"Real Prayer Is Falling in Love"

Hello there, my friends.

It's been absolutely eons since I last posted here, and so much has happened in the world.

Much of it, to do with Religion, and the insidious ways that these man-made systems convince some of us to look down upon and hate the rest of us.

ISIS, Charlie Hebdo, the Copenhagen shootings, the Coptic Christian martyrs in Libya... the list goes on and on.

All of this to promote a certain group's "Checklist" of prohibitions and rules, devised to clearly separate the righteous from the apostate. And always, always focused on outward shows of piety that many are now adopting in the world, not out of devotion to God, but sheer terror.

How much we need peace in these days.

And there is one, simple act that gives birth to peace: prayer.

Based on an intimate Relationship with the Creator, not out of fear, obligation or tired tradition, but out of deep, personal love.

The heart of the Father is open.
Jesus is the Door and prayer is the Key.

Prayer with such an Intimate God (Who calls Himself "Immanuel, God with us") ceases to be a burden and becomes instead a Living Conversation. One that is so intimate that Jesus told us to always commune with His Father with the door shut, just the two of you in secret, together.

As we prepare for the coming Easter celebration, moving up through forty days to Palm Sunday, I have felt myself attracted to a practice of prayer called "Examen".

Originally a spiritual discipline created by Ignatius of Loyola, a series of new videos created by the movement 24-7 Prayer brings this Relationship-based praying to life.

As Alain Emerson so touchingly observes in the short video segment below, "real prayer is falling in love" with the One Who made the stars, knows your every need and longs desperately for an intimate relationship with you, His Son or Daughter.

I hope you enjoy these reflections and that they bring you Peace in this troubled World.

The Lost Message · El mensaje perdido

"The Second Mile", from Journeys with the Messiah, by Michael Belk

Is Religion truly an opium?
A drug that robs human beings of clear vision, humanity, and dignity?

The rise of the radical Islamic terrorist movement ISIS (IS)
and its affiliates around the world shows us precisely how poisonous
and dangerous man-made religious systems are.

And that they have absolutely nothing to do with God.

These murderers have gone on killing sprees so bloody,
so surrealistically sadistic that suddenly, the dark smokestacks of Ausschwitz
seem to be belching their infernal fumes over us once again.

Beheadings, even of children. Crucifixions. Robbery and extorsion.
Sexual slavery and perversion. The list goes on and on, all "in the Name of God".

How should we respond?  Is there any way to stop these monsters,
to "cure" the fever of this religious madness?

Jesus' own message of self-sacrifice and radical love
seems to leap off the pages these days:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." ~ Matthew 5:38-42

 Yet, as Alice Su admits in her excellent article:

"1 John, ISIS and the Gospel versus Terror",

"How do Christians respond to terrorism?
My church answers falter.

'Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.'
OK, but really?

What if I were Iraqi or Syrian or Gazan?
What if the Islamic State crucified my father?
What if an Israeli bomb blew my family into pieces?

What if everyone I loved was hit
with chemical weapons?

I meet person after person for whom this is reality.
I wonder what I can say to them.

I write down their stories.
I cry. I want to vomit. I turn to God."

I will be reflecting more on these questions, and on the truly
"Lost Message" of Jesus in upcoming posts.

#FallingPlates · A Love Story

Nothing is more powerful than Love. Absolutely nothing.

* * * * *

Nada supera el poder del Amor. Absolutamente nada.

http://www.fallingplates.com

Synthetic Resurrections in the Digital Age

Today is Good Friday, a day which always takes me down a meditative path.

It is a dark trail that leads me into an awareness of human suffering, desperate loss and mind-numbing grief. A darkness, a pain, that drives me straight to the Cross.

By pure coincidence today, I found myself watching a very moving episode of British Channel Four's celebrated series, "Black Mirror".

In Be Right Back, a young woman grapples with staggering grief and loss; out of that pain, she reaches for a surprising comfort: the Powers of the Digital Age.

Watch the trailer

If writer Charlie Brooker is correct, our new-found god-like abilities based on software algorithms, a constant matrix of recorded digital video, and amazing medical advances will lead us to "conquer death" in new ways in the very near future.

(Watch the video above, if you don't believe me.)

Synthetic Resurrections in this Brave New World will make it possible for us to connect with deceased loved ones as never before. Death frightens us, Loss enrages us. The sudden Disappearance of one we loved leaves a wound some never see heal.

So, will we be justified in seeking Eternal Life on our own terms?
Are we really Masters of our own digital destinies?

Or, might a truer hope be found in the well-documented case of a true flesh-and-blood Resurrection? The triumph of One who promises hope and meaning in this lifetime, and eternal life to all who lose their lives for His sake, in order to find it?

The Last Supper, by David LaChapelle

Do our synthetic gods truly deliver what they promise?
Or is there perhaps more?

Tears of Joy

Hearing this story on the Daily Audio Bible this morning made me cry ...
out of sheer joy.
.
It shows God's loving heart so clearly.
.
That's why I wanted to share it with you.

* * * * * * *

It wasn’t long after this when Jesus entered a city called Nain. Again all of His disciples accompanied Him, along with a huge crowd.

He was coming near the gate of the city as a corpse was being carried out. This man was the only child and support of his widowed mother, and she was accompanied by a large funeral crowd.

As soon as the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her.

Jesus said to her, Don’t weep.

Then He came to the stretcher, and those carrying it stood still.

Young man, listen! Get up!

. 

The dead man immediately sat up and began talking.

Jesus presented him to his mother, and everyone was both shocked and jubilant. They praised God.

* * * * * * *

This is why I love Him so.

Text:

Luke 7:11-16

The Voice Bible

Photo credits:

Grieving in Syria, Google Images

Widow of Nain, by Corinne Peters

Eye on the Prize

Ashton Eaton, in Runner's World magazine
29 May 2012

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
but only one gets the Prize?

Run in such a way as to get the Prize.

.

Let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles us.

And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."

Photo: "Son of God"
www.sonofgodmovie.com

Follow Me · Love, Jesus 

* * * * * 

Want to go running together? ;-)

Related ideas:

Religion Killed the One I Love
Sólo para mentes abiertas · For Open Minds Only
Little Shop of Horrors

It's About Time... Momentos decisivos

We all experience defining moments in our lives
that affect our happiness, our health, our relationships... our future.

This moving, beautiful short film tells the personal stories
of three very different people, and how these moments in time shaped their destinies.

* * * * *

Todos experimentamos momentos en nuestras vidas
que definen nuestra felicidad, nuestra salud, relaciones con otros... nuestro futuro.

Este breve documental (en inglés), bello y conmovedor, relata las historias personales
de tres personas bien distintas y nos enseña cómo esos momentos forjaron sus destinos.


Versión alternativa en español hispanoaméricano:

Thank You, Bill

"Then the King will say to those on his right,

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

The Magical Book of My Master
"The Embezzler's Story", Chapter 25

* * * * *

"Entonces dirá el Rey a los que estén a su derecha:

'Venid vosotros, a quienes mi Padre ha bendecido; recibid vuestra herencia,
el reino preparado para vosotros desde la creación del mundo.

Porque tuve hambre, y me disteis de comer; tuve sed, y me disteis de beber; fui forastero, y me disteis alojamiento; necesité ropa, y me vestisteis; estuve enfermo, y me atendisteis; estuve en la cárcel, y me visitasteis.” 

Y le contestarán los justos: “Señor, ¿cuándo te vimos hambriento y te alimentamos, o sediento y te dimos de beber? ¿Cuándo te vimos como forastero y te dimos alojamiento, o falto de ropa y te vestimos? ¿Cuándo te vimos enfermo o en la cárcel y te visitamos?” 

El Rey les responderá: “Os aseguro que todo lo que hicisteis por uno de mis hermanos, aun por el más pequeño, por mí lo hicisteis.'”

El Libro Mágico de mi Maestro
"El Cuento del Estafador", Capítulo 25

Little Shop of Horrors

The unthinkable occurred in London this week. A British soldier was attacked by two men in broad daylight who cut his throat using meat cleavers, then filmed themselves to celebrate, bloodied hands and all. A heinous, barbaric act, fueled by pure religious fanaticism. 

Beyond the depravity of the crime, it should remind us again of the danger of all religious systems. The gods created in the image of Man degenerate to terrible idols who demand constant blood sacrifices.

Religion never changes a man's heart:
it only blinds him to his own sinful state, the in-born Virus of the human race.

Religious systems, no matter what their orientation or name,
can never cure us of the Virus.

At their best, they are like funeral parlor make-up artists, only able make a corpse look more presentable (for a time). The decay remains; the stench resurfaces. They cannot bring the dead back to life. 

At its worst, Religion becomes a Little Shop of Horrors.

Instead of creating love, these systems encourage hate. Far from cultivating humility, they stoke the fires of pride, intolerance and self-righteousness. 

The "Shop's" products? Inquisitions. Pogroms. Apartheid. Homofobia. Murder.

Fearful slavery to the checklists of man-made dogmas will never result in true change. No one is made free by Religion, because Religious systems thrive on Show, on outward presentation. Such rules and regulations never produce inner transformation.

Is There A Way Out?

Yes, and it's quite different: the unadulterated message of Jesus.
 (Who, by the way, was killed by Religion.)

He made it quite simple. To save ourselves (from ourselves) we "must be born again".

How? Not by following complex Rules, but by following Him: the "Way, the Truth and the Life".

How urgently we need to heed those words in these confusing times.

It's not about Regulations, it's about a Relationship.

And Restauration. Having laid down His own life for us, He offers each of us a fresh start, with total forgiveness of all we've done wrong. It's a gift, not a system.

Only this New Birth spiritually, on the inside, can save us from ourselves, from the Virus. It sets us free from the Dungeon of Dogma.

Choosing to change course, to follow Him out of love instead of fear, produces real change. As well as love for others.

Starting again,  asking Him to come in and place His own Spirit inside,
opens us up for the greatest Adventure of all:

A relationship with our Father, the Creator. 

................................

PHOTO CREDITS
In order: Google Images / Press.com / JLG on Facebook

Shine Like the Stars!

I am absolutely addicted to this new song from Misty Edwards,
from her new album Only A Shadow.

I hope you enjoy this video from a recent live concert :-)

* * * * *

Jesus too shared in our humanity
so that by His death
He might break the power of him
who holds the power of Death
that is, the devil,
and free those who all their lives
were held in slavery by their fear of Death.

The Magical Book of My Master
"The Letter to the Twelve Tribes", Chapter 2

Trust · Confiar

What is essential is quite simple.

Lo esencial es siempre muy sencillo.

A little gem from a sweet blog I love...

Una pequeña joya de un blog muy dulce que me encanta...

Bona nit! · Good Night!

Podemos cambiar esto · We Can Change This

¿Por qué resignarnos?
El poder radica en los pequeños gestos diarios,
amor mostrado al prójimo.

Sí, tenemos muchos problemas.
Y sí, los podemos solucionar.

¡Manos a la obra! (¿Me ayudas a pintar?)

* * * * *

Why should we give up?
The power is found in small gestures every day,
love shown to our neighbour.

Yes, we have a lot of problems.
And, yes, we can solve them.

Let's get to work! (Wanna help me paint?)


Un beso enorme para Gemma por compartir este vídeo con nosotros.
A big hug and kiss to Gemma for sharing this video with us.

Radical Love

This video of my beloved and ever-surprising mentor,
Heidi Baker, will not leave you untouched.

Comments?

Forty Days ~ Cuarenta días

Today, we begin the Countdown
to the celebration of the most important sign
of Hope the world has ever seen:

The Empty Tomb.

* * * * *

Hoy iniciamos la cuenta atrás
para la celebración del signo de esperanza más importante
que el mundo jamás ha visto:

La Tumba Vacía.


-----
Photo credits: Author unknown / JLG on Facebook

Last Words for A Brother

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars"
~ MARTIN LUTHER KING

Be still, my soul. And listen.
They are there. Last words for a brother,
no longer in sight.

Last words? Hardly.
For the Conversation continues,
mid-sentence:

Right there, where we left it
on the side of a frozen lake,
at Punderson.

A walk I will never forget.
Just you -- and I -- two brothers
on the same path, talking.



Going over the struggle,
talking about God, focusing
on His Love. Feeling His Presence.

My tennis shoes were new.
Way too white. And the mud,
though slightly frozen, menacing.

Like the muck that sucks us all in,
engulfing us, pulling us down,
desiring so deeply… to bury us.

We were two brothers, on the same path,
that day at Punderson. And I told you:
there’s no difference, I’ve been there, too.

These shoes might be white, but I
know the grime, the grit, the fight,
that terrible falling. The darkness.

Life is tough. I should be dead,
I reminded you that day. Like so many
friends who’d fallen down, in the slime.

* * * * *

We neared the lake, along a frozen shore.

God, it was COLD! Yet, we were warmed, talking about Jesus.

About Love Himself.

Remember how I warned you?
I said: be careful about Religion.
Accept no substitutes. Seek carefully.

You’ll know who knows Him,
those who really walk with Love.

Seek them. It’s in their eyes. It’s in their voice.

* * * * *

It was darker now, but you were listening.
And there was Light around us, as He
drew us both closer together.

You know, Jesus loved lakes, just like you.
He hung around ‘em. Walked on ‘em.
Knew their fish… and their fishermen.

And now, as we continue our chat
there, where we left it, I can actually see you there
with Him – at the water’s edge:



Having breakfast with God, the questions
forever answered. The hurts completely healed.
Leaning your head against His chest.

By the fire.

* * * * *

I LOVE YOU BILL.
Your brother, Paul
December 17th, 2011






Photo credits:
HERE and ALSO HERE

Merry Christmas ~ Feliz Navidad

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given..."
Merry Christmas to all of my dear friends here on the Blog!

* * * * *

"Porque un Niño nos ha nacido, un Hijo nos ha sido dado..."
Feliz Navidad, queridos amigos del Blog!

Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus

This post comes straight from my core. It's a passionate cry to millions who call themselves Christians, but who seem to live their lives in reverse of the words and example of Jesus.

For this reason, please allow me to express what I feel in English. I'm hoping my many Spanish-speaking readers can follow along.

A sticker seen on the backs of cars in the USA summarizes much of what I wish to express, with great sadness:

JESUS, PLEASE PROTECT US FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS

It's a telling jab at the Evangelical (and not so moral) majority in my country. That one sentence puts in stark contrast Jesus' message of unconditional love with the close-minded and cold-hearted "Churchianity" that is marketed non-stop in the United States.

This indictment fills me with great sadness. For now is the time, in the midst of economic and moral crisis, for people to finally discover the TRUE JESUS as never before. Yet the obstacles that prevent millions from knowing Jesus Christ are myriad and often created by those very ones who claim to know Him.

But let me tell you a secret. (Come closer, I'm going to whisper it to you...)

Now, as then, a seeker is not likely to find Him at church, nor snoring through a long-winded Mass. It's not impossible, but often improbable.

He will be most easily found where His evangelio, His truly Good News, will be most welcomed. His love manifests itself "out there": on the streets, with the single mother, in the cancer ward, calling after the pushers and the pimps. Because they understand forgiveness. And the need for a new life. Oh yes: sometimes His message pursues and captures a few lost yuppies and professionals like myself.

It is to these He comes. THEY WILL FIND THE JOY. They will find the peace. The Kingdom of Heaven, surprising many, in the destiny-fraught days to come, might just be revealed more quickly to a lesbian couple seeking God, that to a legalistic bishop or priest.

As my friend John Crowder puts it, Jesus' message and sacrifice is so real and freeing that His followers should be the epitome of joyous celebration. In John's words:

CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A FAST. IT'S A FESTIVAL!

To meet the laughing Host of the Eternal Party, you'll need to steer clear of a lot of religious folk. Seek His smile, expect His touch in the lives of those of His followers who move in grace, and live in love.

It may hurt some to read words such as those of Phil Zuckerman in the Huffington Post: "Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus". Yet it's of vital importance to do so. Because the Jesus they sell you on Sundays and on TV is a frayed, flannel-board faux Saviour, homogenised for the drive-thru, sofa-centered life of many Americans. In Zuckerman's words:

"Evangelicals don't exactly hate Jesus ... They do love him dearly. But not because of what he tried to teach humanity. Rather, Evangelicals love Jesus for what he does for them. (emphasis mine).

Through his magical grace, and by shedding his precious blood, Jesus saves Evangelicals from everlasting torture in hell, and guarantees them a premium, luxury villa in heaven. For this, and this only, they love him. They can't stop thanking him. And yet, as for Jesus himself -- his core values of peace, his core teachings of social justice, his core commandments of goodwill -- most Evangelicals seem to have nothing but disdain."

If you're seeking Him don't give up, despite the confusion and cold-heartedness you may have experienced in "Religion". He has clearly promised to be "the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him". Keep seeking, keep knocking, keep asking...

For, as the saying goes, to know Him is to love Him.



PHOTO CREDITS: Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax Films) / Cover of Phillip Yancey's amazing book, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" (highly recommendable!)

Saludos desde Irlanda

Saludos desde Donegal (Irlanda)
donde estaré un par de días, caminando con Dios
en un retiro espiritual personal.

Ya os contaré ;-)