I oft realize I alive inward unlike times than when I grew up. Since I pass most of my fourth dimension amongst college-age students, I pass piddling fourth dimension reminiscing most the “good erstwhile days.” I am absolutely sure college students don’t attention together with they don’t desire to listen most “what it was similar when I was their age.” And I don’t blame them. When I was their age, I sure enough did non desire to listen a bunch of erstwhile guys (or gals) talking most their younger years.
Yesterday was a reminder to me that I alive inward a unlike era. I was invited to practise a keynote speech. That is non unusual. I accept been invited to speak for years now---even decades. Sometimes it is an invitation from a friend or, equally often happens, from a Quaker grouping who knows me or knows most me. These kinds of invitations are never surprising. In many of these cases, the someone or grouping who invites me has a real skilful persuasion of what they volition teach when they invite me. And sometimes I am invited past times students on my campus. And of course, they are pretty confident they know what I volition tell or they truly tell me what they desire me to address.
Yesterday was different. I was contacted past times a someone I did non know. Interestingly, she was a Catholic nun. I tin ship away tell you lot I don’t accept also many nuns afterwards me to speak to their group. So this was both a surprise together with a treat. As I read the invitation together with began to grasp what I was beingness asked to do, I was eager to read on. Fairly quickly, the nun referenced 2 people who know me together with acre vouched that I was ok. I practise consider both of these people friends, but I accept no clue how the nun knows either i of them. So that intrigue remains without whatever answer. And the skilful word is, I don’t accept to accept an answer.
Yesterday was a reminder to me that I alive inward a unlike era. I was invited to practise a keynote speech. That is non unusual. I accept been invited to speak for years now---even decades. Sometimes it is an invitation from a friend or, equally often happens, from a Quaker grouping who knows me or knows most me. These kinds of invitations are never surprising. In many of these cases, the someone or grouping who invites me has a real skilful persuasion of what they volition teach when they invite me. And sometimes I am invited past times students on my campus. And of course, they are pretty confident they know what I volition tell or they truly tell me what they desire me to address.
Yesterday was different. I was contacted past times a someone I did non know. Interestingly, she was a Catholic nun. I tin ship away tell you lot I don’t accept also many nuns afterwards me to speak to their group. So this was both a surprise together with a treat. As I read the invitation together with began to grasp what I was beingness asked to do, I was eager to read on. Fairly quickly, the nun referenced 2 people who know me together with acre vouched that I was ok. I practise consider both of these people friends, but I accept no clue how the nun knows either i of them. So that intrigue remains without whatever answer. And the skilful word is, I don’t accept to accept an answer.
The clincher inward the invitation, however, came when I read to the final paragraph. The nun said she had checked me out on YouTube! I am aware that unopen to of the things I accept done accept been posted on YouTube. I accept never bothered to set anything in that place on my own. But unopen to of the diverse speaking engagements I accept done practise appear on that social medium. And inward most representative I had no tell inward whether it was posted online. So this is a novel era. H5N1 nun checked me out together with I was ok. It seems that I am a skilful opportunity to speak to her group.
As I persuasion most this, I realized inward unopen to mode the nun had told me, “I accept seen you.” This is true, fifty-fifty though nosotros accept never met. She has seen me. But I accept non seen her. Of course, I volition come across her someday. She volition know me; correct similar a shot I accept no clue what she looks similar or almost anything else most her. But my principal betoken is, she has seen me.
This fact prompted me to intend most an analogy. It prompted me to intend most God. And to intend most God is to stimulate down to intend theologically. As I often tell students, theology is the mode humans intend most together with push clit God. Theology is a human essay to verbalise most the mystery, which I consider God to be. To tell God is a mystery is non to tell anything specific most God except to tell I tin ship away know almost goose egg for certain. To tell that God is mystery is to affirm that God exists, but it also affirms I can’t define or thoroughly push clit this mystery. And I am truly quite happy most this. God is bigger than whatever definition.
Even though God is a mystery to me, I practise believe I tin ship away “know” unopen to things from God together with most God. I am ok amongst the metaphors of Father together with Mother. I intend God is both and, of course, neither. I am also happy to purpose non-personal metaphors to verbalise most God. One of my favorite non-personal metaphors for God is to push clit God equally energy. I am comfortable talking most God equally the liberate energy that creates together with sustains our world. God is ever-present to me equally the liberate energy flowing through my house.
I am also happy to verbalise most the kinds of ways that God relates to me together with to all people. It makes feel to me to verbalise most God equally liberate energy enlivening me. When I intend most God equally Mother, it makes feel to experience loved together with nurtured. That’s what mothers do. And when I intend most God equally Mother, Father or Friend, I tin ship away empathise that God powerfulness fifty-fifty say, “I accept seen you.” In a deep mode I practise intend God has seen me. And I intend God has seen you lot together with every other fauna on this planet. We accept been seen together with volition give-up the ghost along to endure seen. And none of this volition endure posted on YouTube.
God has seen me inward the same mode the nun has seen me. By seeing me, she has a feel of what I am similar together with tin ship away estimate how I would practise inward a similar speaking context for her. God’s seeing me goes fifty-fifty deeper together with has to a greater extent than profound implications. God does non desire me exactly for a speaking engagement. My time to come amongst God is non a half-hour keynote together with and thus it’s over. God’s seeing me is non a asking for a piddling time, but it volition endure an invitation for my life. God does non desire a speech. God’s invitation to me is a asking for my life.
God wants me to come upward into a human relationship together with to stimulate down to emulate inward my ain mode what God wants for all people. By having seen me, God concludes I tin ship away practise it. I tin ship away teach divine-like together with teach a creative, loving forcefulness inward the world. To select whatever other mode of forcefulness is to opt for unopen to form of destructive, chaotic presence. God wants goose egg less from you.
God wants me together with you lot to tell yeah equally much equally the nun wanted an affirmative response from me. One is uncomplicated together with tin ship away endure done amongst unopen to words inward a speech. God’s invitation is for a lifetime. It tin ship away exclusively endure done inward actions that ultimately volition transform this the world into the kingdom nosotros all dream tin ship away endure true. Say yes.
As I persuasion most this, I realized inward unopen to mode the nun had told me, “I accept seen you.” This is true, fifty-fifty though nosotros accept never met. She has seen me. But I accept non seen her. Of course, I volition come across her someday. She volition know me; correct similar a shot I accept no clue what she looks similar or almost anything else most her. But my principal betoken is, she has seen me.
This fact prompted me to intend most an analogy. It prompted me to intend most God. And to intend most God is to stimulate down to intend theologically. As I often tell students, theology is the mode humans intend most together with push clit God. Theology is a human essay to verbalise most the mystery, which I consider God to be. To tell God is a mystery is non to tell anything specific most God except to tell I tin ship away know almost goose egg for certain. To tell that God is mystery is to affirm that God exists, but it also affirms I can’t define or thoroughly push clit this mystery. And I am truly quite happy most this. God is bigger than whatever definition.
Even though God is a mystery to me, I practise believe I tin ship away “know” unopen to things from God together with most God. I am ok amongst the metaphors of Father together with Mother. I intend God is both and, of course, neither. I am also happy to purpose non-personal metaphors to verbalise most God. One of my favorite non-personal metaphors for God is to push clit God equally energy. I am comfortable talking most God equally the liberate energy that creates together with sustains our world. God is ever-present to me equally the liberate energy flowing through my house.
I am also happy to verbalise most the kinds of ways that God relates to me together with to all people. It makes feel to me to verbalise most God equally liberate energy enlivening me. When I intend most God equally Mother, it makes feel to experience loved together with nurtured. That’s what mothers do. And when I intend most God equally Mother, Father or Friend, I tin ship away empathise that God powerfulness fifty-fifty say, “I accept seen you.” In a deep mode I practise intend God has seen me. And I intend God has seen you lot together with every other fauna on this planet. We accept been seen together with volition give-up the ghost along to endure seen. And none of this volition endure posted on YouTube.
God has seen me inward the same mode the nun has seen me. By seeing me, she has a feel of what I am similar together with tin ship away estimate how I would practise inward a similar speaking context for her. God’s seeing me goes fifty-fifty deeper together with has to a greater extent than profound implications. God does non desire me exactly for a speaking engagement. My time to come amongst God is non a half-hour keynote together with and thus it’s over. God’s seeing me is non a asking for a piddling time, but it volition endure an invitation for my life. God does non desire a speech. God’s invitation to me is a asking for my life.
God wants me to come upward into a human relationship together with to stimulate down to emulate inward my ain mode what God wants for all people. By having seen me, God concludes I tin ship away practise it. I tin ship away teach divine-like together with teach a creative, loving forcefulness inward the world. To select whatever other mode of forcefulness is to opt for unopen to form of destructive, chaotic presence. God wants goose egg less from you.
God wants me together with you lot to tell yeah equally much equally the nun wanted an affirmative response from me. One is uncomplicated together with tin ship away endure done amongst unopen to words inward a speech. God’s invitation is for a lifetime. It tin ship away exclusively endure done inward actions that ultimately volition transform this the world into the kingdom nosotros all dream tin ship away endure true. Say yes.
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
