A Stirring in the Water

John 3: 22-36 > John the Baptist hands the reigns to Jesus

2008-05-14T14:49:00.003-05:00

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."
27 To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less."
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 The person who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God [i] gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them.

This is a pretty big chunk, enough for two or three posts, yet it really needs to be considered as a whole. So heck, it's the weekend, grab a cup of coffee and tinkle on the way back to the laptop, and here we go:

22: The passage says "after this," yet we really have no clue as to the amount of time that passes between Jesus's meeting with Ol St. Nic and the moving to the area outside Jerusalem. John does try to put the timing of this in context by noting in verse 24 that it was before John's arrest---although that fact would be implied by John's freedom. Many scholars suggest that these events actually happened right after the wedding at Cana (which is in chapter 1). There is an interesting theory about the location where John was baptizing---verse 23 says it is at "Aenon near Salim." Aenon means spring, and Salim means peace. Some theologians have suggested this is symbolic of John's ministry being near peace although it is just as likely that it's a simple geographic location. John often used intentional double meanings in his writing, so I'm inclined to think both may be true. Note too, I seem to recall reading somewhere that Jesus Himself did not actually baptize folks, only His disciples, however the text here implies He does. Interesting...

25: One would love to think that the power of God beaming within John the Baptist and Jesus would be enough to subdue all petty arguing---especially among the disciples, yet noooo; here, John's disciples are in a tizzy thinking Jesus is cashing in on John's fame or perhaps the fuss is over Jesus's teaching that the Jewish ceremonial washings are old school, and a new day has come; we don't really know the full nature of the dispute. It's amazing how often the disciples, both John's and Jesus's, were clueless. Here, John's disciples seem to be the precursor of the closed door meeting where the Baptist church leaders are fussing because they're suddenly losing members to Methodists who have a new praise band. I think perhaps John's disciples were expecting permission to go smite Jesus's disciples---it's funny and sad how things stay the same.

27-29: John lays it out to his disciples---many of these guys likely saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove when John baptized Jesus not long before, still they have not grasped that they are not following the messiah, but rather the messiah's advance guy. John seems to have kept telling these guys the game plan, yet they were so hopeful, they did not believe him. They wanted John to be the one. I believe some of them saw in John the traits they hoped to see in the Messiah and simply bet on the wrong horse. In another passage it is noted that many of these same guys left John and followed Jesus.

Regarding verse 30 "He must become greater, I must become less," this was a beautiful saying and totally appropriate in context for John. Unfortunately I hear this as a mantra from many Christians in a manner that I believe is wrong. Jesus said that we would do greater things than He did (through Him of course) so I suggest that we should look not to be less, but rather ALL He created us to be---which in perfection is MORE than Jesus in the flesh. The other argument is the weakness of the flesh and sinful nature of our bodies---to this I must respectfully call bullshit. God created us in perfection and all goodness. Jesus came, lived, died, and bodily resurrected to restore us to that state of perfection and goodness. There is a delicate balance here, yet we must not diminish the calling God has on us by dwelling on the old nature. We must embrace our highest self, even when we can't see it in the mirror.
As we get into verse 31, it appears that the comments by John the Baptist have concluded (the quotation marks indicate this, and the tone shifts too). The comments beginning in 31 are likely the thoughts of the author of the gospel, and in that context we begin to get a better idea of why this passage directly follows the story with Nicodemus. Keep in mind that John, probably more than any other gospel writer, has an agenda---to demonstrate the divinity of Jesus. John had just written about Jesus saying that being born again means being born from above; so in verse 31 John makes it clear that Jesus is the One (the first one) that is born from above. John also clarifies that John the Baptist is born of the earth, although, it is generally understood that the spirit of Elijah was mysteriously in John, so I don't know that he's a good example of one born of earth. Verses 31 to 36 seem a continuation of John's sermon in the first part of the first chapter.
John speaks of Jesus's speaking the very words of God, the creator, by and through the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. John is continuing to hammer home Jesus's divinity. I love verse 35, that God loves Jesus and has put all power in Jesus's hands. This perhaps uses John's typical hyperbole, however it clarifies that God has put the reigns to the kingdom in Jesus's care (not John the Baptist's).

Last, 36 is one of those verses that traditional folks seek to use to prove that you either accept Jesus and go to heaven or the opposite occurs---you stay in wrath and presumably go to hell. I do see some distinction here: rejecting Jesus is different from simply never coming into a place where you are able to accept the gospel. When you grow up in India and have never known anything other than Hinduism---are you really rejecting Jesus? I hope not; if God is a "just God" as I believe and so often hear, it's really not fair to send someone to eternal horrific torment for being born into the wrong culture. I think rejecting Jesus must be overt, as deliberate an act as can occur on earth.

To be honest, I really don't like the final phrase "God's wrath is still upon them." Of course it's there regardless of whether I like it. I understand God's wrath when someone kills or hurts or betrays or commits a great injustice upon other people, yet millions of people live decent lives, and regardless of what they believe religiously, they are good moral people. Is God's WRATH on them too? That is not what I expect from a "just" God. Unfortunately, once you blur the line on whether someone can escape the wrath by good behavior you have to pick a side. Either a small percentage of all that have ever lived will enter the Kingdom of God, or nearly all people will. You have to pick your presupposition one way or the other in light of your understanding of the heart of God. (You know my pick, and my hope.)

To those that read all this---Blessings, I love you...

John 3:16 > But wait, there's more!

2008-05-05T12:24:00.003-05:00

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Other than perhaps, "Jesus wept," John 3:16 is the best known and most memorized verse in the Bible. In fact, I believe most of those who would identify as Christians base their belief system on this verse. It's true that 3:16 is a good summary of the faith, yet anytime one single verse serves as the basis for any theological point it becomes misunderstood and dangerous. At the very least this full paragraph needs to be taken together.

16A God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son > wow. This does not say that God loved the people who He predestined to believe and be saved. It does not even say He loved the people of the world---It says He loved the world. When God created the earth and everything in it, He proclaimed all of it GOOD. Of course man screwed it up a bit, yet not so badly that God is not able to bring it back fully into the manifestation of goodness that He intended from the beginning. God did not send His son to save souls, He sent His son to save the world---everything. Will God be satisfied to save just portions of His creation, or just some of the people? or is His heart and love for "the world" such that He will succeed in redeeming all? Did God make the ultimate sacrifice knowing that only a small percentage of the people He created and loves will be saved? That's not what John 3:16 says.

16B that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life > When God first created man---indeed all creatures, Genesis says there was no death. With this ultimate sacrifice God restored the eternal life granted in the garden of Eden. What does it take to believe? Here, it is so straight forward and easy---just believe. It's like simply looking up at the bronze snake that was discussed earlier. Does it say we must get our bronze snake theology right? or even worship the snake? or live by the rules of the snake? There is no sinner's prayer here; just look up. Yes, that's way too easy, yet that's the point. God made a way where there was no way. What's this about "shall not perish?" When John wrote these words in the late first century hundreds of believers had died so he knew well that we do indeed die, at least our bodies do. Still, when does eternal life begin? at death? No, eternal life begins the moment we believe.

17 For God did not send His son into the world to condemn it, but to save the world through Him > Actually this ought to be the verse we all should memorize if we only chose to know just one. Again we see God's intent to save "the world." Will God fail? Will God destroy the very world He sacrificed His son to save? There is a lot of messed up belief on this. Why would God send His son to save the world if His soon intent was to destroy the world? This is a whole other can of worms, yet remember this verse when someone says it's all gonna burn. I recently spoke with someone I love, who is a hardcore fundamentalist Christian, who kept on and kept on hammering that God was a God of justice, and He would indeed condemn the world, and all those who do not repent and ask Jesus into their heart would be punished in eternal torment. Lots of western Christians believe that, yet how does that jive with this verse? Again, did God fail? Focus on the last phrase, it was God's plan to "save the world through Him." That is what I believe, that the world was saved, is being saved, and will be saved through Jesus. One more thing on this, was it Jesus's dying or His resurrection or His coming that saved the world? The answer is d, all of the above. It's a shame that we so often lose sight of the part that it was the sending and the giving that saved us.

Verse 18 causes a lot of confusion if presented on its own. The big question here is what does it take to believe? Literally thousands of differing denominations have been launched over this issue alone, so no one can say there is a consensus. Our only sure guide is to look at the heart and plan of God. Yes He is just and justice will be done, however His plan and heart was to save the whole world. I find it hard to believe that His path of grace is narrow. If believing means a hard to nail down system of saying just the right words and doing the right things then ultimately God fails in His mission. I can't believe that. Verses 19, 20, and 21 follow in the same vein; what does it mean to be in the light? If anyone seeks the truth, and strives to live a good life, how can they remain in darkness? Does the sun/Son only shine on a particular religion? how about on just a particular denomination? Or does the sun/Son shine over the whole earth---missing only those who make an overt choice to remain in the dark? If light is the analogy, light has few boundaries: it shines even into places where every attempt has been made to seal the doors and windows; light always triumphs over darkness. Light falls over all the earth, and God will fulfill His dream of restoration of all. God will not fail.

John 3:9-15 > Lifting the Snake and The Son

2008-05-03T18:26:00.004-05:00

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

First, a quick apology for the delay between posts. I took on a job that required I work 70 to 90 hours a week. There was scarce little time to attend to this or anything else. I'm back, and perhaps smarter since I've done a tremendous amount of reading and contemplation on spiritual matters. I'm always evolving towards greater Truth, I hope, and in many ways awakening to a completely new operating system---like MS Vista, along with the difficulties in adapting the old programs.

In this passage I am immediately struck by Jesus' somewhat callous tone towards Nicodemus. Our pal Nic is a Pharisee, the sect that consistently pissed Jesus off, and certainly participated in Jesus's death. Still Nic deserves some respect since he is here trying to understand what Jesus is teaching---giving Jesus the benefit of a doubt. The real issue I trust is Jesus's sadness that the religious leaders were so busy with their own agenda that they somehow missed God's.

We now have the rest of the New Testament to clue us in here, but to Nic it must have seemed Jesus was speaking in code. Poor Nic simply didn't get it. Jesus was speaking of "heavenly" things---things of God's simultaneous coming and present Kingdom. Jesus did not help matters by continuing to speak in third person---referring to One who had been to heaven rather than plainly saying He was The One, and talking prophetically about being lifted up without explaining what was to come. Of course the Truth was/is in the scriptures (the Old Testament), yet frankly even the disciples who were with Jesus day in and day out did not fully comprehend what was going to happen. It was not until Jesus explained things after the resurrection that the disciples finally connected the dots with the prophecies of scripture. This has a lot to do with presuppositions---the Jewish leadership of the time and even some of the disciples had such a different image of the Messiah built in their mind that they mostly missed Him when He came.

Verses 14 and 15 are really heavy. There's a story in the Old Testament where folks are dying of snake bites, and God has Moses erect a pole with a bronze snake on it. Whenever someone is snake bit they only had to look up at the pole, and they were "saved." This made no sense whatsoever in the Exodus story unless it is seen as a type and shadow of the holistic salvation to come through Jesus' death on the cross. It's also a beautiful image of the simplicity of "being saved:" one must only look the way of the cross, and all is well. These last two verses actually answer Nic's question about how it is possible to be born again---only through the sacrifice and resurrection of the Son of Man. After this Nic vanishes from the book of John, never to be heard from again. I'd love to know "the rest of the story." Did Jesus here tip his hand enough that Nic came into the truth? or was Nic so entrenched in misunderstanding that Jesus Himself could not break through?

John 3:5-8 The Holy Spirit blows all over the world

2007-09-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Here, the Greek for the word for spirit and for wind is the same. Jesus is speaking to a man extremely well versed in scripture. In some Old Testament passages speaking of the coming Messianic Kingdom water represents the Spirit (Is. 44:3-5) and wind or breath represents Spirit (Ezekial 37:9-10). Nicodemus should have recognized these clues about water and wind as referring to the coming Kingdom. Indeed Messiah was standing right in front of him.

In verse five the original text says we must be born of water and wind--the translators make it "the Spirit" as a guess from the context. This is a crucial lesson on understanding what we read in various versions of the Bible; it is never a direct word for word translation. The translator brings his/her personal beliefs to the table and makes judgment calls on every passage. The concept of presuppositions is never more crucial than in the translation itself. Perhaps more important, this double meaning in the Greek was intentional by the author---it can indeed be interpreted both ways, and nuances of both meanings add to the overall message here.

In John 3:5-8 we have Holy Spirit flowing silently, "blowing" wherever Holy Spirit chooses to blow. This is huge since this group of verses does not state that accepting Jesus is the way to be born again, rather, Holy Spirit "blows wherever it pleases." The last phrase, "so it is with everyone born of the Spirit" really intrigues me. Verses 5-8 seem to indicate a concept of election---that God blows on whomever He wills. In the concept of election who would God leave out? Time and time again scripture says God loves ALL. He would not leave anyone out. Even if one of a hundred strayed from the wind, scripture says God leaves the 99 and seeks out the stray. Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not tell where the wind/Holy Spirit came from or where it was going---the priests and pharisees could not dictate or discern who would be saved.

The wind blows over all the earth. All earthly creation, every man and woman, is bathed in wind everyday. This becomes so common that we ignore it. So it is with Holy Spirit; we all are blessed with the constant breath of God, yet we must be "hear" and honor the Source.

God, please grant us the ability to feel and bask in the breath of Holy Spirit.

John 3: We're going to take this slow

2007-08-30T22:44:00.000-05:00

John 3 is probably ground zero on this whole issue. Certainly there is no verse more universal known than John 3:16. So let's start small. John 3 opens with Jesus having a clandestine (I presume) chat with Nicodemus, who was a man on the Jewish ruling council. Old St. Nic here really took a chance with this since Jesus was largely seen as directly challenging the Jewish way of life. Still, Nic seems sincere in learning from the Master. Jesus opens with this line:

3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again. It's interesting that Jesus does NOT say we have to be born again to be saved. He says we have to be born again to SEE the Kingdom of God. Being born again opens our eyes to the truth that is already present before us.

I love the movie The Matrix. In it, there is a hidden world behind the Matrix---one is that is the truth and always present. Neo is born again as he comes to realize that what he knew of the world is a cyber existence. The transition is shocking and painful and comes with great responsibility. Being born again is being willing to accept the Truth behind what we see, to trust and see the Divine Creator continuing to weave and create. Coming into the Kingdom is an act of BEING and SEEING. Later we will see that while the Truth is revealed at no cost whatsoever, that knowing the Truth commands a response.

John 2---Desecration of Pots and Temples

2007-08-29T11:23:00.000-05:00

Of course not all chapters in John will deal directly with this concept of Christ taking away the sin of the whole world. A secondary issue of great interest to me is Christ's constant demonstration that the code of law established by Moses and the Levitical priests had passed away with His coming. Note first that it is Christ's coming that mattered most, not his death and resurrection. This is made obvious by the fact that if His arrival had not superseded the law then Jesus would have been a notorious sinner---not just breaking the law, but engaging in acts which could be conceived as mocking it.

In John 2 we begin with Jesus' first public miracle---the changing of water into wine. It was no accident that He choose the huge ceremonial cleansing pots to contain the wine. These held blessed water that was used through the day for pre-meal washing. After having the servants fill them to the brim, the water became wine which defiled the pots. Further the quantity here is staggering---a hundred and fifty gallons of wine---enough to make all the wedding party drunk many times over. At verse ten we hear the comment from the master of the banquet,
"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." I believe this is a prophetic comment about Christ's arrival---God had revealed himself through the prophets of old, and yet Jesus was a giving of the very best at the end of the season of the wedding party between God and Israel. Throughout the Bible fine wine is referred to as a blessing from God. Here, the fine wine is God Himself, "This is my blood..." We commune with Him in a declaration of abundance.

John 2 begins with Jesus making a mockery of the ceremonial cleansings by desecrating the cleansing pots. The chapter ends with his clearing the temple of the money changers and those selling sacrifice. He did so not with words of admonition or a kindly plea, he runs through like a mad man with an instrument of violence. Interestingly he takes the whip to the physical temple in an act symbolic of the scourging His own body---the true temple of God---will receive at the end of His life. This is a demonstration that the old ways are set aside; the striving is gone, and perfection has come. Jesus desecrates the temple---at least in the understanding of those at the time. The true temple---the true dwelling place of God---supersedes all buildings and monuments which were a shadow of what has come.

John 1:17-51 "The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world"

2007-08-29T00:04:00.000-05:00

Continuing in our examination of the Gospel of John from a presupposition that God will actually accomplish what He set out to do: the Restoration of ALL. We are specifically setting out verses which either refers to this or the converse side. Read the whole chapter to maintain context.

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. This will be examined more later. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law, but to fufill it. In looking at the actions of Jesus in the chapters to come we will see he often behaved contrary to the law of Moses. If we are to ask WWJD? we must note that He did not honor the law of Moses very much. Jesus brings both grace and truth. Grace means unmerited, unconditional favor. That's a hard truth for the legalistic folks.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This one just blows me away. Here we have John the Baptist, the one sent ahead to make way for a new order between God and man, and he is proclaiming that Jesus takes away the sin of the world. There are no qualifiers here, no specifying that just those who believe will be saved. Indeed, the whole world becomes sinless, which to me indicates that not just humankind is brought into restoration, but all the earth---all of creation. The term Lamb of God is important. I don't truly understand the whole sacrifice thing; I suspect that in Old Testament times the sacrifice process was simply a type and shadow of the sacrifice God Himself would make by and through His Son Jesus. If we simply looked to John's proclamation, we would be done here: Jesus took away the sin of the world. Amazing.

To Be Continued...

John 1:1 through 16; The Gift of Light to Everyone

2007-08-28T14:01:00.000-05:00

It's all about presuppositions. When you approach the Bible with the mainline belief that God will only save those few who have ever lived that got the formula right for "salvation" then that's what you will find. Of course that belief is what I was told from the pulpit for decades, so I have to really work to push that mindset back and really seek to hear the Truth of God. I am examining what happens when I approach the Bible with the hope that God might actually accomplish through Jesus what He set out to do---which was to bring the whole world into a loving relationship with God and each other. Yes, I know there seems to be a conflict, yet both thoughts are fully there. I want to choose to believe that God is bigger and more gracious than I can ever hope or dream. I want to believe God has already set the world right in the heavenlies and that the world is in the process of becoming "on earth as it is in heaven."

I am doing a study of the Gospel of John with the presupposition that through the gift of His son, God set into motion the redemption of all. Today I will focus on verses from John 1:1-16 which witness to this concept. All Bible quotes are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. When God pronounced in Genesis 1 that He looked over all his creation, and it was good, was God suddenly confined to the restraints of time? Was it good only for a minute and then went to hell the second Adam ate some bad fruit? I don't believe it. God stands outside of time and pronounces His creation Good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end. Do you live in a good house? Is it perfect? Do you have a good child? Is he/she perfect? Good is an attitude, a hope, that what is is in the process of becoming good. Good means the glass is half full. What God pronounces as good is good! Note ALL is good. Then, now, and forever!

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Here is the set up. The redemption of ALL people is in Jesus. I choose to believe that the mystery, the magic, and the majesty of Jesus is that through Him ALL are restored to right relationship with the creator. Verse 5 answers Verse 4: indeed, darkness is within men (men always includes all people), yet it is proclaimed here that darkness will not prevail. Glory to God!

7 He [John the Baptist] came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. Here's that pesky word ALL again. Those with a presupposition that most people who've ever lived will go to hell focus here on the word might. To them that means not all will believe, but they might, which means they could, yet won't. However that is not the clear context of this verse or the passage. Here, ALL means ALL. All will believe.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. Here, the true light, who is Jesus, gives---a perfect gift---to everyone. This is a gift, not a contract. There is no "I'll give you this IF you do that." Perfect light is the unconditional gift to everyone from the True Light.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The light is there. The gift is there. Not all will see it or receive it immediately, yet it is there. All will see it some day; for those who see it and embrace it now, nestling into the bosom of God is available immediately.

16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. Those reading with the most go to hell mindset relegate all here to mean just those who believe. We will talk about that a lot. There is no qualifier here. The word we here could, and I believe does, mean we in the collective we of us all, just as all here means all. Grace did exist before Christ---that was grace already given, yet with the advent of God on earth, a better grace---the fullness of grace is received by us all.

I had intended to put a commentary of one full chapter in each post, yet I am going to have to break it up. Please go back and read the whole chapter in context. My highlighting certain verses does not mean I am neglecting the others or that they conflict with my presupposition. If they conflict we will deal with them. Blessings to all.

Centered, Yet Expanding

2007-05-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

I'm in personal spiritual revolution. My posting at LJ and my other sites has been way down while I am digesting a sequence of things that has opened me up in ways that are, for now, beyond words. Last week we did the Q conference which addressed the issue of the future of Christianity. The conference was in many ways more conservative than I am, yet I pulled much from it in some areas where I needed balance. I am really focused on developing a whole earth view of spirituality---to move beyond my own socio-economic-political boundaries.

I have been reading voraciously, soaking in viewpoints from all over. Even though I read a dozen hours a day, I am a methodical plodding reader so it is encompassing much of my time. I have been profoundly pensive as my brain rewires.

Recently Karlita and I met with a man that I greatly respect to discuss some of these matters. After listening to us, he outlined his own thoughts: he noted there are three major schools of thought regarding faith paths, exclusive (it's our way or you are going to hell), inclusive (our way is best, but you are not going to hell), and pluralism (my way is fine for me, yet I support your path equally). My current belief system falls into the inclusive camp. This man, who has thousands of people looking to him for spiritual guidance explained why, even though he grew up in a conservative denomination and went to a conservative Christian seminary, explained to us that he is now a PLURALIST. Hearing that, from this guy who I hold in the highest esteem personally and as a spiritual leader, really messed with my head. There are things I have deep inside which I could not contain at all within an exclusive belief system, and honestly the inclusive system does not fully contain it, yet the pluralist view is beyond where I am today. As liberal as I am, I suspect God still does not fit into the huge box I have constructed. Moving outside the box is imminent, yet that requires a revamp of my entire belief system. All this does not take me off of my own fervent, Christ centered path, yet the coming limitless expansion is still overwhelming to me.
(Photo of a window manikin at Rag-a-rama in L5P, copyright Kel Vick 2007)

In Memorial of Times of Tragedy

2007-04-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

More than Magic

2007-04-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

This morning I was thinking about when I was a kid studying to be a magician. Seriously. I had a teacher who had been a famous Las Vegas magician, and to be in his class I had to sign an agreement that I would never perform a trick he had taught me until I had practiced it 1,000 times. That seemed excessive, yet when I got out in front of audiences as large as 500 people, I found I was terrified and overwhelmed. I got through the shows because my hands knew what to do despite the fear, despite the adversity.

As we run across things that encourage us and lift us up, we must take time to run them through our minds over and over until they run deep within. Then, in those times when we would be afraid or overwhelmed, those beautiful things sustain us even when we think we do not have the strength to carry on.

Phillipians 4:8

On Defining Who I Am By My Occupation

2007-04-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

We just got back from a remarkable networking lunch where fifty movers and shakers in spirituality and media chatted each other up. (What I personally move and shake is confidential and not pretty.) As we met in various groups the conversation primarily consisted of each of us in a round telling the others "what we do." There was no instructions on this at all; this conversation is the default setting for networking. It would seem we are what we do for a living. For most of the folks this was relevant since most of us came to do what we do through an arduous and intentional process---education combined with job choices within our scope/s of interest.

Still, the short hand of summing up who I am, or any of us for that matter, by the naming of an occupation was very disturbing to me. The truth is what we do as a job often does not define us. Further, being stereotyped by our occupation denies the process of life. I have done lots of jobs over the years from paper boy to sales to waiter to writer to pastor to attorney to Deputy Attorney General. Not one of those titles begin to describe who I am, yet each one of those jobs are integrated into my life path. The question perhaps is, "are you a tadpole or a frog?" The answer is I may look like a tadpole, yet I am in the process of becoming something different than what I appear to be today. Not that being a tadpole is bad---embrace that too---yet don't marginalize me because of the stage I am in within the process of life.

I found it hard to give a quick summary of who I am. The titles I have worn over the years sound cool in shorthand, yet it's disconcerting to be quickly thrown into a cubby hole of what each other person thought regarding that title. I became not me, but rather a caricature of the other people the hearer knows within that stated profession. The other side is that if I honestly state who I am it sounds pretentious as hell since I identify not as who I am today, but rather, I am beyond the tadpole, beyond the frog, even beyond the young prince, and see myself as a king. See, I told you---pretentious---yet I can not dwell on my apparent frogdom when it is already the season to consider my kingdom.

I am not who you think I am, whatever that may be; I am more, much more, than even I realize.

Leeches and Wounds from Loved Ones

2007-04-15T19:05:00.000-05:00

There is a story of a young missionary's first journey in the Amazon. After a long walk through the jungle he reaches a village and notices he has several leeches on his legs. Horrified he begins to grab and rip them off. A wise villager stops him, and allows him to soak his legs in a salt bath. One by one the leeches release and float away. The fangs from the couple he ripped away remain within his skin and fester.

When a loved one hurts us, so often our first response is to lash out or perhaps run away, forcefully and quickly dealing with the wound. The result is like those hard to remove festering fangs. How much better when we allow the saltwater source to have time and place to allow grace and peace to heal us. Sometimes the process is slow, as we sit and soak until the offense falls away, yet that is always the better way.

As an attorney helping families in crisis, day after day, even night after night, people would call me seeking vengeance or freedom or justice from someone who had hurt them. There were things the law could do; I would do those things as appropriate. Still, time and time again I saw the hurt healed not by the process of law, rather time and grace did more good than any court or high priced lawyer.

There is a balm, a greater power, of salt and water, that can heal. Press into that. Today.

iQ do uQ?

2007-04-10T07:06:00.000-05:00

Q stands at the intersection of faith and a rapidly changing culture. The teachings of Jesus have stood strong for two thousand years; are they relevant in the next millenia? Movers and shakers of media and faith will converge at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia to examine the future of faith---making it real and relevant in a rapidly changing world. Participants will include representatives from CNN, BET Network, the founders of PASTE and WIRED magazines, writers ROB BELL, DONALD MILLER, numerous grassroots world changers, and legendary singer/songwriter/producer T BONE BURNETT.

This is just around the corner, so contact them now. Partial scholarships may still be available. Tell them Kel Vick sent you. See you there!

Details: http://www.fermiproject.com/q/

Easter Song, by Keith Green

2007-04-08T07:24:00.000-05:00

Here the bells ringing
Theyre singing
that you can be born again
Here the bells ringing
They're singing
christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That jesus christ is no longer dead
Joy to the word, he has risen,
hallelujah He's risen,
hallelujah He's risen,
hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing
that you can be healed right now
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ, he will reveal it now

The angels, they all surround us
And they are ministering jesus power
Quickly now, reach out and receive it
For this could be your glorious hour
Joy to the world,
he has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah,
hallelujah

The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That jesus christ is no longer dead
Joy to the world,
he has risen,
hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
Hallelujah

The Sins of Jesus

2007-04-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

Did Jesus sin? A tenet of traditional Christianity is that He was the perfect sacrifice to atone for all because he was without sin. Is this true?

Jesus was Jewish. Occasionally I will mention this and the other in the discussion will say, "Really? I always thought he was a Christian." Uh, no. He grew up steeped in the law of the Torah and Rabbinical law. Yet, over and over Jesus violated Torah and Rabbinical Code. In the culture in which He lived, He was a criminal; in the faith of the society in which he preached, He was a sinner.

A few examples:

1. The first knowing act of Jesus recorded is his running off from his parents. Sure it is made all noble since he was at the temple and explained to his mother, AFTER HE HAD BEEN MISSING FOR THREE DAYS AT AGE TWELVE, that He was at His Father's (Father God) house. If that had been you or me, having dashed off at twelve to go build a house for Habitat for Humanity or some other noble cause for three days, we would have been wildly spanked and grounded for months. Did Jesus "Honor his mother" with that action? no. Jesus repeatedly gave appearance of breaking the commandment to honor one's parents. He even told his followers that He came to turn sons against fathers and that they would have to "hate" their parents to follow Him. (Matthew 10:34-37)2. Jesus' first miracle was to turn water into wine---the quantity is amazing! He made 150 gallons, which is 4,800 glasses of wine! He provided this additional alcohol to guests which the New International Version of the Bible says were already drunk. This would be a violation of Jewish law (Habakkuk 2:15, "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also..."), and giving more alcohol---lots more---to intoxicated folks is a crime today.3. Jesus flagrantly and repeatedly violated the Jewish interpretation of "Remember the Sabbath Day, and keep it Holy." He did this by picking grain (Matthew 12:1-8) and healing people on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-13)---acts which were expressly forbidden. In dealing with the Rabbis who admonished him on this he further failed to show them the respect that such leaders were to be given in that culture.

I could go on; you get my point. So what gives? Prophecy and tradition called for a perfect and sinless lamb to be slain as a sacrifice to all, yet Jesus was not sinless according to the Torah or the laws of the Rabbis.

First, a key teaching of Jesus is that there is a higher law that trumps the laws of man. Interestly, the higher law He espoused trumped prior God given law---or at least man's interpretation of that law. Second, Jesus teaches that motive matters more than the act itself. He touched and embraced lepers, the dead, Samaritans and all kinds of sinners, clearly violating Torah, yet in healing those people and showing them a better way to live, His higher purpose rose above God's previously stated law. Jesus was a rebel. Jesus was a criminal. He cursed things that did not belong to him (like the fig tree and the herd of pigs), and they died. By our standards and laws He was NOT perfect.

There are higher laws; motives matter more than laws; following one's noble destiny is our highest purpose even if it violates societal norms. These are hard teachings and not the typical Good Friday thoughts. For me, this makes me trust Him more and appreciate His sacrifice more. I can not identify with a perfect person who calls me to be likewise perfect. That is more than I can honestly embrace. However, living as a rebel against religious dogma, and seeking higher purpose over all things---I can strive for that. So today, Good Friday, I raise my glass of wine, dip my bread and celebrate the death of my favorite "sinner" and "criminal," Jesus.

Welcome to A Stirring in the Water

2007-04-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

What brought Karla and I together, first and foremost, was our joint and equal passion for spiritual wholeness...not just for us, for all of us. At a recent gathering of believers which we join every Sunday morning, someone said that it is time to stop acting like Christians and start acting like Jesus. Amen to that.

There is a story in the Bible book of John where a guy had been crippled several decades, and he sat next to a pool with healing powers. It was believed that from time to time an angel came and stirred the water, and the first person into the water would be healed. The problem is, he had no one to help him into the pool when the miracle came. It occurs to me there was a faith issue too: It would take a tremendous amount of chutzpah for a crippled person to dive into a pool; his dream of wholeness could well be his worst nightmare. Jesus came along and told the guy to stand up and walk. He did and was healed. The problem was Jesus did this on a Sabbath (Holy) day when no work such as doing miracles was allowed by the religious leaders of the community. Jesus loved to screw with religious folks, Men in fancy clothes who had an appearance of truth yet repeatedly missed the point.

So much of our life we think, if we could just get that degree, or that job, or that lover, or that kid out of diapers and into kindergarten, THEN WE COULD.... To often we, crippled by our desire to be better, which is noble, miss the opportunity standing right in front of us. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, there is no better time than NOW. My friend, join us; let's stand up and walk, and walk together (and screw the religious folks who say we can't).

We are Kel and Karla, and we love you, no matter what.

WHO WE ARE IS THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL OUR EXPERIENCES

2007-04-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

One thing I've learned over my lifetime - who we are is the sum total of all our experiences, whether we label them "good," "bad" or "indifferent." If we are much more than meets the eye, if there is more to this life than we can comprehend, a field of Faith, a grand design that is hidden from us, all those experiences are not for naught. If, as I believe, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience, then ALL experiences are for our growing benefit.

It's hard, I know, to look at situations that are painful, situations where someone has hurt us, physically, sexually, emotionally or spiritually, and bless that person and what happened. And that is exactly what we (and by this I mean I) must do. In fact, I am re-writing what I just wrote:

One thing I've learned over my lifetime - who I am is the sum total of all my experiences, whether I label them "good," "bad" or "indifferent." If I am much more than meets the eye, if there is more to this life than I can comprehend, a field of Faith, a grand design that is hidden from me, all those experiences are not for naught. If, as I believe, I am not a human being having a spiritual experience, I am a spiritual being having a human experience, then ALL experiences are for my growing benefit.It's hard, I know, to look at situations that are painful, situations where someone has hurt me, physically, sexually, emotionally or spiritually, and bless that person and what happened. That feels better to me - it's more personal - as this is a personal belief and statement - although I invite you to try it on for size.

This means that I bless every situation and person that comes into my life - which includes the traffic jam, the missed turn and detour, the blessing of flowers, art, awareness, the challenging relationship with someone, the experiences in my youth, teen-hood, young adulthood, all my previous relationships and marriages, lovers and friends. It means I bless those who have been malicious to me, who have come to me meaning harm. And I would go further to say something extreme here, and very personal, which you may not YET agree with - it means (to me) that I bless every situation and person who has come my way - even, theoretically, those situations that might include rape, murder, incest, someone causing someone I love (or myself) physical harm, dread disease and terminal illness, not just on a personal scale - on a larger scale as well. I have the faith that I am not put into a situation or given a trial without the resources to handle it - and the major resource I have is my faith in God. My trust is that there is a function bigger than myself - and that I'm here to learn soul lessons. Of course, I need to conduct myself in a way that is gracious and full of Grace. I need to continue to acknowledge the places where there is Love shining through, even in the darkest hour. I need to revisit and hold my hand out, I need to ask for help - both on a human level and a spiritual level. I do not need an explanation - I do not need to know it all - I just need to trust, to lean into my faith, to sit with the inner knowing that there is much more at work than just my little life. And that in my little life, I can have a positive effect on all those around me, just as they all positively effect me.

We are each other. And in stepping into forgiveness, self-forgiveness especially, loving each other, cultivating Higher Love, mirroring the Divine, we awaken the best in ourselves and the best in each other. I am not my circumstances. You are not your history, and yet we are all that, and more. I will say it again - I am the sum total of all my experiences. What a blessing!!!

from Karla

Marry Them All & Let God Sort It Out!

2004-07-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, recently wrote to his followers, "Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself."

Gary Bauer, head of the Campaign for Working Families, wrote to his supporters: "If you still think homosexual 'marriage' won't affect you, think again. Your job may be at stake! ... Once the state approves of homosexual 'marriages,' the full weight of the law will be brought down against men and women of faith who believe in Judeo-Christian values."

I don't know how else to say it: "WTF?!!"

These completely absurd and baseless comments serve one purpose and one purpose only: to terrify conservative religious folks into sending money to these organizations AND to mobilize these same folks into voting Republican.

Bush, at the direction of his election guru, Karl Rove, is likewise pushing this same issue trying to manipulate his ultra conservative base into action. Frankly this is, to me, a traditionally democratic ploy: create a crisis where none exists to mobilize the coach potatos.

"...giving gay couples the right to marry is, when you think about it, a conservative measure, demanding of gays that they live up to standards of fidelity, responsibility and commitment never before asked of them. It is pro-family, uniting those gay family members with their siblings and parents in the unifying ritual of civil marriage. Why cannot marriage be defined by the virtues it includes rather than the people it excludes?" Andrew Sullivan in Time

Just how many people does James Dobson think are going to marry someone of the same sex? How exactly will this destroy the fabric of our culture? It's not like otherwise straight happy people are going to turn gay because it's OK. There is no story here.

So maybe you do believe homosexuality is sinful (you can be fully Christ-like and believe it's OK), Still, it is no more a sin than lying or adultry or fornication or overeating or smoking or cussing or bowing to a graven image of the ten commandments or lust---that would include reading Maxim boys. Bush and the fear mongers want us to legislate morality. Since the church has failed, they think, only the government can save us from this evil world... THE ONLY THING DIFFERENT ABOUT THE SIN OF HOMOSEXUALITY IS THAT IT'S THE ONLY SIN THAT MOST CHRISTIANS ARE SURE THEY WOULD NEVER DO! This is not the heart of God, it's prejudice.

Don't we have better things to concern ourselves about?
I say marry them all, and let God sort it out!

Peace, Love, and Holy Unions, Kel

Darkhorse VP

2004-07-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

OK, it's not going to happen, but I can dream. Republican Senator from Colorado, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, is one of the coolest dudes in polictics. I may be the only one, but I hereby cast my vote for him as Cheney's replacement. Sadly, Campbell's health is declining, and he has announced that he is not running for senate again---so a run for the white house is a million to one shot.
Campbell was born in Auburn, California on April 13, 1933. His mother, Mary Vierra, was a Portuguese immigrant, and his father, Albert Campbell, was a Northern Cheyenne Indian. Campbell is the only American Indian presently serving in the United States Senate, and is one of 44 Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. He received a B.A. degree in physical education and fine arts from San Jose University in 1957 and later attended Meiji University in Tokyo in 1960 as a special research student. Before entering college Campbell served in the U.S. Air force from 1951-53, stationed in Korea, where he attained the rank of Airman 2nd Class.Campbell is a renowned jewelry designer, athlete, and trainer of champion quarter horses. He has won hundreds of best of show awards with his inovative jewelry designs, and he has been a strong supporter of the arts. He participated in the 1964 Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic Judo Team, and has been a judo instructor. In 1991 he used to judo to subdue a mugger in D.C.Campbell has been married to the same woman for more than 35 years and he's a father and grandfather. He is a cool, gnarly biker that has promoted motorcycle safety. In 1995 he became the most recent senator to cross over from democrat to republican. Indeed his record is steller---voting the republican line consistantly since his switch.
If he were a little younger and a little healthier, he would have made a very cool VP. There are many, like me, who very much wish to see a president of a different color in the "white" house. With all due respects to Condi and Colin, it makes a lot of sense for a native American to be first.
Peace, Love, and Turquoise,
Funkyvick

THE WALT WHITMAN MEMORIAL SKATEBOARD PARK

2004-07-17T14:42:00.000-05:00

This is where Whitman would be
If he were still pumping poetic hormones in 2004
        Downtown skateboard park
        Mid Alabama July
More teenage glistening pecs and abs here
Than every poetry reading in America combined.

The sparks of the body electric petered out long ago;
welcome to the body nuclear.

Half the night nothing rocked the air
Other than the screech
Of metal on wood
And bodies slithering over concrete
‘til the manager came out to skate
and all the twixt’s and teens demanded tunes;
“Sorry guys, all I have is classical”
which brought cheers from the boys
who knew what was coming:

             Never mind the Bullocks,
            here come the Sex Pistols

Which apparently is now classical music
If you’re fourteen

Maybe they’ll erect a statue of Whitman erect
His modern leaves of grass rolled in EZ wider
His ZZ Top beard hiding a lost scroll of bad boy poems

Copyright 2004 funkyvick

American Terrorists

2004-07-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

A man having an argument with his girlfriend dumped gas on her and three children under three years old who were sitting in the backseat as they drove---then he flicked his lighter burning the children to death and severely burning the mother. He died. The war on terror is a war against evil everywhere---even here in the states. Lord, bring peace to the world, and save children from monsters---even if they are American, Amen.

fat

2004-07-13T20:29:00.000-05:00

so I’m staring at the blank page
wishing I was one of the stars
of oppression
all the poets I read are
angry black 20 somethings
spinning hip hop haiku and joy in the dreads
mourning two-pac or the smoky eyed boy
that took the honey and ran
or Amer-asian chicks
still running like that naked girl
from the napalm spray from the friends of the father
land of the free
or middle aged Mexican-Indians
singing of life in the barrio
the scent of tortillas on the griddle
rising beyond the adobe
and into the poetry circus nightclubs
to blend with the whiskey and fine Cubans

but I am none of these
no one pities
the short fat balding myopic American white male
anymore

funkyvick copyright 2004

The War Between Pretty and Plain

2004-07-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

There was a time, not too long ago, when the primary conflict of man was good versus evil. In America we seem to have devolved into a war between pretty and plain. Over the last few days, while my Wife traipsed up the east coast, I saw a sampling of new movies out that seem to demonstrate a seizmic shift in the priorities of young Americans:

Shrek 2: In this brilliant parody Shrek and his lady love are forced to choose between being beautiful and ugly with an emphasis on the integrity of maintaining one's true nature---If you ugly, then be ugly. (Although Beautiful is fun while it lasts.)

Mean Girls: This was a pleasant surprise, and the funniest movie of the lot. It had more depth than I expected (I expected none) and had a few priceless moments that I can't discuss on the chance you might see this one. The war is the skanky chics and a flamer wannabe versus the "plastics:" the perfect pretty tarts in the school. A girl from the skank tank infiltrates the plastics and learns it's what's inside that counts.

13 Going on 30: I totally saw this because of the recommendation in a young friend's blog (totally). Here a plain gangly 13 year old girl yearns to be a hot 30 year old and gets her wish, only to learn there's no place like home, there's no place like home... (click your heels three times).

Stepford Wives: I waited in line for this, but it was sold out, and I went to a play at ASF instead. Anyway, it would have, no doubt, continued my theme.

Garfield: This leap from the four panel should have gone direct to DVD. It does not prove my pretty versus plain point except that Odie is a common mut who finds love nevertheless. The saving grace of this movie was Jennifer Love Hewitt who reminds me how fortunate I am to be married to a woman with gorgeous brown eyes.

Admittedly I did not choose action movies like Riddick (although I think the theme there is career life versus career death for our buddy Vin). But the current films with a young adult target audience seem to indicate we are obsessed with becoming beautiful. A couple hours on the tube would convince anyone that the day's priority must be whitening one's teeth. Has our youth and young adult culture gone to the "plastics?" How hard will they fall when they find there is no true satisfaction there? I yearn for an America where the focus is Christ: Christ in us individually and collectively. Someday, somehow...but for now, everyone flick a bic and sing, "I'd like to buy the world a low carb Coke C2..."