Unregulated Female

Today is the completion of a four year spiritual journey. I have been so amazingly granted space to grow, to seek, to change. This, my friends, is the true gift.

How often in life are we granted time and space to reflect on why we believe what we believe? To actually handle our faith, roll it around, pick it apart, and allow the universe to help us put it where it belongs? This unfolding journey of faith continually moves me to a deep and sincere heartfelt gratitude.

How could I ever thank those a part of my journey? By implementing their love and insight, while looking forward to where G-d is leading me.

Celebrating today and looking with profound hope to the new portion of the journey.

Why so complicated?

How I love to study, reflect, and inquire spiritual concepts and ideals.  I love to sit on the floor, surrounded by my thesaurus, my Vine's, my books, my concordance, and search... Those of you who really know me, know that i am intensely interested in this sort of reflection.  BUT - - why, oh, why do I make spiritual things so complicated?

At what point in my spiritual journey does faith come in?  Not just blind, "please lead me b/c you know better" foolishness, but faith...  Spiritual concepts can be whirled around and about until you are spinning like a Rumi dancer, but in the midst of this, there is/must be a point of release... A point where I release the need to "fully" grasp the divine, and allow myself to be carried by it. (selah or pause and think about this... let it roll around on the inside of you... "and allow myself to be carried by it."

These ponderings may seem a cop-out - but, to me, I sense a trust in the journey, in the on-goingness of faith... (if there is such a word).  The unfolding of spirituality and faith is a process, taking a lifetime of study, devotion and intent...  And then suddenly, when one leasts expects it, an "AHA!" moment happens and we are never the same.

Thankfully and with hope...

UF

Boycotting - WHAT???

well, back at home in T-town, enjoying gearing up for finals (ha ha) and this huge ice storm comes in ... Not snow, NO... ICE. Well, some of it looked pretty, but the damage was insane... Tell me again WHY I live in Tulsa?

I am reminded how much I don't miss this place when people are arguing over boycotting "THE GOLDEN COMPASS." (sigh) What a waste of time and energy. If someone is SERIOUS about their committement to their faith, then why not use the money you would have spent for a movie ticket and give it to the Zarrow Center or John 3:16 to feed the homeless and poor. WHY are people more interested in boycotting something so ridiculous and yet are not the least bit encouraged to help REAL people HERE in our city?

I am furious at the stats: 1 in 4 children in Tulsa go to bed hungry every night. What a blight on our "faith-based" city! I get that we all struggle with faith and the expression of it, but why does "Faith" have to be so "untouchable?" WHY can't it be about real issues rather than these silly side distractions.

I am just asking...

Richard Roberts of ORU -- Pah-leez!

God takes care of his sheep, especially when it comes to advising his elite in a manner that helps them to evade fraud charges.

Richard Roberts, the son of Oral Roberts and President of Oral Roberts University resigned his position last friday citing that God told him to do so on Thanksgiving Day.

His resignation came after pressure from a suit filed by university professors in response to excessive spending indulgences by the Roberts family.

Those poor little fat-pocket Neo-Cons. I wonder if he'll be able to fill the tank on his Infiniti Q45 at the pumps next week, or if he will have to resort to driving the less-thirsty Mercedes.

And what a Thanksgiving - I wonder what the dialogue was like as he spoke to God over the turkey.

"Dear god, we are gathered here on this special day to give thanks to you for allowing us to reap the fruits of your faith-factory, and to dine on this emaculate meal prepared by our servants, and paid for by your congregation."

"Uh, Richard..."

"Yeah, God?"

"I'm going to need you to resign as university president. The attention you've drawn is already affecting the numbers, and we can't sustain the damage from a scandal this late in the quarter. Don't worry... you'll receive a nice severance package including stock options and a furnished condominium in Heaven. Let's do this quietly and maybe we can recover before next year's predicitions are compiled."

"But God, I like my job at the helm of a premier indoctrination center. I'm like an area manager, and people are afraid of me."

"They're not as afraid of you as they are of me, and if this continues they might all smell what's going on here. If that happens, they might not be afraid of me anymore. If they stop fearing me, they might learn the truth. Get out now so we can all save face and keep the money flowing."

It's about this time when his wife interrupts and says,

"Richard, please stop talking with yourself at the table. It's creepy when you hold both sides of a conversation. Besides, God just told me that if you don't resign, I'm to stop having sex with you."

And there you have it.

They must find it difficult, those who take authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. - Gerald Massey, Egyptologist

Birth Control is Harmful...

OK - All over my conservative town are billboards stating, "Birthcontrol is harmful."  This from a state who is #4 in the NATION for teen pregnacy and 2nd teen pregnacy.  Hmmm...

The fear of a comprehensive sex education is limitless!  People think that if young people really know about sex, they will immediately become sodomites and whores unable to control their sexual drive.  If I was a young person in my state, I would be offended.

This same thread of thought is used when others speak of vaccinating our young women/girls for the HPV.  "If we vaccinate them, then they will just go out and have sex."  WHAT??  This vaccination is to promote the life of a young women so that when she decides she is ready for sexual contact, she will not have to fear the threat of this disease.  If that is the case, then we need to not vaccinate people when they travel overseas.  It's their own damn fault if they catch malaria.  What were they doing there in the first place...?  Catch my drift...

Abstinence only education teaches one thing: fear.  "If you have sex, you will get an STD or worse AIDS.  They don't tell you that you have to have sex with someone infected with the disease, just if you have sex." This is an actual quote from an 18yr old high school grad from one of our more "premier" schools.  WHATEVER.

Does abstinence only education prevent teens from having sex?  Statistically, no.  While it may prolong the sexual activity with another for not more than a year, it does not adequately education young people about sexuality as well as sex.  It does not go into basics of plumbing - nor does it go through the history of sexuality.

Repress and ignore does not work in a society where teens are filled with guilt and shame over their own bodies and the reactions to sexuality. Educate, inform.  Teach about abstinence, but also show if you want to experience your sexuality through sex, here's how to protect yourself.

Grrrr... I am going to write a letter to my paper's editor about this. 

Oh, look honey

I saw the most amazing bumper sticker:

"Oh, look, honey... another pro-lifer for war..."

 

Make it STOP!!

Ok - I know I have been out of bloggersville for a bit...  Needed some time to regroup.

Here's one for the books, folks... No, I did NOT make this one up...

"Mom's making Jesus crepes again!

Why bother waiting for Jesus to magically manifest Himself on a tortilla or piece of chapati? You can perform the miracle yourself by searing His image into your pancakes or quesadillas with the Jesus Pan. Quick and easy — hallelujah.

A grilled cheese with the Virgin Mary’s image on it sold for $28,000 on eBay in 2004. There’s no telling what the street value of your next breakfast could be.

And it's got non-stick coating, too! Bon appetit to a whole lotta disciples who sent this in. $29.99 gets you 2 Jesus Pans on — duh — www.jesuspan.com.'



I so love www.jesusoftheweek.com

When you love...

When you love a person all fear disappears.

And when you are afraid all love disappears.

- Osho

Stinkin' Fear

Why does it appear that so much of life seems to be consumed by fear: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not getting what we want, fear of not being able to keep what we have, ad nauseum.

Is is truly so difficult to live a life without fear?  I am not referring to common sense, but I am referring to being paralyzed from moving into life - the here and now.  Maybe I am an idealist; I am not certain.  I find terrific peace and joy in the awareness of the moment - of being fully present, of loving without need for reciprication, of being myself - while granting myself space to grow and heal.  Somehow in this moment, I realize others sense the freedom to be themselves - w/o the masks or the walls.

Anxiety and fear are so worthless.  Wallowing in this, our hearts get to the point of despair rather than truly finding the joy of life -and the joy others get from our experiencing life together.  How do we enter this moment?  I believe it is by following our own path and being as authentic as possible with ourselves and others.

Today I boldly proclaim to those entrenched in the anxieties of the day, "Come see the freedom available to you and realize that you don't need no stinkin fear!"

Creativity

I am not sure why at times I sense the urge to create - to paint, to write, to bake, whatever.  Today I am going to spend some of this energy and do just this!  I have my journal and pencils - and no judgement of what is "art" or what is not. 

This judgement is what concerns me - when I am being creative, I remind myself that most of the famous artists were not happy with their own work, often complaining about the lack of life/energy in their creativity.  While I would not mind having the talent of Picasso, I realize the wonderful part of being creative is just that - creating.  So, whether it is baking an amazing spinach quiche, writing a longing sonnet, or sketch the abstracts within me, I release myself to do this - to be present and let it flow...