Parakalein

A Rabbi shares a new perspective on Genesis three.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is about Good and not good.  The sense of good, not good, good enough and bad are looked at in the context of what the Christian community calls the fall from union with God. Is it a fall, a trip, a planned event?  I call it the "fall into grace" as prior to this event the communion with God was natural and daily.  Now the communion is because God shows up regardless of their behavior as he demonstrates the attributes of mercy and grace, hereto fore unnecessary.  Grace is the way of communion with God

https://www.alephbeta.org/course/lecture/2-godly-knowledge/autoplay

In this video the Rabbi Fohrman offers a different perspective on this "falling" into sin.  The Christian doctrine of Original Sin is introduced in the Christians perspective of this event.  I call it the "fall into Grace" as this event opened the door to God's grace ding visible.  Prior to this their was no need of grace or ,mercy for God and humanity were at one in their communion.  But some thing changed.

The Rabbi saw the action of Eve and Adam as independent acts of defiance.  They were told to eat freely of all the trees in the garden but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Not Good (Evil they were not to eat of for in the day they eat of it they will die.  The part of humanity that does not respect limits imposed on them even if they are for their own good.  They wanted to "masquerade as the master" and so they wore a mask not just over their face by a mask ver their nakedness, fig leaves.  A poorly devised and implemented plan that God in grace and mercy upgraded to animal skins.

The Rabbi related it to a parent giving gifts to a child,  The child is feeling loved by these many gifts so is laying with them with joy and happiness.  The parent wants the child to enjoy (the first positive command in the Torah- "enjoy"), but the parent also wants the child to be appreciative not in a simple or even necessary thank you but in how enjoying they are of the gift.  Being thankful is expressed in that joy. When it is not enough or when the child wants more it is seen is ungrateful and unsatisfied.  It leads to ignoring any prohibition as to get that need of affirmation.  I can have whatever I want.  This moves the child from health=y appreciation for what he has to unhealthy greed and avarice that is unsatisfied by the moor. :By showing the discipline of respecting the prohibition one shows the discipline and resolve to enjoy what God has given"

The tree was there so they could demonstrate their resolve to enjoy what God had given and not need or think they needed more.  It was not the fruit that was good, bad, evil or not good.  It was the choice to set aside focusing on that God has given and rather focus on the restriction or prohibition until defiance kicked in. Having failed at the discipline of enjoying what God had given them they lost their sense of innocence and purity.  It was their perspective that was contaminated and so it is our perspective that needs to be addressed as the "faulty perspective" not the "Fall into Sinfulness".  It could be thought of at the fall into the propensity to lose perspective then act in sinful ways that sin against ourselves not just others and God as did this first act of betrayal.  Indeed betrayal of trust to enjoy what God had given is a true betrayal and the seeds (not respecting limits) of all betrayal.

Thank you Rabbi for your perspective.  I will give mine, augmented by his, in a couple of days.

Thank you for reading.

When I was afraid that I had lost everything and everyone important to me I could see nothing positive.

Grey skies were black.  Black skies were blacker.  Blue skies were all gone.  Truly it was not true but it was true in my mind.  Negativity negates everything positive in me.  That is how it felt as I slipped into a "cave of hopelessness".   When light shone into the cave I began to have hope even before I was ready to come out of the cave.  Hope began the work of life in me.

So why are we so negative when a positive approach is more help.  Why do we sing it "Accentuate the Positive, "Accentuate The Positive"

The Pope is a powerful and personal leader of the church.  He challenged all people to put faith and works aheads of anything and everything else.  He challenged people to take down walls and open up windows.


www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/09/26/pope-francis-mass-basilica-philadelphia/72870000/

An amazing day for all of us.   Imagine what we as earthlings could do if we united around faith and works without disenfranchising or devaluing the faith in all creation and all systems of theology and practicology.  Building bridges is far better than throwing bombing them.

God created the World and he made a covenant with his creation to watch over it, to care for it, to be present for it regardless of what happened to the creation, what the created choose to do or not do, and regardless of anything, everything would be by design for balance and interfacing and interloping within the created order of things.  God has always keeps this covenant with Creation.

Later, God made a covenant with Melchizedek and established the order of Faith in perpetuating Faith, Life and Love in the world.

Later, God established a covenant with Abraham and Sarah, who paid tithes to Melchizedek, and his descendants through Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah/Rachel, the twelve tribes of Israel where the new covenant people.  This did not nullify the previous covenants with creation, Humanity, or Melchizedek, it simply established another covenant relationship underscoring that God is a God of Covenant making not covenant breaking.

In the Book of Malachi where God presents the case for Israel and about their perpetual and persistent disobedience and indifference to the God of Grace, Truth, and Covenant.  Go declared that he would turn his heart toward all his children, the original covenant with humanity, and reframe a covenant of grace and truth through the messiah, the anointed one.  He was anointed to model the very thing missing in Israel: Humility, Honor and Honesty.  Truth and Grace Honor and humility would lead him to the cross and provide a model for all followers to embrace that same road less traveled.  IN Malachi when God speaks about hating divorce it was his hatred of the hurt and pain and suffering brought about when a covenant relationship was broken.  At the same time it made it clear that no covenant is ever broken as a covenant is always in force.  When scripture in Mark 10 speaks about divorce and the casual nature of Mosaic teaching on Divorce.  Jesus responds that this was because of the hardness of Moses people hearts and that no covenant can be broken and that the children of the covenant as well as the wife need to be cared for as part of the duty of the covenant maker.  Our society has was governing child care and spousal support but this was not true in Jesus day.  Jesus was simply saying "honoring a covenant is serious business always and even if for adultery a divorce is permissible the responsibility to maintain the caring covenant is inherent in the covenant itself.

God never stops loving humanity, the Jewish nation, each one of us.  God choses a bride of covenant of grace.  The Hebrews knew a Covenant based on Law and Grace.The "time of the Gentiles" begins with Jesus earthly ministry but is catapulted into prominence trough the death and resurrection and the persecution to follow of the church.  God made a new covenant based on his sacrificial blood and broken body, that invited all those who were hungry or thirty to come and drink freely from the water of Christ that waters the seeds of faith in all people.
Again this New Covenant, symbolized in the communion service and meal did not make the previous covenants null and void but simply offered a new and more heart oriented transformative experience of God's grace for all who would be open to that experience.

Michael Hyatt recently posted that he was wrong.

This caught my attention because I think the quality of "courage to admit wrong" is an elusive concept in general current thinking about true or quality leadership.

As a "Patriots" fan I was glad when the judge overturned The Commissioner of Football's suspension of Brady of four games.  Roger Goodell made his determination and judgment which is his right and "his job" (to quote Bill Belichick) I disagreed but respected his position.  When the judges ruling came out a week before the opening game on Thursday night when the Superbowl champions are honored the seat that the commissioner usually would be in was empty.  A strong leader would have been there not needing to save face, appear discontent, or just act like a hurt puppy dog.  He would have been there saying he did his job and that was his judgment and the judge did his job and that was his judgment meant and that he respects the process and the determination  even though he disagrees with it.  He could have said he was wrong.  But as the above statement indicates he could be respectful and present without saying he was wrong if he had a mind to be present.

Mature strong leadership does not always have to be right or vindicated.  Mature strong leadership does have to always be honorable, have integrity, and be visible.

Hats off to Michael Hyatt!
He is enjoying his apple watch!

Ken Segall in his book "Insanely Simple" raises the flag of the geniuses of simplicity.  Simplicity is marketable in our day of complexity and multiplicity in an empowering way.

He comments that Apple's sign process is guided by a principle called: "human-centric" focus.  In commenting on this Michael Hyatt says, "Beauty delights us.  That's why Apple's elegance invites engagements".  It stimulates more than looking at a watch it is using the watch to increase engagement in the human cosmos.

While he does not convince me to buy the Apple Watch which I have seen was a symbol of extravagance of living.  I do see the watch very differently.

Human-centricity coupled with inner-being (Thich Nhat Hanh) may be a better way to evaluate all we do and the way to peace in our world.

Some argue that there is no point to peace rallies because there will be no peace until Jesus returns and sets up the New Jerusalem or literally: "The City of Shalom/Peace".

Interestingly that theInternational Day of Peace follows the Lectionary reading for yesterday of James 4:1-12  Where do wars come from do they not come from inside where ether is conflict.  All human conflict from the domestic dispute to World War II, come from the inability to resolve inside of people the conflict that is inherently based on a win lose orientation to life and a winner take all concept.  This fosters the internal conflict of I either kill you or you kill me, or either I rule you or you rule me.  There is little room for cooperative, collaborative and communion building.  Our desire to win and our fear of losing foster the hostility that is justified by the hostility in others.  Mutual hostility creates mutual destruction.  Mature respectfulness and responsibleness fosters dialogue and resolve to be "sowers of peace who reap righteousness" (James 3:18).

So to those avid religious people who believe they need not be engaged in peace work.  How do they square that up with the clear injection into our mainstream of thought and injunction to our mainstream of Jesus to be "peace makers", to "sow peace", and "God has called us to peace" etc.

So I do advocate for peace in the name of him who is peace.  I do not abdicate the peace calling because of the futility of people but I engage in it as the utility of the peace of God available to all, for all, and intentionally in all.

Peace be to All in the name of the one w=at whose birth the angels sang:

"Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth (as it is in heaven) Peace, Good will toward all humanity"

We

R    1

-the people of earth



Here for the obvious is easy to miss.  Instead of working to be one, become one we are to affirm that while our behaviors and thoughts often contradict it the reality is the though we are all different we are all the same.

Great T Shirt Slogan for the Non-Violence focus we need in our day and society|>




"With Malice Toward None,

and 

With Charity Toward All"

Abraham Lincoln
March 5, 1865

A number of year ago I began training in Internal Family Systems a life shift therapy that invites people to see their internal world as made up of "Self" which the core element of compassion, courage, calmness, creativity, consistency, communion, clarity, etc. (notice the C words) and Parts which include God given parts in the system, and parts that are borne to help the system cope with life and trauma that threatens the system and causes the system to make shifts of it survival.  In some instances these are coping mechanisms and in other instances these become "defensive, protective, polarizing, and generally work against the system trusting the caring center or Self to be all the system needs to care for and settle down the fears and desire of these parts.  The fears keep people from risking in a good way "manager parts" but help to negotiate life in the world. The desires propel people into what is called "firefighter behaviors" that while the intention is to put the fire out they damage the trust in the system that the Self offers.

Recently when I went through a very difficult time of internal fears and doubts that left me depressed then more recently experienced a jettison of hypomania which I now see as the "desire to do it all now"m I became convinced that these are two sides of the real enemy of internal peace and sowing peace in all relationships as an act of righteousness (James 3:18).

Recognizing and distinguishing between multiple parts that hold hurt, wounds, trauma, love, care is the first order of business in attaining to healthy perspectives of all parts.  Listening to their story without fear of getting lost in the story and listening to the story without the desire for gain through impression others with the story invite the system into a peaceful place where Self in all its light helps lighten the burden of the part.

Opening parts to the experience of Self is part of the healing work.  When you are so depressed that you cannot see that no one can help you see that.  Somewhere deep inside is a seed of redemption that once "tapped" can spring forth into healing.  I have come to believe that their is a seed of redemption infall of us that needs to be "tripped". (The Biblical parallel: "You has he (God) quickened who were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).  This is why redemption is both internal and external.  It is not external in that tit is done to you without your involvement but it is external in that their needs to happen in you something that ignites the spark of hope.

For me it was a moment of dusk perhaps figuratively how I was feeling:  like I was a the end of my days.  When i saw the picture below:

Traditional Worship often has the congregants sing the 
"Gloria Patri" which I suppose in our day should be the "Gloria Matri".  In it there is reference to "As it was in the beginning even now and ever shall be world with out end. Amen Amen!"  What is the endless or eternal or preexisting world of peace and tranquility.  It may be what Sigmund Freud reverend to as "the quiescence we return to when we die".  Whatever it is, it is free of fear and lust.  The Fear of loss and the Desire for gain are dual drivers of self-destruction.

There is nothing to fear except fear itself.  Fear is debilitating as it keeps us form faith hope and love. If we could step out of our fears and desires, we would change the whole dynamics of the system that keeps us enslaved.  When Adam and Eve ate the fruit they did not loss their appetite for food they lost their perfect communion with God.  The enemy of love and peace sowed an idea in the hearts of both Adam and Eve.  The idea was that they could not trust each other, they began to fear that they were missing out on something, they began to s=desire what tastes good rather than being good, kind, loving, compassionate, toward each other.  Their union had slipped from being based on their communion with each other and God to basing it on sharing the choice of excitement of taking something that is forbidden and doing so together.  Conspiring replaced inspiring.  The result they began to hide in fear (unreasonable as Go always came to visit them every morning and even the morning after their eating of the fruit God came into the Garden wondering where they were.  For God nothing had changed.  The God of love still loved in fact loved in a greater way that ever. They didn't have the words, "if I gain the whole world and lose my soul what value is that to me?" 

I was on my way to meet a friend who had stuck with me in a supportive way during the last many months of my personable "funk".  I was very early and was reminiscing of days long passed when I spoke at the SUNY Campus at a Campus Ministry Meeting.  As I passed the Interfaith Chapel that was not even there those many years ago.  I noticed that the American Red Cross that is everywhere there is a disaster was holding a blood drive.  I figured I could give blood and still make my lunch meeting which was at his office and I was bringing a homemade Tuna, Apple, Cran-raisins,  Pasta, and Dill salad.

I met a few muslims who were there and who had t shirts that said:  "Love for all, Hatred for none" as a them for the American Red Cross asking people to put all differences aside and give blood which we all have and we call can give rather than in bloodshed and violence spilling blood.

I spoke at length to two of the leaders of the Muslim (from Pakistan) group who were trying to change the opinion of many based on the radical and fanatic contingency.  I commented that CHristianity had to distance themselves and even today distance ourselves from the more fanatical and exclusive branch that can over shadow true Christianity.  They commented I was the first Christian to be honest about that bing in our history.  I asked them if they wanted to know a little more American History and told them in case they did not guess I was a kind of history buff!

I proceeded, with their interest growing as I told the following story (it was not 100 % correct but mostly correct and I give it here as I gave it to them without correcting dates etc with more exactness as it was a bout connectivity nor correctness.

In Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address on March 5, 1865, following the hurt and pain of bloodshed on all sides of the civil war, and weeks before he was assassinated on the night that three assassination plots were simultaneously attempted but only one succeeded, and on the heals of the need for healing at all levels and in all sates of the still divided union as war never settles things, Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of the USA stead in his speech the following phrase: "With malice toward none, and Charity toward all" let us bind up our wounds and heal our land.  So similar to "Love toward all, hatred toward none".

They looked shocked.  I am not sure if they were shocked by the symmetry and the parallelism or shocked they coincidentally ran into someone who could tell them that.  They did say they would be giving this report to their leadership team in NYC and they may want to talk to me.  I gave them a business card and by then was ready to give blood which I did.

You guessed it, I missed lunch with my good friend but I did drop lunch off for him and with his secretaries helped put it in his refrigerator for later. We will reschedule for a later time.  He is a good friend and understanding, does not get angry or annoyed, when this things happen which is why he is a "good" friend.

I have come to believe that one version of the multiplicitous message of grace and truth that is the essence of the gospel could be:

The Whole word is in a funk, funked up, funked down
God wants to Un-funk the world by giving the gift of faith, hope and love.

Love un-funks the world through the power of relationship, hope un-funks the world by inviting people to look beyond the funk and not see what is all they see, and faith helps them to see what they otherwise cannot see.

Join me in inviting all those in a funk to let God un-funk them which sets us all free to be all that God intended us to be full of life, faith, hope and love to the glory of God and for the flow of goodness and kindness in intentional ways toward all regardless of anything.

People who have never been in a funk have no idea what they are missing.  It is a lonely place even though there are caring people around you.  It is like you cannot see or hear them which creates frustration for them and you.  For them in that they are trying to help without doing it for you.  For you it is frustrating in that you do not want to be treated like a new born who cannot do for themselves but at the same time you do not feel capable even though you are.

In some ways everyone has been in a negative funk at some time in their lives.  It is a hopeless helpless place even though you are neither helpless or hopeless you fell that way.

Winston Church said, "When you find your self going through hell keep going".  When you find yourself in a funk look up to the one who is the maker of heaven and earth and hear him say, "I am the maker of heaven and earth, it will be okay, It is not okay right now but trust me really trust me I will be with you and we will get through this as brothers in suffering. So man what is your problem that the maker of heaven and earth cannot help with, huh?  Those words came to me as I looked out into the setting sun, the dusk of delight in which God had this message.

Faith has come to mean two things:

1) The particular faith I live in and believe in, like Christian, Catholic, Presbyterian, Non-Denominational, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu etc.  My faith community.


2) Faith as a way of living and being separate from any particular religious community of Faith though it may be expressed through one of those communities of faith but not in an egoistic, self inclusive, other excluding way.  This is the kind of faith that moves mountains that fill pot wholes, that establishes justice, assures tranquility, and provides for a spiritual not physical defensive system.

When Jesus said when I come will I find faith on the earth it was not the first sense but the second sense that he had in mind.  It was not when he comes will he find Catholics, Jews, Buddhists as if the community of faith are the issue.  It was will I find people living into and out of a faith orientation that sees what others do not see:  Ways to alleviate suffering, ways to help people grow in grace through suffering, ways to teach people how to minimize suffering by healthier care of oneself and of others ("Loving your neighbors as yourself").

This kind of faith is inclusive of many communities of faith.  This faith though the size of a mustard seed can grow into a community that is not based on anything but faith, the community of heaven where all is forgive, all is understood, no one is misunderstood, where no one is first or last but all are welcomes to the head of the class.  The class of people who have learned to live by faith and not by sight!

What doe stour faith monitor read today?

Mark's gospel presents the shortened version (as he is want to do) of the Syrian woman who broke through all the boxes of societal restrictions and introduced the idea of "faith" being the essence of God's favor.

Many people talk about the will of God and seek the will of God as if it were a specific thing like: teaching, selling, plumbing etc. the proverbial idea of a call to a certain job or task.

The old fashion idea of apprenticeship is learning from another via close encounters, present observations, and minimal book education.  I would never argue against education as I think it plays a vital role in the social and life development of our culture/

Ellen Frank revived the idea of Atelier.  Atelier is French for "workshop"
"I think it brings back an intimacy of mentor ship and training where the apprentice...learns directly from the experienced artist." As the disciples learned at the feet of Jesus we are to learn our way of doing and our way of being through and in relationship with others which is why community is so vital.  Relationships are what used to channel life callings and God is clear that he has called all of us into relationships.  In fact whenever the Bible specifically and contextually talks about the will of God for humanity it is always in relational terms.  The will of God is that you give thanks for all things. (Ephesians 5, Colossians 3:I Thessalonians 5:18).  Thankfulness for for people is a quality that is God's will for us.  Be Fruitful and ,multiply is another person centers will of God.

"In everything give thanks for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you"


Gods will is not a static or stationary thing as he wants to have life and have it most abundantly.   That does mean God will give us a lot of money. Good experiences. I co 1:9 is one of the most misinterpreted scriptures because we lift the verse out of text and context and create a pretext for explaining its meaning.

God does not will one person to get cancer and another to be a missionary but he gives all life and as they experience life as it comes to him it unfolds like a strong bud into a summer frenzy of light.
God s will is more who do with who we are or what vocation or avocation we choose. Or what path we walk on.  It is more about how we walk and how often we pause to reflect on where and by what relationship is God opening a door to work that is both meaningful and profitable.

Many think of God's will as related to who they marry, what kind of work they do, what college they should go to etc.  What if those are natural choices we make as life unfolds and they are simply that, "Choices".  God's will then could be relegated not exclusively but primarily to developing characteristics, like the fruit of the Spirit, like being thankful, about knowing God's presence even when God feels absent.  Then God's will would not be a static thing, or a particular thing with particulars attached to it but would be a dynamic concept of abundantly living life in peace, justice, mercy, kindness, goodness, faith, love, joy, patience, gentleness, and self control (cf Galatians 5:22-23

Gods will is not a static or stationary thing as he wants to have life and have it most abundantly.   That does mean God will give us a lot of money. Good experiences. 

God does not will one person to get cancer and another to be a missionary but he gives all life and as they experience life as it comes to him it unfolds like a sting bud into a summer frenzy of light.
God s will is more who do with who we are or what vocation or avocation we choose. Or what path we walk on how we walk and how often we pause to reflect


Be thankful in all things for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (Ephesians 5:20)
In everything give thanks for this is the WILL of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thessalonians 5:18)
It is gods will that no one perish but that all come to the glorious light of the matchless grace that opens doors and lights pathways  (II Peter 3:9)
Jesus came not just to do God's will in the "particularly doing sense" But to do god's will in "the being sense" in fellowship with the God, whose will he came to do.

Be filled with the Spirit and you will know what the particular thing you are to do is as it will flow from your relationship with God and with others as a true apprenticeship is.

Victor Frankl
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl (Boston:  beacon Press, 2006)

3 things give meaning to life
1) a project
2) a significant relationship
3) a redemptive view of suffering

Life is full of surprises
God call you to a specific thing, then you have a difficult journey to get there