John was the one who proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God who took away the Sin of the World. John did not say "sins" but "Sin". Many miss this New Testament definition of "Sin". "Sin" is missing the mark. It is separation from God. It is the cause of all "sins". Sins are symptoms of this separation. When in the Presence of the Love of God, one does not want to commit "sins". We need to stop spending time on trying to take away the sins of the World. We need to have disciples who know that the Power of being in the Grace Presence is God's way of bringing Peace on the earth. Read more
Pentecost VI Mark 6:1-13
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 28, 2012
In Biblical times, when leaving Gentile cities, pious Jews often shook the dust from their feet to show their separation from Gentiles. While Israel was a holy land, the land of the Gentiles wasn't. Rational thinking judges us along with the people who reject the apostles' teaching. Jesus tells us if others refuse to listen to us, we get the right to judge them. The only thing we can do is to treat them as Gentiles. There can be no fellowship between them and us. We must leave and leave for good. This leads to self righteousness and condemnation of those who do not agree with us because, "Jesus said so!" Read more
Follow Your Heart Part 4: Follow Your Heart
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 26, 2012
This twelve part series is an attempt to make clear how to follow our heart by explaining an intangible concept!! It seems so simple when others tell us to follow our heart. What does it mean to do so? We need a reason to follow our heart. As long as the logic of our head works, we will find little to discover what following the heart has to offer. Read more
Pentecost V Mark 5:21-43
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 21, 2012
The rational looks at what is seen, the spiritual looks at what is unseen. The rational is thinking what happened and the spiritual is thinking how it happened. Spiritual understanding knows when we are in the Presence, we will see things differently than when we are out of the Presence. That is the main part of the teaching. We never really understand what the difference is until we actually experience both the rational and the spiritual. Read more
Follow Your Heart Part 3: The Rational Head
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 19, 2012
This twelve part series is an attempt to make clear how to follow our heart by explaining an intangible concept!! It is impossible for the rational head to feel the spiritual heart. When we are in the Peace, Love, and Joy of the heart, we will think, feel, and act differently than when we are out of it. We can have negative thoughts that create negative feelings about the same thing we think about when in the heart. The difference is we will have Wisdom from the heart we never could have in the head. Read more
Pentecost IV Mark 4:35-41
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 14, 2012
Rational thinking can lead to a dead end. There are numerous rational details. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion, and his disciples had to wake him up. Where has rational thinking taken us? Was Jesus telling them to calm their own storms next time? Perhaps Mark wrote it for us to feel guilty because we have such little faith when the storms of life hit us. Rationally, that is about it. Read more
Pentecost III Mark 4:26-34
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 07, 2012
The rational looks for what is at the center of the parable. It is the seed. The Kingdom of God is like a seed planted. Spiritually thinking, the Kingdom of God is the ground not the seed. Read more
Follow Your Heart Part 1: Listen to Your Heart and Follow It
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Jun 05, 2012
This twelve part series is an attempt to make clear how to follow our heart by explaining an intangible concept!! To trust our heart is to understand that something inside of us is superior to outside circumstance. In the experience of the heart we will find Peace and Wisdom we can always depend upon under any circumstance. Read more
Pentecost II Proper 5 Mark 3:20-35
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on May 31, 2012
Rationally, we let our theology define the words of Jesus. Spiritually, we let the words of Jesus define our theology. It means looking at the Scripture for some new Wisdom. God's forgiveness through Jesus is always there. No matter what it is, we can always be forgiven. Read more
Trinity Sunday John 3:1-16
Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on May 24, 2012
Nicodemus is in the dark by thinking rationally. He wants to know what Jesus is teaching. Jesus is teaching in the spiritual light. He wants Nicodemus to know how to do what He is saying. Nicodemus knows rationally, Jesus is a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs He is doing if God were not with him. He is thinking in the dark when Jesus says no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born from above. Read more
Latest Posts
-
Year A Pentecost XXIV
- Nov 13, 2014 -
Year A Pentecost XXIV Bottom Line
- Nov 10, 2014 -
Year A Pentecost XXIII
- Nov 06, 2014 -
Year A Pentecost XXIII Bottom Line
- Nov 03, 2014 -
Year A Pentecost XXII
- Oct 30, 2014
Latest Comments
-
I am interested in finding out…
6 years, 9 months ago -
I have built a Chartres Labyrinth…
7 years, 9 months ago -
Feelings of guilt grip many who…
7 years, 10 months ago -
I truly needed to read this today!…
9 years ago -
These designs are all outdated.…
9 years, 1 month ago
Blog Archives
- November 2014 (4)
- October 2014 (9)
- September 2014 (9)
- August 2014 (8)
- July 2014 (9)
- June 2014 (9)
- May 2014 (9)
- April 2014 (8)
- March 2014 (9)
- February 2014 (8)
- January 2014 (9)
- December 2013 (9)
Most Used Tags
- Fr. Paul (150)
- Lectionary (141)
- Meditations (139)
- Bottom Line (121)
- Year A (106)
- Year C (102)
- grace (75)
- Presence (50)
- Pentecost (49)
- spiritual grace (46)
- literal religion (46)
- legalism (41)
- Year B (35)
- spiritual understanding (25)
- Easter (22)
- rational thinking (18)
- Epiphany (16)
- war on legalism (15)
- Jesus (13)
- follow your heart (12)
- Wisdom (12)
- Lent (12)
- rational head (12)
- Peace (12)
- Grace (11)
Most Used References to Scripture
- John 1:1 (28)
- John 15:5 (27)
- John 13:34 (25)
- John 1:14 (20)
- Matthew 22:37 (14)
- Matthew 22:37-40 (8)
- Romans 12:2 (7)
- John 16:33 (7)
- John 1:17 (6)
- John 20:19-31 (5)
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (4)
- John 8:23 (4)
- Galations 4:6 (4)
- Matthew 28:19 (4)
- John 20:1-18 (4)
- Psalm 146 (3)
- Matthew 15:21-28 (3)
- John 1:4 (3)
- Luke 14:1 (3)
- Psalm 99 (3)
- Psalm 16 (3)
- Luke 17:21 (3)
- John 1:10 (3)
- Romans 8:3 (3)
- Psalm 126 (3)