Tag: spirituality
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advent: the cosmos
Today I read a concept new to me, one which I will ponder – the Cosmic Christ. [I do not subscribe to our cancel culture in which disagreement causes one to lose their social or professional connections. No ability to thoughtfully consider an opinion different from one’s own, and intelligently discuss will lead to destruction…
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advent: before and after
This is for those who are feeling ill, broken hearted, outcast, lonely. Jesus comes along with compassion, identifying with those in pain; healing physically, but more importantly, healing injured and downcast souls. Medical cure is not His foremost commission. Many restorative examples are found in the New Testament. Leprosy in those days was a…
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advent: family trees
Especially this time of year, projections of happy, marvelous relationship with friends and family abound, conflicting with the reality many of us are living. Our family trees are complicated, messy, the bonds seemingly unresolvable. Pondering these incongruities, I read about the heritage and life of Jesus. His family tree includes: foreign women, non-Jewish women, public…
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advent: stars and stables
John Maxwell asks, “What if you follow a star and find a stable?” Consider the Magi. Wisemen from the East, donned in kingly array, bearing precious gifts for the new King. On their long journey, following the special heavenly star, anticipating a grand royal palace, royal court and kingly throne. Instead, the eastern kings find…
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advent: duality of thought
By their very nature, spiritual beliefs and doctrines present paradoxical dilemmas. God is three in one. Jesus comes as a human and is of divine nature. His mother Mary is a virgin and a mother. To understand these and other contradictions, those with rational minds search on, through other modalities: intellectual, spiritual, emotional. Creatively searching…
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advent: waiting
The word advent derives from the Latin adventus, meaning coming, arrival. For Christians, advent is a time of reflection and expectation. As Christians, we are admonished to live in a state of “non-fulfillment,” believing perfect restoration (personal, family, societal, nature, etc.) is promised to come in the future. Demanding the future we want leads to…
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advent: living in darkness
We must accept darkness surrounds our lives, acknowledging this earthly darkness will never go away. We must also remain hopeful, shining a light in the darkness (hunger, poverty, contentiousness, killings from womb to tomb, etc). This is not giving in. Hope is transformation through the risen Christ. We must receive this Light, then spread this…
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the problem of christmas
I have fond memories of Christmas past, from my family of origin, as well as with my young family. But then, a while back, problems began within Christendom. Traditional symbols connected up to pagan rites, a portion of believers condemned, and indeed did not participate in Christmas celebrations. As I scaled back my over-the-board enthusiasm,…
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a word about sorrow
Sorrow and suffering are a big part of this life and cannot be avoided. If we say this ought not to be so, shall we also say, “God has made a mistake in allowing them”? Personally, I’d like to avoid any more sorrow. However, I read: Suffering either leads to a better self, or it…
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resting
A situation came up and I took a break from blogging – until today, when I read the following in my devotional, followed by the daily verse app. “Come unto Me and I will give you rest.” “Not–I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but –I will…
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