Tag Archives: freedom
The Clutch of Death (part 6)
One of the ancient spiritual paths goes by an old name…
“mortification.”
It means to put to death. Once we see that our false narratives, our faulty Life-Stories are strangling the life out of us, we want to turn the tables and put that clutching instinct to death itself. Historically, spiritual people have done that by killing off the passions they associate with those attachments.
The traditional use of the practice is always voluntary. But what about those times when we are involuntarily forced into being without this thing, that person, or the other circumstance that we have come to believe we cannot be happy without? Can we apply this ancient practice to an involuntary season of “Lent?”
Have a listen,
I’ll talk about a friend of mine who has involuntarily been forced into a “vow of poverty” by an extended season of unemployment. Can he benefit from involuntary mortification, just as the ancients tell us we can from a voluntary one? Continue reading
The Suffocating Power of Stuff (part 4)
Today, we conclude this lesson on the suffocating power of stuff. We began the lesson with Jesus’ teaching in Mt. 6 on stuff, and an analysis of why it is so difficult for us, living under the socio-economic system of consumerism, to heed Jesus’ words.
We conclude with some practical ways we help us see the internal programs that drive our lives to distraction. Continue reading
Posted in The Suffocating Power of Stuff
Tagged freedom, internal programming, liberty, self-awareness, trustee
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The Suffocating Power of Stuff (part 3)
That we are suffocated by stuff in a literal sense is not the biggest problem we face. Yes, it’s true that possessing too many things stifles and loads us down, but the more dangerous form of suffocation, is the mindset, the heartset, that believes we’ll find happiness when we get stuff, when we get the physical realities of our world to line up with our desires.
This thinking pattern has been introduced into the water we drink for so long, that we can’t imagine that it is toxic to our souls… But it is.
Listen to what the ancient sages and saints have had to say about becoming free from this toxic destroyer of interior freedom and liberty. Continue reading
Posted in The Suffocating Power of Stuff
Tagged freedom, internal programming, liberty, self-awareness
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Reconsidering Prayer (part 4)
Today, as we continue our lesson rethinking prayer, we come to the mindset necessary for this “seeking-Truth” way of praying.
Self-discipline is necessary to this new way, but that term falls on hard times for many Christians. We’ve tried and tried to be disciplined with our prayer practices, but they returned so little to our souls.
This lesson talks about applying discipline in such a way that it returns an elevated understanding of Truth, awakens us to the Divine Presence that is always in and around us, and answers to the yearning to see the Divine in our daily lives.
Abhishiktananda, a French Benedictine monk who lived in India, said it this way…
Truly there is nothing in the created universe, in all time and space, which does not manifest God and reveal his glory to mankind. In creating us God made us us able to recognize his manifestation in the world and in events, so that we might respond to it in love. Continue reading
July 4th, 2010
Yes, we’re in the middle of a lesson on rethinking prayer, but the 4th of July calls for some appropriate remarks. We’re staying on the theme that will expand our understanding of prayer, but doing it in a 4th-of-July kind of way.
God bless you. Continue reading
Posted in Individual Lesson
Tagged 4th of July, ancient spiritual paths, freedom, liberty
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Fighting for Freedom: Interior Freedom
In this 4th of July weekend message, we talk about the importance of Liberty, especially interior liberty. The freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights don’t mean much if we don’t have an attendent interior freedom to go along with them. Continue reading
Posted in Individual Lesson
Tagged freedom, Meditation Practicum, spiritual disciplines
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Relaxing Our Ego Desires (Part 2)
We’re spending these days looking at some ancient spiritual practice that challenge the tyranny of desire. This week we continue looking at how to effectively challenge the power of ego-desire, specifically by using the power of our imagination. Continue reading
Posted in Inner Peace
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, desire, freedom, imagination, inner rest, peace
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Relaxing Our Ego Desires (Part 1)
We’re spending these days looking at some ancient spiritual practice that challenge the tyranny of desire. This week we look at how to effectively challenge the power of ego-desire. Continue reading