[Oe List ...] Salmon: On God

Wed Oct 13 19:43:57 CDT 2010

You said, "Where was God ." and then posited that He was in those moments in
the manifestation of love.

Life is the refiner's fire.  I believe He doesn't bring or give us trouble,
but He allows it. And it is in those moments of greatest pain, or struggle,
that the greatest intimacy with Him is possible.

Susan

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of William Salmon
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 12:05 AM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: [Oe List ...] Salmon: On God

Colleagues All--

    One 20th and 21st Century danger is that of claiming a God that is too
small. One of the blessings of the Order's proclamation of God as Mystery is
that it forced us to acknowledge that which we are not. In order to embrace
such a definition it was necessary to suspend our dis-belief. At least this
definition does not fall off on moralism or pietism. It does become
distorted by a false objectification.

    I've never been comfortable with a God as Mystery, although I can
theologically justify such a God; there is too much that we can not
understand. 

    However, the objectification of all our old Christian Code Words is THE
PROBLEM given to us in our Modern Worldview created at the great paradigm
TURN during the 15th and 16th Century. The invention of the Scientific
Method, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and Industrial/Urbanization
birthed such an objectification yet still framed it in metaphysical
analysis; for his time, Pipa is correct in his Passes: "God's in His (sic)
heaven and all's right with the world." 

    The problem is clearly manifested at the Great paradigm TURN initiated
by Einstein's physics. There ain't no Heaven and there's not a God to reside
there! There never was and there never will be.The reason is this kind of
God just ain't! 

    Isn't this the message of Jesus? Are you looking for the Lone Ranger?
There isn't any, and I'm He! The one who comes to tell us that an objective
God does not exist actually is the God we seek. Such information is more
than the Truth, actually it is the experience of GOODNESS. 

    God is not an object that lives beyond the sky.Our faith-story is that
God is EXPERIENCED as Love. We need to remember that Love comes to us as
forgiveness, acceptance, passion, in familial, and as Tough Love ("Order
Member, get your ass out of bed and into Daily Office!" Remember?)

    This experience is no Mystery. It is as intimate as it is universal. We
experience it in every aspect of creation from birth, driven through pain
and joy, and then in death. Love comes to us at every turn. 

    Those who are awake to this GOOD NEWS understand the formula ALL IS
GOOD, THE PRESENT IS RECEIVED AS A GIFT, THE PAST NOT ONLY IS FORGIVEN IT IS
FORGOTTEN, AND THE FUTURE IS OPEN! 

    It is the work of the Awakened to demonstrate this TRUTH that the truth
we seek actually is GOODNESS. The way in which we embrace this reality is to
take the Leap of Faith; that is, to surrender by falling into the care of
such Good News and ask others to come leap with us. 

    To die to our illusions of what Truth actually is becomes the profound
experience of resurrection into blessed assurance.  

    The movie, "Joe Vs. the Volcano" (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) tell this
story is Spades, and Joe and Patricia actually make the sacrifice of jumping
into a volcano for a group of people (a part of the Lost Tribes of Israel!)
who are to chicken to do their own sacrifice. Why does Joe do this? He does
it because he wants to, "Live like a king and die like a man." The result is
that the movie ends by "taking us away from the things of man;" i.e., our
illusions about the objectification of our old Christian Lexicon.   

    Because they make this leap, a WONDER occurs. (Observe this is not a
MIRACLE. What happens is the result of Love, and that is not the TRUTH, but
it is a GOODNESS.) 

    Post-modern theology never asks the question, "What do we KNOW about
God, Christ, HS, the Human Situation, Sin, Grace, etc." The question always
is, "How do we EXPERIENCE these things." 

    Until this little exercise becomes second nature, all of us will
continue to attempt to define the indefinable simply because it is not
definable. It is experienced as close as our breath and our empathy and our
sympathy. It is as close as living the surrendered life as a servant to our
spouses, partners, friends and colleagues. 

    Now, Mother Nature is something else. Mom N is the culprit for much of
what we blame God. Why did our son Wesley die at 20 years old with leukemia?
Is God punishing him, or his parents. Not on your sweet bippy! Leukemia and
childhood death is just The Way Life Is (TWLI). Yep, Mom Nature guarantees
that leukemia and cancer, and crib death all have their place in the
universe. She also is responsible for the depth of degradation that we
selfish--read Un-Awakened--ass holes are capable of doing to beat up on
those who don't UNDERSTAND GOD just like we do; how else can you explain
9/11?

    Where was Love when 200 people jumped 110 stories? Or where was Love
when the plane on the way into the Pennsylvanian earth when someone on board
yelled, "Let's roll!" 

    Easy. Love was on board, and with the jumpers all the way into the
ground. Then Love was in the rebirth of patriotism, and generosity, and
actual care for those who hurt. 

   Well, like always, I've said too much, much too badly. 

   Maybe this will stir your juices to begin to think in the methods of our
Post-Modern worldview. Care to dialogue? 

   Inner Peace, 

   Bill Salmon

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Susan Fertig <mailto:susan at gmdtech.com>  

To: 'Order Ecumenical <mailto:oe at wedgeblade.net>  Community' 

Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 6:54 PM

Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years

I backslid into believing in the Trinity, and a God in control.

Susan

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of David Walters
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 8:44 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years

What happened between you and Kazantzakis? Have you departed from the
Crimson Line?

David Walters

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Susan Fertig <mailto:susan at gmdtech.com>  

To: 'Order Ecumenical <mailto:oe at wedgeblade.net>  Community' ;
dialogue at wedgeblade.net 

Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 3:30 PM

Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years

Pedagogues:

Don Clark (72-76, Venezuela courses and Houston Rel. Hse.)

Christina Clark (Houston period)

Sherwood Shankland (ongoing, beginning in the 70s)

Bruce and Marcie Bunker (Venezuela, Caracas Rel. Hse.)

Rafael Davila

Steve Allen (courses in Venezuela)

George and Wanda Holcombe

George West

And many others

Guides:

Herman Hesse (Journey to the East)

Teilhard de Chardin

Kazantzakis (at one time, not any longer)

Susan

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of LAURELCG at aol.com
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 1:00 PM
To: Oe at wedgeblade.net; dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Subject: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years

I wanted to bring back this list. Hope my editing attempt didn't delete
anything vital to its meaning. Here's mine.

I have to go back a little further to the 80's when the 12 Steps of A.A.
saved me and my family.

Matthew Fox led me to the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality: Positiva,
Negativa, Creativa, Transformativa.

Starhawk on Feminist Thealogy, took me beyond the church's stance of female
as less than fully human

Rosalyn Bruyere on energy healing

Thomas Berry and Bryan Swimme on the Universe Story and our moment in it

Ann LaMott on writing and the importance of humor

Barbara Kingsolver - myriad gifts

Barack Obama - all is possible

Richard Bartlett - importance of hallucinating the possible - it's all
possible

Thanks for asking.

Blessings, dear colleagues,

Jann McGuire

This is interesting, perhaps add, what image did they help puncture or
shape?
Robert Bly -- gave me back poetry
Nikos Kazantzakis -- I keep coming back to Saviors of God -- reminds me of
the awesome journey
Rianne Eisler -- living in a post patriarchal time . . .
Vaclav Havel -- meaning can shape political realities

--- On Wed, 9/29/10, R Williams <rcwmbw at yahoo.com> wrote:
From: R Williams <rcwmbw at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] New Pedagogy and New Pedagogues
To: "Order Ecumenical Community" <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Date: Wednesday, Septem

Parker Palmer

Peter Senge

Margaret Wheatley

Willis Harman

Rachel Naomi Remen

Robert Greenleaf

Peter Block

--- On Wed, 9/29/10, PSchrijnen at aol.com <PSchrijnen at aol.com> wrote

David Whyte 

Richard McDonald

Robert Bly

Rowan Williams

Thich Nhat Hanh

> START CLOSE IN
>
> Start close in,
> don't take the second step
> or the third,
> start with the first
> thing
> close in,
> the step you don't want to take.
>
> Start with
> the ground
> you know,
> the pale ground
> beneath your feet,
> your own
> way of starting
> the conversation.
>
> Start with your own
> question,
> give up on other
> people's questions,
> don't let them
> smother something
> simple.
>
> To find
> another's voice
> follow
> your own voice,
>
> wait until
> that voice
> becomes a
> private ear
> listening
> to another.
>
> Start right now
> take a small step
> you can call your own
> don't follow
> someone else's
> heroics, be humble
> and focused,
> start close in,
> don't mistake
> that other
> for your own.
>
> Start close in,
> don't take the second step
> or the third,
> start with the first
> thing
> close in,
> the step you don't want to take.
>
>
> ~ David Whyte
>
>
> People who are aware of this process and consciously cooperating with
> it are developing what David Whyte calls "True Presence" and a
> "Conversational Identity".  If you haven't gotten his Live in San
> Francisco DVD, you and Burna would just love it!  I think I ordered it
> for $15 on his website DavidWhyte. com 

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