R2E (aka 'The Road'): Interstices (Where to look for and possibly find God)

R2E (aka 'The Road'): Interstices (Where to look for God)

Where to find God

http://lle.freewebspace.com/

Where to look for God

http://impossibleape.blogspot.com/2007/02/hallejujah.html

The Naked Truth.

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10." Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.
Revelation 3:20 begins
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock."
Genesis 3:10 reads,
"I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked."









Thank you Pastor Hammond for another funny moment.

NO DEAL!

News Flash

Howie Mandell is not God!

According to the latest poll Howie is not the diety.

Which is your favorite movie or television God character?


Morgan Freeman ('Bruce Almighty')
27%

George Burns ('Oh God!')

18%

Alanis Morisette ('Dogma')
16%

Val Kilmer ('Prince of Egypt')
4%

Graham Chapman ('Monty Python')
4%

Various Actors in 'Joan of Arcadia'
9%

Harry Shearer in 'The Simpsons'

2%

Charlton Heston ('Ten Commandments')
19%

Eric Dearborn ('Bedazzled')
1%

Howie Mandel ('St. Elsewhere')
0%

Howie is not God....

The Poll says.......

Morgan Freeman is preferred by 27% of respondents.

Interstices (Where to look for God)

http://impossibleape.blogspot.com/2007/02/hallejujah.html


A Place where God and our reality can play even if the world is hermetically sealed (an apparent Closed system where magic, transcendence, God and love are banished).







the cradle of creativity is such a place of interstice












the meeting place of the quark as it exits and enters our dimension is one such interstice.






















Where love meets pain is another


















and perhaps most powerfully in the experience of beauty



like the glinting of the sun off the iridescent head of a spring plumaged mallard as it swam on the crystal water of a pond while large golden fish glided beneath the translucent surface.












As I lay on the lush new growth of grass soaking in the warmth of the gentle April sun after an especially hard, cold and dark winter the light off that duck's head was a window, an interstice if you will, into of a new reality that transcended the darkness and constraint of a closed world that often overwhelmed me







it was joy...surprised in the interstice by joy





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MDlMdu2gjw



that was my experience of salvation












Unfortunately much of what followed in my religious life has been a distraction from that reality, a pornograghying of the truth. A sideshow in hype, hucksterism and hypocrisy.


My duty now is to try to re-engage the beauty without the false overlay of propositional faith. To experience the holy and the beautiful in the moments I have been given and to invite others to find the interstice in their own authentic experience.

This is my calling to help people find their own place where god and Reality can play, and love and create.... to discover their own interstice...their own 'space and place between'.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MDlMdu2gjw





LH

Orthodox Evangelism (wisdom from Above....and from beneath the Onion Dome)

Orthodox evangelism is greeting visitors as they come to the Church and thenmodeling (neither instructing nor condemning the visitor) for them proper behavior and demeanor in the Church. Orthodox evangelism is hospitality offered to share meals, to provide shelter and clothing as needed. Orthodox evangelism is to pray for our neighbor and to love our neighbor as ourself. Orthodox evangelism is going to the soup kitchen and serving there -Orthodox evangelism is giving to the poor without regard for "how the money will be used". Orthodox evangelism is visiting the sick in hospitals andpraying for them. Orthodox evangelism is going the prisons (contact yourlocal prison chaplain regarding how this might be done) and offering comfort and kindness to the imprisoned. Orthodox evangelism is loving your enemies (Elder Silouan of Mt Athos says that this is the true mark of a Christian -the love of one's enemies). Orthodox Evangelism is loving your neighbor as yourself. If we all did these things (and I am a wretched sinner and fallshort of all that I have just said) then our Churches would be open and filled with light and glory drawing all who see her by the grace and action of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. We don't have to preach on streetcorners, we don't have to have "events" or revivals or seminars as evangelistic tools - we simply have to be Orthodox Christians "to the max"without reservation or compromise. That is Orthodox evangelism.


BruceBruce's Blog <http://brucesworld.blogspot.com/>http://brucesworld.blogspot.com/

What no circus', healing crusades or sideshows

WOW


maybe they are onto something

Knocking on Heaven's Door

This is the meeting of two grizzled old performers who were knocking on heavens door from different sides....one has entered in...the other is occupying while waiting his call.







I think he will make it (if anyone does).

Dignity

Dignity does not float down from heaven...It is a reward reserved for those who labor with diligence.-Bill Hybels


I don't think Dylan would agree..I know I don't.









Dignity is the birthright of every human being. Many have forgotten and have lost touch with the knowledge of their worth. When the lies of the adversary are believed and the restraint of knowing that 'we are better than that' has been lost many people are led to empty troughs of despair, and an experience of wasted lives, sickened bodies, shattered minds and lost souls....but if they could only look upon the shining face of the Anointed One and realize that they are all made of the same stuff as Jesus himself...they would know that they have Dignity and it is the gift of God not of works for no man can boast. ...It is NOT a reward reserved only for those who labor with diligence.

All men can rejoice in the fact of their God-likeness.......





















even Joshua (aka Destroyer of Worlds
and
the Saviour of his people )

Joshua has dignity while his diapers are being changed, his spills being cleaned up, his cries being attended to and his frustrated 'hitting out' is being warded off ...........because he too is of the kingdom of God.

And if you don't agree
then you don't know 'Jack', Joshua or Jesus .

LH

Orthodox Marriage

"The Orthodox take on marriage is that it is a form of martyrdom. The spouses die to themselves to live for each other, and for God. This is symbolized in the Orthodox ceremony by the use of "martyrs crowns" to crown the bride and groom. It's a very beautiful ceremony full of symbolism and wonderful prayers."
(this quote is from Bruce of
Bruce's Blog http://brucesworld.blogspot.com/ )

this kind of reminded me of a famous quote from the recently deceased wife of Billy Graham, Ruth Graham.

she is reported to have said that she never ever considered divorce, her commitment to the sacredness of marriage was too great...On the other hand murder had occurred to her.....but thankfully she thought better of that remedy for marital dissatisfaction.


A great lady, may she rest in peace and may Billy be comforted in his great loss.

Here is something else that brought tears and inspiration to my heart today

As Ruth lays dying........we should remember that love never fails

"Ruth is my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side."— Billy Graham, in a statement today that his wife "is close to going home to heaven." The Associated Press reports that Ruth Graham, 87, fell into a coma this morning.

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2007/06/ruth_graham_clo.html

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.-Ruth Bell Graham

Perhaps

Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we
are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving
God.
-Henri Nouwen

We'll see

Let me tell you this: Faith comes and goes. But if it is presumptuous to think that faith will stay forever, it is just as presumptuous to think that unbelief will.-Flannery O'Connor

Hitchens vs God

Recently Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson have debated the proposition that Christianity (and theistic belief of all kinds) has been, on the whole, bad for mankind.

you can read the arguments here.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/juneweb-only/122-52.0.html



I enjoyed the debate very much and made this comment at its conclusion.



Perhaps it will intrigue you enough that you read the articles in the link. I hope so. The articles are well worth the time and they are entertaining as well as educational. Kind of like Sesame Street for theologians if you will.







Impossibleape said





I have enjoyed this entire series. I am a Christian who is often mad at God for many of the reasons spoken of by Christopher. I am a 'sometimes' atheist who continues to be mad at the Being that I occasionally say I do not believe in (the fool has said in his heart, 'there is no God').

I was inspired to think better of the Christian tradition and teachings by Douglas's excellent defence of Jesus as the life of (and therefore the good of) the world. But I agree with Chris that even Christianity needs to evolve because no amount of verbal contortion or ridiculous double talk can justify the outrages against simple morality contained in the Old and to a lesser extent the New Testaments.

On the whole I give the debate to Doug. Even though I am still a 'sometimes' Christian atheist (as I expect Chris is) I do feel a little better because of what I have experienced here and I hope Chris will too........in the evolving contingency of time. Thanks to all.

LH

It better to knock rocks together than curse dark shadow of Pterodactyl overhead (or it only takes a spark)

Listen to the It's About Time theme

The tech support problem dates back to long before the industrial revolution, when primitive tribesmen beat out a rhythm on drums to communicate:

Ugh! This "Fire Help." Me Groog.

Me Lorto. Help. Fire not work.

You have flint and stone? Ugh. You hit them together? Ugh. What happen?

Fire not work. (sigh)

Make spark? No spark, no fire, me confused. Fire work yesterday. *sigh*

You change rock?

I change nothing.

You sure?

Me make one change. Stone hot so me soak in stream so stone not burn Lorto hand. Small change, shouldn't keep Lorto from make fire.

* Groog grabs club and goes to Lorto's cave*

* lights go out in Lorto's brain * it be dark for sure for sure

because its about time....whacking time that is........