Jim Palmer's Blog, page 44
January 16, 2014
Can you be happy without theology?
When I was in Kenya, the family I lived with did life this way – they worked their fields from sunrise to sunset, had dinner and socialized with family, friends, and neighbors, did chores… and went to bed. But we shouldn’t feel badly for them because they did not have the time, energy, or interest in arguing and debating various theological and philosophical positions. Surprisingly, they got along just fine and seemed quite happy without this.
“For my part, the longer I live the less I feel the need of any sort of theological belief, and the more I am content to let unseen powers go on their way with me and mine without question or distrust.” –John Burroughs, The Light of Day
January 15, 2014
My journey in four books
People sometimes message me, and ask about what order to read my books. I think it makes some sense to read them in order, which goes like this:
Divine Nobodies: Shedding religion to find God (and the unlikely people who help you)
This is my first book in which I share my story of what led to the deconstruction of my Christianity and beliefs about God.
Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity
This follow-up book to Divine Nobodies describes the path I took to know myself, God, others, and life beyond the boundaries and mentalities of organized religion.
Being Jesus in Nashville: Finding the Courage to Live Your Life (whoever and wherever you are)
In this my third book, I devoted a year to understanding how Jesus fit into my life and relationship with God on the other side of having let go of many of my former Christian beliefs.
Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering
This is my most recent book, released just a month ago. The book is a summation and expansion of a set of notes I kept related to my personal quest to address the root cause of my suffering and free, something that eluded me in all my years involved in religion.
If you really want to know more about the journey I’ve been on the last several years and you’re interested in deeply exploring your own, I’d encourage you to read each of these books. A lot of people email me and ask me a lot of questions about my journey and beliefs, which are all covered in the books. Consider the possibility of purchasing copies of books as gifts to friends who are on a similar path. If you have read any or all of the books, consider leaving a brief review on Amazon an share one way the book(s) were meaningful for you. Thanks!
January 14, 2014
Letting go of preferences
I’ve noticed that a lot of suffering in my life stems from resisting the way things are, and fighting life at every turn. The way through this for me is to be present in the moment and respond as the situation requires without attachment. I have many preferences – ways I want life to be. When life doesn’t line up with my preferences there is upset and I resist life, which only leads to more suffering.
Sometimes what is required in responding to a situation of life as it requires is not easy. “Without attachment” does not mean living without emotion or one’s humanity. The “without attachment” part is a recognition that peace and well-being are ultimately not the byproduct of what unfolds in our circumstances. Life is a continuous stream of alternating experiences that are “positive,” “negative,” or “neutral.” Life is change and is characterized by impermanence and is not going to consistently line up with our preferences.
Consider the possibility of letting go of all your preferences of how you want this day to go. Consider it a profound spiritual practice to be present in each moment and simply responding to the situation as it requires without attachment. Recognize that at the deepest level you are not separated from peace and well-being – that these are not realities outside yourself that you must attain but are knit into the fabric of your fundamental nature and essence.
January 13, 2014
11 thoughts to consider this week
Your life is your spiritual path.
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Transformation is not seeing different things in your life, but seeing what is in your life, differently.
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Consider the possibility that the world is the way it is and others are the way they are, and nothing is preventing your peace and well-being.
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Spirituality is not thinking about God while peeling a potato. Just peel the potato, and know that this is spiritual. God and life are inseparable.
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Non-action is an important kind of action in knowing truth and being free. The path is not so much about adding new things to do, as it is ceasing those things we do that hinder us.
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There is nothing more significant that you can contribute to the lives of your children, loved ones, and all of humankind than to be free yourself.
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People speak of not “having” peace, freedom, and well-being in their life. Peace, freedom, and well-being are not things you “have” or “don’t have” in any given moment but they are what you ARE in every moment.
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Transformation is not entering a new state; it’s uncovering or surrendering to the reality that has always been there.
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A scholar tries to learn something everyday, while the wise person tries to unlearn something.
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The problem is not that you can’t have what you want. It’s that you think that getting what you want is your source of peace and happiness.
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The world is filled with pain and sorrow. But I have found a serenity that you can find, too.
January 12, 2014
Everything I need to know I learned at sunrise
“Have you ever noticed that when you become fully present and alive to a sunrise – when everything else fades away and you just get lost in the rapture and enchantment of it that it becomes a doorway into something transcendent? Suddenly you are touching an unnamable peace and beauty. An indescribable feeling of freedom fills you, and a deep-seated contentedness washes through you like rain. Feelings of connectedness warmly radiate through every molecule of your being.
Your experience of that sunset point to the way things really are – peace, beauty, freedom, contentment, and connectedness. You have had these deep feelings before in the most ordinary moments like when a slight breeze blew across your face. Those deep feelings were pointing you toward what is most real about this world and your life.”
- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge
January 11, 2014
When to celebrate
“Do not consider it a great victory that you have outwitted someone in a theological debate. Instead, transform yourself into a person of peace, compassion, and loving-kindness. Now that would be something to celebrate!”
- Jim Palmer
You are unhappy and you know this
“Something is not right, and deep down you know it. In your life, in the world, in the answers and explanations you have been given – something is off and doesn’t line up. There’s a screw loose somewhere. It rattles when you log in and see the morning’s headlines. You can’t quite name it, but it’s there. You see it in people’s faces as you pass them in the grocery store. Something is perpetually missing. There’s a chronic discontent that lurks beneath the surface of your life. That’s on a good day.
There is a longing inside you. It shows itself as a questioning of the disharmony that you live in. It is your disharmony. It is your own questioning. It is your personal yearning.”
- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge
When not to pray
I often hear people who speak of praying for God to “reveal” something to them, as in giving them am answer or an understanding they imagine they don’t have. But in many instances if they would simply listen and trust to their own intuition, use common sense, or apply a bit more reflection about their lives, they would be well on their way. In most instances, this is how God is going to reveal something.
