Speaking of Spirit

" The kingdom of God could be realized simply by daring to live differently from the normal conventions. The kingdom of God in the teachings of Jesus was not an apocalyptic or heavenly projection of otherworldly desire. It was driven by a desire to think that there must be a better way to live together than the present state of affairs. And it called for a change of behavior in the present on the part of individuals invested in the vision. " Burton L. Mack I was in seminary when I finally understood the quote from the Gospel of Luke, "The Kingdom of God is within you, now." We search and search, but what we dream of is here.  Too often, by the time we realize this, the time to enjoy reveling in the knowledge is too short. We, humans, are born with the ability to create the world we live in. We can create a world of peace and compassion or a world of hate and pain. The choice is ours.   Thing is, we must begin within, for there is where the Source lie...

"If we wish to free ourselves from enslavement,  we must choose freedom and the responsibility this entails."   ~~ Leo Buscaglia ~~  Many years ago, when I first began my search for those who believed that the world could be a better place, I found a book by Leo Buscaglia . His book, Born for Love, nearly jumped off the shelf into my hands. The minute I saw the title, I knew I had to read it.  After devouring the book, soaking in every microbe of wisdom, highlighting, notating and rereading, I felt I was finally on the path I was born to travel. Free of the fog of indecision and confusion, I had come to a place where I knew what resonated with my mind and soul.  However, with this freedom came responsibility. I quickly learned that I could not simply travel down my path in carefree abandon. No, there were still lessons to learn and teach. There were still people whose lives intersected with mine. There were still days filled with difficul...

Image via Wikipedia   Chinese depiction of  Jesus and the rich man (Mark 10) - 1879, Beijing, China - (This is a post from several years ago, but due to world events, I felt worth publishing again.  Blessings of Light and Love to all!) The one tenet almost every religion has in common is to Love one another .  For this month dedicated to Love, here are some sacred writings from around the world.  These are listed by the approximate dates they were written based on texts found by scholars. Hinduism : 3200 BC, From the Hitopadesa - "One should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated." J udaism: 1300 BC, from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:18 - "Thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself."   Zoroastrianism : 600 BC, From the Shast-na-shayast 13:29 - "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others." Confucianism : 557 BC, From the Analects 15:23 - "What you do not want done to your...

Photo: (c) 2015 Linda M Neas Living in farm country has a way of keeping me balanced - of keeping me from becoming too obsessed with any one thing - because on a farm, everything runs by seasons. "This too shall pass," is lived out without conscious thought. Change simply is. Over the past month, change has hit many upside the head and left us spinning. The unthinkable has become reality. That reality has strained the very foundations of what we believe. Fear and depression has nipped at our heals.  For many, balance is tenuous. This too shall pass!  What I have learned, living in the community of farms, is that the dawn brings a new day, the harvest brings nourishment and once spring comes, the cycle begins again.  Applying that to life, I find that challenges can be overwhelming if I mire myself in the mud of "what if" or "I can't."  But, if I roll up my preverbial sleeves and fearlessly delve into the problem, a solution, a resolu...