Just some raw notes from today’s study of Judaism, specifically their views on Nature, God and what to do as humans while here.

Fun studying judaism today, particularly how their view of God effects and informs our view of nature and what to be doing while here on earth! One cool take away: physicality or matter is good, and in need of tending; another, since God is loving and not capricious, we are given choice to love or not. It matters how you see your God, and judaism didn’t invent monotheism but they articulated the character of the One Most High God. Nice objective chapter also from this religious studies father on a people and religion which changed the world. A few other take aways:

For instance, the implications of the Oneness of God (the daily Shema prayer): God is unity with diversity. God is Whole. God is social and integrated; so is an adequate model for society even. We are like God-ie in His Image. This tells us things. God is also Love itself. God is good. This last simple statement, is a huge gift of Judaism. If God is social, loving and desires wholeness, then we find ourselves living accordingly!

If God is actually good, then we can relate and choose goodness. We are free to choose life as opposed to death, to choose meaning as opposed to chaos or nihilism. If we suppose that God is good and loving and personable, it changes how we live, in short! If God is a loving kind father like Being, then…

How we look at God and life effects what level of meaning we end up living with.

God is One, Judaism claims, so has order and unity in Himself and creates things to have this same integration in identity. This sense of purposeful integration of complexity with unity (as all good art theories claim is essential to good art! Or living, i would add). And as such is unifying us. We are being integrated, because He is integrated in Himself! We are being reconciled to our true selves, being conformed to His, and therefore our true images.

He is also relational even within Himself, thus, we grow in relationships. Why do we find ourselves constantly in need of real or authentic relationship with others? Judaism claims, because God is relational. Even before humans, there was a grand collaboration going on, which we oversee and hear in Genesis. The Father, Son and Spirit are making things up together early in the book! God is creatively social, so are we.

So we return in this context to the old question: is matter evil? Is our “stuffness”, our physicality, the molecular biology of earth and our bodies and daily lives, inherently a bad idea? The Jews, say no! He created stuff, and said, it was good! Nice reminder that the earth as well as our physical bodies are declared good. Yet, in need of creative stewarding!

Nature and the physical body are declared good and we are to steward them. Interesting orientation to nature. Not worship or merging, but tending-a loving relational model of our orientation towards Nature.

Not to worship nor to become it but to relate to it in a fruitful and fruit bearing way. To help complete kratos nature.

The Jewish God is like this. And challenges us with that buoyant attitude about physicality. As Christianity extended it, let your kingdom come ON EARTH as it already is in heaven!

Looking again at our proper orientation towards physical nature, including our bodies. Fun study, I’ve been having for many years, starting at L’abri—what is our orientation towards our bodies and the physical earth, supposed to look like; how do we govern the material from the spiritual, and how do the two realms interface?

And then, the kind implications of a loving father, inferred and in some sense proclaimed by Judaism, a friendly father God, one with tuned in care to each person and creature (one who takes note of each sparrow) rather than a capricious God (as many of the surrounding cultures had) are equally and buoyantly calling us to be here in daily experience, collaborating with Him in the daily experience of making things more whole, complete, singing the song of itself!

If God is loving and personable, then we are those in loving relationship, we are daughters, sons, friends of God. This is still a radically approachable version of The Ultimate! And it affects how we live morally, if we see ourselves as truly loved and in active dynamic transformational relationship! How we live morality, how we treat others daily, depend and usher from your view of what God is actually like. Especially, if you believe we are creations in His Image. What type of image are we created in, so meant to be? Is one of the great questions of this great tradition of faith!

The Jews didn’t invent monotheism, but they did say lots about the character of this one most High God. And how that loving character effected how we actually are to live. If you really open heartedly explore what Judaism brought to the human table, it’s humbling and awesome. I love studying the gifts of this faith.

For the love of the body, soul and spirit of things, some gleanings from my Jewish studies this week! I love studying the basic premises about life-who we are, what we are doing here, how to relate to what is outside of us, all, which effect how we live!

Studying Judaism today and looking at what set their view of God, nature, and humans apart. Good study, as I love thinking about how the physical body and care of the earth fit into our basic spirituality!

I especially like looking at the jewish and christian views of Nature and our physical bodies—seems like a neglected area! Soil sight and skin—as I often say. The earth, the imagination, and the physical body—three needed areas of conversation while here! I like the Jewish premise that the earth is good, and we are meant to help complete it.

In a world of pluralistic religious views, good to consider which ones seem true to what actually is! What makes us the best humans with meaning and purpose towards our settings, including other people, the earth and our creativity! Fun study today!

Good contrast also with the chinese view of nature as presented in the Tao de Ching (great collection, but very different version of the physical world)-bit more of a hands off merging with version; and i’m not capable of dialogue with it, sort of thing; humble yourself before nature, rather than learn to tend it, as tending would be dominant-and you see this playing out in Thoureuo and the american enlightenment folks-Emerson etc; a fear or the word “ruling”, which was originally, in a Jewish context, more “ruling with God in order to make more mutually fruitful!” (we still fear that ruling is always abusive!); rather than i’m being informed as to how to take care and complete it, but i am given authority to do so. Regardless, your cosmic premises-how you actually picture God, effect how you treat nature, yourself and others.

I love comparing religions and considering the fruits of their implications in a practical daily way. Why and how to take care of the earth, our own bodies-how to live an incarnate spirituality-is still a good question. This is true, especially if you extend it into Christianity, where you have an overly incarnate God. But good studying the roots of Judaism to discover why to care for the earth and one another, in daily practical incarnation ways!

Fun to look at it freshly today, through my Jewish studies!

Reading Hebrews today:
The letter of Hebrews is basically saying—fix every thought and action in who Jesus really is. Let every thought end in Him, and you will be able to interpret Reality, and of course the sacred scriptures about it. Of course, the letter is talking about something it is also modeling. Every single passage ends with something about Jesus’ Identity! Great little letter—re-studying it today! Very Jewish of course, as it could be named, “Jews”. But is open to all. Takes Jewish metaphors and grounds them all in Jesus identity, and completion of the symbol. Interesting way of interpreting things, and emphasis. Here is the higher or more complete version of that symbol in the Torah, the writer again and again insists! Let every idea trail into the Reality of Christ, and you will understand things, even your own scriptures! Jesus completed all the symbols which were begun in the Old Testament. He is the completion of God’s symbols on the earth, the exact representation! Great angle, i think!

Sat with a group of people who were mocking Christianity last night. It was sort of refreshing that they had such strong feeling about it! Interesting, as people’s religious views often come up when i sit down at a table. Interesting also that not one of their complaints had to do with Jesus Himself—all had to do with their experiences with organized church or christian institutions.
Bad experiences, mainly with church, had turned them away from the christian way.

I often end up asking people something like: I see that you don’t like christianity, but what about Christ? What’s your experience with Him.
In my own life, i had to separate the cultures of his followers, from Him Himself in order to have an authentic encounter. Only later, did i get His Love for His People, which i think has to get imparted from Him. We wouldn’t naturally choose most christians to love, that would be radical: like loving your enemies. And most of us can’t self-muster that much love.

Always leads to interesting conversations, when you actually start talking about Jesus Himself-who He was, what He taught etc. Last night, i also asked the group how their meditation, yoga and buddhist practices were working for them in life. Some where very honest about parts of their spiritual practices they liked and didn’t—all of them practiced something.

Did they find themselves living more fruitfully, morally etc—loving others as ourselves. We all agreed that the golden rule applies across the board. And that Loving others still mattered. My question as always is what empowers your ethics, is it religious practice or union? Etc. Good talk. I enjoy talking practical spirituality with people. As, we are all spiritual, and have core needs there.

Another question i like to ask mixed groups is: how do you measure spiritual growth in your personal practices? How do you know you are developing spiritually?

Sometimes I’ll start with:what is your Ultimate—the nature of your Highest? IN other words, sometimes I’ll start with The Father; but last night everyone wanted to talk about Jesus. Nice.

Once, you peel back christian culture, which is actually different everywhere, and throw a light on religious spirit, versus Christ’s Spirit, you end up in fruitful talks. (Religion and Racism actually killed Him, after all, so He understands legalism of every form).

I’m not really an evangelist, more of an arts counselor, myself. I just like facilitating good conversations. I like people, and what makes them more whole. So that was a fun night for me. Usually I’m with some of my Jewish friends, but last night, we had a table full of buddhist, some forms of new age, and a few adamant anti-all religions, but who meditate regularly. Nice mix!

One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly, is the conversation changes when Jesus shows up at the table! I like watching those moments-even the atmosphere shifts in the other realms-the fragrance changes. Some things get more volatile others more peaceful, depending on what gets stumbled on! Sort of like the angels etc already know who He is.

Cool observing this repeated dynamic. Anyways, I think most people have lots less problems with Jesus than the do christianity. I get that.

My kinda conversation last night, anyways! Thankful to be in the open dialogue in our times. As my Jewish friend often says, in the end, we are just people trying to be people!

Sat with a group of people who were mocking Christianity last night. It was set of refreshing that they had such strong feeling about it! Interesting, as people’s religious views often come up when i sit down at a table. Interesting also that not one of their complaints had to do with Jesus Himself—all had to do with their experiences with organized church or christian institutions.

Bad experiences, mainly with church, had turned them away from the christian way. I often end up asking people something like: I see that you don’t like christianity, but what about Christ? What’s your experience with Him.

In my own life, i had to separate the cultures of his followers, from Him Himself in order to have an authentic encounter. Only later, did i get His Love for His People, which i think has to get imparted from Him. We wouldn’t naturally choose most christians to love, that would be radical: like loving your enemies. And most of us can’t self-muster that much love.

Always leads to interesting conversations, when you actually start talking about Jesus Himself-who He was, what He taught etc. Last night, i also asked the group how their meditation, yoga and buddhist practices were working for them in life. Some where very honest about parts of their spiritual practices they liked and didn’t—all of them practiced something.

Did they find themselves living more fruitfully, morally etc—loving others as ourselves. We all agreed that the golden rule applies across the board. And that Loving others still mattered. My question as always is what empowers your ethics, is it religious practice or union? Etc. Good talk. I enjoy talking practical spirituality with people. Sense, we are all spiritual, and have core needs there.

Another question i like to ask mixed groups is: how do you measure spiritual growth in your personal practices? How do you know you are developing spiritually?

Sometimes I’ll start with:what is your Ultimate—the nature of your Highest? IN other words, sometimes I’ll start with The Father; but last night everyone wanted to talk about Jesus. Nice.

Once, you peel back christian culture, which is actually different everywhere, and throw a light on religious spirit, versus Christ’s Spirit, you end up in fruitful talks. (Religion and Racism actually killed Him, after all, so He understands legalism of every form).

I’m not really an evangelist, more of an arts counselor, myself. I just like facilitating good conversations. I like people, and what makes them more whole. So that was a fun night for me. Usually I’m with some of my Jewish friends, but last night, we had a table full of buddhist, some forms of new age, and a few adamant anti-all religions, but who meditate regularly. Nice mix!

One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly, is the conversation changes when Jesus shows up at the table! I like watching those moments-even the atmosphere shifts in the other realms-the fragrance changes. Some things get more volatile others more peaceful, depending on what gets stumbled on! Sort of like the angels etc already know who He is. Cool observing this dynamic. Anyways, I think most people have lots less problems with Jesus than the do christianity. I get that. My kinda conversation last night, anyways! Thankful to be in the open dialogue in our times. As my Jewish friend often says, in the end, we are just people trying to be people!

Enjoyed contacting the religious studies department at my university and connecting with old friends and professors today. Got to talk with several old friends working on really interesting ecumenical projects locally and globally!

I like their basic mission statement still, especially the idea that spirituality is a universal issue with transcends politics and governments and so is worth looking at as a human issue and need.

Hard to frame religion in a non-contentious way these days, but this school has done a nice job of keeping an open dialogue and at the same time allowing professors and students to be in their own traditions and personal practices.

Not an easy balance in an increasingly polarized world.
My favorite professors, who became friends, are working mainly on how art and spirituality get along or are brought under the same roof, which is mainly what drew me.

But I also studied under Rabbi Spiro in Jewish studies, great teacher and local rabbi. And was able to go much deeper into the Jewish roots of Christianity!

Good re-connecting to my old school friends today, and considering healthy places of spiritual dialogue especially in these volatile days!

They have a talk next week on muslim jewish relations in the US facilitated by an old friend. Would love to be here, as a fly on the wall to hear where Love converses in that conversation!

I’m glad I was drawn to identity, art and spirituality and where they intersect, even back then–still am! Glad some of my old professors are still telling the tales and asking the right questions for so many years!

Animals don’t question themselves
as much as we do. Still, they look
to us for their real names, and somehow
in naming (encountering one another into sound) them in Love, we too
hear the cadences of our own names mentioned.

Perhaps, we are God’s birds also, which He is still coming to name;
Yet, we too like to name, which is impossible
without our listening. We help complete and repair
by our sheer sharing of being, in Love.

Jesus hid our names in Himself, His inner cloak. His endless inner cloak, where He cherishes and hides our true names, and gently, over time, whispers them to us, as we learn to love.

As we lean into Him, we start to hear
the whispers of our linings.

Life is a long line…
of discovering all our names
in the seams of His Silence.

Perhaps, our true names
only occur when wetted by Love.

For, we are Love’s perfume on earth.
The fragrance of Christ itself
contains our names
in the smell of Love!
At the exact moment,
we watch a bird in wonder-
that is, where the endless
whisper occurs!

Each of us are poetry of God! The bird eternally landing on today’s front porch! Even this single bird which landed today near me-blue flecked bird with yellow wren fest breast! So happy to see her!
God wanted to be friends with us forever, like this.
Let’s treat one another accordingly.
Each of us precious lines in a long endless, nuanced stanza of the Divine!
Let’s approach one another like this meek bird did today!
When I see you as an alighting angel of God, i will find myself treating you more wisely, more carefully.
When i see you well, i see God well! To the degree i see, i will be seen. We are meant to be friends forever-little creatures, us!
We, who highlight identity, must know by now, how each thing resonates in itself until we see it well enough to be known!
Love is the Tone between us, which allows us to become!
You are like a bird which i will care for forever, which has, by surprise, landed on my windowsill today! Thanks for coming friend! Let’s learn frienship forever! The bird which is eternally landing!

I tip my hat to the over 20 million displaced people this year, as we all are strangers and pilgrims in the end! May you find a new, if even temporary home on this long pilgrimage we are all in this together, despite the times.

How we welcome the stranger is still the litmus test of our hearts, on a personal and collective level. Who knows when we welcome angels! Can we haven the unknown “other” families and friends? Can we heart discern their way towards home?!

Or become friends even! Let’s!

Jesus was a refugee from the start, fleeing to Egypt and then returning under duress to His own country but never welcomed. He is deeply acquainted with that particular grief!

And yet our dignity is not how we are treated, but knowing who we truly are-cherished! Praying for my many displaced friends tonight! May you find a place to rest and be yourselves this evening friends! You are always welcomed! I’ll keep The Light on always!

Met a turkish family this week, who just fled to Berlin recently—artists and wanting to contribute to the long Song-felt berlin was the new new york or amsterdam or even Rome long ago, historical global haven cities—a place to start a new life. Willing to give their gifts and serve, but need a solid welcome. Let’s offer at least that friends!

Been thinking about this anniversary of the re-formation, or deeper formation which began from multiple sources back then, but didn’t seem to be finished. If we look at the reformation as a renovation of the heart, or offering to be formed more deeply spiritually, what did we miss from it?

I had a dream once, of what was happening to the actual Body during the reformation, and it kept going up through the revivals and waves of the Spirit up through the 20th C…any place The Spirit was allowed to enter into the hearts of His actual People. It came through music, poetry, art, and fresh revealed theology.

What started as dream and whisper amplified to a global change of sight. It was a stream with many tributaries, and all of culture and society were affected by it—both its lights and shadows. It appears we are in a new type of reformation spiritually now.

Fun thinking about historical hinges or axial moments, especially when they come from true religious reforms, in all their broken cadences. A tree is always known by its long term fruit.

When I went to Jan Hus’ chapel where he preached in Praha, i started to sense the spiritual vision which was trying to download and incarnate through those in that season on earth-that particular generation of His Purposes. It was actually radical in terms of personal transformation and society; yet, what started there, those revealed spiritual seeds, where just a start, one we have not fully incarnated yet!

Perhaps outside our human structures, He was offering a deeper formation of his Life in us. And this historical marker was just the first step towards us becoming more fully human in Him!

While reading Psalm 23 in multiple translations today had a revelation about the nature of art. It carries you to the part of the spiritual realm it was written from! The symbol participates and opens us to the Reality to which is points!

Try to catch the repeated metaphors in each writer or artist: David, shepherding, battle, kingship, priestly—especially since He is the portent of Messiah, look at his metaphors. Psalm 23 is his shepherd one. You can sense, because David was so close to God, there is a transparency into the Kingdom realm in his writing! When someone has united with God deeply, like Merton, Rich Mullins and all the NT writers, you sense Christ through their voice. They are porous, like a filter through which to encounter Him. Even though they still have their own voices and concerns, what you sense is His Presence. It’s like the writings leave traces of their doorways.

When we write from our relationship with God, we create ladders for other’s into His Presence! People don’t have to agree with the words, but they can sense His Presence through them. That is the wonder of spiritual writings.

Art itself leaves us doors into spiritual rooms. It matters which room the artist is in, because that is the room you’ll be lead into. If they are in a room of intellectual curiosity, of healing, of worship, of teaching, of reflecting on their own wounds etc; be assured, if you are reading to encounter, you will encounter wherever their heart actually is or was on their journey.

This is essential especially when reading overtly spiritual writers like Kempis or Merton. Merton was frank about how odd it is to write about spiritual things. He chose to have his spirituality overheard. That is not everyone calling, but it was his. He let us into his personal intimacy and explorations with God. In his youth (Seven Storey Mountain) we overhear him exploring his way towards—early stages of spirituality. Later we overhear him learning to rest or abide in God; then still later to explore how God meets other in different cultures. But throughout we are overhearing and entering the spiritual Reality he was encountering then.

This is good to remember for many reasons! For certain seasons, we need certain seeds. Where a writer guides us, may may not be what we need that particular season. It’s good to know what type of food our spirit needs each season.

But regardless, a true spiritual writer will guide us into the part of God they are exploring at their stage of development. This is the wonder—how words become ladders directly into what they are symbolizing! As Paul Tillich taught, “symbols participate in the Reality to which they are pointing!” That hasn’t changed.

Thomas Merton, the articulate 20th C monk, compared writing “about” spirituality, to an artist writing “about” art. Sort of redundant, and yet, some have that teacherly calling to do so.

Some like making their spiritual growth, overheard, for the benefit of others! It’s like swimming, and at the same time writing about water! That’s a unique calling. But some did it well.

Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, CS Lewis, and others take us into the part of God they are writing about or rather from! Their symbols participate in the Reality to which they point, as Paul Tillich put it! Their words participate in and invite us into, that to which they point us, and we find ourselves bathing in the waters which they found! This is where art and spirituality replicate one another, and become useful for all of us!

Art itself portals us into what the artist is exploring, whether just ideas, or essences, or the nature of Nature as some of Van Gogh’s did. We are thrust or invited to enter that area of Reality through the art. The vehicle matters, but it is not the “thing itself”. It is a means to encounter what it is touching! That’s what words or any symbolic form of communication is! This is very practical actually, as once we see and know the nature of language or symbolic communication, we know we are being guided or led somewhere, and we can choose if that is where The Spirit is leading us now in our current season.

Merton tells us, his is a spiritual memoir taken actively from an ongoing journey deeper into God. So we know, and can chose to join him or not. That type of overt honest is rarer than you would think. Some writers sort of trick us into following them. And you aren’t really sure where you are going until you find yourself in the wrong place! Henri Miller and Bukowski come to mind. Both great writers, but where they take us is dark, and mostly about their own wounds projected out onto Reality. Broken lenses, and broken guides I’d say. And where do they lead us, into a pornographic version and view of life. Bad fruit. So be careful which guides you pick, they may have great talent, but are not home yet, to themselves or God.

Be wise which guides you follow, for you will end up in the room they are writing from.

The ladder is not the Reality, but words provide a stairwell in the dark towards something. God Presence incarnates in their words if they are in Him! Then there are part of God which are opened into through a particular writer’s words, depending on where they are in their own journey. Nouwen for instance, “Clowning around in Rome” is exploring freedom from religion and creativity; so you will be led into that part of the Mystery. In other books, he is exploring belonging (Voice of Love etc), so you feel that pastoral care aspect of God. Particular seeds come in particular packages. Notice which seeds you need when, and take those! God does not leave us without shepherd, but good shepherd always lead us into the Great Shepherd!

Put simple, art is symbolic communication which works by the laws of symbols. Symbols participate in the reality which they are talking “about”. That’s why symbols are a higher part of communication. So watch where the symbol guides you. In Dekooning paintings for instance, the symbol leads you into an abused version of womanhood, as many artist did. Gaugiun also takes you into a sort of hedonistic view of females, you feel his own lust more than the woman he is painting. Understanding the nature of symbols is essential for interpretation. Symbols are a strata of how God made things, and how He expresses Himself. God is symbolic. He symbolizes Himself in Nature, in the Bible and in and through people. We also symbolize. It’s part of our humanness.

The nature of art language is unique, it takes us into direct contact with what the art is participating in. Art participates in that to which it points, for this reason, it’s important to know which direction it’s pointing! You will find yourself swimming in that particular water, if the art is real.

This is mystical, but you know how words are windows. So when I am reading MacDonald, or Nouwen, or Merton, i feel God’s Presence, and I feel them. When reading Nouwen for instance, i feel his joyful personality, his humour, his depth insight into the heart, his vulnerability, but what I really feel is God’s Presence, filtering through His words. I don’t always agree with the words themselves, but I feel God in them. Or through them! That’s the true magic of writing. We set up little portals which remain after we are gone, little ladders made of words, which those living can climb and meet God, or at least the part of God we met. Isn’t that what spiritual writing is? Making ladders from our words and lives, so others can climb more easily into His Presence.

Finding other’s ladders helps us, as we grow in union ourselves, we start making ladders with our words or lives for others! We become co-heirs, or more living words.

I still love encountering Merton through reading his words. It’s because they are in God some how, and God I know, so I recoginize those in Him, and if their words are also in Him, then that is a doorway for me. And they served us by leaving their spiritual words with us! By now, they have written more books and moved on to other topics, but even these they left on earth, are still seeds, or doors, or portals into God’s Presence. That is powerful.