July 2021 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

Watch this movie with me
by Janet Sanders 30 Jul '21

30 Jul '21

Hello colleagues, Alfrieda and my native elders have encouraged me to watch this movie. The elders are working through the this understanding trauma informed care and healing. The movie is available this next few days. Jan Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > Join me in watching the new Wisdom of Trauma Movie from July 28 to August 1 > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwisdomoftr… > > I know this was shared with the list once before but if you missed it, here’s another chance. > Alfrieda Wilkins > > Sent from my iPad----- > This is the new merged Mystery School, Social Artistry, & Sacred Theatre E-mail Group. > Members of Jean Houston's Mystery School community use this email group to share ideas > and reflections about the content and process of the Mystery School and more. We support > one another in becoming who and what we really are. Should you need assistance with any > aspect of this group please contact list moderators Elizabeth Austin > (coachelizabeth(a)outlook.com) or Jonathan Talbot (jonathan(a)talbot1.com)

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Re: [Dialogue] An Artform about the YES to all of life
by Holcombe Wanda 30 Jul '21

30 Jul '21

I Hope this poem will work for you…if not just enjoy. It was shared with me recently by one of my “Activist” Muslim friend: I sometimes forget that I was created for joy My mind is too busy My heart is too heavy Heavy for me to remember that I have been called to dance the sacred dance for life I was created to smile to love to be lifted up and lift others up O sacred one Untangle my feet from all that ensnares Free my soul That we might Dance and that our dancing might be contagious. Hafiz Hafiz (/ˈhɑːfɪz/; Arabic: حافظ‎, romanized: ḥāfiẓ, حُفَّاظ, pl. ḥuffāẓ, حافظة f. ḥāfiẓa), literally meaning "guardian" or "memorizer", depending on the context, is a term used by Muslims for someone who has completely memorized the Quran. Hafiza is the female equivalent.[1] Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 29, 2021, at 1:07 PM, Jo Nelson via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: > > Hi, all, > > I’m searching for an artform, which could be a poem, a song, or a very short video, that could be the starting point for a fairly quick discussion grounding the X of the Word -- YES to the past, the future, my life, all of life. (You will note that the current version of Courage to Lead talks about the YES to the past, future, my life, and all of life rather than using the phrases “the past is approved, the future is open, my life is received, life is good”. This is designed to get through the immediate reactions to the old language that was blocking people being able to ground the Word in their lives.) This artform should be tangential to the topic and allow a conversation that grounds it. > > I’m guessing that you in this group will be a better resource than I have found so far. I don’t need just quotes – they don’t lead to much of a conversation. And even if you don’t know of any artforms for this, I’m hoping just raising the question will be helpful for your ruminations! > > I’m updating and putting online an old ICA Associates Inc. facilitation course called “Participation Paradigm”. In this course we taught 4 chapters of Courage to Lead that correspond to the four sections of RS-1 images as well as the Contentless Method (the phenomenological method behind all ToP methods). We will study the four chapters, and I am working on artform conversations to ground the previous session and make the transitions to the next session. > > This course, along with one updating our old Image Change course and several others will be offered online in the fall in addition to the ones we have been offering online so far. > > Take care, > Jo > > -- > Jo Nelson, CPF Emeritus, CTF <jnelson(a)ica-associates.ca> > Certified Professional Facilitator and ICA Certified ToP™ Facilitator > ICA Associates, Inc. > 401 Richmond Street West, Suite #405, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 3A8 > > Ph. 1 416-691-2316, x2230 Toll-free 1 877-691-1422 Fax 1 416-691-2491 > Website http://ica-associates.ca > Cellphone 647 233 6910 > > <image001.png> > > “You do not belong to you. You belong to the universe. The significance of you will remain forever obscure to you, but you may assume you are fulfilling your significance if you apply yourself to converting all your experience to the highest advantage of others.” R. Buckminster Fuller > > > _______________________________________________ > Dialogue mailing list > Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net

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An Artform about the YES to all of life
by Jo Nelson 29 Jul '21

29 Jul '21

Hi, all, I’m searching for an artform, which could be a poem, a song, or a very short video, that could be the starting point for a fairly quick discussion grounding the X of the Word -- YES to the past, the future, my life, all of life. (You will note that the current version of Courage to Lead talks about the YES to the past, future, my life, and all of life rather than using the phrases “the past is approved, the future is open, my life is received, life is good”. This is designed to get through the immediate reactions to the old language that was blocking people being able to ground the Word in their lives.) This artform should be tangential to the topic and allow a conversation that grounds it. I’m guessing that you in this group will be a better resource than I have found so far. I don’t need just quotes – they don’t lead to much of a conversation. And even if you don’t know of any artforms for this, I’m hoping just raising the question will be helpful for your ruminations! I’m updating and putting online an old ICA Associates Inc. facilitation course called “Participation Paradigm”. In this course we taught 4 chapters of Courage to Lead that correspond to the four sections of RS-1 images as well as the Contentless Method (the phenomenological method behind all ToP methods). We will study the four chapters, and I am working on artform conversations to ground the previous session and make the transitions to the next session. This course, along with one updating our old Image Change course and several others will be offered online in the fall in addition to the ones we have been offering online so far. Take care, Jo -- Jo Nelson, CPF Emeritus, CTF <jnelson(a)ica-associates.ca> Certified Professional Facilitator and ICA Certified ToP™ Facilitator ICA Associates, Inc. 401 Richmond Street West, Suite #405, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 3A8 Ph. 1 416-691-2316, x2230 Toll-free 1 877-691-1422 Fax 1 416-691-2491 Website http://ica-associates.ca Cellphone 647 233 6910 [IAF Certified Professional Facilitator Emeritus] “You do not belong to you. You belong to the universe. The significance of you will remain forever obscure to you, but you may assume you are fulfilling your significance if you apply yourself to converting all your experience to the highest advantage of others.” R. Buckminster Fuller

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7/29/2021: Rev. Irene Monroe: Progressing Spirit:The topic the Black Church dares not speak of honestly; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 29 Jul '21

29 Jul '21

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!important;padding-bottom:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent, #yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{padding-right:18px !important;padding-left:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcnImageCardLeftImageContent, #yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcnImageCardRightImageContent{padding-right:18px !important;padding-bottom:0 !important;padding-left:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcpreview-image-uploader{display:none !important;width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 h1{font-size:22px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 h2{font-size:20px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 h3{font-size:18px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 h4{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent, #yiv4382924575 .yiv4382924575mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templatePreheader{display:block !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templatePreheader .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent, #yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templatePreheader .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templateHeader .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent, #yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templateHeader .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templateBody .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent, #yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templateBody .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templateFooter .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent, #yiv4382924575 #yiv4382924575templateFooter .yiv4382924575mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The topic the Black Church dares not speak of honestly | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Irene Monroe July 29, 2021I was recently asked: "What should be the mandate for today's Black Churches? " I believe one of the mandates for today's Black Churches is to address its ongoing struggle with the spectrum of human sexuality. In 2021, I am still asking these three questions: Why can't we as an African American community tell the truth about our sexuality? What price do we pay in telling the truth? And what role does the church play in perpetuating not only unsafe sexual behavior but also demonizing its members of the LGBTQ community? The Black Church purported to preach and practice a prophetic social gospel. However, in truth, it preaches and practices a heteronormative conservative gospel tethered to a model no longer relevant to a younger generation that embraces LGBTQ+ social justice issues. The Black Church played a part in the death of African Americans with AIDS. While its silence on the issue was appalling and unconscionable, so too, was its various forms of heterosexualized rituals and homophobic pronouncements that denigrate both LGBTQ+ people and women. Sexuality has never been a comfortable topic of discussion in the African American community. This is due primarily to slavery, and what we appropriated from the dominant culture about sexual behavior to deem ourselves human beings in our oppressors' eyes. First bred as cattle during slavery, and later either touted as sex sirens or taunted as sex predators, black sexuality has never had a chance to evolve in a milieu free of abuse, violence, and stereotypes. The raping of black women and the lynching of black men in this country by white men have always kept the control of black bodies away from us. In carving out a racial identity, African Americans have done it at the expense of leaving our bodies and sexualities behind. However, with the embrace of fundamentalist Christianity embedded in its tenets and an asexual theology, African American bodies, and sexualities that were once systematically usurped by white slave masters are now ritualistically harnessed by the black church with a "politic of silence." Sadly, this was viewed as a revolutionary act against the oppressive white gaze. But what happens in churches, communities, and families where people lose touch with their bodies and sexualities? One answer is that the Black Church continues to stay on the "down low." The most significant factor that keeps the Black Church on the down-low are closeted, homophobic ministers. Pastor Donnie McClurkin - a three-time Gospel Grammy winner and the former poster boy for African American ex-gay ministries - is one example. In an April episode of TV One's "Uncensored," McClurkin talked about his sexual past. "I didn't know really what a woman wanted," he said. "I've messed up more than I've had good. My past relationships were a sprinkling of everything–men and women." McClurkin admitted he still has sexual urges to be with men but won't act on them. He compares his gay desires to diabetes: "I don't eat sugar, but it doesn't mean that I don't want sugar." McClurkin's sexuality has been an open secret, but now, at 61 years old, McClurkin is lamenting about growing old and being alone. While the Black LGBTQ+ community would applaud someone of McClurkin's status telling the truth about his sexual past, many of us can't care because of decades of damning and damaging messages he hurled at us. McClurkin attributed his homosexuality to being raped twice as a child – first at age eight by his uncle and again at age thirteen by his cousin (his uncle's son). "You can't call me a homophobic if I've been a homosexual… My thing was from [being] raped. And this started a pathology," McClurkin stated on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show "in 2013. Confusing same-gender sexual violence with homosexuality, McClurkin misinterpreted the molestation as the reason for his sexual orientation. McClurkin "testi-lies" that he was cured by deliverance from God, and his manhood was restored by becoming the biological father of a child. Of course, McClurkin refers to heterosexual marriage because he was an opponent of the marriage equality movement. However, there might be some light at the end of this tunnel. This month, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black denomination church, dating back to 1787, will convene a committee to study LGBTQ+ issues by examining Scripture and doctrine hearing testimonies of LGBTQ+ individuals. Some of us in the LGBTQ+ community feel the effort is more than "a day late and a dollar short" because a younger generation has left. However, I am hopeful. Our bodies are our temples, and as our temples, they house the most sacred and scariest truth about us: our sexuality. Sexuality is an essential part of being human. It is an expression of who we are; it is a language, and a means to communicate our spiritual need for intimate communion—human and divine. However, our silence, shame, and stigma around issues of sexual identity, gender expressions, and sexual practices have allowed for behaviors of denial, neglect, and abuse. Also, the lack of pastoral care contributes to high-risk sexual behaviors and the transmission of HIV/AIDS in the African American community. Right now, Black Churches are in a crisis. The AME Church is now the first to admit openly. The church has contributed to the culture of the "politic of silence" because it not only lacks the language to talk about sex, but it also sees sex as a private and personal matter and not part of the business of the black Christian community as a way of loving God and ourselves. However, the black church is also uniquely positioned to significantly affect knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors within congregations and, by extension, the entire African American community. The black church can help its congregants live their sexual lives by devising an African American faith-based sex education curriculum where churches embrace the concept that sexuality is God-given, an integral part of being human, and at the core of how we interact with one another. Research has shown that sexuality education programs in black churches would delay the onset of sexual activity among teens, reduced the number of partners among teens and adults, significantly decrease the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, and gay-bashing.~ Rev. Irene Monroe Read online here About the Author The Reverend Monroe does a weekly Monday segment, “All Revved Up!” on NPR's WGBH (89.7 FM). She is a weekly Friday commentator on New England Channel NEWS. Monroe is the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, Guided Walking Tour of Beacon Hill: Boston’s Black Women Abolitionists. A Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist; her columns appear the Boston LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows, Cambridge Chronicle, and the Boston Globe. Monroe states that her “columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As a religion columnist I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.” Her papers are at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College’s research library on the history of women in America. Click here to visit her website. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By John For me, Bishop Spong's words resonate with truth when he illustrates the nexus between God and evolution, in a way that I believe Pierre Teilhard de Chardin always did. My questions are "Are we going somewhere? Is there purpose driving evolution?" In other words, it would seem that a theology of God and evolution demands human responsibility to see that plan through to fruition. This changes the status quo somewhat, from patiently waiting to purposeful action. A: By Rev. Jim Burklo Amen, John! to the Christian imperative to purposefully act for social and environmental justice and progress. We can’t passively pray catastrophic climate change away: we must put our faith into action now. As to your deep question of whether or not such faithful activism represents movement toward Teilhard de Chardin’s “omega point” of the cosmic evolution of consciousness – I wish I could offer a definitive answer. Years ago I read the paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould’s Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History. He described the evolutionary explosion of life forms in the Cambrian era, over 500 million years ago. Many of its breathtakingly bizarre creatures disappeared from the fossil record after a series of mass extinctions at the end of the era. Gould argued for the “punctuated equilibrium” theory of evolution: the process is not smooth, and its “progress” is anything but assured. If we extrapolate his findings from the earth to the universe, we get a counterpoint to Teilhard’s glorious vision of a universe inexorably evolving toward higher life-forms with ever-more divine consciousness. I’ve engaged in vigorous dialogue about your question with Michael Murphy over wine on a deck overlooking the Big Sur coast. Murphy, co-founder of Esalen Institute, is a proponent of what he calls “evolutionary panentheism”. He is a major figure in the genesis of the human potential movement, which literally embodies an optimistic anthropology. As a Stanford student of Frederic Spiegelberg, the legendary professor of comparative religion, Murphy was introduced to the mystics of the world’s faiths. He was much influenced by Teilhard de Chardin, as well. It was hard not to be persuaded by Michael’s emphatic, enchanting expression of his cosmic vision. I answered that I would very much prefer to agree with him, and believe in the inexorable progress of the universe, and humanity with it, toward higher and higher complexity and consciousness. But the dead-ends in the fossil record suggest that this progress is not inevitable. Humanity is doing a rotten job right now of securing its future in geologically meaningful time. And if we don’t punctuate our own equilibrium, it’s easy to imagine that someday, something else – like an asteroid strike – will finish the job. As sunset over the roiling Pacific faded into starlight, and the wine drained from the bottle, we concluded our conclave on the future of the universe. My parting words were something to this effect: “Maybe the best we can do is to strive ever onward in advancing humanity and the cosmos toward the omega point – whether or not we ever get there!” ~ Rev. Jim Burklo Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Jim Burklo is the Senior Associate Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California. An ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ, he is the author of seven published books on progressive Christianity, his latest book is Tenderly Calling: An Invitation to the Way of Jesus (St Johann Press, 2021). His weekly blog, “Musings”, has a global readership. He serves on the board of ProgressiveChristiansUniting.org and is an honorary advisor and frequent content contributor for ProgressiveChristianity.org. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community - join us on Facebook! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Why give? That's my starting point every time I sit down to write one of these notes. You, the folks I'm writing to, have worked hard for your money and have so many worthwhile organizations you could choose to support – so, why support ProgressiveChristianity.org? It's an important question and I'm going to cut straight to my two part answer. 1) In the frequently fundamentalist religious and political climate of modern times, access to rational and caring understandings of spirituality and the Christian texts are more important than ever. Essential, even. 2) That's exactly what we do. You are a big part of what enables us to do it. Your gifts and support are crucial in our ability to continue providing the resources needed to provide a counterbalance to fundamentalist thinking. So, if you are able this week, please consider chipping in your financial support. Or, even better, consider being a sustaining supporter. Sustaining supporters allow us to have a clearer picture of what our future looks like and that lets us make bigger and better plans for providing you with the most current and progressive Christian information available. Rev. Mark Sandlin, President ProgressiveChristianity.org Progressing Spirit We also want to highlight the opportunity to become a sustaining supporter. If you are looking for the best way to help us continue to provide progressive Christian resources, become a sustaining supporter by choosing Recurring Donation. Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org/Progressing Spirit online and going strong! * Another way to support us is to leave a bequest in your Will and/or Trust designating us a beneficiary. | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Biblical Ignorance in Public Life Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong January 19, 2011One of the things I look for in my elected representatives in government is that they understand the issues on which they speak with some level of competence. When people in authority take stands on public issues, I believe, they do have a responsibility to be informed. Two events occurring recently in our political landscape have indicated that that quality is not always present. No political party has a monopoly on incompetence and one of these publicly embarrassing moments featured a governor who is a Democrat, while the other featured a senator who is a Republican. Ignorance, it appears, is non-partisan and so apparently is an elected official’s willingness to play to the lowest common denominator of the people’s fears and prejudices in order to be re-elected. I examine these two episodes today with the recognition that they are part of a disheartening and discouraging current political reality. The Democrat is the sitting governor of Kentucky, Steven Beshear. The Republican is the senior Senator from Georgia, Saxby Chambliss. In recent public appearances they both offered vivid illustrations of how uninformed they are and, by their rhetoric, both of these gentlemen indicated that their commitment to be informed is not essential to them, nor is truth important if it is inconvenient to their political agenda. To make it even more distressing both claimed the Bible as a supporter of their ignorance. These are their two stories. Governor Beshear of Kentucky recently announced his support for a plan that will provide three hundred and twenty five million dollars in tax abatement to a private group in Kentucky to enable them to build a theme park based on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. The purpose of this theme park is to combat those who might suggest that the biblical story of Noah and his ark is not literal history. This bias becomes obvious when one learns that a major partner in this plan is a “private group” that previously created another theme park, 40 miles away, but still in Kentucky, dedicated to countering evolution in the name of “Creation Science.” That organization called “Answers in Genesis” is headed by a man named Ken Ham. Both theme parks are part of this man’s agenda, which is to demonstrate the literal accuracy of the book of Genesis. That is a point of view that no recognized biblical scholar in the world would support. That seems not to matter to these self-styled “defenders of the literal truth of the Bible.” The assertion of the creationists is that the earth was created in 4004 BCE and is thus little more than 6,000 years old. The assertion of the Noah’s ark literalists is that, since Noah saved two of each of the world’s species, there had to have been a time when human beings and dinosaurs lived together on planet earth, since the fossil evidence for the existence of dinosaurs is indisputable. When those planning the Noah’s Ark theme park were asked at a recent press conference whether or not dinosaurs had been on that original ark, they answered yes without embarrassment. They regretted that they would not be able to have any real dinosaurs, but in all other details they would make this project literally authentic. At least they seemed to know that dinosaurs are extinct. In this Noah’s Ark Park they also plan to have a replica of the Tower of Babel, described in the Book of Genesis as a human project designed to be so tall that they could talk face to face with God. That, of course, assumes that God lives above the sky of a three tiered universe, an idea that departed this world with the work of Galileo in the 17th century. Ken Ham, Governor Beshear’s resident biblical expert, described the story of Noah’s Ark as one of “the best known historical events” in the Bible. I suppose the Tower of Babel would, in his mind, be right up there in at least the Top Ten “historical” events related in the Bible. When people who have studied these issues raise questions about the historicity of his “facts,” they are dismissed on the Ken Ham blog as “secular scientists” or “secular historians,” who are not true believers and therefore whose points of view have no validity. Truth to be truth, it seems, must support Mr. Ham’s convictions. I listened to this press conference with amazement. While I am neither a “secular scientist” nor a “secular historian,” I am a practicing Christian who has been educated in reputable centers of Christian learning and I find these theories offered by Mr. Ham and endorsed by the Governor of Kentucky to be profoundly ignorant, and more importantly, to be insulting to the Christian faith itself. The kind of biblical literalism that this organization espouses has been relegated to the dustbins of history for the last two hundred years. I am not opposed to an individual’s private ignorance nor would I deny anyone’s right to interpret their religion in any way they wished, but when they seek public funds to peddle their biblical ignorance to the world in a money making scheme I do object. Even more, I resent their ignorance that reduces the Christian faith that I deeply believe to a caricature of itself and subjects it to the constant ridicule of the late night comedians who know a good source of comedy when they see it. While Mr. Ham and his organization assert that the “literal Bible cannot be wrong” those who study the Bible know that it is wrong in thousands of places. Epilepsy and mental illness are not the result of demon possession, as the Bible states. Slavery is not a legitimate social institution. Women are not created inferior to men and cannot be regarded as male property. Since homosexuals do not chooses their sexual orientation they should not be put to death for “their sin.” Yet in a literal Bible I can validate each of those assumptions. The literal Bible is demonstrably wrong in thousands of places in its understanding of reality. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said in another context, “Let me count the ways.” Look for just a moment at the flood story in the Bible. If a flood covered the entire earth at the time of Noah, there would have had to be enough water to cover every mountain chain in the world from the Himalayas to the Rockies and the Alps. That is more water than there is in all the oceans of the world, which are only about five miles deep at the deepest point. I wonder where all that water went. It could not have simply evaporated because the evaporation of that much water would simply have been recycled as abnormal amounts of rainfall. Perhaps the only alternative was that it fell off the edges of the flat earth! At the time of Noah no one knew about dinosaurs for they had been extinct for 65 million years. From fossil remains that we have discovered, we know they were enormous creatures weighing many tons. The dimensions of Noah’s Ark are described in the book of Genesis and the developers of this Ark project in Kentucky, seeking to replicate those dimensions, plan an ark that is 500 feet long and 75 feet high. They, thus, do not seem to realize that a pair of dinosaurs would have taken up enormous space, made navigation all but impossible and, in the 150 days that Noah was supposedly on that boat, would have by themselves required more food than the ark could have carried. These developers did seem to sense that they had a problem with space because they suggested that Noah must have taken on board only baby giraffes that did not require the height adult giraffes would need. When the story of Noah and his ark was written no one knew about kangaroos or koala bears because the existence of Australia was unknown to any, but its aboriginal people. Neither were polar bears nor penguins known to have existed. There are also billions of species of insects, some microscopic in size. How were they contained in the literal ark and what would have happened if Noah had heard a buzzing about his ear one night and swatted one of the two mosquitoes? Hominids, who were our human ancestors, can be dated no earlier than four million years ago. We human beings thus missed the dinosaurs by only about sixty-one million years! Most of these facts we can now document with DNA evidence. This is not “secular” science, Mr. Ham and Governor Beshear, this is documentable truth. We have also today traveled deep into space and we have not yet discovered the God who lives above the sky for whom the tower of Babel would give us access. The Christian Church thought Galileo was wrong in the 17th century, but in December of 1991, even the Vatican finally issued a statement that announced they now believed Galileo was correct! Of course, there will be people who will come to these biblical theme parks. P. T. Barnum reminded us of how often such people are born. Does the State of Kentucky and Governor Beshear, however, want to announce to the world the lack of knowledge that must reside in that state to cause it to offer tax incentives that encourage this degree of religious ignorance? Does the governor’s argument that this project will create jobs make it worthwhile? Senator Saxby Chambliss, prior to the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” wanted to put the constitutional rights of homosexuals to a vote of the people in the armed services! His argument was that if serving with gays and lesbians in the military makes one feel uncomfortable, the soldiers’ comfort level must take precedence over justice! This wisdom comes from the man who won his senate seat by attacking as non-patriotic a quadriplegic, incumbent senator, who had lost his limbs in military service to his country! “This is not the right time for this change,” he argued. It will never be the right time for homophobic people any more than it would ever have been the right time to end segregation, if this nation had waited until white southerners were comfortable with the idea. We as a nation have walked this road and heard these arguments before. When Senator Chambliss, trying to mask his deep-seated prejudice, asserted that “some of my best friends are homosexuals,” I broke into laughter. Ignorance is no less ignorant when it is perfumed by biblical quotations or is spoken from the mouth of a United States Senator. This nation deserves better leadership than these embarrassing demonstrations reveal to be present.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Do Christianity and Buddhism have Shamanic Roots? A Virtual Teach-In with Isa Gucciardi and Matthew Fox In this Teach-In, Matthew Fox and Isa Gucciardi discuss the roots of shamanic practice in Christian and Buddhist thought through the lens of the visionary experiences that are essential to shamanic practice. Saturday morning will be highly experiential. Students will have the opportunity to engage in the shamanic journey, an ancient practice used to establish contact with the unseen forces of nature, and will also participate in a practice that brings the Cosmic Christ alive in one’s Self. READ ON... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Fwd: [Oe List ...] Author and composer to Those Who Wait on the Lord?
by RICHARD HOWIE 27 Jul '21

27 Jul '21

Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: > From: RICHARD HOWIE via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> > Date: July 27, 2021 at 3:37:58 PM EDT > To: ica-dialogue(a)igc.topica.com, Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> > Cc: RICHARD HOWIE <rhowie3(a)verizon.net>, Ryan ❤️ <ryanbrewermusic(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [Oe List ...] Author and composer to Those Who Wait on the Lord? > > Dear Friends, > Hopefully one of you may be able to help me discover this information. A dear friend wrote an arrangement that our choir sang for Dick’s Memorial service as this was his favorite from our years of singing together. We also sang it as a congregation for Dick’s 80th birthday during worship at Altamont Reformed Church 6 years ago. > Love to you all, God’s Grace and Peace, > Ellen > Sent from my iPad

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Archives week in Chicago
by Karen Snyder 25 Jul '21

25 Jul '21

Colleagues, Major work is being done on the Global Archives at the ICA in Chicago in the last two weeks of July. We are focused on the Archives goal of “CREATING THE FUTURE OF OUR PAST”. This first week we (Ed Feldmanis, Laura Grover, Debra Harris, Karen Snyder) engaged in sorting and scanning Archives for the website so it is available to the world. Our accomplishments include: * Emptying 30 file cabinet drawers in the basement * Preparing Global Odyssey materials, the Ur Images course and Religious Studies I (RSI) course for scanning and adding to the website. We were surprised to find RSI course material in five languages (English, French, German, Korean, Spanish). Our goal for the second week is to post on the website the Religious, Cultural and Methods course materials from the 1960s that informed the curriculum for Academies, International Training Institutes, Human Development Training Schools, and ToP. The Global Archives opening pages can be read in any language; embedded files can be copied to a Google doc for translation. We can use your help in a number of ways: * Did you participate in one of the seven Global Odysseys in the 1970s? If you are willing to share your notes about experiences and photos, scan and email them as soon as possible. Or box and mail them to the attention of the Global Archives at ICA (4750 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago 60640). * Tell us what should be the next priorities volunteers should work on after we complete the curriculum. And always it is helpful to know what is helpful/needs help as you view the website. * As information is added to the website, there is much contextual writing needed to make the info more understandable (and interesting) as well as editing. If you are willing to work with any of the nine collections to do editing and writing, email Karen Snyder (karen.snyder10(a)gmail.com <mailto:karen.snyder10@gmail.com>). We look forward to hearing from you, Ed Feldmanis, Laura Grover, Debra Harris, Karen Snyder

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Re: [Dialogue] Archives week in Chicago
by Vera M Barber 25 Jul '21

25 Jul '21

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7/22/2021, Progressing Spirit: Rev Jim Burklo: If God Is Love…; Q/A Gretta Vosper; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 22 Jul '21

22 Jul '21

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If God Is Love… | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Jim Burklo July 22, 2021 One of the many ways to read the Bible is to view it as God’s autobiography. So here I offer a “Cliff’s Notes” of that story – heavily influenced by the depth-psychological, mythical interpretation of the scripture offered by Carl Jung in his “Answer to Job”: “I started out as the creator of the universe: a guy beyond the sky who breathed the cosmos into existence. I was a human-like entity with unlimited supernatural powers. I created the universe because I was lonely. I needed a companion. Sure, I had angels and archangels and cherubim and seraphim all around me, but they praised me and fawned over me so much that I couldn’t really connect with them as friends. So I formed the world and put a human on it – someone I could talk to. Someone who would worship me but also be real with me. At first, it seemed like Adam and I were going to hit it off. “But Adam wanted companionship with someone at his level. He wasn’t happy – I could tell. So I put him to sleep, pulled a rib out of him, and turned it into a woman. “That worked for a while, but it didn’t take long before the two of them got ambitious. Taking walks with them in the Garden of Eden was nice for all three of us, but they wanted more. They wanted my superpowers. So they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, and that’s when the trouble got started. I didn’t like how uppity they were getting, so I kicked them out of the garden and made them work for a living, thinking that would wear them out so much that they wouldn’t be so ambitious. “It is hard to be friends with someone who is not your equal. This was a problem that I couldn’t seem to supernaturally work my way out of. I wanted real companionship, but not competition. “Sure enough, they got good at agriculture and started amassing surpluses of food, and their offspring created cities and civilizations. They got good at building things – like the amazing Tower of Babel. I was impressed, but also threatened, again, by how close they were getting to my heavenly realm. So I had to bring them back to earth by confusing them with different languages, so it would be harder for them to cooperate and do god-like things. “It was a nice try, but it didn’t do the job. People created more and more elaborate civilizations and were so focused on the pleasures they had created for themselves that they were beginning to forget about me altogether. I got really angry about it and decided to wipe the earth clean and start over again. I picked out one family to build a big boat and put pairs of animals on it, and then flooded the whole earth. After the flood, Noah re-populated the earth and things were better for a while. I got more respect and people seemed humbled. “But of course they just went back to their old ways again after a while. This time I tried to take a more subtle approach. I entered the souls of certain people called prophets, who spoke on my behalf to correct the proud and evil ways of humanity. Occasionally this tactic worked, but mostly the people ignored or persecuted the prophets while they were alive, and only showed them respect after they were dead and gone. I was losing interest in human beings, just as they were losing interest in me. I felt lonely and frustrated. “But there was one human who gave me joy: Job. He followed my commandments and worshipped me with all his heart, but he was also refreshingly honest with me. With Job, I felt like there was hope that I could have a meaningful relationship with humanity. “Satan served as my special investigator in my heavenly court. He saw that I was happy with Job, but he knew I’d been burned by people time and again. Satan told me that we ought to test Job to make sure his faithfulness and goodness was real. I reluctantly agreed. “The miseries that Job endured in this time of testing were dreadful. He lost his family, his wealth, and his health. It hurt my soul to hear him crying out to me for mercy. He knew that my treatment of him was unjust, and he told me so. And he was right. I tried to shut him up with a long diatribe about my mighty gloriousness. But neither he nor I found any satisfaction in it. In the end, we restored to Job his family, wealth, and health. But the test left both of us traumatized. “For millennia I felt guilty about what I had allowed to happen to Job. It made me re-think this whole business of divinity. Being supernatural was over-rated. I created the universe in the first place because I wanted a loving relationship with somebody. But love requires vulnerability. Job was vulnerable. I was not. Being supernatural got in my way. “So I decided to become a human being – a mortal. In Jesus, I experienced everything that Job enjoyed and suffered. It was wonderful and it was awful. After the torture on the cross, after the tomb, there was no going back. I gave up omnipotence and omniscience, and settled for omnipresence. Three days later, I emerged from the tomb… reduced to nothing more – and nothing less – than pure unconditional love. “Love is all that is left of me. I can’t fix things. I can’t force things. I can’t control things. All I can do is invite, attract, and welcome. All I can do is exude kindness and compassion, and hope that all beings will be drawn to me. And as they take me into their hearts and treat each other with love, humbly releasing puffed-up pride, I experience overwhelming joy in our companionship. My cosmic loneliness is gone. “Just as people must do, I had to give myself up to find the love I was so desperate to have. For eons I suffered loneliness and frustration, and in turn caused humans to suffer from unrealistic expectations of what I could do for them. I really wasn’t very good at being a supernatural divinity because I was so preoccupied with my own jealous rage. I’m sincerely sorry about all that, dear humans. Getting down to your level gives me infinite empathy for all you go through. I don’t want religion to make life any harder for you than it already is. So from now on, know me as love - so that I can know you, and you can know me, fully.” If supernatural divinity died on the cross, and if God is no more and no less than love, what are the consequences? If God is love, then God is a verb. If God is love, then God is something we do. If God is love, then Christianity is all about practicing it. If God is love, when we truly, unconditionally love someone, God is in that relationship, blessing it. If God is love, then God is extremely powerful. But love is not directive. Love does not force anybody to do anything. If God is love, then God is omni-attractive, but not all-powerful and not all-knowing. If God is love, then prayer becomes the contemplative experience of that love through compassionate awareness of all that is. If God is love, then worship awakens us to it, and fills us with praise for it. Through billions of years of cosmic unfolding and evolution, we mortals have come into being for the purpose of reflecting awe and wonder back at the universe. We’re here to let our jaws drop in amazement at each other’s existence, and to be wonderstruck with loving attention toward all that exists. When we are in this state of awe, we are doing God. We are practicing God. We are communing with each other and with nature through God. If God is love, then the church is a school of love, and Jesus is our teacher. The lessons are simple, but the practice is hard. So we gather together to help each other love as best as we can. If God is love, attracting and not directing, then the Bible is our language of faith, rather than being a fixed and final rule-book. So let us interpret the Bible and the Christian tradition through the lens of these three words in 1 John 4:8: “…God is love.” ~ Rev. Jim Burklo Read online here About the Author Rev. Jim Burklo is the Senior Associate Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California. An ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ, he is the author of seven published books on progressive Christianity, with a new one coming out soon: Tenderly Calling: An Invitation to the Way of Jesus (St Johann Press, 2021). His weekly blog, “Musings”, has a global readership. He serves on the board of ProgressiveChristiansUniting.org and is an honorary advisor and frequent content contributor for ProgressiveChristianity.org. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Bert In your recent Question & Answer dated March 25, 2021, you mentioned being an atheist. This term has too many diverse meanings. I don’t believe in the Greek God Thor and don’t expect him to change the weather for me. Does that make me an Atheist? Gods of Mythology come down to earth from heaven and literally fight your battles. I don’t believe in any of the Gods of Mythology, not even the Christian three-part God that was invented in the fourth century under Roman Caesar Constantine. All religions seem to have Gods that are “God in the image of man”. But I do believe in life after biological death. I do believe in a source of creation that lies outside the time-space continuum and therefore is not observable by the scientific method. The source of creation is infinite and undefinable, so calling it a God is just too limiting. I am not comfortable with calling myself an Atheist since that often implies belief in no life after biological death. How do you define an Atheist? A: By Rev. Gretta Vosper Dear Bert, Thanks for this important question. Your reflections on the gods you don’t believe in remind me of Richard Dawkins’ comment in his book The God Delusion: “We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.” But it seems to me that your concern is not so much about the gods contrived of the human mind, or even about why I use the word “atheist”, but about those things that we cannot yet, and may never, answer: what is the source of all that we experience and what happens to it and to us when our lives end. That, my friend, I do not know. Still, my answer to the question “How do you define an Atheist?” is quite simple: An atheist is someone who does not believe in any gods. They are of two types: those who do not believe because there is no proof and who would believe should such proof be provided, and those who would not believe in either case. I am the former, a position known as “weak atheism.” I did not identify as an atheist until bloggers in Bangladesh were being assassinated for doing so. It seemed important to me that those of us who enjoy the privilege of believing whatever we choose identify with those whose governments purport to protect them but refuse to do so. Subsequently, my congregation sponsored one of those Bangladeshi bloggers as a refugee; he’s been in Canada for two years with his family. Welcoming them was one of the most significant undertakings and greatest joys of my ministry. I do not believe we continue to exist beyond death, but what we do lives on, as you well know. When I am required to describe what the term “god” means to me, I describe what it is we have the privilege of creating between us: beauty, forgiveness, love, kindness. It is the power of that, distributed throughout all our relationships that brings us courage in times of fear, strength in times of defeat and loss, and challenges us to love when hatred would seem the more rational response. When we die, those to whom we have given these strengths in relationship continue to hold them, continue to draw on them. We live on, sewn into the fabric of their being by what it is we have shared with them. This is why it is so important that we love extravagantly, wrestle with the hurt we’ve experienced until we find our way to peace and then live out that peace, and why we must call one another to right relationship with self, others, and the planet. Each time we do any of these things, we strengthen that thing so many refer to as “god”. I just don’t use the word for all the reasons you’ve noted: it simply makes no sense to use such a limiting word for a reality too impossible to define. ~ Rev. Gretta Vosper Read and share online here About the Author The Rev. Gretta Vosper is a United Church of Canada minister who is an atheist. Her best-selling books include With or Without God: Why The Way We Live is More Important Than What We Believe, and Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief. She has also published three books of poetry and prayers. Visit her website here. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community - join us on Facebook! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As a non-profit ProgressiveChristianity.org/Progressing Spirit rely heavily on the good will of our donors to help us continue to bring individuals and churches the messages of progressive Christians, Weekly Newsletters, along with the many other resources we provide. For years, the majority of our fundraising came at the end of the year. Looking at various ways to create a more reasonable amount of cash flow we decided rather than having a BIG ask at the end of each year, our more frequent asks give folks a chance to contribute when their funds are more flexible. We think that's a win for everyone. We also want to highlight the opportunity to become a sustaining supporter. If you are looking for the best way to help us continue to provide progressive Christian resources, become a sustaining supporter by choosing Recurring Donation. Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org online and going strong - click here to donate today! * Another way to support us is to leave a bequest in your Will and/or Trust designating us a beneficiary. | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Facing Hard Choices in the 21st Century. It’s Either Hogs or Hines! Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong January 12, 2011 In the last half of the 19th century a country doctor named Edgar Hines lived with his family that included two sons, Edgar jr. and John Elbridge in Oconee County, South Carolina, near Clemson University. Edgar Hines, Jr. went on to become an outstanding doctor. John Elbridge Hines grew up to become the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and probably the outstanding world leader in religion produced by the Episcopal Church in the 20th century. Bishop Hines was graced with a unique ability to see issues as they emerged in the life of our society while they were still embryonic. He then acted to address them before they became major crises and thus while action was still possible. This prescience is what I believe is the unique gift of those who Christians have called prophets. Prophets have never been predictors of the future, as biblical literalists like to contend. They are, rather, the discoverers of the future as it is being born, because they know how to read the contemporary signs of the times. Bishop Hines was this kind of prophet. During the urban riots of the 1960’s in America, while typical politicians were calling for the imposition of “law and order,” John Hines was walking the streets of our erupting cities in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Harlem, Detroit, Cleveland and Newark, talking to the people who lived there, listening to the rage, the sense of hopelessness and despair that was fueling the outbreaks of violence and discovering how out-of-touch with these human issues the institutional forms of Christianity really were. Then, in acts of powerful and courageous leadership, he called the Episcopal Church to re-order its priorities to put human need before institutional security; to recognize that Christian mission also meant empowering the powerless. From his study of history John Hines demonstrated the profound lesson of human civilization, namely that powerless people are always exploited people. This insight signaled to him that by empowering the powerless ones an effective blow against exploitation is being struck. He illustrated this insight in Christian history by pointing to the treatment of the powerless ones, whether they were people of color, women or homosexuals, all of whom have been exploited not only by western people, but also by professing Christians. John Hines laid these ideas before the church he headed and his church responded to his leadership with the boldest initiative I have ever known a religious institution to undertake. They began to fund as a primary part of this church’s ministry a program that would give powerless people the power to determine their own future. Of course, it was controversial! Of course, dislocation resulted! Of course, establishment values and establishment people were threatened. Yes and of course, they struck back, withholding their contributions, demanding that the church “stick to religion” and “quit its involvement in politics,” as if Christianity had ever in its history been a religion that tended to the “things of the spirit” and not to the call to give life to all and to give it abundantly. It was probably the most glorious chapter in the history of the Episcopal Church. Yes, our church lost members and it lost financial support, but it discovered its integrity and the realization dawned on us that the Church will die of boredom long before it dies of controversy. John Hines was then and is now my ultimate ecclesiastical hero; he was and is my ultimate role model. A photograph of him sits before me at my desk until this very moment. It has been there for years. He was the first person with whom I talked when I was elected Bishop of Newark in 1976. I later worked to get his biography published so that his kind of leadership would never be forgotten. The Biography was entitled Granite on Fire and was written by Ken Kesselus. Until John Hines died, hardly a week went by that we did not talk on the phone. I asked John Hines on one occasion to help me to understand how a lad could grow up in the little town of Seneca, South Carolina, known for its fundamentalism in religion and its conservatism in politics, and become a world leader in religion battling for the human rights of the victims of our culture’s prejudices. He responded by telling me a story about his father, Dr. Edgar Hines, who, in addition to his private medical practice, had also been appointed the County Health Officer for Oconee County, South Carolina. Dr. Hines, he said, became aware of the health risk to the people, caused by the fact that in that poor farming region, people kept hogs in their fenced-in backyards, where the ground water in the wells was susceptible to infiltration by diseases carried in the feces of the pigs, making an outbreak of cholera a distinct possibility. This impending danger caused him to propose to the county commissioners the passing of a county ordinance, which would require the housing of pigs to be located a sufficient number of yards away from human dwellings. For the people of Oconee County, South Carolina, this was an unheard of and unappreciated interference on the part of government in the private lives of these farmers and they struck back with fury. The county commissioners, far more responsive to the votes of these disturbed citizens than they were to the warnings of a country doctor, refused to pass such an ordinance. Dr. Hines then informed the commissioners that without such an ordinance, he could no longer be responsible for the health of the people and was thus prepared to offer his resignation. This was no idle threat for doctors in the 19th century in rural South Carolina were scarce and replacing Dr. Hines would be almost impossible. In the face of his threat, the county commissioners agreed to a reconsideration of their vote at the next official meeting. It was the primary county-wide topic of conversation before the re-consideration meeting occurred. The local newspaper trumpeted the debate with a headline on page one of the weekly paper “It’s either Hogs or Hines.” When the meeting was finally held, the hogs won by a 3-2 vote. Dr Hines resigned. Within six weeks, the daughter of the chairman of the county commissioners contracted cholera and died. An outbreak of cholera spread throughout the county creating a major health crisis. Shortly thereafter the Commissioners reversed their decision and pigs and humans were legally separated by a sufficient distance to minimize future epidemics. It was from this childhood memory that Bishop Hines came to understand that the role of the prophet is to understand life so deeply that you can see a crisis before it develops and step out to meet or even to divert it while there is still time. I though of this principle and of John Hines as well on two occasions recently. One had to do with the debate on whether or not to allow the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire as the law that inaugurated them called for them to do. Over the next decade these tax benefits for the wealthiest 2% of our population will add more than a trillion new dollars to our national debt. To sustain these tax benefits, the United States will inevitably have to borrow the money from either China or Saudi Arabia. That reality raises to the level of the inevitable the fact that somewhere down the road this nation runs the risk of bankruptcy. This in turn means that this momentary enrichment of the few will inevitably result in long term disaster for the entire nation. To sweeten this irresponsible tax bill and thus to gain sufficient liberal support to pass the measure, additional tax benefits for unemployed people and a drop in payroll taxes for the middle class were also approved. At the same time that this tax bill was being debated, a bi-partisan task force, headed by Democrat Erskine Bowles, the former chief of staff to President Clinton and Republican Alan K. Simpson, the former senator from Wyoming and a major party leader, were confronting the Administration and the Congress with the impending fiscal disaster facing this nation if the skyrocketing deficit is not brought under control. Their bi-partisan report called for a radical revamping of America’s tax structure, closing all of the loopholes, which are used primarily by the rich to lower their tax obligations. This would mean, if adopted, ending many exemptions that are “sacred cows” like mortgage interest and charitable contributions. It would mean the lengthening of the years one must work to be eligible for social security; as well as tempering the amount of social security the very wealthy are allowed to receive. It would mean cutting defense spending that still represents an out-of-bounds percentage of the national budget. The report of this commission could not get enough votes from its own members to require Congress to take up their proposals. Please note that the vote to require Congress to take up this report did not require that they pass any of its provisions, but only that a consideration of this report and its recommendations would be forced on our elected officials. The second occasion in which John Hines insight came to my mind occurred when I continued to hear right wing people condemn climate change warnings as something coming from “neo-fascist environmentalists.” They maintain that climate change, which they continue to call “global warming,” is a myth that can be dismissed with every winter storm. At the same time, the melting of the Arctic ice cap has not only threatened the polar bears with extinction, but has set off international competition for the oil that might become accessible if new passageways through the Arctic are opened up. At the other end of our planet in Antarctica, a New York Times feature in December warned of the decline and possible extinction of its penguin population whose food supply has been disrupted by the melting ice caps. The choice the leaders of this nation face today is between doing only what we are now doing for the sake of immediate profits or to face the reality of the coming environmental crisis and to act responsibly to divert it. Our way of life is at stake in the out-of-control national debt. The life of our planet is at stake in the environmental crisis. Yet no alarm bells are being sounded nationally. Dr. Edgar Hines, where are you now that the nation and the world, not just the people of Oconee County, S.C., need you? Where is your successor in our country today? ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements New Online Programs for those called by Earth and Spirit to Return to the Great Conversation Re-member and reclaim the deep, sacramental rhythms of life. An Online Immersion Friday and Saturday, July 30th & 31st from 8:30 am – 11 am Pacific; and 3 pm – 5 pm Pacific READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Re: [Dialogue] [Oe List ...] Mary Elizabeth Avery Work
by Isobel and Jim 20 Jul '21

20 Jul '21

Greetings dear colleagues, Thank you Rob for sharing Mary’s words. It was very moving to read them and, between the lines, hear her life experiences shown on the page. Mary showed us the light in her life. Thank you Jack for your own poetry and spirit exercise. I loved reading your words about Judy and they gave me courage to journey on during the lock down we are having here in many parts of Australia,owing to the Delta variant of Covid. Grace and peace within and without. Isobel Bishop Isobel Bishop Mob. 0412 129 425 > On 21 Jul 2021, at 4:54 am, Janet Sanders via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: > So wonderful to have Mary’s beautiful life lifted up in these lines. I truly appreciated her humor and determination. We had great explorations together. Lovingly, Jan > > Sent from my iPad > >> On Jul 20, 2021, at 12:42 AM, Phyllis Hockley via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: >> >> Mary, the light of the world. >> So glad I could have her shine on me. >> So glad I could see her energy enliven others. >> So glad we could work together to create a school where children were cherished. >> So, so glad and I give great thanks. >> >> >> On 7/19/2021 5:23 PM, Robertson Work via Dialogue wrote: >>> Dear colleagues, >>> >>> Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the passing of Mary Elizabeth Avery Work, my beloved wife of thirty-five years, when she completed her life of sixty years and ten months. Below are some of the wise words that she wrote a few months before she died: >>> True Darkness >>> Light Resurrected >>> Eternal Now >>> >>> My angle on creation >>> True Darkness >>> Light resurrects me >>> Eternal now >>> >>> I want to >>> Help people articulate >>> Their angle on creation >>> Their sense of foreground/background >>> Their life questions >>> By focusing their energy of >>> Current reality >>> Releasing their energy of >>> Psychic tensions >>> Harnessing their energy of >>> Mythic, archetypal, interior >>> Images and Stories >>> Integrating their energy of >>> Deep connections >>> Remembering >>> I am the light of the world >>> Believing >>> I am the light of the world >>> Being >>> I am the light of the world >>> Each light is sacred >>> All lights are one >>> I am the light of the world >>> Transforming my cancer >>> A need to be kicked into/onto a higher level >>> An evolutionary leap >>> A fractal pattern – >>> The first journey – 8 years old >>> Into the stars until I don’t exist – the message >>> A longing for the experience of falling into the stars >>> a physical experience >>> I don’t exist – the return >>> Seeking unknowingly >>> Blindly, releasing energies >>> The second journey >>> Cancer continues the pushing into other realms >>> Fractal pattern >>> Keep going deeper into cancer >>> I don’t exist >>> Keep going deeper into stars >>> I don’t exist >>> Stars are patterns of light >>> Nodes are patterns of Indra’s Net >>> In the midst of return >>> The message through Light >>> A reflection of the I AM >>> Not a light generated by me >>> Inside me – me is me >>> But this me is captured >>> In the light and has become >>> A reflection – light in every cell >>> Light resurrecting >>> Live in now if >>> Caught in this light/life >>> Cancer – true darkness >>> Darkness >>> Primordial light >>> Penetrate to higher >>> Fertility/creativity >>> True darkness >>> Light resurrects me >>> Eternal now >>> New feminine – sacred >>> Image woven in my >>> Lungs – Indra’s net >>> Reminder of the fractal pattern >>> Journey – to receive the message >>> I don’t exist >>> The return >>> Where am I now >>> The mythic >>> Harnessing irrational energy >>> Energy process >>> Opening >>> Vibrational movement >>> Light pouring into dark dense cells >>> Thanking darkness >>> Enabling me to move out >>> Received as darkness >>> The Great Doubt >>> Forms in front – 3 inches >>> From sternum – coalescing >>> Needs an objective symbol >>> - The Great Doubt >>> - The Friends >>> How can I connect >>> Being salt of the Earth >>> And light for the world? >>> How can I shine in a salty way? >>> Pouring forth ions that bring >>> Ease and calm and peace and aliveness? >>> What is birthing? >>> What is implanted? >>> What is ready to grow? >>> I am challenged to demonstrate the >>> Sign of the light >>> - movement and repose >>> How do I move as light? >>> How do I rest as light? >>> I am challenged to be salt to the world: >>> Alive, piquant, essentially good >>> The salt of the Earth – a preserver >>> The taste of the sea, the giver of >>> Life >>> How may I cherish saltiness, >>> in myself and others? >>> How am I salt to the world? >>> I am challenged to be a light >>> Shining among the people >>> Who see the good you do and >>> Praise the I AM, Mystery, Divine Light. >>> May those things I touch >>> And create be structures of light >>> Dedicated to light >>> May I feel myself part of the explosion >>> Of inward light, capable of returning >>> Consciously and freely into the >>> Source of Light. >>> I remember and honor the loves of my life. >>> I enjoy with delight the signs of loves celebration >>> Everywhere >>> I open freely and respond creatively >>> To the mystery of each present moment >>> I work to deepen and stabilize an awareness of the >>> work of the spirit and soul >>> Illuminating my understanding of the forces >>> That work in beauty within >>> Me and all beings >>> Divine light is prayer >>> May my prayer shine >>> The light of divine care >>> On children. May I help >>> To create a world where >>> Children are cherished >>> May divine light as I >>> Experience it in my body >>> Work to heal my wounds >>> Work to heal the wounds of >>> The children, the Earth. >>> Niagara >>> Energy vortex >>> Waters unleashed >>> Chaotic >>> Rushing energy >>> Water vibrates >>> Receives all >>> Embraces, cleanses >>> Darkness and pain >>> Falls away >>> Purity of light >>> Unseen calm >>> Flow beneath >>> Patterns created >>> Serenity >>> ............................................. >>> Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF >>> Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ >>> Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/ >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Dialogue mailing list >>> Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net >>> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Dialogue mailing list >> Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net >> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net > _______________________________________________ > OE mailing list > OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Mary Elizabeth Avery Work
by Robertson Work 20 Jul '21

20 Jul '21

Dear colleagues, Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the passing of Mary Elizabeth Avery Work, my beloved wife of thirty-five years, when she completed her life of sixty years and ten months. Below are some of the wise words that she wrote a few months before she died: True Darkness Light Resurrected Eternal Now My angle on creation True Darkness Light resurrects me Eternal now I want to Help people articulate Their angle on creation Their sense of foreground/background Their life questions By focusing their energy of Current reality Releasing their energy of Psychic tensions Harnessing their energy of Mythic, archetypal, interior Images and Stories Integrating their energy of Deep connections Remembering I am the light of the world Believing I am the light of the world Being I am the light of the world Each light is sacred All lights are one I am the light of the world Transforming my cancer A need to be kicked into/onto a higher level An evolutionary leap A fractal pattern – The first journey – 8 years old Into the stars until I don’t exist – the message A longing for the experience of falling into the stars a physical experience I don’t exist – the return Seeking unknowingly Blindly, releasing energies The second journey Cancer continues the pushing into other realms Fractal pattern Keep going deeper into cancer I don’t exist Keep going deeper into stars I don’t exist Stars are patterns of light Nodes are patterns of Indra’s Net In the midst of return The message through Light A reflection of the I AM Not a light generated by me Inside me – me is me But this me is captured In the light and has become A reflection – light in every cell Light resurrecting Live in now if Caught in this light/life Cancer – true darkness Darkness Primordial light Penetrate to higher Fertility/creativity True darkness Light resurrects me Eternal now New feminine – sacred Image woven in my Lungs – Indra’s net Reminder of the fractal pattern Journey – to receive the message I don’t exist The return Where am I now The mythic Harnessing irrational energy Energy process Opening Vibrational movement Light pouring into dark dense cells Thanking darkness Enabling me to move out Received as darkness The Great Doubt Forms in front – 3 inches From sternum – coalescing Needs an objective symbol - The Great Doubt - The Friends How can I connect Being salt of the Earth And light for the world? How can I shine in a salty way? Pouring forth ions that bring Ease and calm and peace and aliveness? What is birthing? What is implanted? What is ready to grow? I am challenged to demonstrate the Sign of the light - movement and repose How do I move as light? How do I rest as light? I am challenged to be salt to the world: Alive, piquant, essentially good The salt of the Earth – a preserver The taste of the sea, the giver of Life How may I cherish saltiness, in myself and others? How am I salt to the world? I am challenged to be a light Shining among the people Who see the good you do and Praise the I AM, Mystery, Divine Light. May those things I touch And create be structures of light Dedicated to light May I feel myself part of the explosion Of inward light, capable of returning Consciously and freely into the Source of Light. I remember and honor the loves of my life. I enjoy with delight the signs of loves celebration Everywhere I open freely and respond creatively To the mystery of each present moment I work to deepen and stabilize an awareness of the work of the spirit and soul Illuminating my understanding of the forces That work in beauty within Me and all beings Divine light is prayer May my prayer shine The light of divine care On children. May I help To create a world where Children are cherished May divine light as I Experience it in my body Work to heal my wounds Work to heal the wounds of The children, the Earth. Niagara Energy vortex Waters unleashed Chaotic Rushing energy Water vibrates Receives all Embraces, cleanses Darkness and pain Falls away Purity of light Unseen calm Flow beneath Patterns created Serenity ............................................. Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/

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