Forgiveness.

To forgive another's transgression benefits the one forgiving as much as it does the one forgiven.

This is because it relieves the one forgiving of destructive feelings of hate, revenge, and vindictiveness.

When these feelings are gone it is a great relief.

But also forgiving others gives them another chance.

When we come closer to God through study and prayer we are forgiven what we have done wrong.

So it is only fair that we should forgive others as God has forgiven us.


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Mercy.

What does it mean to be merciful?

It means not pulling the trigger when you have your opponent down.

It means not judging evil but cultivating good.

It means not being afraid to look weak.

It mean giving a person a second chance.

It means trusting in the infinite mercy of God.


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A Ray of Light.

We are surrounded by darkness and evil.

The culture around us is cutthroat, selfish, hedonistic, and miserly.
Evil flourishes in the darkness.

But through study and prayer we can see a ray of light.

Mercy, forgiveness, compassion, charity, generosity, selflessness, gratitude, faith, hope, and love.

These are the things of the light.

These are the qualities that we should be cultivating in ourselves and teaching to our children.

But don't be fooled by celebrity posturing.
Seek those who are genuinely selfless.

Pray and seek the light.

You just might find God.


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This Evil Era.

We are used to thinking of our time as enlightened.

Science, education, the media, the internet.....
Everything is advanced and immediate.

But these things are being used by evil forces.

All science and education is geared towards employment.
The values of the plutocrats dominate:
productivity, pressure, competitiveness, work ethic, insensitivity, dog eat dog, and the bottom line.....

And our popular culture is saturated with evil.
Darkness and cruelty are everywhere.

So we are foolish to think that our era is enlightened.
We are surrounded by evil.
And darkness covers everything.

We live in an evil era.


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Goodness.

Mercy, kindness, faith.

Forgiveness, charity, hope.

Moderation, honesty, sobriety.

Compassion, and love.

But most of all

Love.


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Forgotten?

Have we

forgotten

what goodness is?


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Losers.

In a world

where

winners rule,

God is with

the losers.


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Who is Good?

In a world

that values

hate and greed,

who is good?


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Good.

In a world

that is inured

to evil,

where is goodness

to be found?


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Hope.

In a world

that is saturated

with evil,

where is there

a glimmer

of hope?


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Wheels Within Wheels.

There are no straight lines in nature.

The straight lines and squares

are all man-made.

God's creation is circular,

wheels within wheels.

From atoms to galaxies

all is circular and rotating and revolving.

This gives rise

to the cycle of the seasons

and the aspects of the planets.


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Tulip Magnolia.

Amid bare

winter branches,

the magnificent

Tulip Magnolia.


Photo Credit: Better Homes and Gardens.

Good News.

5 Reasons Why Progressive Christianity Is Good News:

1.  We no longer have to take the Bible literally.
Modern scholars tell us that the Bible is a human construct compiled over thousands of years.
It was meant to be interpreted metaphorically.

2.  We are not condemned.
The story of Adam and Eve is a myth which was invented to answer questions about human existence.
There are other explanations.

3.  Hell is out of character for a loving God.
If God does not punish us there can be no hell.

4.  God is on the side of the poor, the powerless, the marginalized.
This is the message of the Old Testament prophets.

5.  God is Love.


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Wattle.

Mid-winter wattle.

The glory of God.


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Jesus' Tears.

When the AIDS crisis first struck the gay community my first reaction was to pray.

I thought that what was needed was the care and sympathy of Jesus.

But his Church had hardened their hearts against us, perhaps out of fear, and most Christians abandoned us.

There was, and still is however, an element within the Church of Jesus who began to question the legalistic Phariseeism into which the Church had fallen.

The Jesus Seminar and John Shelby Spong laid the foundations of what is now Progressive Christianity.
It is notable that almost 100% of Progressive Christians support gay marriage.

I continue to pray in the hope that the tears of Jesus will trickle down and melt the hearts of his followers until gays and lesbians are free of the persecution and violence which his Church has inspired.


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Gay Saint.

In a world

which corrupts,

and glorifies evil;

could there be

a gay saint?


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God's Love.

God

hovers over us,

in His old rose robes,

protecting us

with flowers.


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My Message.

What is my message to young gays and lesbians?

What young gays and lesbians need to know is that there is nothing wrong with them.
They are not lame or sick, they are acceptable to God, and they will enter heaven when they die.

My experience of the Divine has taught me that everyone else is wrong and we are right to think that our sexuality is O.K..

The message that young gays and lesbians hear from the media is uncompromisingly negative.
They are told that God rejects them and that they will go to hell.
They are told that they are lame and that they are sick.

A constant diet of negativity is very bad for your self-esteem, let alone your pride.

So my message to young gays and lesbians is that God loves you as you are and you should not let anyone tell you otherwise.


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Life.

Life is

the giving

of a loving

heart.


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Treachery.

When we experience treachery we should realize that the people involved are acting out of fear and insecurity.

These people don't believe they can win, so they turn against us.

This is fear.
Fear of losing out.

If we can see this for what it is we can pray for them to be helped with their fear.

Thus we can have a benevolent attitude towards them despite their treachery.

This is what it means to love your enemies.

As Jesus did on the cross.


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Cosmos.

God is One.

And the Cosmos

is infinite.


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Modernism.

Modernism tends to dismiss anything that came before science as worthless.

But religion and philosophy are about life and how we live it.
And this is as true today as it was in 3000BCE.

Scientific knowledge informs our worldview and our vision which helps to dispel superstition and ignorance.

But the way of the heart is as ancient as humanity.

Science ignores the human dimension of life.
This is why modernism failed.

But Egyptian religion, the Buddha, Jesus, and their successors all recommend the way of the heart as the answer to life's problems.

And this is as true for moderns as it was for them.


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A Pink Flower.

A pale pink flower

fills my heart.

And I glimpse

the clouds

of heaven.


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