Unity rather than Uniformity

My great desire is for unity, not uniformity. When I was considering doing an advanced degree, a professor recommended that I attend a school that was not Baptist. He said that I was raised and taught as a Baptist, and I needed someone who would challenge my “Baptist beliefs.” My Baptist beliefs can be described as my “imbedded theology” or “what mama and them taught me.” So, I ended up in a school of another denomination. I valued and respected the folks I knew from that other denomination even though I did not know much about their history or beliefs. I enrolled and, sure enough, there were times when I would share my thoughts and beliefs and someone would ask, “Rick, where did you get that interpretation of those verses? That is not how I interpret them.” In those gentle but challenging questions and relationships, my learning and spiritual maturity began to deepen. I began to grow more deeply in the spiritual life rather than more isolated with my imbedded beliefs. Uniformity may look like certainty, and it is our ego nature to want the security of certainty. Our spiritual nature however values the questions, more than certainty. If I have no questions and everything is certain, then why would I need faith? I am grateful for that wise professor’s guidance. There is an enormous difference between unity and uniformity.

Eastern Kentucky Flooding and Coal Companies

The floods in eastern Kentucky have been devastating. People have lost everything. That is beyond my imagination. I am wonderfully amazed to read and see all the volunteers who have come to help. They have helped in so many ways. I am also amazed how people have responded with their gifts and money. Unfortunately, I am aware of a missing piece. Where are the coal companies with their big trucks and heavy machinery as well as volunteers and money to help the families in eastern Kentucky? The coal companies are responsible not only the way they have treated, or shall I write abused, the beautiful mountains and streams but, also, the people of eastern Kentucky. Now that there is a national tragedy, they seem absent. What ethic is it that says I will take money from your resources and leave you with the consequences. You may pretend to care but you cannot pretend to show up. I hope that I am wrong, and the television and newspapers have just not shown pictures of your heavy equipment. Come on coal companies, show up!

The Blinding Passions

Evagrius Ponticus was a 4th century hermit/monk. One of his teachings related to the eight passions or energies. Those were: gluttony, lust, greed, sadness/depression, anger, acedia (wants immediate results), vain glory, and pride. He did not call these energies sin. He called them passions or energies and what they do is blind us to reality. They blind us to the reality of our life, God’s presence, and God’s leading. Perhaps Paul had such in mind when he wrote I Corinthians 13:12, “We see through a glass darkly….” For example, we cannot see ourselves realistically or what God is doing because we have been blinded by our greed. I use greed as my example because the early Church fathers and mothers believed that the original sin was greed. Adam and Eve (humankind) wanted more than God gave them. They wanted more than they needed = greed. Jesus warned about the blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14). We can be blinded by any, or many, of these passions or energies and not realize that we have become blinded. I pray for government and church leaders, as well as families, because it is so easy to become blinded by any of these passions and not realize it. Unfortunately, many of these passions are socially approved. That is an indictment of our society and culture. We do not need the blind leading the blind.

59 Years

Judy and I have been married 59 years on August 16th. We met at Oklahoma Baptist University. I was one year ahead of her. She came to OBU to study Business and Religious Education. She had in mind that she might become a Church Religious Educator and Administrator. She also was musically talented with voice and piano. I came to study Psychology and Philosophy. We met during TWIRP week. TWIRP stood for “the woman is requested to pay.” TWIRP weeks was an annual week at OBU. She asked me to go to the movies with her. We saw Gone With The Wind at the Hornbeck theatre in Shawnee, Oklahoma. We were ‘smitten’ with each other. We later confessed that we had been watching each other for awhile. Our family backgrounds were alike, and our future goals were similar. Our values, attitudes, behaviors, expectations were almost identical. We were the oldest of siblings and, therefore, very responsible for ourselves. We were both diligent students. We were both elected as officers in the Baptist Student Union by the OBU student body. We were both interested in missions. Judy did a summer with the Home Mission Board on the Papago Indian reservation in Arizona. In August, Judy and I went to Glorieta Baptist Assemble grounds in New Mexico for Student week. During that week, we drove to the Pecos Monastery where we were engaged. We were married on August 16, 1963. It has been such a wonderful relationship that we were meant for each other. It continues to be a wonderful journey together. Thanks be to God.

Tranquility, Gentleness and Strength

St. John of the Cross says that every quality or virtue which God’s Spirit really produces in a person’s soul has three distinguishing characters, which are tranquility, gentleness, and strength. Fuss, feverishness, anxiety, intensity, intolerance, instability, pessimism … every kind of hurry and worry are not evidence of tranquility, gentleness, and/or strength. If we desire a simple test of the quality of our spiritual life, a consideration of the tranquility, gentleness, and strength with which we deal with the circumstances of our outward life will serve us as evidence of our spiritual maturity. No cheapening sense of hurry, or nervous anxiety about success. The actions of those whose lives are given to the Spirit has in it something of the leisure of Eternity. In the spiritual life it is important to get our timing right. Otherwise, we tend to forget that God, who is greater than our heart, is greater than our job too. (Thanks for this insight to Emilie Griffin. Evelyn Underhill, Essential Writings. [Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books. 2003]).

60 YEARS AGO

On August 12, 1962, I was Ordained to the Gospel Ministry. I was 20 years old. I had finished my sophomore year at Oklahoma Baptist University. I was Pastor of the Payne Baptist Church in Payne, Oklahoma, which was a Sunday only responsibility. My home church, First Baptist Church, Norman, Oklahoma, and the Payne Baptist Church had a joint ordination service. I hope I have lived up to the expectations of all those good friends and family. Thanks be to God.

Four Great Insights

Galileo taught us that we are not the center of the universe. Our tiny planet orbits around the sun. We are not the center of the universe as our egos want us to believe. We also share a heritage with all animals. We thank you Charles Darwin. We share our ancestry with the animals, and we do best when we care for all animals, plants, water, air, etc. We are not even in control of our thoughts and feelings as much as we think. We thank you Sigmond Freud and Carl Jung. There are those unconscious and archetypical energies in our subconscious and unconscious that are powerful influencers on our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. We are also created in the image of GOD who not only knows but, also, loves us. We thank you Jesus. God loves us not because of what we have done or will do but because of who God is. We are an unusual mix of our common humanity.

Interfaith (cont'd again)

I have recently read two Interfaith books I recommend. The first is Brian McLaren’s book, WHY DID JESUS, MOSES, THE BUDDHA, AND MOHAMMED CROSS THE ROAD? McLaren is a former English Professor turned church planter. His book indicates that we can recognize God’s truth in other languages, times and cultures and still own our own heritage and unique faith. The second is Roger Walsh’s book, ESSENTIAL SPIRITUALITY. Walsh is an Australian Professor of Psychiatry Philosophy and Anthropology. Walsh’s book suggests seven principles of spiritual growth and describes how the major “religions” seem to be saying similar things. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the incarnated son of GOD and God’s greatest revelation. That is why I pray lectio divinia from the gospels every morning. Jesus prayed that “All would be one.” and “May they be brought to complete unity” John 17:21 & 23. Unity, not uniformity is God’s desire. We are all one in God more than we may realize. Thanks be to God

Interfaith (cont'd)

Our center’s name is Interfaith Counseling Center. I was not present when the former Board and whomever elsewhere decided upon that name. Nevertheless, I like the name and what it means. Sometime in the mid-1980’s I began to see a Spiritual Director; He was Father Hank Kenney, a Jesuit Priest. Early in our time together I recall saying that I was comfortable being a Baptist (that has changed but onto my Interfaith point) and I did not want to be a Roman Catholic. He laughed, as was his manner, and replied. “My purpose is to make you a better Jesus Follower and that may mean a better Baptist. I pray, he continued, that from our time together, the Holy Spirit will make me a better Jesus Follower and a better Catholic Priest.” His attitude was an interfaith gift.