I have been very neglectful of posting my thoughts in this forum lately. Mea culpa, Mea culpa, Mea maxima culpa! Somewhere around four months. I do have reasons but no valid excuses. In the past few months I've undergone a geographical move of a few miles due to financial needs and a bit pridefully, I believe that the posts of the past year have quite a depth of consideration in the realm of meaningful thought. Wondering what more I can say. Not all the answers but a very vibrant and yes Loving way of seeing this existence and our path within. This past weekend I had a great visit with my son, Michael, and he asked if I was going to continue this medium and it seems that at every corner I'm experiencing a new acquaintance, or book, or rainbow which interacts with and embellishes the path I've started in the past couple of years. So further comments should be posted for me to hold it together in some tangible form. The written word as well as other communicative and artistic forms seem to be a very expressive example of the "image of God" we seem to be blessed with and challenged by.
I chose the title of this post as It seems that the common element of all these writers whom I've gleaned much these past months have taken the concept of God to a declaration of Love. God is Love. I don't wish to be too simplistic about the subject but since I lived through the era of the 60's I feel that I have some valid perception. As Marianne Williamson noted in her book, Saving the Soul of America, we had a great idea but it was thwarted in its infancy for many reasons. The Love generation had some great drive but it seems to me that it got hijacked down several roads to the point of narcissism and ineffectiveness during its nascent moments. Recently read a book by Pastor Rob Bell titled Love Wins. At first it seemed that the book was not near as impactful as some earlier read but the substance of his points are very solid. He has a very open, accepting and loving approach to Heaven, Hell and the Gospel. So much so I can see why he has been branded as a heretic by many of the more conservative bent. I'm going to copy a portion of his jacket as kind of a synopsis of what he's saying. Before doing so thought I'd make note of the reason for the shell as a picture for this post. Many of the writers promoted here have commented on the innerconnectivity of all creation as being an example of the Christic presence in all of it. I don't pretend to understand it completely but it is obvious enough for little ol me to acknowledge the possibility and I feel the probability of such connectedness. Anyhow one of the ideas mentioned was the "Golden Mean" which is a ratio found in many places within nature. I'll have to look that number up again but I recall that it is represented in the rings of the shell on a snail, so that's why the picture.
The jacket quote: "Millions of Christians have struggled with how to reconcile God's love and God's judgment: Has God created billions of people over thousands of years only to select a few to go to heaven and everyone else to suffer forever in hell? Is this acceptable to God? How is this "good news"? Troubling questions-so troubling that many have lost their faith because of them. Others only whisper the questions to themselves, fearing or being taught that they might lose their faith and their church if they ask them out loud. But what if these questions trouble us for good reason? ....What if it is God who wants us to face these questions?" In light of the total picture. More later but there is an interesting question as a title to one of the chapters in the book; "Does God Get What God Wants?", i.e. renewal and reconciling of All things to Himself!
Pax Christi! RV
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