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An interactive blog based at Broadview Church for staying in touch with one another.Broadview Community UCC Sermonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08057792136430091513noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-45313977735230859512024-02-11T14:48:00.000-08:002024-03-03T10:00:01.132-08:00Spirituality Study Group notes:<p><i> 9 parishioners attended</i>: (Gudrun M. & H., Rose/Thorn, Rae, Ruthie, Judy/Harry, and Day)</p><p>(Day M.)<span> <span style="color: #38761d;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>God</b></span> is the <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">(<span>see links</span>)</span> <a href="https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/big-features/web-of-life-all-living-things-connected/">Web of Life</a> in <span style="color: #38761d;">nature</span>. </p><p>(<span style="color: #990000;">Pete T</span>.) I relate the book to <u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Island_(book)">Turtle Island</a>,</u> how the <span style="color: #0b5394;">Sky Woman</span> falls, dancing the Earth into being.</p><p>(Rae S.)<span> I was struck by how grateful the <span style="color: #0b5394;">Sky Woman</span> was to creation. She has seeds in her hand! This is very different than Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden of Eden.</span></p><p><span>(Rose B.)<span> Looking at the <a href="https://www.wcucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Big-Read-Study-Guide-2021.pdf">Discussion Questions</a>, I note positive interactions between humans and Earth nowadays: For example, veganism and wildlife coming back.</span></span></p><p>(Gudrun M.) The first religions were <span style="color: #38761d;">nature</span> based. Origin stories vary, e.g., deserts in the middle-east vs. the lush new world in USA.</p><p>(<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ruthie H.</span>)<span> I grew up in the midwest in Indiana, which had more extremes during seasons.</span></p><p><span>(Judy H.) <span> I've always seen myself as coming from immigrant stock and relate with pilgrims around the world, e.g., in the Middle East.</span></span></p><p><span><span>(<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ruthie H.</span>)<span> The roots of plants/trees are underground so communicating and interacting. See the book - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Tree-Seasons-Change-Century-Old/dp/1632862530">Witness Tree</a>, by Linda V. </span></span></span>Makes (writer for the Seattle Times). </p><p>(<span style="color: #990000;">Pete T.</span>) Please check out a splendid poem, '<a href="https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2019/autumn/bless-land-joy-harjo">Bless This Land</a>', out of the book - <i>An American Sunrise</i>.</p><p> </p><p><b>For next week: </b>Lets read 'Gifts of Strawberries' (p. 22 - >) & 'An Offering' (p. 33 ->), 17 pages total. <br /></p><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div><p style="text-align: right;"> </p>dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-37209109432787087782024-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:002024-01-10T16:22:18.946-08:00Spirituality Study Group notes<p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our group read the introduction & chapter 1 of the book <i>The Common Good</i>, by Robert B. Reich. (See a book description - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37506435-the-common-good">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37506435-the-common-good</a>)<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span> </span>-- Our lively conversation was aided w<span style="color: #444444;">ith</span> a concise discussion guide<i>,</i> pp 191-193 --<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Day M.</b></span> - <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">Conservatives make a rational argument against providing United States assistance towards the </span></span><u><span style="background-color: #fcff01; font-family: arial;">global </span></u><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">common good</span></u>: "Let's instead prioritize care for our citizens. We aren't the world and can't help everyone. Our 'global leadership' is for our military budget, which tends to fuel American military contractors and maintains our edge."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Pete R.</b></span> - Our primary obligation is to be informed citizens. <u>Free public libraries are a public good</u>. For example, one can post there to give away one's computer.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><b>Judy H.</b></span> - If more wealth recompensed necessary works we wouldn't need the wealthy to 'give'.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Harry H.</b></span> - Scandinavian countries are social democracies. Jesus propounded Agape.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Gudrun M.</b></span> - Let's assist others to take responsibilities and obligations, a challenge in Scandinavia.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Rose B.</b></span> - Nowadays we have so much more wealth than our grandparents, which in Seattle causes a digital divide.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #7f6000;">For next week</span></b>, please read Chapters 2 & 3, which equals 30 pages.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">The next book we'll read/discuss</span></b> is <i>Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,</i>
by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The book explores reciprocal relationships
between humans and the land, with a focus on the role of plants and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botany" title="Botany">botany</a> in both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States" title="Native Americans in the United States">Native American</a> and Western traditions. (Rose Bailey will group order the book this week.)<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">*</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> See a book description - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braiding_Sweetgrass">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braiding_Sweetgrass</a>.</span></span></p><p></p>dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-67585995709976872792018-11-04T08:45:00.000-08:002019-03-20T13:25:42.960-07:00Spirituality Study Group notes<span style="color: #4c1130;"><b><i>Day</i></b></span> read out loud the following quote from the chapter, entitled "Envy: That Guy Goes Past Yet Again in His Mercedes-Benz":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We tend to compare ourselves to those who are in our social circle.
According to the happiness research, "upward comparisons" are
particularly corrosive to our well-being. <span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">Envy doesn't leave room for joy.</span> The <span style="background-color: #ea9999;"></span>Tibetan word for envy is <i>trakdok</i>,
which means "heavy or constricted shoulders," and indeed the feeling of
envy leaves one with a pinched feeling of discontent and resentment,
tinged with guilt. (p. 137)</blockquote>
<br />
We reflected upon 5 powerful remedies for envy to be able to regain a full open heart in today's discussion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu revealed h<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">is three remedies:</span><b><br /></b></span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><i>Gratitude</i></span> -- by counting your blessings</li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><i>Motivation</i></span> -- by using one's envy as a spur to improve our situation</li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><i>Re-framing</i></span> -- by analyzing why I want to have something </li>
</ol>
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><i><b><span style="color: #783f04;">Judy</span></b></i></span> remarked following our group's contemplation period that this process of 4. <i><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">centering</span></i> helps us start anew with a tuned conscience, amidst clingy memories and associations. <br />
<br />
For ten years when growing up, <span style="color: #274e13;"><b><i>Giselle</i></b></span> studied at a school taught in French, held within a convent. "We always went for 5. <span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><i>confession</i></span> and asked forgiveness for our moral errors. Openly describing our moral quandaries was useful to bring light to these subconscious feelings."<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">*</span> Check out the following online video, "Busted Halo: Faith Shared Joyfully", describing the process of confession - <a href="https://bustedhalo.com/video/penance-why-we-confess" target="_blank">https://bustedhalo.com/video/penance-why-we-confess</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b>For next week:</b></i></span> Please have read p. 145-168.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-20568793911512512652018-10-28T08:45:00.000-07:002018-11-09T19:54:53.137-08:00Spirituality Study Group notesToday, we examined the requirement for humans to <span style="background-color: #ffd966;"><span style="color: #073763;"><i>cooperate</i></span></span> to be able to together create more advanced societies:<br />
<br />
(<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Joan</span></b>) "It's not just surviving, but cooperating. <u>Cooperation is Christianity at its best.</u> We depend upon each other. When we are grateful for the whole, we can thrive in civil society."<br />
<br />
(<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Day</span></span>) "Trump Republicans hail to "make America great again" through private initiative and competition. This is not the best way we together can bond to thrive as a diverse complex community, but rather a retrenchment towards reptilian survival instincts of fear and separateness from others. I have found that cooperative democratic socialism in Sweden has been a wonderful way to rationally plan a thriving civil society."<br />
<br />
(<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Harry</span></b>) "Part of our humanity is being enlarged and informed by our differences, not retrenchment into hate and delusion."<br />
<br />
(<span style="color: #0c343d;"><b>Pete</b></span>) There have always been bad times, e.g., the 1965 murder of a Unitarian minister. As President Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." Check out the following online article for inspiration, entitled "Rev. James Reeb died in Selma 50 years ago today. He should be remembered for how he lived!" <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/03/11/james-reeb-died-in-selma-50-years-ago-today-he-should-be-remembered-for-how-he-lived/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/03/11/james-reeb-died-in-selma-50-years-ago-today-he-should-be-remembered-for-how-he-lived/</a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b>For Next Week:</b></i></span> Please read p. 135-157.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div>
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dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-48448940533047896822018-10-14T08:45:00.000-07:002018-11-04T21:05:06.167-08:00Spirituality Study Group notes<div class="hd">
Today, our group of nine attendees strategized how to be joyful while sensitive and connected to the complex world that is full of tragedies and dysfunction:<br />
<br />
(<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Rose</b></i></span>) "Knowing what is going on in the world is of value because it helps you to reach out and relate with others. When you read about history, there's always been strife, conflict, and disorder. For example, in the 13th and 14th centuries there was the (URL) <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/ole-j-benedictow/black-death-greatest-catastrophe-ever" target="_blank">Black Death</a>. Some places lost most of their people from the Bubonic Plague!"<br />
(<i><b><span style="color: blue;">Judy</span></b></i>) "During the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust" target="_blank">Holocaust</a>, people who gave up hope, turned over and died."</div>
<div class="hd">
(<span style="color: magenta;"><i><b>Harry</b></i></span>) "We can be depressed in times of depression or disaster, but hope lasts a longer time. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote that joy and sorrow comes from the same source."<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">*</span></b> Below is his famous prayer about "enjoying one moment at a time". We together queried whether this is the best way to experience joy in this world: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4 class="hd">
The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)</h4>
<blockquote title="The Serenity Prayer, by Reinhold Niebuhr">
<div class="t1">
God, give us grace to accept with serenity <br />
the things that cannot be changed, <br />
Courage to change the things <br />
which should be changed, <br />
and the Wisdom to distinguish <br />
the one from the other. </div>
Living one day at a time, <br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Enjoying one moment at a time</span>, <br />
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, <br />
Taking, as Jesus did, <br />
This sinful world as it is, <br />
Not as I would have it, <br />
Trusting that You will make all things right, <br />
If I surrender to Your will, <br />
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, <br />
And supremely happy with You forever in the next. <br />
Amen. </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<i><b>For Next Week: </b></i>Please read up to p. 133.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-86384923202662152312018-10-07T08:45:00.000-07:002018-10-12T22:25:01.389-07:00Spirituality Study Group notesWe relished <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Archbishop Tutu's </span><i><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">group prayer</span></i> as a way to open our important conversation:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Let's be still for a moment. Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of thy faithful people and kindle in them the fire of thy love. Send forth thy spirit and they shall be made new and thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Amen." (p. 29)</blockquote>
<b>We threaded how<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> "Fear, Stress, and Anxiety"</span> are related and resolved </b>in the Chapter, p. 93-108:<br />
Harry clarified that <i>fear</i> has an object, whereas <i>anxiety</i> has no object.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Courage</i>
is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act despite it. Courage
is indeed the triumph of our heart's love and commitment over our
mind's reasonable murmurings to keep us safe." (p. 93) </blockquote>
<i>Anxiety</i> and <i>stress</i><i> </i> often come from too much expectation and too much ambition. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The Archbishop and the Dalai Lama encourage us to develop <span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><i>Stress Resilience</i></span>. This involves turning what is called "<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">threat stress</span>," or the perception that a stressful event is a threat that will harm us, into what is called "<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">challenge stress</span>," or the perception that a stressful event is a challenge that will help us grow. The remedy they offer is quite straight forward. One simply notices the flight-or-flight stress response in one's body--the beating heart, the pulsing blood or tingling feeling in our hands and face, the rapid breathing--then remembers that these are natural responses to stress and that our body is just preparing to rise to the challenge." (p. 99) </blockquote>
<b>Comments on how being on a spiritual path can counter materialism:</b><br />
(<span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>Joan</b></span>) "<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Christianity is counter culture, battling consumerism about stuff</span>."<br />
(<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Day</span></b></span></span>) "When we are striving for things, we get on this train. We forget what we are now and being present to what we have."<br />
(<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Rose</b></span></span>) "Recently, I was inspired by Alice Walker, who practices Buddhism. "<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">*</span></b> Please enjoy Bill Moyers' web interview, entitled <a href="https://vimeo.com/123655242" target="_blank">Alice Walker on the Power of Meditation</a>. <br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><i><br /></i>
</span><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><i>For Next Week:</i></span> </b>Please read "Sadness and Grief: The Hard Times Knit Us More Closely Together" & "Despair: The World is in Such Turmoil", p. 109-123<span style="color: #38761d;">.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-14247819763558663792018-09-30T08:45:00.000-07:002018-10-12T22:24:06.159-07:00Spirituality Study Group notesOur group's constructive spiritual remedy for countervailing forces is <span style="color: #990000;">centering prayer</span> at the start of our morning discussion. This prayer helps collect, integrate, and recall all our varied mental/emotional situations during the previous week. We groaned upon mention that a conservative evangelist had prayed, "God, let those who oppose Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court have confusion." <br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f9cb9c;"><i>The Soul provides an omnipresent heartful constructive response:</i></span><br />
1. (<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Day</b></span>) "Christian prayer is raising everyone's boat with your heart, getting buoyant above/outside of one's box."<br />
2. (<span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Ruth</span></b></span>) "Our synapses are opened up/benefited in Christian prayer by stepping back and not reacting."<br />
3. Check out the following comical dramatic sketch URL: "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=dGFXGwHsD_A" target="_blank">I'm not dead yet!</a>" in the film, Monte Python and the Holy Grail.<br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><i>The book clarifies one's experience of negativity in constructive prayer:</i></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Throughout the week of dialogues, the Archbishop said many times that we should not berate ourselves for our negative thoughts and emotions, that they are natural and unavoidable. They are only made more intense, he argued, by the glue of guilt and shame when we think we should not have them. The Dalai Lama agreed that human emotions are natural, but he did argue about whether they are unavoidable. <span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white;">Mental immunity</span></span>, he explained, is the way to avoid them.<br />
<br />
"Through self-inquiry and meditation, we can discover the nature of the mind and learn to soothe our emotional reactivity. This will leave us less vulnerable to the destructive emotions and thought patterns that cause us so much suffering. This is the process of developing mental immunity."</blockquote>
<b><span style="color: #783f04;"><i>For Next Week:</i></span> </b>Please read "Fear, Stress, and Anxiety: I would Be Very Nervous", p. 93-108.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-4422859687421266772018-09-23T08:45:00.000-07:002018-10-12T22:23:27.499-07:00Spirituality Study Group notesOne thread of thoughts reflecting upon current events stood out from today's group discussion:<br />
(<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Harry</span></b>) - <i><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Radical narcissism is the root of evil, when you make yourself the center - God</span></b></i>, <span style="background-color: yellow;">e.g., the America First Trump policy of separating refugee immigrant parents from their children</span>.<br />
(<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose</span></b>) - There was strong and compelling research that we come factory equipped for cooperation, compassion, and generosity." (p. 57)<br />
(<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Judy</span></b>) - We're also wired to survive, beyond compassion. <br />
(<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><b>Day</b></span></span>) - It's good to take short breaks during the day to hold wonder, to ask "Where is God?" and 'What is the whole?" Strategic use of empathy and compassion can help us to get out of our crafty private strategic perceptual boxes looking at parts.<br />
(<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Harry</span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">) - Other questions to contemplate are, "What is <u><i>our</i></u> strategy leading to? Why does all I'm doing matter?" </span></span><br />
<i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
</i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><i><b>For next week</b></i></span>, please read chapter, "You Are a Masterpiece in the Making" (p. 78-92).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </span></span></div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0325 N 125th St, Seattle, WA 98133, USA47.7192579680871 -122.3543906950794747.7077089680871 -122.38185669507948 47.7308069680871 -122.32692469507947tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-80662861644739894212018-09-16T08:45:00.000-07:002018-10-16T19:10:43.622-07:00Spirituality Study Group notes<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">I was the first to arrive at 8:43am for our Sunday meeting! Ten total participants gradually coalesced. We discussed further into <i>The Book of Joy</i>: </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #e06666;">SUFFERING AND PAIN! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">
</span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Judy</b></span> reflected about how to see God's will in the universal problem of
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">life </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>suffering and pain, e.g., if one had a 45 year old brother acquiring Parkinson's
Disease, or the difficulty of adjusting from being an intellectual snob to take care of a mentally retarded child</span></span>. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></span><b><span style="color: red;">Shock red Carolyn</span></b> decided that it'll take a long time to understand</span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"> <i>The Book of Joy</i></span></span>'s message. She didn't buy into the idea of </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">Nelson Mandela's </span></span>27 years long suffering in jail</span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"> having spiritual value</span></span> for him to become South Africa's first black president. Rather, his tribulations were <i>not necessary</i> to learn and grow in God.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Day</span></b></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"> vividly agreed! </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">An existential atheist (like Jean Paul Sartre) would </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></span></span></span></span>problem solve more convergently towards a solution for</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"> suffering, </span></span></span></span></span></span>unlike trans-rational Christians.</span></span> (Please see the article -> <a href="http://www.equip.org/article/how-should-christians-approach-the-problem-of-evil/" target="_blank">How Christians approach the problem of evil</a>) </span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #351c75;">KIND AND GENEROUS!</span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose</span></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"> questioned, how do we make those small choices to be kind and generous? </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>Carla</b></span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;">noted that the Dalai Lama winced when being kissed by Desmond Tutu on both cheeks. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;">Raised in the Tibetan monk tradition, he wasn't used to being touched. </span></span></span></span>Rather, </span></span></span></span>physical touch is natural in relating with another human. Joy comes from our interconnectedness and relationships, opposite of narcissistic self-care. Right now, we have so many individualistic media channels that cater to one's own vantage that the skill of relating to another is being lost.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b> </b></i><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><i>For Next Week:</i></b></span><span style="color: black;"> Read up through page 78.</span><b><i><span style="color: black;"></span></i><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span></div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-10011169130230654922018-09-09T16:21:00.000-07:002018-09-14T22:23:42.986-07:00Spirituality Study Group notes10 Sunday morning members started discussing a new book, entitled <span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"></span><br />
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496453-the-book-of-joy" target="_blank">The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World</a></b></i> <span style="color: red;">(<span style="color: #990000;">URLs are underlined.</span>)</span> b<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="by" style="font-size: small;">y</span><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/570218.Dalai_Lama_XIV" itemprop="url" target="_blank"><span itemprop="name"> Dalai Lama XIV</span></a></span><span itemprop="name" style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">&</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5943.Desmond_Tutu" itemprop="url" target="_blank"><span itemprop="name"> Desmond Tutu</span></a></span></span></div>
<br />
On the cover is written, <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span itemprop="name"><span id="freeText16396504230759978543"><b>"<span style="color: #741b47;">Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity.</span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span itemprop="name"><span id="freeText16396504230759978543">
The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to
get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to
them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop
Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both
great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also
known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span itemprop="name"><span id="freeText16396504230759978543">From
the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake:
their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in
the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their
own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop
Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here
they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that
they are both in their eighties, they especially want to spread the core
message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span itemprop="name"><span id="freeText16396504230759978543">Most
of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by
their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed
from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life." </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"></span></blockquote>
<span itemprop="name"><span id="freeText16396504230759978543"><br /></span></span>
<span itemprop="name">Both Nobel Peace Prize winners have extraordinarily rich and complex personal histories. The complexity seemed untangled though. These 'holy' leaders exuded simple honesty. </span><br />
<b><span itemprop="name"><br /></span></b>
<span itemprop="name"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Highlights of our discussion:</span> </span><br />
<span itemprop="name"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Kay</b></span> saw the Dalai Lama at Safeco Field, in Seattle. We all welcomed <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Carla</span> </b>who <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/series/shows/finding-god-in-all-things/downloads/meditation.pdf" target="_blank">downloads the Father God universe through contemplation</a>. </span><span itemprop="name"><b><span itemprop="name"><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Joan</b></span> </span></b><span itemprop="name">noted that l</span><span itemprop="name">ittle children are just being in life, which can be relearned through contemplation. </span><span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>Harry</b></span> mentioned the importance of <a href="https://teachingsofthebuddha.com/the-path-to-happiness-compassion/" target="_blank">compassion in the Buddhist 8-fold path</a>. Christian theologian Reinhold Neibuhr wrote that sorrow and joy comes from the same source. <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Rose</b></span> added that when we realize others suffering, our pain is lessened.</span><br />
<span itemprop="name"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="name"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><i>For next week</i></b></span>, please read to page 64, "Lunch"!</span><br />
<span itemprop="name"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #38761d;">-- Thanks for your comments below --</span> </div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-68301865323731184622016-10-17T19:31:00.001-07:002016-10-17T19:42:48.138-07:00Spirituality Study Group notesThough I'm not reading the 8:45am Sunday Spirituality Study Group's current book, I appreciate to occasionally drop in to check out the valuable exchange. (<span style="color: #990000;">YOU'RE WELCOME TO ALSO DROP IN.</span>) We're now discussing a book entitled <b><u>Grateful Living</u></b> (see URL at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Living-Dale-Turner/dp/0965374483">https://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Living-Dale-Turner/dp/0965374483</a> ). <span style="color: #783f04;">More than 60 of the most enlightened and beloved articles by the late Rev. Dr. Dale Turner, Seattle Times columnist and Congregational minister. Essays on love, gratitude, tolerance, acceptance, and more.</span><br />
<br />
My two favorite quotes about coping--><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #783f04;">"God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try."</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">(Mother Teresa, recently anointed a saint by Pope Francis)</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #783f04;">"Grief is our deepest most difficult emotion. Integrate loss into your life."</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">(Sharon Wilbourn, Broadview UCC member)</span></blockquote>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-52663133791982898722016-04-03T08:45:00.000-07:002016-04-05T20:00:18.454-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notesFor our first Sunday morning gathering to open and discover our new book, some of the five participants had read the Introduction and Chapter 1, entitled "From Atheism to Belief". <span style="background-color: #ffe599;">We thought through concepts of atheistic, agnostic, and belief/faith in a higher power/God.</span> (Please check out a related <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/agnostic-looking-for-meaning-between-belief-and-reason/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">online article</span></a> book review of "Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto".)<br />
<br />
The author synopsized his entry into faith:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had started this journey of intellectual exploration to confirm my atheism. That now lay in ruins as the argument from the Moral Law "the law of right behavior" (and many other issues) forced me to admit the plausibility of the God hypothesis. Agnosticism, which had seemed like a safe second-place haven, now loomed like the great cop-out it often is. Faith now seemed more rational than disbelief." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It also became clear to me that science, despite its unquestioned powers in unraveling the mysteries of the natural world, would get me no further in resolving the question of God. If God exists, than He must be outside the natural world, and therefore the tools of science are not the right ones to learn about Him. Instead, as I was beginning to understand from looking into my own heart, the evidence of God's existence would have to come from other directions, and the ultimate decision would be based on faith, not proof. Still beset by rolling uncertainties of what path I had started down, I had to admit that I had reached the threshold of accepting the possibility of a spiritual worldview, including the existence of God."</blockquote>
<b>For next week:</b> Please read Chapter 2 (pp. 33-54) to discuss.dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-83991148079198203462016-03-27T22:47:00.003-07:002016-03-28T20:52:39.378-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
It's a perfect time to join us next week! We'll begin discussion of our new book, entitled <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Language of God - A Scientist Presents Evidence For Belief</span></a> </b>(URL), by Francis S. Collins<b>.</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;">On the book is written the following:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<blockquote>
"Collins's argument that science and faith are compatible deserves a wide hearing. It lets non-church goers consider spiritual questions without feeling awkward." - The New York Times Book Review<br />
"<i>The Language of God</i> is a powerful confession of belief from one of the world's leading scientists. Refuting the tired stereotypes of hostility between science and religion, Francis Collins challenges his readers to find a unity of knowledge that encompasses both faith and reason." --Kenneth Miller, Brwon University, author of <i>Finding Darwin's God</i><i><br /></i> "What an elegantly written book. In it Francis Collins, the eminent scientist, tells why he is also a devout believer....A real godsend for those with questioning minds but who are also attracted to things spiritual." --Archbishop Desmond Tutu</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists. He works at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God and scripture.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Dr. Collins believes that faith in God and faith in science can coexist within a person and be harmonious. In <i>The Language of God,</i> he makes his case for God and for science. He has heard every argument against faith from scientists, and he can refute them. He has also heard the needless rejection of scientific truths by some people of faith, and he can counter that, too. He explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes readers for a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry, and biology can all fit together with belief in God and the Bible. <i>The Language of God</i> is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of faith: Why are we here? How did we get here? What does life mean?</blockquote>
</div>
dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-43597054912076435872014-11-16T08:45:00.000-08:002014-11-17T22:12:12.095-08:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<span style="color: #e06666;"><b><i>At the start</i></b> </span>of each meeting, we <span style="color: #38761d;">all</span> ask around, "Where and how did you see God in your life this week?" For instance, we reconnect with wisdom and perspective via (73 year old) Joan Baez' songs about God, overnight at 3am when all our cells are open, and Sunday morning bright sunrises.<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>For this week</b></i>, we read Chapter 7, "The Practice of Living with Purpose -- Vocation" (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Altar-World-Geography-Faith/dp/0061370479/ref=asap_B001H6U4WK_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416272080&sr=1-2" target="_blank"><u>An Altar in the World</u></a><link></link><link></link><link></link> <see url="">, <note url=""> by Barbara Brown Taylor.) </note></see><br />
<br />
The <span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><b>author</b></span> summarizes that <span style="background-color: #ffe599;">no matter what we're doing, it's up to us to decide what that purpose is.</span> "The point is to find something that feeds your sense of purpose, and to be willing to look low for that purpose as well as high. It may be chopping wood and it may be running a corporation. Whatever it is, perhaps you will hold open the possibility that doing it is one way to learn what it means to become more fully human, as you press beyond being good to being good for something, in a world with the perfect job for someone like you." <br />
<i><br /></i>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Day</b></span> discussed the <span style="background-color: yellow;">idea of karma yoga</span>, which is the notion of approaching work as a spiritual practice. The <span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><b>author</b></span> writes, "Work connects us to other people.... Every human interaction offers you the chance to make things better or to make things worse. To decide to make things better can cost you bundles of self-interest." (p. 114)<br />
--<span style="color: purple;"><b>Pete</b></span> added that all work must involve personal investment (ego) and have tolerable conditions<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Rose</b></span> became enthusiastic to find out more about having a <span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">church social game night</span>, perhaps at the
Chili Cook-off next Saturday, or near the Winter Solstice at 6:30 PM,
12/20/14.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Looking forward to next week</b></i>, please read Chapter 8, "The Practice of Saying No -- Sabbath" (p. 121). <i>Thank you.</i>dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-3778743673160661372014-08-17T08:45:00.000-07:002014-08-18T22:51:12.018-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><u><b>This Sunday</b></u></span></span>, we traveled in Chapter 6 & 7 to explore the concepts of land ownership two thousand years ago in Jesus' age. It was very different than today. For example:<br />
• Every 50 years, the land went back to the "original owner". Check out the concept of (See URL->) "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_%28Biblical%29" target="_blank">Jubilee</a>". <br />
• In <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">China</span>, every 99 years the land goes back to the state. This recently happened in Hong Kong, e.g.<br />
• <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Native Americans</span> didn't have a concept for land ownership. Nobody could "own" anything. Things were commonly held.<br />
<br />
Member Jan van Pelt brought several suggestions for the <span style="background-color: white;">next book</span> we should read. Group members were most interested in two books written by Barbara Brown Taylor. You're welcome to take a look at the following online book descriptions: <br />
(See URL->) <a href="http://www.barbarabrowntaylor.com/an_altar_in_the_world__us__harperone__2009__harperaudio__2010__uk__canterbury_pr_77384.htm" target="_blank"><u><i>Altar In The World</i></u></a> (Two months ago she was on the cover of Time magazine.) This book is about finding God outside of church.<br />
(See URL->) <a href="http://www.barbarabrowntaylor.com/" target="_blank"><u><i>Learning To Walk In the Dark</i></u></a> (Her newest work!) This book is about how it is out of the dark that new epiphanies happen.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<span style="color: #e06666;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>For next Sunday:</u></b></span><span style="color: black;"> (8/25)</span></span><br />
Please have read Chapter 8 (p. 90->) and Chapter 9 (p. 103->). <span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><i>Thanks!</i></span>dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-14144838212691131392014-08-10T08:45:00.000-07:002014-08-18T21:51:13.992-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<br />
<b>1. <span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">This week</span></span></b>, we entertained a question surmised from our reading about Jewish self-identity and their erroneous concept from old times that Israel was given to them. (They first killed all people's on the land in Israel.) <br />
- Jews need to figure out how they're going to get beyond the victim/oppressor mentality. For example, Jews have often taken unfavorable jobs, e.g., money changers.<br />
- Jews have been out of Covenant repeatedly and been brought back.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2. </b><u>Ok, we're at the height/depth of the summer! You should know our schedule.</u><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">For next week</span>:</b></span></span> Let's read Chapter 6 (p. 46+), Prologue (p. 73+), & Chapter 7 (p. 80).<br />
<br />
While members Rose & Pete will be on vacation, we need leaders for four Sundays:<br />
<b>8/24/14</b> - <span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Charlotte</u></span> will lead our book discussion.<br />
<b>8/31/14</b> - Our class is <span style="color: red;"><b><u>cancelled</u></b></span> for Labor Day.r<br />
<b>9/7/14</b> - <span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Charlotte</u></span> will lead our book discussion.<br />
<b>9/13/14</b> - It is unclear who will lead the week's discussion. <span style="color: #7f6000;"><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Any volunteers</span></b><span style="color: black;">?</span></span><br />
<br />
<b>P.S. - </b>Charlotte made an <span style="color: #351c75;"><b><span style="background-color: yellow;">Activist Plug</span></b></span> -> Don't let the FCC allow a merger of telecommunication companies! Please read the article by Bill Moyers<br />
<i>"<a href="http://billmoyers.com/2014/05/02/don%E2%80%99t-let-net-neutrality-become-another-broken-promise/" target="_blank">Don’t Let Net Neutrality Become Another Broken Promise</a></i>".dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-41133834609648704392014-08-03T19:51:00.004-07:002014-08-05T16:11:04.785-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<i><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Hearts aglow</span></b></i>, we began by congratulating ourselves for our nuanced study of history and doing what is pointed out in an issue, entitled (see URL->) "<a href="http://www.ministrymatters.com/circuit_rider/67/wade-deep-bible-study-as-a-remedy-for-shallow-faith-mayjunejuly-2014" target="_blank">Wade Deep: Bible Study as a Remedy for Shallow Faith</a>" (<i>Circuit Rider magazine</i> May/June/July 2004).<i> </i><br />
<br />
We soon lathered into discussion:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Chapter 3: <span style="background-color: #ffe599;">You Know Where I Come From</span> </i></b></span></div>
The early Christian community appears not to have been particularly
concerned about any aspect of Jesus' life before the launch of his
ministry. This later on became more important. <span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Reza Aslan</b></span>, author of our book <i>Zealot</i>, spells out how Jesus was born in the tiny hillside village of Nazareth, not Bethlehem. Mathew and Luke, in the New Testament, both tried to make Jesus fit into the Jewish myths and prophecies about the coming Messiah. For example, "The Jewish Messiah is the descendant of King David; he comes to restore Israel, to free the Jews from the yoke of Roman occupation, and to establish God's rule in Jerusalem." (p. 28)<br />
<br />
--This chapter reminded <span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Pete Bailey</b></span> of Joseph Campbell's book, (see URL->) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWcIcOcDvU" target="_blank"><u>The Power of Myth</u></a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Chapter 4: <span style="background-color: #ffe599;">The Fourth Philosophy</span></i></b></span></div>
This chapter discussed the philosophy that was context to Jesus in Palestine. Jesus toiled as a tecton, a woodworker or builder, six days a week, from sunup to sundown, to build palatial houses for Jewish aristocracy, returning to his crumbling mud-brick home at night. He would have witnessed for himself the rapidly expanding divide between the absurdly rich and the indebted poor.<br />
<br />
--Check out the article, (see URL->) <a href="http://mikerivageseul.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/sunday-homily-pope-francis-on-wealth-redistribution/" target="_blank">Sunday Homily: Pope Francis on Wealth Redistribution</a> that tackles the chasmic wealth gap today!<br />
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The fourth philosophy was centered about the notion of <i>zeal</i>, after which our book <i>Zealot </i>is named. Zeal implied a strict adherence to the Jewish Torah and the Law, a refusal to serve any foreign master--to serve any human master at all--and an uncompromising devotion to the sovereignty of God. Many Jews in first-century Palestine strove to live a life of zeal in his or her own way. During Jesus' lifetime, zealotry did not signify a firm sectarian or a political party. It was an idea, an inspiration, a model of piety inextricably linked to the widespread sense of apocalyptic expectation that had seized the Jews in the wake of the Roman occupation. (p. 41)<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">For Next Week:</span></i></b><br />
We should definitely read both <i>Chapter 5</i> (p. 46+) <span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><i>Where is Your Fleet to Sweep the Roman Seas</i></span> and the <span style="background-color: #ffe599;">notes</span> (p. 233+).<b> </b>The notes will enrich our understanding of author Reza Aslan's research.dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-65913110851312949062014-07-20T08:45:00.000-07:002014-08-05T16:05:33.887-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">This week: </span> </b><br />
The <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Chapter 1 & 2 </span></b>history helped paint a picture of the <i>tumultuous revolutionary social/political context</i> that Jesus was immersed in and communicated about, e.g.,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As for the towns of these people that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance," God told the Israelites, "you must not let anything that breathes remain alive. You shall annihilate them all--the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canannites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jubusites--just as the Lord your God has commanded" (Deuteronomy 20:17-18).</blockquote>
Knowing the context helps one sift his 2,000 year message to our present day context. (Some expressed interest in the book, <span style="font-size: x-small;">(see URL)</span> <see url=""><see url=""> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/80211.The_Sins_of_Scripture" target="_blank">The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love</a>, by John Shelby Spong.) </see></see><br />
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<i>Jesus was Jewish</i> and quoted old testament scriptures in his talks. <span style="color: #38761d;">Rose Bailey</span> mentioned that our church should invite <span style="font-size: x-small;">(see URL)</span> <see url=""> <see url=""><a href="http://www.rabbitedfalcon.com/" target="_blank">Rabbi Ted Falcon</a>, who is a member of the Interfaith Amigos, for a sermon about: </see></see><br />
• How renewal of the covenant/10 commandments occurs several times in the Bible to supersede violence.<br />
• How should we interpret the Old Testament today? <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>For next week:</b></span><br />
Please be ready to discuss chapter 3, p. 25+ "You Know Where I Am From" and chapter 4, p. 34+ "The Fourth Philosophy"<b>. </b>Thanks!dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-86620476331527692112014-07-13T08:45:00.000-07:002014-07-21T09:31:12.024-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<i>Right now is a great time to join </i>our Adult Spirituality Group. We're just beginning the book, <span style="color: #a64d79;">Zealot - The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth</span>, by Reza Aslan.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(from cover slip) "From the internationally bestselling author of <i>No God But God</i> comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the "Kingdom of God". The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Azlan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was the age of zealotry--a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorts his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious "King of the Jews" whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate the image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Zealot</i> yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical nature of Jesus of Nazareth's life and mission. The result is a thought-provoking, elegantly written brilliant portrait of a man, a time, and the birth of a religion." </blockquote>
We should read the notes in the back of the book along with the extensive bibliography. They are interesting for Rose because there is more detail and depth.<br />
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<b><span style="background-color: yellow;">For next week:</span> </b> Please read chapter 1 & 2 and be ready to discuss quotes that most engage you. <i>Thanks!</i>dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-79391036457028159312014-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:002014-06-15T19:38:50.962-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<b>Our discussion</b> of Chapter 8 "Myths and Traditions" explored different churches communion rules & structures. We were curious to learn how the wider community has authentic personal communion experiences: <br />
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The author cautioned "that once you decide that there are rules around who takes communion and who doesn't, you can get to the point where taking communion boils down to making sure a soul is freshly laundered and squeaky-clean before its body can take the bread and wine into its mouth. This gets very close to manipulating God. And once you begin to make rules, there is no end to the rule-making." (p. 89)<br />
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(interim pastor) "When young and I attended a Lutheran church, I dressed up for God." <br />
(Gudrun Murti) "To dress up for God is good because we aren't most authentic if only base. Our ideals are important, not just putting out our laundry for God."<br />
(Day Murti) "To be truly present in the moment is to not just bring one version of yourself, but all levels."<br />
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<b>For next week</b>, please read chapter 9, "A History In Brief" (p. 97+).<br />
- As Nora recalls the history of the sacred meal--and how food and celebration have long been a part of our faith communities--she reminds us that Jesus used simple everyday routines "to bring us to our senses." In what ways does sharing food with friends and family compare with the sacred meal of communion?<br />
- Jesus washed his disciples' feet possibly as a way of showing them vulnerability. Are there times we should be as humble and vulnerable before our friends and family?<br />
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<b>The next book</b> we plan to read is called <i>Zealot - The Life And Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth</i>.
Please check out the online review at
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/books/reza-aslans-zealot-the-life-and-times-of-jesus-of-nazareth.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/books/reza-aslans-zealot-the-life-and-times-of-jesus-of-nazareth.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0</a>
.dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-67243211795504798202014-06-08T08:45:00.000-07:002014-08-05T17:07:47.475-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notesWe discussed chapter 7, entitled "Magic and Thanksgiving": <br />
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<u><i>MAGIC</i></u> - "We need concrete things that tie the ordinary to the extraordinary, like the long lines that tether a hot air balloon to the ground, to bring the kingdom of heaven near to us. The hope is that these rituals will not diminish the holy nor make it mundane but are set aside to keep it close."<br />
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<i><u>THANKSGIVING</u></i> - "The Communion ritual is a way of putting aside time to give our
thanks--and in that putting aside of time, we have the opportunity to
see what our lives are like now and what they can become." <br />
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<b>For next week discussion, </b>we'll read "Chapter 8: Myths and Traditions":<br />
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- Have you encountered rules and regulations about communion that have kept you from the table? How would it feel to be denied this gift of community because of some transgression?<br />
- How do you react to the statement, "You are a guest at God's feast. You are an honored guest"? How does the openness of God's table compare to the gift of his grace in our lives?dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-59813705958017703542014-06-01T08:45:00.000-07:002014-06-03T13:48:34.277-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<u>We consumed the chapter "Eating the Body and Blood":</u><br />
During communion, we should think of Christ as being present, the sacramental bread is feeding the Church body of Christ, and the wine is the blood of Christ giving our congregation energy. Our church needs to live Christianity and do the work of Christ. "The larger
narrative of the Christian religion has been a story, a metaphor into
which I have fitted my life. I am a character in this book." (p. 72)<br />
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"Consecrating bread and wine for Communion is like a wedding feast: it calls out of these ordinary <u>elements</u> their essential beauty and their life-giving core." (p. 66) <br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Day</b></span> - I am curious about the above quote and this chapter as a whole because my
formal first name is Deven (pronounced "Dayv-ANE"), short for Devendra the king of all <u>elemental</u>
beings in Hindu mythology, similar to Zeus and Thor, with lightning and thunder as my weapon. I like to directly intuit the subtle relationships in nature's intricate web.<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Tom</b></span> - For me it is richer to think of Jesus doing a miracle to turn water into wine. "Jesus is said to have turned water into wine.... In the clear water of our lives lies undiscovered wine. It is our charge, as men and women, as human beings, to commit ourselves to seeking and finding that heady spirit in our sisters, brothers, and ourselves. (p. 66)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Rose</span> </b>- In our church, we never talk about the meaning of communion. Some people can relate with a sermon, but for others who've had a tough
complex worldly week, consuming the communion sacramental wafer and wine
can better bring them into Christ's church body. We should do a sermon on communion and coffee hour presentation about our book, <i>The Sacred Meal</i>, for the congregation. <i><!-----><!-----><!-----></i><br />
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<u><b>Next Sunday</b> 6/8, we'll discuss Chapter 7 "Magic & Thanksgiving" p. 75+.</u><br />
Whatever you believe about the elements of communion, Nora reminds us that this is a ritual of thanksgiving. What type of remembrances and thanks do you bring to the table? Are there problems (baggage) that block you from being truly thankful?<br />
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In what ways would you like to see your life, your spiritual growth transform? How do you think the regular practice of communion could keep you focused on a larger vision of God's grace in your life? dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-42092422249591934872014-05-25T08:45:00.000-07:002014-05-27T18:31:07.300-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notesWe dove into our reading, chapter 5, "Afterward" (pp. 51+). <br />
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Author Ann Lamott writes in <i>Traveling Mercies</i>, "I do not at all understand the mystery of grace--only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us." We could translate <u>our subtle expansive feelings of Grace after Communion</u> to the subtle light prisms from dew drops in forests as well as to the expansive horizons on immersive multi-sensory wilderness treks. Our hearts are alight at center!<br />
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<u>In this mystical moment, the congregation's full silent hearts are like being in tune with all the community of hearts in nature.</u> Rose & Pete narrated their subtle expansive feelings atop a 9,000 ft. mountain. "We took photos, ate dinner, and watched the sky changing. There was snow on the ground. We drove down a road late at night and watched hundreds of sheep crossing the road, with owls and hawks flying."<br />
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This is just how Communion can light our hearts. "The difference between Jesus and us may not merely be one of degrees of divinity, but also his openness to others and their capacity to bend and awaken his heart." (p. 62)<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><u><i><b>Next Sunday</b></i></u><i>, 6/1, we'll discuss the following questions relating to Chapter 6, "Eating the Body and Blood" (pp. 63+).</i></span><br />
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Do you have childhood memories of taking communion? How do these memories differ from your experiences with communion today?<br />
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Nora Gallagher describes the consecration of the elements as "calling out of these ordinary elements their essential beauty and their life-giving core." How is your spirit "nourished" by partaking in the sacred meal?dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-52579069282851445572014-05-18T08:45:00.000-07:002014-05-18T17:58:10.977-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notesOur group discussed the notion of silence as construed in Chapter 4, "Receiving".<br />
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Being awake to silence is a way to center ourselves for our experiences at the altar during communion, when we are invited into what Jesus calls heaven. Pastor Dan likes to invoke a period of silent contemplation by having the congregation "keep our heads down and hearts up." <u>This is a reminder to "do nothing" (not even try to clear one's mind), but remain whole while bathing in silence.</u> This allows the experience of communion to most deeply touch and heal every part of our integrated lives.<br />
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This prescription in communion to "do nothing" strikes Americans awkwardly. "Working hard for what you get is ingrained in our psyches;
it's the advice we give our children and students, the very basis of the
American Dream." (p. 39) "By making our greatest and most important goal the one of
productivity, we miss out on the ways that God's gifts of Grace come to
us by doing nothing." (p. 41)<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Next Sunday</span></b><span style="color: #0b5394;">, <span style="color: black;">we'll</span></span> discuss Chapter 5, "Afterwards" (p. 51+). Think about how these questions relate:<br />
1. How did you feel after your last communion? Can you recall that feeling just before participating in the next communion?<br />
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2. When you're taking communion, take note of the people immediately around you, even if you don't know their names. Pray for each of them before and after. Pray for them daily in the week following communion. How does this affect your practice of taking the sacred meal? Does it change the way you view the world around you?<br />
<br />dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771422621523350466.post-41083650455310149042014-05-11T08:45:00.000-07:002014-05-18T17:46:32.424-07:00Adult Spirituality Group notes<span style="color: #6aa84f;">For this week</span>, the group read Chapter 3, "Waiting": Taking Communion has three parts, waiting, receiving, and afterward. The waiting is warming up by making oneself open and receptive, ready for this deeper ritual. Mostly, church-goers are in our thoughts and concepts, reflecting upon the sermon or our baggage (both personal as well as our participation in societal) from the week. The waiting period is critical to become fully real and alive, awake by each raising up our antennas.<br />
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We found the author's reflection helpful: <br />
"So part of waiting in Communion is examining what we did last week to find the kingdom of heaven in our midst and to help others find it. I urge you to go both easy and hard on yourself in this regard. You can't just condemn yourself for not doing enough. Join the crowd. None of us does enough. I think it is important to find the things you did do and honor yourself for them, small as they might be." (p. 37)<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>For next week</b></span>, please read Chapter 4, "Receiving" (starting on p. 39). Think about how these questions relate:<br />
1. When was the last time you spent an afternoon doing "nothing," the way you did as a child? How did you feel afterward?<br />
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2. Why do you think we as a culture have a hard time receiving unearned gifts? How can regularly participating in communion help us to understand God's unearned gift of grace? dbmurtihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14559143763152332592noreply@blogger.com0