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 
The endless road
Winding
Twisting
Junctions of doubt
Eons of time
Paths trod
In success
And in failure
Never tiring
Searching
Questing
Believing in one
Shadows and light
Beckoning
Misleading
Trials of the soul
Until one light
Bright
Loving
Raises the heart
The journey’s end
Delight
of spirit
The road led to you!
Beautiful!
The house of God
is not a temple, nor a church
a mosque or shrine.
God’s house is alive
never man-made.
God’s house is you
a tree, a bee.
Some say God is in all
He made
which led me to wonder
how He can be in
man-made locations.
He is in the floresta
on mountain tops
by the sea
just as I am sure
God lives inside each of us
even you and me.
Where has Christianity gone? Where can I find it? These are the questions I struggle with all of the time. I feel as though true Christianity is some distant legend; a group of people that are long gone and that have been lost to antiquity. Christ’s message has been perverted in our modern era. “Church” is now a business and the Bible is now a way to persecute people. I long to follow Jesus(God) and his teachings, but they have been thrown about in the waves of humanity. The only place I feel as though I can find him is in my heart. I keep the Bible close, but it does not quench my thirst! I am on a never-ending journey to find “He who is Love.” Jesus, I know you are within me! Please help me to understand your ways, for no man will be able to!
-S.L.
“So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
-Jesus Christ
Follow me
leave the wide straight road
find the narrow winding path
with unknown end
the course of mystics
saints, artists and poets
through age upon age
on the ultimate quest
Come with me
as I guide you through trails
long trod by brave souls
past dark caverns
and bottomless pits
darkness that tempts
along the way
but do not fear
Hold my hand
until we reach the treasure
the unfolding of beauty
fields of light we now walk
in warm sun amongst
soft grass and flowers
of every hue and colour
bright and joyful in life
Follow me now
to the eternal forest
though no sight of sky
there is light, see
from the trees themselves
stop and listen awhile
to the wisdom
of their ancient language
They tell of a time
before time was, before the fall
they have seen all that is
and all that will be
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Soulful Spencer 