I received an email today from a dear friend and subscriber
to this blog asking if she had been removed from the mailing list as she is no
longer receiving the blog posts. Has it
been that long? No one has been bumped
from the subscription list; I have just been stymied. Here is a quick update.
After being “unchurched” for several years I made the
decision to join a local church here in Paris.
I thought it would be a good way to meet people and build community. Though I experience many
difficulties with traditional Christianity I actually thought I could slip
into a local church, remain silent and just be a friendly participant in the
church suppers and Sunday worship. I see
you smirking…
There is a church on every corner in Paris, TX. I suspect we found the most open-minded,
openhearted congregation in town. Though
I have failed to remain silent, most of the members have been gracious and kind
to me. And yet, I do not fit. There is nowhere to go from here—no
Unitarian, no Unity, no Church of Conscious Harmony. I struggle.
I don’t believe the bible is authoritative; I don’t believe
God killed Jesus to save you and me; I don’t believe Christianity is the only
real or even best religion; I don’t believe gays are sinful, etc. I not only do not accept these concepts, I
find them to be harmful. So how to
explain my sitting in the pew each Sunday? As yet, I can’t explain it. I am baffled by it. I am stymied.
The God of my understanding has little interest in church,
worship, doctrine, orthodoxy, bible scholarship or even traditional
understandings of morality. God radiates
love like the sun radiates heat. Like
the sun, Love does not choose whom to favor and whom to reject; it just
radiates. When we have soaked up enough
of God’s Love to feel warm and secure then we can offer it to others. That’s the whole ballgame.
So, I’m interested in your thoughts. You can message me at my Facebook page,
Stepping Out with Robyn (feel free to “like” it if you haven’t already). If you received this by email you can’t reply
to he email, but you can comment on the actual blog page at robynwrite@blogspot.com. How have you been? Interiorly, where have you been?
"...there will not be left one stone upon another..." Matthew 24:1-2
ReplyDeleteStones of wakefulness: beliefs, conclusions, ideas, habits, attachments, & fears all contribute to the lack of awareness that I am called to unearth within myself. I believe that the sense of "not fitting in ... again" is the gift that keeps us changing, searching, moving forward, leaving behind. As I become more aware of my own thoughts & feelings, as I non-judgmentally observe others on their journeys, as I question & explore, I realize that my Spirit is becoming willing to follow my unique "Lead" until not one stone of my former self remains unturned. It will not end with the next encounter or the next wise teacher because my journey calls me to experience and experiment with each new present moment and the gifts that it offers, ever searching and never realizing it's destination.
"Give away what you possess and follow Me," means that I release ownership of yesterday's "Spiritual certainties" and become willing and open to journey as a 'Spiritual Bedouin.' I judge no one for their choices, least of all myself.
I would so much like to know who wrote the comment above and thank them for it.
ReplyDeleteYou thank me with each new writing! Lee
ReplyDeleteWhen I keep walking in circles because one foot is nailed to the floor, it's usually because I'm wrong. And I've been wrong plenty. Best wishes on the journey we all have to make.
ReplyDeleteBeing wrong, I believe, is the only way I have ever learned anything of real value. Thanks Becky
ReplyDelete