The Soul is a citizen of the ethereal realm.
It travels through the mists of time
Seeking to attain knowledge through experience.
The humble spirit chooses to dwell in a crumbling temple
Whose pillars of bone and walls of flesh
Fortify the monument and imprison the guest.
Pain is the medium by which to enter and leave.
The visitor loses sense of self and awaits Destruction of the earthly edifice.
Love may knock upon thy doors of stone….
Will you answer?
-Spencer K. Liles
“The Jewels of knowledge are kept close
To those who “rule” the blue marble.
Greed is the god of the realm
And the sheep have killed the Shepherd.
However, a fire has been lit
Within Saint Peter’s ancient lamp.
Once a flame that “purged” free thought
Has become a light in the Darkness.
Thy walk is a call to my path,
And a crutch for my limp.”
-SKL
As Pope Francis concludes his widely celebrated visit to the American Northeast this weekend, it’s clear that he is effortlessly transcending his faith tradition and leaving in his wake a flood of near universal goodwill, during a time when skepticism and cynicism toward organized religion may be at its zenith, with high-profile Christians making the news for all the wrong reasons.
Here is how it’s happening and what Christians of all stripes can learn from Pope Francis.
1) He leads with love.
This is the heart of Francis’ message; the extravagant, lavish, scandalously diverse love of God for all people; not some people or deserving people or appropriately repentant people or morally acceptable people or saved people, but all those who have breath and beating hearts.
The Pope isn’t defined by the stuff he hates or the people he attacks or the pulpit-slamming tirades he unleashes. Most of all he doesn’t broker in the caveated love that so…
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Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!!!
To those who sold doves in the temple courts Jesus said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me. John 2:16-17
This week some Christian friends of mine passed around a blog post advising Millennial followers of Jesus on what they “need to stop doing”.
The piece was that delightfully condescending mix of intellectual superiority, intolerance to dissension, Truth monopolizing, and moral high-grounding that has come to typify the young Evangelical positioning himself or herself as the last bastions of true “Biblical Christianity”.
It also perfectly crystalized the very reasons so many people are leaving the Church, passing on organized religion altogether, and seeking alternative spiritual community.
Central to the writer (and like-minded folks), is the Big Idea that you simply can’t criticize (or “bash”) the Church; that it’s somehow a spiritual character flaw to…
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I would say that this man is a true apostle of Christ if there ever was one! I have struggled with some of these things myself, and I believe that I am closer to God because of it!
Since I was a small child I’ve recited The Apostle’s Creed in church.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the Creed is essentially a synopsis of the essential tenets of the Christian faith, intended to be professed in corporate worship as a shared declaration of belief. It’s world-altering big picture stuff touching on the reality and trinitarian nature of God, the identity, life, mission, and resurrection of Christ, the existence of the Trinity, the concept of eternal salvation, the function of the Church, and the return of Christ as judge.
And while I’ve said the words consistently throughout my life in thousands of gatherings, I’ve often been less than fully convinced of at least one bit or another at any given moment yet unable to reveal it, especially in the presence of my peers where my conspicuous silence would have outed me instantly.
After all the Creed is a moral litmus test, a spiritual bellwether; a verbal line in the…
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Have you ever heard the expression “ignorance is bliss?” The expression is used to describe many different situations in which people look back to a time when they were ignorant of certain truths and discover that life was a lot easier. However, who really wants an easy simple life? I have always wanted a life of continual learning and adventure. Many people get to a point in their lives where they are comfortable and “set” in their ways and beliefs. I am not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I think it can be very detrimental when it comes to a persons spirituality. In my life I have experienced different denominations of Christianity and I am almost always disappointed. So many people are so caught up in dogma and religious practices that they forget the real reason why they go the church. We go to church because we want to connect to God. I think we all have a deep longing to search after God and to discover His will for our lives. In my personal opinion I think religion in many ways hinders us from truly connecting with Him. Let me be clear, I think it is very important that we fellowship and help each other grow in our faith, but we cannot allow our love of tradition and ritual cloud our minds and cut us off from the Source. Currently I attend the Catholic church on Saturday evening and the Baptist church on Sunday Morning. I find that it is a good balance of the two major branches of Christianity. These teachings and people have helped me lay the foundation of my faith and I am forever grateful. However, I am discovering more and more every day that we are all missing something very major in our spiritual walks. We are all individuals that have personal relationships with God. Do not allow others to tell you what is right or wrong when it comes to your spiritual walk with God. We are all his children, and we all have valuable lessons to learn and to give! Do not be afraid to do your own studies of the Bible and other spiritual texts. Do not be afraid to form your own opinions and interpretations of what you study! Do not be a straw man!
“We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw.” -T.S. Eliot
yours,
Spencer Liles 
Soulful Spencer 