Mosaic Bible: Word with a twist

bible

 

 

Product Description
Encounter Christ on every continent and in every century of Christian History.A new genre of Bible—a weekly meditation Bible—Holy Bible: Mosaic is an invitation to experience Christ both in His word and in the responses of his people. Each week, as you reflect on guided Scripture readings aligned with the church seasons, you will receive a wealth of insight from historical and contemporary writings. Full-color artwork will engage the soul; quotes, hymns, prayers, and poems enhance the rich devotional experience. Also includes a Dictionary/Concordance, NLT word study system with Hebrew/ Greek dictionary. A beautiful layout of art and devotional content, and an online community and content (coming Fall 2009) will extend the experience.

I got to contribute to this project with a short meditation. Here’s a buying tip for the frugal. Pre-orders are possible at amazon.com at a guaranteed price, under 20$. (The list price is $49.99.)

Our reactions betray us

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At first blush we might assume circumstances cause our reactions. I say circumstances betray us more than the situation in which we find ourselves. Our amounts of self-control, maturity, self-awareness, compassion, humility, are revealed on the proving ground of life, in the difficult situations, and oddly enough, in the successful times.

So, when someone is raging, icing over a cold shoulder, or enjoying a lot of self-satisfaction, it really reflects his or her character more than anything else. We can consider how circumstances undermine our best, and enslave us. They can also be opportunity to grow, and know who you are in reality, so you can focus on those very areas for growth and betterment.

Embrace the challenge.
Release yourself from your reactions.
 

photo credit link

Confusing God with the dad you got

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It’s amazing the gut level response of people with problems against God, and those who believe in him, who fail to see how much their over-reaction gives them away.

God isn’t a man in the sky. He isn’t a “he”. “He” doesn’t pee on people, he doesn’t zap people, stand around glaring, or torching people. He doesn’t sleep through disasters, get kicks from evil acts, or remain aloof when humans encounter poverty, disease, or suffering. It’s a bit more complex.

This view is quite common, but also quite infantile as view of the spiritual of reality. However, we all begin somewhere. Essentially, the problem of understanding something–like the spiritual nature of existence, and a supreme Creator,–which is beyond the scope of eyesight, earshot, etc. and our full comprehension, involves first letting go of the physical assumptions we cling to. We continually thrust these suppositions on how the world MUST be and work, from our  human-ego standpoint.

No, one cannot “prove God” with weights and measures. One can’t prove ideals either, but hardly anyone is ridiculous enough to toss those away. Is anyone going to toss out ultimate Justice? What about Truth? Or Beauty? Or Goodness? Or Hope? Are they just fiction? Well, we can’t really prove them. If we take them away, a black hole is created, right in the middle of us, and what we hold dear. It’s nihilism. It assures its adherents that there is no point to existing, and many of its true loyalists end up killing themselves. Its not exactly a philosophy for bettering the world, and making it a happier and more beneficial place.

But just look around. One can’t waste the gift of life like that. Yes, it’s short, and pain and turmoil are found in many spots, but there is beauty and joy to be found as well. There is goodness, and one can do good. There is redemption, and hope. There are people to love and help. And, in the end, God, in a sense, “looks” like the dad everyone wished they had, as we carry out love in Spirit. But, yet “he’s” Other and not really like a human after all.

Reader response invitation…

Did you have a good dad, a good enough dad, or a crap-tastic one?


When Pluto was a Planet

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My daughter, a kindergartener, told me about the 8 planets in our solar system, and she could name them in order. At first I was thrown off. What was the matter? 9. We have nice planets, right? Oh, that’s right Pluto was kicked off the list last year. My daughter will never know anything but 8 planets. I thought I’d look it up a little. Most people can say, “I remember when our solar system had 9 planets.” But, just when you think the solar system is getting simpler or smaller, terms like “dwarf planet” and “small solar system body” change the game.

To some it seems small, distant Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld (Greek Hades) dejected, slumps–only a rock. Actually, its demotion is more like a clarification. Since objects cross its orbit in the asteroid belt of Kuiper, and its mass is small, it is considered a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union who finally came to a consensus on celestial bodies. Its moon Charon keeps its moon status.

There are two other dwarf planets nearby. One is Ceres, found in 1801, our largest asteroid, inhabits some space between Mars and Jupiter in the big asteroid belt. In 2003, “2003 UB 313” was found beyond Neptune. This provisional name will be exchanged for a permanent one in a few months.

With the Hubble Telescope repairs, we should be able to locate dozens more dwarf planets near and beyond Pluto. Small solar system bodies are objects orbiting the sun that do not possess enough mass to have a spherical or near spherical shape. Hundreds of these will be found in the near future.

All this makes me think I really should look at the night sky more often. There’s a lot going on, on a whole different scale, and it puts things in perspective, once you start to take it in. Planet means “wanderer,” and it’s funny that even though we are on firm ground, really, we are planets too.

God's goldfinch

Maybe my eyes view the world differently than many people. I’m artistic, passionate, visual, creative, curious, perpetually pondering, and spiritually-geared. But, that’s not the only reason. It’s been my journey, and more so recently, to radically shift the paradigm of my perception of reality to comprehend and appreciate that ultimate reality is Reality. That is, reality is really the Creator, the Supreme Being, (some call God, Yahweh, or Trinity, etc.)

Really, this means I count experiences as spiritual many might consider ordinary, and I end up have many extra-ordinary experiences as a result, by anybody’s standards. For me, and often others I share them with, they are not just poignant, but deeply engaging, and also powerful interactions with Spirit God, the Lover of my soul.

Today, I encountered a baby bird, and we reckoned each other, and I was able to hold him, and connect with him as God’s beautiful creature, and a precious blessing. He was not afraid, and fell asleep in my palm. The love I showered to him that was overflowing in me, he gave back, in his creaturely way. I give a few details of the encounter at my personal blog

It’s amazing what happens when we awaken to all that is spiritual. God is all around, and filling his world abundantly.

Thank you for visiting.

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