First, I’m a huge fan of Seth Godin’s blog, and his posts are ALL shorter than this is going to be.  ‘Forewarned is forearmed’ as they say, but this post is about answering the mail in some ways and that just may take a bit longer.  At least one loved one has asked me “What DO you believe?”, probably in response to me talking about what I don’t, and it occurred to me this morning that it’s time for me to say – so here goes…

I believe God (or Spirit, or Allah, or any name you use for what I’m about to describe) IS Love, in its purest sense. That’s beautiful in its simplicity which is probably why we teach it to children; it may be a great place to stop and focus spiritual education for all ages as we move forward in an increasingly diverse world. I say that as a long time attendee and teacher of Methodist Sunday Schools and participant in intensive bible studies at various stages in my life, but while it can be intellectually stimulating to dig into the origins and meanings of any great spiritual text it is not an ongoing requirement to practice the essence of them. At its worst, it can contribute to belief in a specific framework that is actually a hindrance to the right frame of mind for the truth that God is Love, or become a substitute activity for actually being out in the world and being Love, or both. The Golden Rule is pretty straightforward.

I don’t believe in heaven or hell (and I’m sure some may say that’s convenient.) As concepts they just don’t engender a loving existence, which to me means they can’t be of God but are constructs of man, and as a result are flawed. At their worst they bring forward emotions of guilt, or fear, both of which are opposites of love. When Jesus said the kingdom of heaven was at hand I believe he meant it was here and now, hence the teaching of ‘whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me’ needs to be taken to heart as we move through the world around us, right now. As for hell, there are plenty of people in the world today who are suffering through hell as anyone paying attention  knows, just by looking around and having ears to hear, and eyes to see…

I believe in the power of prayer, or meditation, or however someone dedicates a space in their life to “Be still and know…” It’s effectiveness is as a spiritual feeding time, for filling ourselves with the understanding of who we are and enjoying the gratitude of receiving insights in response. It is a necessary, interactive mental activity to understand what our best role is in being God’s hands in our corner of the world.

God is Love, and is a fundamental part of who we all are; that force inside every mentally and spiritually healthy human being that makes us feel better when we’re truly loving than when we’re hating, or fearing, or worrying. There have been and continue to be many great teachers of that truth and many paths to follow to fulfill it in the world, probably as many different paths as there are those trying to follow. My path has not been the straightest nor has it needed to be, it just needs to be intentional, my daily challenge.

Keep me honest.

Well said, by my oldest daughter Emily.  So splashing out a bit.  Started this blog in 2012 while at Rackspace as a stretch for myself.  Stretch I did, once every 2 years or so – SO me.  But to what’s important…

I worshipped on the treadmill this morning, pretty sure that was fine with God.  Can only do that thanks to the grace of God, followed very distantly by The Police and Tom Petty.  Always end with my Sunday morning playlist though, having refocused on what I need to go do in the world.  Because God is about doing, not about thinking about doing. God is good, but you can’t just pray / meditate – you have to DO something.  Go out and do something today.  To quote Jewel in one of my favorite Sunday songs “We are God’s hands.”

I miss my Dad, but I carry with me always his words of advice – ‘Got to be willing to vote with your feet’.  He was a godly man. That was in response to years of listening patiently to my bending his ear about work – and as in a lot of things – he was right.  Not all things, but a lot of things.  I miss him but I carry him with me in my heart, as do my children, among many others.  That’s the beauty of the universe.

Now off to spend some Sunday with my oldest, dearest friends – friends I’m so glad I got to know before the age of camera phones and social media.  Whew.

Happy Sunday!

10 minutes being the time it takes an egg to boil to perfection on an Induction cooktop brought to a boil at P, and then lowered to 8, and consequently the time I had to write this post.  In case you were wondering…

Years ago a dear friend of mine once made me aware of the book title “Your God is Too Small”, by J.B. Phillips.  I had never read it before, but I liked the concept and it fit with the conversation we were having at the time, one of the many she and I have shared over the years that I have truly cherished.  The more I’ve explored over the past few years though, the more I have come to believe that my God is too BIG.  And by that I mean, too big for any one faith tradition (Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, etc.), or none at all.

Because I believe that God is love, literally.  God is the force that binds all of creation together in a way that makes us sing internally when we are mindfully, lovingly, sharing of ourselves – with all other living things, including our physical surroundings – the earth, and by extension – the universe.  To tie God down to a given faith tradition is too limiting, and I believe as the world becomes far more interconnected, through travel and technology, it doesn’t serve humanity well.

More to come…