God arguments

 

“Arguing whether or not a God exists is like

fleas arguing whether or not the dog exists.

Arguing over the correct name of God is like

fleas arguing over the name of the dog.

And arguing over whose notion of God is correct is like

fleas arguing over who owns the dog.”

 Robert Fulghum

Mark Godfrey cartoon from here

both/and

“If we maintain the open-mindedness of children,

we challenge fixed ideas and established structures,

including our own.

We listen to people in other denominations and religions.

We don't find demons in those with whom we disagree.

We don't cozy up to people who mouth our jargon.

If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or:

either creation or evolution,

liberty or law,

sacred or secular,

Beethoven or Madonna.

We focus on both-and, fully aware that God's truth

cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. ”

Brennan Manning

L.E.J. Maroski diagrams are from here

the least we can do



“Beauty and grace are performed

whether or not we will or sense them.

The least we can do is try to be there.”

-Annie Dillard,

The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

 

photo from Hawaiian Botanical Gardens

discipline

“In the spiritual life, the word 'discipline' means 'the effort

to create some space in which God can act'.

Discipline means to prevent everything in your life

from being filled up.

Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied,

and certainly not preoccupied…

to create that space in which something can happen

that you hadn't planned or counted on.”

-Henri Nouwen

so discipline doesn’t have to be some harsh attempt

at getting it right?  good news!

photo taken in Kona – I loved the rock walls- so sacred

listen

“It is not in differing from one another

that disunity arises-

it is in not listening to God

and each other.”

- Kenneth Sutton