SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 297

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF ABUNDANCE

+ I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

-- John 10:10b NRSV

+ The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
-- Galatians 5: 22-23 NRSV

+ This post marks the beginning of our exploration of the Nine Attributes of Heaven. The attribute of Love is at the center of these attributes and we can say that all of the attributes proceed from Love.  We begin with Abundance, however, because I want to emphasize that a major understanding of Love is that it is abundant beyond measure.  It is simply not true that there is a scarcity of Love or of any of the wonders of life God provides.  But we are conditioned to believe in scarcity in many ways.  Let’s see if we can get beyond this conditioning. The 12 Spiritual Practices we have explored are essential for this to happen. Let’s see if we can enjoy the abundance God provides in this heavenly realm we inhabit.  We are in heaven right now, right here. The abundance of Love and all of its gifts is everywhere.

+ Although Spirituality & Practice doesn’t have Abundance per se as a practice, they do offer an abundance of resources  on many practices which are all about abundance including:  Gratitude |  Wonder | Connections | Attention

Also, many of their Twelves Galleries focus on abundance.  With the following links you can quickly  choose among them >
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/2
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/3
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/4
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/5
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/6

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Abundance page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Abundance” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html 

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 240

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ We are currently exploring Heavenliness through the illuminating lens of the MandalaSpiritual Paths Process created by Edward Bastian.  This is possibly the last post on Imagination. The next style, beginning with SE241, is Love or Compassion, which is, of course, as essential as any style.  But, let me ask you to consider offering your reflections on the style of Imagination.  Imagination is such a rich topic. Our images are instrumental in the movement to increase Love.  You must have something you can add. Send an email with the subject “Imagination” to John@abundancetrek.com. Thank You.

+ The free play of imagination tells us more about God than do rules and precepts.

-- Patrick Henry in The Ironic Christian’s Companion

+ Freedom is an essential attribute of heaven which we will explore more fully when we get to the 9 attributes of heaven: Abundance, Joy, Wisdom, Beauty, Love, Truth, Peace, Justice and Freedom.  We need to be free and we need to allow freedom to flourish on the planet.  We have made considerable progress in the quest for freedom but we are certainly not there yet.  It is difficult for any one person to be truly free and far more difficult for a religion or a nation.  My fellow explorers, how have you benefited from your freedom and how can you become more creative and compassionate by embracing even more freedom in your life?   

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:

·         Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes)

·         15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process

·         2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice emphasizes the practices of Beauty, Creativity, Imagination & Wonder: The Practice of Beauty | The 12s Gallery on Beauty | The 12s Gallery on Creativity | The Practice of Imagination | The 12s Gallery on Imagination |  The Practice of Wonder | The 12s Gallery on Wonder
The meme here comes from the Imagination Gallery.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 238

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with the 12 styles of the Mandala process, we are exploring the style of Imagination.

+ To bring anything new into existence, to be a creator of circumstances, we have to imagine the new, then speak the new, then usher it into reality with the fierce force of our belief in it.

-- Jan Phillips in No Ordinary Time

+ Imagination is more important than knowledge.

-- Albert Einstein

+ Imagination needs to be linked to courage if we are to create heaven on earth which is God’s will for us.  As we continue to explore the 12 Mandala styles Ed Bastian offers, we need to see how this important style can be strengthened by our efforts in other styles such as wisdom, prayer, devotion, reason and relationships.  Courage is built through our regular intentionality and practice.  Our imagination grows as we harness several styles and become more and more integrated.

  + The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213.  They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:

·         Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes)

·         15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process

·         2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice emphasizes the practices of Beauty, Creativity, Imagination & Wonder: The Practice of Beauty | The 12s Gallery on Beauty | The 12s Gallery on Creativity | The Practice of Imagination | The 12s Gallery on Imagination |  The Practice of Wonder | The 12s Gallery on Wonder

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Imagination” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 211

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ What is a soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room.

-- Ray Charles

+ The force of love is greater than the love of force.

+ My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.

-- Albert Einstein

+ Maybe there is only one soul, that miraculous, mysterious and marvelous matrix of oneness.  Maybe there is no separation at all in this greater reality we are exploring. This is a fantastic & fascinating adventure of the mind, heart, body & soul.  We must take risks.  We must have courage.  We must trust this force, this energy, this “illimitable superior spirit.” This amazing journey we are on has all kinds of surprises.  We can trust that the surprises will be miraculous & marvelous in ways we often cannot even begin to comprehend with these “feeble minds” of ours.  

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenlinesspage.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 194

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.

-- The Buddha

+ We are on an amazing journey here on earth and even more in the miraculous, mysterious and marvelous heavenly realms our heavenly self always inhabits.  Wise teachers teach this truth.  We can delight in this wisdom.  We can live joyfully in the abundance of love and beauty surrounding and enfolding us.  Let us immerse ourselves in these heavenly realms which we can feel so intimately, intricately and infinitely as we continue to practice, practice, practice in the Journey of the Mind, the Journey of the Heart, the Journey of the Body and the Journey of the Soul.  

Namaste.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 193

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

-- Jalaluddin Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

+ Fellow explorers, we are now in the process of transitioning from spiritual practices to heavenly attributes.  Delight is a practice which comes close to getting us into a miraculous, mysterious and marvelous heavenly rhythm.  The ten preceding practices will continue to be essential. Delight grows and grows as we practice, practice, practice all 12 spiritual practices: Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Simplicity, Detachment, Discernment, Devotion, Delight, Humility, Healing, Holiness & Heavenliness.

The intention here is that these Journey of the Soul practices of Delight & Heavenliness become so ingrained that we can experience the 9 heavenly attributes of Abundance, Joy, Wisdom, Beauty, Love, Truth, Peace, Justice & Freedom moment after moment, breath after breath.   We have been exploring heavenly realms.  We are about to go further and deeper into these realms.  Tell your friends. 

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of the 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 192

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+

O sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;

          break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

-- Psalm 98: 1a,4

+ I’m a big rock’n’roll fan and I am amazed at how many people who love rock’n’roll don’t move beyond a certain era or genre such as the 50s or 60s or Folk Rock or Motown or Soul or New Wave or Punk or Heavy Metal or Grunge or Reggae or Hip Hop.  I love the golden oldies but, for me, rock’n’roll at its best is the new hit, the song I never heard before but “has a good beat and you can dance to it” as the American Bandstand teen judges liked to tell Dick Clark after they heard a new song for the first time (if they liked it).  I will never forget the feeling I had when I first heard “The Logical Song” or “Penny Lane” or “Strawberry Fields” or “Celebrate” or many others which are now golden oldies.

“Happy” by Pharrell Williams is embedded in this post.  I was delighted when I heard it the first time and continue to be delighted by it.  It is relatively new. It is rapidly becoming a Golden Oldie but is not yet stale. I continue to look for that "new song" which will inspire me and delight me.  I am grateful for the creative artists doing something new and different, challenging or comforting. 

A “new song” is so often simply delightful.  I rarely listen to a radio station which is stuck on music which all too often has been played way too much and has grown old and stale.  Humanity thrives on the New Song, the New Idea, the New Movement, The New Invention, The New Community, The New Faith for the New Earth.  Be open to the new and different.  Sooner or later you are bound to be delighted by the New Thing God is doing.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 191

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ At the end of the day, we expect that God is disappointed with us and will greet us with a frown. The tragedy and sadness here is that we avoid God when we are most in need of love and acceptance. Because we think God is disappointed in us, especially at those times when we are disappointed in ourselves, we fail to meet the one person, the one love, and the one energy — God — that actually understands us, accepts us, delights in us, and is eager to smile at us.

-- Ronald Rolheiser in Prayer: Our Deepest Longing

+ Keep looking for those “reasons to be cheerful.” They abound.  It takes practice to be delighted moment after moment, breath after breath.  We all know people who model this gift.  Sometimes I do.  I’m working on it.  God hasn’t given up on me and never will.  God hasn’t given up on you and never will.

+ “Reasons to be Cheerful” by Ian Dury and the Blockheads is one of my favorite songs. You can go back to SE187 to find the video.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 190

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

so that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O LORD;

you cover them with favor as with a shield.

-- Psalm 5:11-12

+ We are exploring heavenly realms.  Heaven has no boundaries.  We are never really outside of these glorious heavenly realms.  We can always “take refuge” in heaven.  Physical death is not the gateway but allegiance to the ego is a self-imposed barrier which has to go.  Taking down that barrier is simple but not easy.  The rewards are infinitely delightful.  As we keep practicing, we keep taking down that barrier so that we can increasingly “take refuge” in the heavenly realms where we are always connected infinitely to everything there is in the whole creation.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 187

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+

Smile,

breathe,

and go slowly.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

+ What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.

-- Joseph Addison

+ I am sure you can find many reasons to smile today, to be cheerful.  I haven’t heard that song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads for a long time.  But I thought of it just now as I wrote “reasons to smile.”  I think you can dance to it.  I know you can.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 178

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ In her book Choosing Simplicity, Linda Breen Pierce offers a list of common lifestyle patterns in people who live simply:

1. Limiting material possessions to what is needed and/or cherished.

2. Meaningful work, whether paid or volunteer, ideally spending no more than 30 hours per week (in order to make time for items #3 to 12, below).

3. Quality relationships with friends and family.

4. Joyful and pleasurable leisure activities.

5. A conscious and comfortable relationship with money.

6. Connection to community, but not necessarily in formal organizations.

7. Sustainable consumption practices.

8. Healthy living practices, including exercise, adequate sleep, and nutritious food.

9. Practices that foster personal growth, an inner life, or spirituality such as yoga, meditation, prayer, religious ceremonies, journal writing, and spiritually-related reading.

10. Connection to nature — delighting in spending time in nature regularly.

11. Aesthetic beauty in personal environment.

12. Living in harmony with values and integrity.

+ I will never forget hearing a friend describe what he encountered on a mission trip to Nicaragua in the 1980s. He said he had never seen such poverty in his life AND he had never seen such joy.  Could it be that less really is better?

+ Spirituality & Practice offers a review of Choosing Simplicity by Linda Breen Pierce.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Simplicity Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Simplicity” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 166

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ This is what I wrote on the Abundancetrek Simplicity page a few years ago:

Our planet's survival is tied to the practice of simplicity. This cannot be emphasized too much.

Our lives are often too complicated. We need to discipline ourselves to "simplify, simplify, simplify" as Thoreau put it in Walden. The first three disciplines of stillness, silence and solitude all create simplicity. The more diligently we practice these disciplines, the more we can simplify our lives. When we simplify, we are awake, aware and connected. We become more aware of our intimate and intricate connection to God and everything God has created. We become aware of the glorious fact that we are heavenly beings created simply by love and for love.

The Zen Buddhist discipline of zazen (sitting, centering, meditating), if practiced properly, leads to the natural, simple realization of our daily and glorious heavenly existence. In the introduction to ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND, Shunryu Suzuki says: "The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. The innocence of the first inquiry - what am I? - is needed throughout Zen practice. The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities."

The abundance of heaven can only be experienced by those who have learned how to simplify their lives.

I like the approach of Sallie McFague, a brilliant contemporary theologian. She emphasizes our need to simplify our lives in LIFE ABUNDANT: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril. She emphasizes our need to embrace sustainability. In "A Manifesto to North American Middle Class Christians," she advocates some "new house rules" for our house, the planet. "The basic rules are: Take only your share, clean up after yourself, and keep the house in good repair for future occupants." She points out that "ecology" and "economics" both come from the same word root which has to do with the laws for living in a household. She refers to the famous quote of Charles Birch: "The rich must live more simply, so that the poor may simply live." This responsibility applies to most of us living in the planet's 20 to 30 highly developed countries.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Simplicity Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Simplicity” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 38

+ updated at 12:36pm ESDT on Tuesday, July 10, 2012

+ I am reading an amazing book about an amazing NDE connected with an amazing healing.  I highly recommend DYING TO BE ME by Anita Moorjani and, also, do check out her website.  The insights and ideas and experiences she shares resonate with me a lot.  For example, I believe:

We are
intimately,
intricately,
infinitely
connected
by a matrix of
unconditional,
unlimited,
uniting
LOVE
which is
miraculous,
mysterious and
marvelous.

I found many, many thoughts which resonate with that belief. She calls the greater reality that we can access THE MAGNIFICENCE.  I like it!

+ “In God’s family, there are no outsiders.  All are insiders.  Black and white, rich and poor, gay and straight, Jew and Arab, Palestinian and Israeli, Roman Catholic and Protestant, Serb and Albanian, Hutu and Tutsi, Muslim and Christian, Buddhist and Hindu, Pakistani and Indian—all belong.” – Desmond Tutu quoted by Barrett Lee in his July 8 sermon which you can find on his fantastic blog, The Theological Wanderings of a Street Pastor.

GOD HAS A DREAM -- 3

+ updated at 3:02pm EST, Thursday, February 11, 2010

+ This is the third in a series of posts on a marvelous book, God Has A Dream by ArchBishop Desmond Tutu. There is a website devoted to the book and its ideas and calls to action.

+ Hope is a theme found throughout God Has A Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time.  The S&P Spiritual Practice of the Day for today, February 11, zeroes in on what Hope is all about:

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not because it stands for a chance to succeed. — Vaclav Havel quoted in Lyrics for Re-Creation by James Conlon

To Practice This Thought: Join a group doing good in the world and really believe in its goals, no matter what happens.

The final chapter of God Has A Dream offers many suggestions for such joining.  In other words, Hope is active participation in the risky creation of God's realm of abundance, joy, wisdom, beauty, love, truth, peace, justice and freedom.

If Archbishop Tutu and his many colleagues working for a liberated South Africa had not practiced Hope, the day of liberation would not have come.  I know, this seems to be the opposite of what is being said here but I don't think so.  When there was no realistic chance for the movement to succeed, they believed that the movement had already succeeded.  Hope is more than a wish for change.  Hope is a change that has already happened and nothing can prevail against it, not even the appearance of failure.

In the first chapter, Tutu writes:

During the darkest days of apartheid I used to say to P.W. Botha, the president of South Africa, that we had already won, and I invited him and other white South Africans to join the winning side. All the "objective" facts were against us -- the pass laws, the imprisonments, the teargassing, the massacres, the murder of political activists -- but my confidence was not in the present circumstances but in the laws of God's universe.  This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word.

Martin Luther King, Jr., no stranger to the same kind of adversity, said: "Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice." (The speech containing this famous quote is found at http://www.indiana.edu/~ivieweb/mlkwhere.html)

+ Spirituality and Practice offers many resources and suggestions for our journey of Hope.   

+ Click here to see all of my posts on God Has A Dream.