Thank you Michael. This touched me very deeply. This is my understanding of Jesus's teachings too. But expressed more beautifully and expansively than I ever thought it. My spirit feels so nourished right now.
This post really spoke to me. I realize that my experiences in fundamentalist communities, which have ranged from wonderful to horrible, have had a profound influence on my life. My community of friends now fit into one of 2 categories. 1. Those who have turned to nature to fulfill their spiritual needs. and 2. Those who fit into your well described category: "The ones who, over time, stopped trying, not because they didn’t care, but because there was no way in. People who came to believe, quietly and deeply, that whatever God was offering, it probably wasn’t for them."
I cannot imagine the courage it took for you to follow the path you have taken and to come out the other end with renewed faith in love, community and God, but I am grateful you have.
Thanks for your note, Sue. I really do appreciate what you’ve shared here.
I know how hard it can be when “God’s people” make things feel so much harder than they should.
I have many friends who have discovered a vibrant spiritual life outside the walls of the church. Some for whom creation itself has become their cathedral. And honestly, that makes sense to me. My sense is that God is far bigger and more gracious than we can imagine.
So wherever people find themselves drawn toward love—wherever they are inspired to live with a little more compassion, a little more openness—I find myself trusting that. That feels like a good and faithful place to be.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment. I find myself drawn to your phrase(s):" ... devastatingly radical... holy... difficult and ... Beautiful." They come together in such a lovely and provocative way. Thank you.
Thank you Michael. This touched me very deeply. This is my understanding of Jesus's teachings too. But expressed more beautifully and expansively than I ever thought it. My spirit feels so nourished right now.
Thank you for the kind encouragement, Lisa. Very best to you
Beautiful and heartening! Thank you Michael.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my stuff.
This post really spoke to me. I realize that my experiences in fundamentalist communities, which have ranged from wonderful to horrible, have had a profound influence on my life. My community of friends now fit into one of 2 categories. 1. Those who have turned to nature to fulfill their spiritual needs. and 2. Those who fit into your well described category: "The ones who, over time, stopped trying, not because they didn’t care, but because there was no way in. People who came to believe, quietly and deeply, that whatever God was offering, it probably wasn’t for them."
I cannot imagine the courage it took for you to follow the path you have taken and to come out the other end with renewed faith in love, community and God, but I am grateful you have.
Thanks for your note, Sue. I really do appreciate what you’ve shared here.
I know how hard it can be when “God’s people” make things feel so much harder than they should.
I have many friends who have discovered a vibrant spiritual life outside the walls of the church. Some for whom creation itself has become their cathedral. And honestly, that makes sense to me. My sense is that God is far bigger and more gracious than we can imagine.
So wherever people find themselves drawn toward love—wherever they are inspired to live with a little more compassion, a little more openness—I find myself trusting that. That feels like a good and faithful place to be.
Michael this is incredibly beautiful. Love, True Love, is devastatingly radical, supremely holy, the most difficult revolution there has ever been.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment. I find myself drawn to your phrase(s):" ... devastatingly radical... holy... difficult and ... Beautiful." They come together in such a lovely and provocative way. Thank you.