Viva La Dream

Somebody pinch me. I can’t be awake? Come to think of it, if the last 24 hours was a dream, please don’t wake me up, because I have died and gone to a better place. In this crazy dream, an African American just became President of the United States. An openly gay Bishop gave a prayer, a woman gave the Inaugural Sermon, Rick Warren invoked the name of a Muslim prophet, and non-believers were listed alongside Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus, as worthy and valued citizens.

Crazy as it sounds, while all this happened, millions of people cheered and wept for joy. I searched high and low in the dream for a naysayer, and came up blank. The closest I found to a criticism is that someone should have given the Obamas a dance lesson or two, and that someone might have trimmed Reverend Lowery’s eyebrows. But you know dreams. Everything is exaggerated.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, where all things are hopeful and new, where wolves lay peacefully with lambs and people work together for the good of the whole. I saw children from different races and backgrounds playing together, surrounded by adults who seek neither harm nor destruction but peace and unity.

Muslims were mentioned for the first time in an Inaugural Speech, and the word terrorism was not heard. It was a massive reversal. In this new earth, value was measured by what is built rather than what is destroyed. The silencing of dissent was listed as a deadly sin alongside corruption and deceit, and the punishment for sins was a matter of natural cause and effect rather than retribution.

In this new earth, entrenched and outmoded ideological divisions were left behind. Government was not measured by its size, but its effectiveness. The market was not a force to be supported or condemned, but used wisely and with oversight. Americans were called to recognize their relationship with all the earth, called to be worthy world leaders.

In this new earth, science was restored to its rightful place, without defense or anxiety. Technology that can save and improve life was no longer feared, but supported. The American dream within my dream was revived, a dream begun with the founding fathers for a free and open American melting pot. Diversity was considered a strength, rather than a weakness. It was fantastic. I could feel a broad smile creasing the pillow of my subconscious mind. Could this really be happening?

Well, I just pinched myself, and this is no dream. The last 24 hours will be forever remembered as a mighty symbol of unity and new hope the way the Bible uses apocalyptic imagery to describe a better time that is only a quantum leap in perspective away.

It was real, and the challenges are also real. Racism has not yet been overcome. Reverend Lowery’s thick brows no doubt serve to shade his eyes from the many atrocities he has seen and experienced in his long and courageous life. Homophobia and fear of difference is still a reality. Bishop Robinson carries the scars of hatred like a spear shaped mitre.

Much work has still to be done to bring the dream into reality. We will each find our place in that effort. When we are discouraged, or feel that we have slipped or lost ground, the symbol that was the Inauguration of President Obama will feed our collective imagination and drive us on. Our work is in the words of Reverend Lowery to seek “that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right.”

In the words of the French Mayor I saw on CNN this morning, “Viva La Barack Obama.”
Viva la dream. Viva la hope. Viva la unity.

All those who do justice and love mercy say “Amen.”

Obama and Effortless Effort

What a momentous day. It’s the inauguration of President Obama. I can’t even comprehend the pressure and expectation that is piled on the man from all around the world. He seems to handle it all so effortlessly. I’m enormously grateful for him, for his family and I’m grateful for the incredible groundswell of new energy that is sweeping our weary world.

Obama seems to have mastered the art of wu wei, effortless effort, playful action. Its something I aspire to practice more often in my life. Action that is effective and makes a difference, but action that also increases the peace rather than adding to the drama. Imagine the state of our world if all the Obama energy could be chanelled into playful action.

Carlos Castaneda described effortless effort well- ”If a warrior is to succeed at anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession.” (the link takes you to my friend Brian's great site Philosophers Notes, where he has all sorts of inspirational quotes from Castaneda and many others- worth a look)

While I was thinking about effortless effort, I kept coming back to the Bible’s creation story. There’s something playful about the whole story that captures my imagination. The Creator warrior of Genesis seemed to have effortless effort down pat. Psalm 104 got it in one sentence, describing the Creator “stretching out the heavens like a tent.” You have to have a sense of fun to parallel the creation of the universe with pitching a tent. All I can say is that we’re all very lucky that I wasn’t the creator. If you could only have seen some of the tents I’ve pitched in my time. The universe would be collapsing back in on all of us in the middle of a rainy night.

Ricky Gervais is one of my favorite comedians. He gives a beautiful account of the Genesis creation story as effortless effort. Excuse the language, be prepared to weep with laughter and if you’re short for time, just watch the first few minutes



God created the heaven and earth in the dark, then created light….he said “that’s everything, lets have a look, brilliant.” I love it.

My sermon this past Sunday was on action as a universal spiritual value. It seems that most of the world religions try to hold a balance between thought and action, faith and works. Maybe the only way to hold the balance is through effortless action. I spoke about a dream I had where I met Obama and we shared a light, effortless, moment.

Read the sermon if you want to find out about the dream, as well as some thoughts on effortless effort, and the amazing “Sully” Sullenberger who brought down a plane last week on the Hudson with some of his own effortless action.

I want to live my life with that impact- great effort, but minimal stress and attachment.

Simplifying My Inner World

"There are only two ways to live your life: one is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as if everything is. I believe in the latter." Albert Einstein

It was such an ordinary situation. But ordinary is often where the gold is found. I was driving to my daughter’s ballet recital, due to begin at 5. It was 4.55 and I was just around the corner. I was on time. Can you believe that I actually considered stopping at the store to pick up some lemons? For a moment I thought I could do that and still be on time. I had a momentary debate between the part of me that likes to complicate life, and the part of me that said “my purpose here is to watch my daughter dance. Just do that.” The second voice won out. When I got to the store after the recital, I was told that someone had not ten minutes earlier bought all the lemons. Poetic justice? Not really. My need for lemons was neither poetic nor a matter of national security.

Here’s the important part of the story. The recital! It was AMAZING. My 6 year old did her thing. She was so beautiful and poised, and loved performing her moves. I was completely transfixed by her. The recital lasted all of about 3 minutes, the culmination of several months’ preparation. For those 3 minutes, I had this incredible sensation that this was the most significant moment of my life. I knew that I would achieve nothing more lasting in my whole life than soaking up the presence of that moment. It was all of everything, full of grace and beauty.

Something peculiar has washed over me since arriving back from Australia. Everything feels less complicated. The calm of being on vacation has stayed with me. Two physical effects have pleased me. 1. I have never recovered from jetlag more quickly. 2. I lost weight on vacation, while eating whatever I wanted to eat. I almost always put on weight on vacation.

I don’t know this for sure, but I can’t help wondering if my body is maintaining healthier levels of cortisol than it has in the past. There is one other physical effect that I hesitate to mention, lest I speak too soon. All my life, I’ve wanted a six pack. I’ve never even come close. Suddenly, I see two little dimples (just below my man boobs). It’s the beginnings of a two pack, and fills me with great pride and joy. Just today I heard someone say that high cortisol levels can lead to an oversized awning over a man’s toy store; an ample liquid grain storage facility.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I feel better than I have in a long time. Meditation no doubt helps. Diet is crucial. Exercise helps. Perspective is essential. But most importantly, dwelling in gratitude for the incredible joys and privileges that fill my life, becomes a beautiful cycle. Calm leads to more calm. Cortisol balance leads to greater life balance that balances cortisol levels and so it goes.

It’s all there in front of me, and it’s not complicated. I could wish for nothing more than to dwell in many daily moments with the contentment I had while watching my sweetie dance. My family is the greatest cause for gratitude in my life. Every one of my family members mirrors something essential and beautiful, spiritual beacons in my life. We don’t get it all right. But we do our best.

I’m so pleased to be able to introduce our new family blog. It’s called “At Home With Spirit”. Meg and I want to share some of our attempts to raise our kids to appreciate the beauty and power that surround them, as well as sharing their ability to frustrate and inspire us, all within 5 minutes. Meg has written the first post, and it’s typical of her; fun, spirited, profound, wise and beautiful. Check it out.

http://homewithspirit.blogspot.com/

"Miracles happen every day. Not just in remote country villages or at holy sites halfway across the globe, but here, in our own lives. They bubble up from their hidden source, surround us with opportunities, and disappear. They are the shooting stars of everyday life. When we see shooting stars, their rarity makes them seem magical, but in fact, they streak across the sky all the time. We just don't notice them during the day, dazzled as we are by sunlight, and at night they emerge only if we happen to look up at the right place in a clear, dark sky. Although we think of them as extraordinary, miracles also streak across our consciousness every day. We can choose to notice or ignore them, unaware that our destinies may hang in the balance. Tune into the presence of miracles, and in an instant, life can be transformed into a dazzling experience, more wondrous and exciting than we could even imagine. Ignore it, and an opportunity is gone forever." Deepak Chopra

Thoughts about Faith in a Rabbit Hole

Im very grateful to Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Campbell and Alice in Wonderland for helping to clarify some thoughts about faith. Alice taught me that asking questions that don't need answers creates a new perspective. She took Joseph Campbell's advice and jumped, only to discover that her own curiosity provided a parachute like cushion. Sharon Salzberg put flesh on an idea that makes all the sense in the world. Faith comes in several different varieties; bright faith, verified faith and abiding (or unshakeable) faith.

Bright faith beams at the possibilities of life. It is pure optimism. Many children have bright faith. It is beyond their comprehension that life will not bend to their will. We get jaded and lose it at some point. Bright faith is appropriate for children. For adults, bright faith can come close to blind faith. Mature faith is never blind. The problem with blind faith is that even though faith can move mountains, you need to see which mountain needs to be moved.

Verified faith includes a memory of past survival and achievement. It is learned wisdom. Verified faith works closely with doubt. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. They are two sides of one coin. Doubt sharpens faith, and faith affirms doubt.

The Buddha told a story that showed the movement from bright faith to verified faith. He compared faith to a blind giant who meets up with a very sharp-eyed cripple, called wisdom. The blind giant, called faith, says to the sharp-eyed cripple, "I am very strong, but I can't see; you are very weak, but you have sharp eyes. Come and ride on my shoulders. Together we will go far."

Abiding faith is unwavering in the face of change. Abiding faith doesn’t expect life to remain stagnant. It is in tune with a purpose that doesn’t depend on circumstances. It is one with the flow of life. It manifests in whatever way is effective in the changing circumstance.

Read the whole sermon, and let me know your own story of unshakeable faith.

http://www.christ-community.net/sermons/sermon01_11_09.htm

The Wheels of Faith Go Round and Round

This time two days ago I was basking in the glow of a Sydney summer sun. It was awesome. I felt so empowered; ready to take on any challenge but not in need of a challenge. It’s amazing how much I miss the sun in the Michigan winter. The sun doesn’t announce itself, or claim any name or identity. It has nothing to prove. It just is, in its silent glory. And yet it achieves so much.

That’s how I want to live my life. I am determined to overcome jetlag quickly. I am determined to begin 2009 with the same grounded optimism I felt on the beach in Sydney. I am determined to carry the sun with me as I venture into another 3 months of veil’d sunlight. I want to make a difference in the world, by being a grounded presence, and without building an identity around making a difference in the world.

I had no intention of writing today. With a million emails to answer, mail to open, people to attend to and a sermon to write before Sunday, it’s hard to justify the time spent writing. But I wanted to write something that helped to clarify my thoughts leading into Sunday; thoughts about faith.

Some of the emails I arrived back to were from my spiritual atheist friends, who were sharing thoughts about the atheist bus movement in the UK. Atheist buses? Well, I have at times waited for buses long enough to doubt their existence. I have traveled on buses so tight with sweaty bodies that it felt like I had died and gone to hell. But, what is an atheist bus? A group of atheists in the UK raised enough funds to run ads on 800 buses that counter evangelical ads preaching eternal hell and damnation. I like it.

Their message? “There’s Probably No God: Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” I like the word “probably”. Atheists have no more right to claim absolute certainty than theists. It’s a matter of probability and necessity. Odds are stacked against the existence of a theistic God. Faith in this God is unreasonable, and becoming less reasonable by the day. More importantly, the supernatural God is no longer necessary. All the comfort, challenge, inspiration, empowerment, peace, awe and wonder that we all long for can be experienced from within nature and in the present moment.

The church has traditionally used the supernatural God to elicit fear and guilt from its members. As the church bulletin board proudly proclaims- ”Don’t let worry kill you. Let the church help.” There is probably no God out there, waiting to pounce on your mistakes with metaphysical judgment. There is probably no afterlife in which your life deeds will be rewarded or punished in kind.

I agree with Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, the conductor and driver of the new atheist movement. This is probably the end of faith that is the suspension of human reason in deference to outmoded and improbable religious beliefs. This is probably the end of faith that claims religious superiority over the rest of the planet. This is probably the end of faith that thinly veils political agendas and empires. This is probably the end of faith that reads the Bible as literal and moral edicts. But it need not be the end of faith.

On Sunday, I want to state a case for the emergence of a new kind of faith that is both rational and mysteriously impassioned. No religion has a monopoly on this faith. Religion can do no more than inspire and resource an experience of faith. Faith is universal. It is the quality of pausing in astonishment at the size and scope of life, offering your humanity for the good of all, and shining like the sun with no need for recognition.

As Joseph Campbell said- “As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It’s not as wide as you think.”

Stay tuned. I will let you know how successful I am at both conquering jet lag and defining a new faith. Feel free to write and describe what faith means to you. It will help in my preparation for Sunday. I’m very grateful to be on this liberating and open ended journey with all of you; atheists, spiritual atheists, religious folk, spiritual but not religious folk alike. We all journey together and learn as we go.

Christmas Elevator Message

Im just about to go into our Christmas Eve gathering. Its come together really well and im quite excited about it. Because im leaving on Christmas Day for two weeks vacation in Sydney, I wanted to post this tonight.

I offer my love and gratitude to all. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I look forward to more fun and heresy when I return mid January......

Christmas Elevator Message

I set myself the challenge of giving a Christmas “elevator talk” this evening. That is, I want to say something meaningful in the time it would take to ride an elevator, let’s say up and down the CN Tower in Toronto. It’s a glass elevator with amazing, panoramic views, so my hope is that this elevator talk might offer you a broader and clearer view of the Christmas story and its relevance in today’s world.

Our gathering tonight features the Sanctuary Choir singing Vivaldi’s Gloria. Huge appreciation to them for all the hard work that went into that. It was a new experience for many of us, including the staff. What’s the difference between the C3 staff and yoghurt? Yoghurt has culture. Except of course Jackie Fisher. Jackie came to the staff a few months back and said she wanted to consider the Gloria for Christmas Eve. Most of us looked at her dumbfounded. The only Gloria we knew was Van Morrison’s rock classic. G L O R I A, bout five feet four from her head to the ground, Gloria……

She said it wasn’t Van Morrison. It was a Cantata. From that moment forward it became affectionately known as the Vivaldi Frittata.

Lack of sophistication aside, Jackie had me intrigued. What relevance does Vivaldi Gloria have for Christmas? I did some research. I loved what I found, and I’m excited to share it with you. Take a long look out the glass elevator of your imagination and be prepared to be inspired.

Vivaldi struggled with health and poverty throughout his life. He had a dubious love life, frowned on by the church of his day. He died a pauper and was buried in an unmarked grave. And yet he was a wonderful human being with a progressive heart and a prodigious musical talent. Vivaldi spent most of his life working in an orphanage in Venice. (Ospedale della Pieta) Abandoned children were passed through a hole in the orphanage wall. The boys were taught trades. The girls got married, became nuns or were taught music. Vivaldi trained the most talented of the girls. His all women’s choirs are believed to have been some of the best in the world. They performed behind metal grilles high above the audience, so that noble men would not be distracted. Instead the angelic voices would take them to heavenly places.

You get the picture. Vivaldi is now one of the most famous composers of all time, known to have inspired Bach. But he spent his life receiving orphans through a hole in a wall and passing on his musical gift.

Doesn’t that sound a little like the Christmas story? The story of Jesus, that has inspired millions of people over thousands of years, began in a backwater inn. A frightened family trapped in poverty, condemned for immorality, fled for their lives.

Doesn’t it sound a little like the story of the world today? People trapped in cycles of recession and anxiety, searching for meaning.

Does it sound at all like your life? Trapped in cycles of self loathing and fear.

Take heart- Vivaldi’s story is every person’s story. The Christmas story is your story. Look out the glass elevator of your imagination.

The message is clear. In the spirit of Vivaldi’s Gloria, let me offer it to you in Latin. Things sounds so much grander in Latin. I saw a great bumper sticker. In Latin it said, “Sona si Latine loqueris” which translates as ‘Honk if you speak Latin”. My Christmas message in Latin. “omnia vincit amor”…..Love Conquers All!

The anxiety of your life. Love conquers all.
The despair and uncertainty. Love conquers all.
Children abandoned and futures unsure. Love conquers all.
The Christmas story of hope against all odds. Love conquers all.
Your story of courage in the face of crisis. Love conquers all.

So now we are almost done with our elevator tour of Toronto. Your vision is broader and clearer. The Christmas story comes into clearer focus. You have your Christmas miracle. The wonder of Christmas is your best humanity offered as a gift to the world. “omnia vincit amor”…..Love Conquers All!

Christmas; the Birth of Genius

My greatest hope at Christmas time is to offer relevance and wonder. When you no longer read the Christmas story as literal history, it opens up amazing opportunity for both. The story becomes every person's story, and mirrors the wonder of human courage (and genius).

There are lots of ways to approach the Christmas story to achieve relevance and wonder. Here are a sample.

You can read it as a story of survival against all odds....

http://www.christ-community.net/ezines/ezine12_14_06.htm

You can read it as a pagan celebration of earth's cycles...

http://www.christ-community.net/sermons/sermon11_30_08.htm

You can read it as the birth of the Christ in every person (the third Jesus)

http://www.christ-community.net/sermons/sermon12_07_08.htm

Or you can read it as the celebration of every birth, and every birthday. This was a new idea for me, and grew out of the Roman idea that each person is born with a designated guardian spirit, known in Latin as Genius, or for a women Juno. It seemed to relate well to the story of Elizabeth and Mary meeting.

"The Christmas story is every person’s story. It is your story. It is the story of life meeting life, and genius being born. Your life is radiant in its genius. You are both mother and child, both the bearer of genius, and the genius itself. You stand at the edge of the great mystery, so near your genius, mirroring life back to itself. Your genius is a naked, winged child, ready to soar. Will you let it soar?"

Read, listen to, or watch the whole sermon here. Let me know what relevance and wonder the Christmas story has for you?

http://www.christ-community.net/sermons/sermon12_21_08.htm