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Journal — August 2007 |
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AN ONGOING
SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
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August 30, 2007
It has been two years since the massive destruction to New Orleans and
other Gulf Coast communities by Hurricane Katrina. President Bush at
that time pledged the government's assistance to rebuild the area and
help out those in needs.
The question of how much has been done is being asked a lot. Many hardworking
volunteers, faith based groups and others have been there to help. But
there is much to be done and promises unfulfilled. An article online
by Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Dish has some statistics
and some pointed comments (here).
What can be done now? We can ask ourselves that, we can pitch in with
agencies and groups that are making a difference, and we can try to hold
our leaders accountable.
We are taught as Christians to help those in need.
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August 27, 2007
Each day we must continue on our journey. Despite whatever challenges
or obstacles we face; despite any celebrations and joy; we must stay
on "the path".
The path is the Way of following Jesus. He encouraged his disciples to
gp through the "narrow door" (Luke 13:24). It's not easy, that's the
broad path to destruction. Often the path gets narrow and certainly the
scenery changes. But by all means, don't wander off the path.
Where are your feet?
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August 24, 2007
Over the years we have provided updates and information about the ministry
in Mongolia through Eagle TV. It is an unusual approach
in that part of the world (an informative and non-government controlled
media outlet that also provides Christian programming and messages),
but Tom Terry (General Manager) and his staff have done many wonderful
things while frequently dealing with great adversity.
Mr. Terry is an American with a background in evangelical ministry, including Campus
Crusade for Christ and experience in radio and tv ministries.
In fact, he once lived and worked at a Christian radio station here in
Albuquerque. He has been in Mongolia now for five years.
In the past year one of his daughters, Rochele, had to move to Arizona
because of her medical condition, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).
Her condition is incurable, but is manageable with therapy. Tom's wife
and other daughters are also back in the United States and he hasn't
seen them for six months, but is planning to visit in October.
God is certainly doing powerful things in Tom Terry's life and through
the Eagle TV ministry which is supported by the AMONG Foundation. You
can find out more at www.thomasterry.com.
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August 22, 2007
When talk of sexuality takes place most people think that it is not compatible
with spirituality. But why would we think that? True passion that
includes a love of God and all His creation must include a respect and
reverence for our sexuality.
A forthcoming book Bud Harris, PHD, The
Fire and the Rose: The Wedding of Spirituality and Sexuality (Chiron
Publications) explores this subject. Below is an excerpt reprinted
by permission.
The following is an excerpt from the book The Fire and the Rose
by Bud Harris, Ph.D.
Published by Chiron Publications; September 2007;$19.95US; 978-1-888602-42-5
Copyright © 2007 C. T. B. Harris
The Key to Real Choices
In the practical world I grew up in, sexuality and spirituality were
not considered poetically. The logic of aiming for a successful life
left little room for passion and visions. Practically from the moment
I was born, I was urged to join society's routines that would march me
through life. The ancient mythologies and rituals that had once made
sexuality and spirituality passionate elements in life's mystery found
themselves stored in dusty libraries along with other pieces of our history.
Sexuality was less something to be celebrated and felt than something
to be practiced morally and antiseptically. And the same went for spirituality.
A religious vision made public in the middle-class world of my childhood
would have been regarded as embarrassing and stigmatizing.
"Spirituality" was a word I rarely heard as a child. "Religion" was a more popular
term, and religious matters were generally left in the hands of the clergy. Spiritual
development or mysticism, which the religious scholar Evelyn Underhill describes
as the "development of spiritual consciousness," was unknown in my early life,
even though my parents were well educated and we attended church regularly. While
today I would claim that my Protestant mother became a mystic through her journey
toward death, for myself, this event shattered my religious perspective. Before
I could rebuild it I had to carefully redefine my understanding of what the word "religious" means
and how it is different from spirituality and the development of spiritual consciousness.
As I entered young adulthood, the cultural changes of the 1960's swept
over my generation. This new tide began breaking our sexual taboos, and
simultaneously introduced the idea that mystics might have something
to offer us all, as many of our young people followed their rock idols
to India, for example, and meditation became popular. But my particular
crisis in spirit didn't begin until my early thirties, initiating my
journey into self-knowledge and an existence consciously aimed at growth
and renewal. In the space of a few months, my life seemed to twist itself
into a giant question mark. In spite of my previous success in business
I was afraid to stop and afraid to go on. The depression this conflict
caused became a call to learn how to understand and love myself. Actually,
I'm sure that if you had asked me at the time I would have said, "Of
course I love myself." But that was before I had realized we can't genuinely
love somebody we don't know.
Honestly knowing ourselves is no simple task. To begin with, it means
accepting who we are, including what we don't like about ourselves. However,
this kind of acceptance isn't real until we've constructed a good idea
of who can be at our best and at our worst. Getting to know ourselves
also brings the startling realization that while we may think we are
adults living a unique life, we are really living scripts written jointly
by our society, families, churches, traditions and friends. My previous
book, Sacred Selfishness, shows the pathway out of these impersonal roles.
Experience teaches us that building self-knowledge leads to authentic
living, self-love and the awareness that something within us -- whether
we prefer to call it our true self, the Self or the Divine -- cares about
us and wants to guide our lives toward their highest potentials.
The process of self-discovery builds inner strength, integrity and compassion.
It increases our capacity to love, and these characteristics combine
to create a person of substance. Paradoxically, the journey into ourselves
soon leads us back into life with new energy and sensitivity. Then it
takes us a step further into the dynamics that frame our relationships
to other people and the Divine aspects of existence.
The most compelling energies in these dynamics are sexual and spiritual
desire. As I've mentioned, passion means more than a sexual urge or religious
suffering. It also means to be filled with a great desire for another
person, an idea, the Divine or a full life. Both sexual and spiritual
desire strongly influence the way we view ourselves as well as how we
perceive other people -- our outer relationships depend upon how well
we have learned to understand ourselves. We may have learned to fear
our passion, to deaden it or channel it into things that do not add to
our lives -- or expect our partners or someone else to kindle the flames
of our vitality. At the same time, difficulties in our relationships
challenge us to learn to know ourselves better. No matter how we look
at our growth, whether from a spiritual or psychological perspective,
self-awareness is the key to freedom from our past and gives us real
choices. Through growing consciousness, sexuality and spirituality can
support our efforts to live more passionately and to understand love
in all of its forms.
Copyright © 2007 C. T. B. Harris
Author
Bud Harris, Ph.D., is a certified Jungian analyst, a graduate of the
C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland. He received his doctoral
degree in counseling psychology from Georgia State University in Atlanta,
Georgia. Bud combines over fifteen years of business experience with
over thirty years as a practicing psychotherapist, psychologist and Jungian
analyst, bringing practicality and depth to his work. He has lectured
widely and written a number of articles and books. He currently lives
and practices in Asheville, North Carolina.
More information is available about Dr. Harris on his Web site, www.budharris.com,
where you may also sign up for his quarterly newsletter.
My note: I think that all of us can grow closer to realizing God's love
for us through our spiritual exploration. As a Christian, I see
nothing in conflict with what the author above states. Jesus was a great
model of prayer and opening hearts to the mystery of God. I don't
know what Bud Harris' religious preference is, but I thought the excerpt
above was worth reprinting to get you to read and think about how closely
connected our spirituality and sexuality can be. God loves passionately. We
need to do the same, but my belief is our sexual passions should be in
a committed marriage situation. If we honored sexuality more in
this way I believe we might have less sex problems. It is worth
praying and meditating on.
Tom Gilbert
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August 20, 2007
We had commented here previously about the movie, Amazing
Grace. This film tells the story about the Englishman
and antislavery pioneer, William Wilberforce. It's a
very powerful tale and the author of the great hymn that the film is
named after is also part of the story. John Newton's story is one of
trials and redemption and, of course, amazing grace.
I recently received a new book, a biography written by Jonathan Aitken. John
Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace is the story
of John Newton and I'm looking forward to reading it. You can find out
more about that book at our online store here.
And look soon for the DVD release of the movie, Amazing Grace from
Fox Home Entertainment and Bristol Bay Productions.
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August 16, 2007
The gift of friends and family is very precious. We should never
take it for granted. Sometimes in our daily routine perhaps we
do. We don't let our family members, or our friends, know how much
they mean to us. We don't tell them, or show them, that we love them.
Today is my daughter's birthday and she is nineteen. She is working
and going to college and she is a beautiful young woman. My wife
and I are blessed and we thank God for her.
I also have a friend undergoing surgery for cancer this morning. She
has been such an inspiration to me and others, despite her many, many
challenges throughout her life. She is a blessing to me.
Another friend and I were talking last night. He's in the military and
it looks like he will be deployed soon to Iraq. We were discussing
work hardships and he shared how his spiritual director suggested that
in those times he should ask God to bless it. What a great concept! In
the middle of a situation of discomfort, difficulty or suffering we can
turn to God and ask Him to bless it. This doesn't mean make it
go away. It means we ask God to show us how it is part of the pattern
of life, sacred life.
On my own I can't handle life successfully. But, God has the power
and Jesus showed the way, and the Spirit that dwells within us will lift
us up and teach and guide us in all thingss.
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August 13, 2007
We know that many people doubt and debate the existence of God. Our belief
in a loving and all powerful Creator who cares about each and every one
of us is a journey of faith that each must embark on. A belief in God
without taking the time to consider what that means and struggling with
your doubts tends to be shallow. We need belief with substance
and depth.
Often this quest for the truth happens in a person's late teen years
to early twenties, particularly at university or higher education. That
quest is not limited, of course, to this time of life or place of education,
but young minds in academic surroundings can be sparked by curiousity
and an environment of discussion.
The path of faith is more than intellect. Still, God gave us brains
for a reason, so there is nothing wrong with using them to reason out
some of our questions about the existence of God. EveryStudent.com,
a web site for students about college, life and what it might be like
to know God, has an article, Does
God Exist? —Six Reasons to Believe, that is worth reading.
Ponder these reasons in your heart and ask the God of the Universe to
open the eyes of your heart.
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August 9, 2007
What message does the expression on your face send to others? Jesus must
have had a remarkable face, full of love, care, compassion and determination.
We've got a new article for you - Face the Face (here).
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August 7, 2007
Technology is not the foe of spiritual
growth if we use the tools to help further a message
of a loving and caring God and how the Gospel message
of Jesus Christ can show us all how to live and have
a meaningful relationship with God that helps all of
us make a better world.
But having the training for the skill sets of today's demanding technology
is important. Toward that end Steve Hewitt (Editor-in-Chief
of CCMag) and Nick Nicholaou (President of Ministry
Business Services) have formed the Ministry Technology Institute (MTI).
MTI will serve the church and ministry community by offering a certification
program for men and women seeking to serve ministries with technology. |
more here|
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August 3, 2007
The I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis a couple of days ago underscores
again the importance of living each day for all it is worth, for we never
know when tragedy might strike.
It appears fortunate that the death and injury toll was not higher. One
apparent miraculous escape was the school bus that fell but landed on
its wheels and the 60 students all got out alive, although a dozen were
treated in a hospital for their injuries.
Even though it could have been worse it doesn't soften the blow for those
who are personally affected. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all those
dealing with suffering from this event. I am also grateful for
the reminder that good does come from hardship, suffering and difficulties. People
have reached out in help and the stories will emerge of everyday people
acting as heroes.
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| Read past Journal entries here. |
Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering
of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International
Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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PSALM 118:24
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"This
is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it."
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(NIV)
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