groups were carrying signs filled with hate and the words they used at points sounded like they belonged on a episode of Southpark.  One group accused my church of being a bunch of pedophiles.  I recall a much different Jesus in the Bible (regardless of your views on it).  He said something about loving your neighbor as I recall and made friends with people in what his contemporaries considered the worst parts of society.

I just raised my heart flag higher and the crowd cheered louder and we tried to drown them out.

It was a good opportunity for my congregation to practice their principles even if others might not have.

We showed our belief in:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

We did this by letting people know we were there for them, assisting other organizations, marching in the parade and collecting donations.  I was proud of them.

Ingathering

Today was ingathering at UUMAN.org.  It is a time when everyone returns from their vacations and begins a new year as a congregation.  As part of this we share in a water communion.

Everyone is invited to bring water from their journeys.  In the past people shared it's origin and significance in a sentence, but this year everyone was invited to pour their water.  Then some shared where the water came from.

I must admit I ws disappointed.  I gave a lot of thought to where my water came from and where I am spiritually and looked forward to hearing from others.  This is why I am posting it here, as it's one of those things I would write about anyway.

Water is a symbol of spirituality in many faiths and is used in rituals in many faiths.  I have always enjoyed my most profound religious/spiritual experiences by bodies of water.  Whether, Black River, Lake Moultrie, the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Koi pond at Fort Worth's Botanical Gardens; water has always made me introspective.

I debated whether to take water from Black River, as I have had my mind on famliy lately...both existing and perspective.  However, it became clear I would not be getting to SC beforehand.  So I considered the creek by my house which is part of the Greenway.  I thought it was fitting given the very strong connection I have felt with the earth/environment lately.

In the end I chose water from my garden.  It relates both to home and earth.  It has been so dry lately there was none in the watering can and I only installed the rain barrel yesterday, so it came from my garden hose.

In keeping with my recent repurposing of found objects, I used the bottle I found at the bottom of Lake Moultrie nearly 30 years ago.

My summer has been filled with thoughts of family and having the laughter of a child in my home, but also with learning things about my relationship to the planet...like composting and saving water.

Both have brought me joy but also obstacles yet to be overcome, as most things do.

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry: - by Wendell Berry

When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with folrethought
of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Quote of the Day

C (@cartierobert) has shared a Tweet with you: "humanityhealing: I am not bound to win,but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I might have.A. Lincoln" --http://twitter.com/humanityhealing/status/85378833213161473

B Who U R

Be Who You Are - Staying True to Yourself | Wisdom a la Carte Blog

Join Me Saturday for the Pro-Love March

PRO-LOVE · United to Promote LOVE!

I'll be at North Springs Station at 7:30am. 

I enjoy her posts: Defining God

Marilyn Sewell: What Does "God" Mean?

I respect your right to disagree

Desmond Tutu: Our Glorious Diversity: Why We Should Celebrate Difference

Summer Solstice

Grove Harris: Summer Solstice -- Bring on Creative Alternatives

I think the beginning of this article says what I wanted to say.  I had a small ritual in my yard yesterday and thought about all these things.

Even if we do not hold to all the beliefs behind rituals and "holy" days, we can learn and grow from them.

Learn from Dogs

Life Lessons From Our Dogs- Beliefnet.com

Why join a Community of Faith?

Today I joined UUMAN: Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North.  I have been working on my beliefs for several years, but I felt the need to be part of a community that encourages Spiritual growth without enforcing doctrine on anyone.  It has been a joy to share in the services.  This verse from the closing hymn today puts it well:

We seek elusive answers to the questions of this life.
We seek to put an end to all the waste of human strife.
We search for truth, equality, and blessed peace of mind.
And then, we come together here to make sense of what we find. 
And we believe in the strength of love, and we have found a joy being together.
And in our search for peace,maybe we'll finally see: even to question, truly is an answer.

Memorial Day: A Reflection

Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave."  -Muhammad

I normally let Memorial Day pass as a picnic with my friends.  This year, I have been thinking about my Grandfather...My Mom's dad.  I did not know him as well as I now wish I did and I have only recently begun to see his life in an encouraging and enlightening way.  We were never particularly close and I have always considered myself a pacifist, so the fact that he served in 2 wars was lost on me until more recently.

I still believe non-military action is the best recourse for settling disputes, but sometimes justice requires action and I can now appreciate those who chose to act when necessary for the rest of us.

So, today and tomorrow I want to remember my Grandfather.  If my memory serves me well, he was in WWII and Korea before he settled down in his home town and started a family.  He lost his first wife when his children were young and married his second shortly after.  He worked for the highway department until he retired to support his 5 children.

I have always thought of him when I went to Myrtle Beach because my Mom used to tell us when we were kids how he was the the crew that built the bridges from Georgetown to the beach.

He liked to hunt.  He gave my brother and I our first pocket knives and used to show us the right way to sharpen them when we visited.  He used to breed his (he started as my Uncle's, but we always thought of that dog as Granddaddy's) cocker spaniel and one time when we were between dogs, he gave us our cocker spaniel, Taffy.

I know almost nothing about his Spiritual beliefs.  He was a member of the Baptist church, but I don't recall him ever attending church or talking about God.

There is not much else I honestly know about him even though I knew him for 38 years.  However, I remember him today and challenge each of you to remember those who have gone before you and served our country.  I also challenge you to learn as much as you can about your family and friends today while you have them with you.

The Golden Rule

I have always been fascinated as I prepared for ministry and taught Religion at the commonality among many faiths.  The "Golden Rule" is by far one of the most common teachings among religions and some "non-religious" teachings.

Yesterday I was at the church and saw a quilt with various versions of the Golden Rule from several faiths and I wanted to share them because I was once again reminded of how much we are a like, though we strive to demonstrate our differences.

 Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Rule

Small Thing Number 31

Become Aware of Your Moods and Don't Allow Yourself to Be Fooled by the Low Ones

This one really hit home.  Two weeks ago I was just fed up with my job and everything else.  I finally (with some help) was able to get out of my "Mood" and realized things are not so bad.  Frustrating, but not all I was making them to be.

It can be hard to focus and remember that things are just bad at the moment because of your mood.  You go off on someone and then realize later.  I was just upset.  It wasn't nearly so bad a situation.

Related to this the 32nd Small Thing, Carlson shared:
Life Is a test.  It Is Only a Test - when you think of things this way you work harder at passing and our moods can definitely test us.

Why it is difficult to say "I am a Christian"

A Christian is supossedly a follower of Christ.  I was very eager to be a Christian at a young age.  However, As I grew older I realized that what I was being taught was not so much the teachings of Jesus, but mostly the teachings of others about Jesus.
What Jesus taught was simple and beautiful and benefitial.  "Love G-d, Love People. 
However, most of the practices and teachings coming out of Christianity today are not based on Jesus' teachings.  They are based primarily on the teachings of Paul.  Paul, this extremist who was murdering Christians became an extremist of the opossing team and led them to places so far from the simple teaching of Christ, "Love G-d, Love people."
In fact on many ocassions Paul admits, Jesus did not speak of some things on which he offered his opinion.
If people understood Christian to mean a follower of the teachings of Christ, I would gladly be called Christian, but today Christian means something far more extreme and out of touch with those teachings.

More from "Small Stuff"

I mentioned before that I have issues with the idea we should accept that life isn't fair and I think this is related to my issue with Number 21: Imagine yourself at your Own Funeral.
I really hope there isn't one to be honest, though I am sure there will be someone who finds it necessary.
I like what C.S. Lewis said, "You don't have a soul.  You are a Soul.  You have a body."
I rarely go to a funeral for that very reason.  I have never considered the body the person.  The person (soul) lives on.
All of that said, this week I had a scare.  I was sitting at my desk when I got the worse chest pain ever.  It turned out to be anxiety, just as I had thought but was very upsetting. 
At these times you do begin to consider what others may think or say after you are no longer physically present with them.
So how does this relate to the idea that Life isn't fair?  Well, I suppose it is the fact that life isn't fair that led to my episode and consequently considering how I will leave my mark on the world.  However, I am more convinced by this episode that we need not accept the idea that Life can't be fair.  It isn't fair because people make bad decisions and while sometimes those are our own decisions, a large number of them are decisions by other people that make life not fair.
I believe we should work to make it fair.  We should take a stand and say I will not let you treat me this way just because you can get away with it.  I will do everything I can to make sure you do not treat anyone this way again.
Life may not BE fair, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to MAKE it fair!
Maybe they'll say at my funeral, he believed life could be fair...

Periodic results of the Belief-O-Matic at Beliefnet.com

1.	Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
2.	Theravada Buddhism (89%)
3.	Taoism (86%)
4.	New Age (85%)
5.	Unitarian Universalism (83%)
6.	Neo-Pagan (81%)
7.	Liberal Quakers (76%)
8.	Hinduism (75%)
9.	New Thought (67%)
10.	Jainism (66%)
11.	Scientology (63%)
12.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (61%)
13.	Orthodox Quaker (60%)
14.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (58%)
15.	Baha'i Faith (52%)

And It's All Small Stuff

I started reading a new book.  It was in a box of books I god on Freecycle.  It's basically 100 thoughts for the day.  I have been reading one each morning and some are really sticking out to me.

The Book: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff
Author: Richard Carlson

The first entry is based on the title.  He basically got it from Wayne Dyer.  He tells a story of how a recommendation by Wayne Dyer ended up on one of his books without permission and in response to his apology, Wayne Dyer said, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff."

Thought number 4 is Be Aware of the Snowball Effect of Your Thinking.  I have often thought that my problem is that I think to much.  I most often think about the worse case scenario of any event and I have tried to get into the practice of telling myself, that it is not real and it is not happening.  I do tend to calm down a little.  Another thing that I do is just put everything that pops into my head on my phone (read write down in old English) so I can not worry about it and keep going.  We just have too much on our minds in modern society.

Number 7: Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences.  This has helped me remain a little more calm at work.  It takes patience, but I have learned to let people ramble on endlessly until they get to the point, which can usually be state din one sentence.  "I need a password reset," is often a 4 minute monologue. 

Number 11: Imagine that Everyone Is Enlightened Except You. This has actually been quite a good one for me.  It helps deal with the "expletive person."  I tell myself, "The girl who just cut me off, is trying to catch the bus because her child missed it."  "The line is long at the restaurant because everyone is hungry and the clerk is doing the best they can given staffing."  The last one might be a stretch at some joints, but it is often true.  I just have to imagine that people are doing their best and know more than I do sometimes.

Number 17: Surrender to the Fact that Life Isn't Fair.  This has been the hardest for me to deal with.  Life should be fair.  If people acted toward others as they would like to be treated, it certainly would be more fair.  I keep trying to remind myself of this one, but I find it more upsetting than helpful.

It's a Circle of Life thing

Every Being must be holy to us. - Albert Schweitzer
An Animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. - Martin Buber

Can you imagine life without your pets?  I can't.  They are a source of joy and remind us that we are loved and needed.

Thank your furry friends today.  When they wag their tail, wag back.  If they purr, purr back.

Unity

I have been trying to decide on a new congregation to attend for some time and I thought I might end up at the Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, as I was enjoying their podcasts.  However, I finally found a congregation online that is nearer to me and more in line with my own philosophy.

I have only been once so far, but I intend to go back.

http://www.uuman.org/ is a welcoming Unitarian Universalist congregation in North Fulton.

Unitarian Universalism affirms that inspiration and meaning may be found in many sources, including experience, history, and religious tradition.

The Unitarian Universalist faith draws from six sources:

• Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.
• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.
• Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.
• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
• Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Many Unitarian Universalists also find guidance and comfort in these seven principles that our UUA congregations affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

God is everywhere

I finally finished A New Earth.  It was kinda heady and I thought he took too long to make his point.  The last chapter really summed it up nicely, however.

I enjoyed his discussion of the expanding Universe and how physicists believe it will eventually reverse.  It was a very enlightening thought.

After 309 pages, the best thing I got out of it was what he refers to as the 3 Modalities of Awakened Doing.  I rather called them 3 ways to deal with the physical world: Acceptance, Enjoyment or Enthusiasm.  I am not so sure that his idea of not doing anything you can't do with acceptance, enjoyment or enthusiasm is practical.  At the best, all we can do is put some things off until we can accept we have to do them.

I leave you with this thought:

Today, I am identifying myself, everyone else, and everything I do with the Divine Presence. I am not trying to influence people, I am not holding thoughts to make things happen, I am not concentrating divine energies for any purpose whatsoever. Rather, I am still, knowing that God is over all, in all, and through all. Through my affirmation, I am watching, expecting, and knowing that there will be a reaction through whatever I identify with my word. Therefore, I am at ease, I am relaxed, I am at peace. I affirm the Divine Presence and Its manifestations of happiness, prosperity, and well-being for everyone.
-Scienceofmind.com

Seeking Answers

For those who are seeking, some thoughts to consider:

Today, I acknowledge those who have taught me while seeing that I am as they are, a teacher and guide to others who look to me. I remain open to new learning as I share what I know, drawing from Infinite Mind.
-scienceofmind.com

In the old days, when I first met my teacher Wuzu, I blurted out my realization and presented it to him. It was all words and phrases and intellectual points, all empty talk of "buddhadharma" and "essence of mind" and "mystic marvels."

What I got in return was my old teacher citing a couple of dry phrases: "The verbal and the nonverbal are like vines clinging to a tree." At first I shook this saying back and forth, using my verbal cleverness. Then I began to theorize and expound principles. There were no lengths to which I did not go in the end, as I tried to escape the dilemma he had posed everything I brought up was included in it. Eventually I began to weep without realizing it. Still, I was never able to get into this saying at all. Again and again I earnestly tried to concentrate on it.

At that point my teacher told me, "You should just put an end to all your arbitrary views and understandings and judgments. When you have cleansed them away all at once, you will naturally gain insight."

- Yuanwu (1063-1135)

Think of a window:
it's a hole in a wall but through it
the whole room fills with light.
Similarly, when the mind is open
and free from his own thoughts,
life unfolds effortlessly,
and the world is filled with light.
Chuang Tzu

deeshan.com