Jim Palmer's Blog, page 45
January 10, 2014
January 6, 2014
The plain and simple truth
Truth is not complex, but it is profound. It is simple, but it is powerful. So don’t complicate it. Hold the truth in your heart and mind with the easiest reminders and affirmations. Me mindful of them in your coming and going. Express them tangibly as your life unfolds today. Don’t go looking for some super-spiritual thing to do. It is enough to show up to your life as it is, and be mindful of the truth that stirs in your deepest knowing.
“There is nothing to gain, achieve or attain.”
“I am free, at peace, and undisturbed.”
“The world needs my kindness, love, and compassion.”
Carry these in your heart. Be mindful of them as you walk your path today.
January 5, 2014
10 Implied Messages of Institutional Church
10 Implied Messages of Institutional Church Because The Medium Is The Message:
1. Church is a place, a location, a building.
2. Christianity happens in services, classes, meetings, events, and programs.
3. What people need most is good information about God.
4. “God’s work” needs organizational or corporate infrastructure.
5. The more control the better; no telling what people will do if left to themselves.
6. It’s best you let us decide how to use and distribute your money.
7. Depend on us for the spiritual formation of your children; we are trained.
8. The bigger the church, the better.
9. People are more valuable and spiritual depending on how often they attend and how much they tithe.
10. Relationships happen in group meetings.
The difference between religion and Jesus
Religion says it’s about the afterlife.
Jesus says it’s about the herelife.
Religion says hold on till heaven.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is here now.
Religion says confess your wrongs to God.
Jesus said make amends with those you have hurt.
Religion says judge people who don’t measure up.
Jesus said only those who are perfect can cast the first stone.
Religion says to appeal to God to bring change in the world.
Jesus said to be the change you desire to see in the world.
Religion says God will bring peace, joy, freedom and love into your life if you measure up.
Jesus said these realities are unconditionally present inside you in every moment.
Religion says look to God for help and healing.
Jesus said to be instruments of help and healing in one another’s lives.
Religion says rescue people from eternal hell and punch their ticket to heaven.
Jesus said to confront injustice and take up the cause of those who unnecessarily suffer around us.
Religion says to blame Satan.
Jesus said to take responsibility for the damage and destruction we cause in the world.
Religion says go to church.
Jesus said be the church.
Religion says read the Bible in a year.
Jesus said live one verse today.
Religion says there are “us” and “them.”
Jesus says we are all children of God.
Religion says be careful who you love.
Jesus said God is love.
January 4, 2014
Simple acts of love
Be a tangible expression of kindness, generosity, and compassion today. There are many people we look past everyday who are waiting to be seen. Make this your spiritual practice – noticing people… seeing people… contributing to their well-being through simple acts of love.
The courageous humanity of Jesus
“Jesus was different because he was courageously human. It takes guts to be human the way Jesus was. His life was a stand for all humanity. Jesus stood for the worth and greatness of every human being, and paid for it with his own life. Jesus is not about going to church, being good, reading through the Bible in a year or proper systematic theology. Jesus put himself in the line of fire, standing for the worth of a woman who had been condemned as a whore and thrown in the dirt to be executed.
You want to be like Jesus? How far will you go in standing for the worth of every human being? How about a Zero Tolerance policy – indiscriminately honoring and defending the divine worth of every human being, and acting whenever you see that worth diminished.
You are going to cross paths today with someone who is about to give up on themselves. Don’t let them. You be Jesus.”
- Jim Palmer, Notes From (over) The Edge
January 3, 2014
The Kingdom of God is the paints and colors of your Self-nature
“The Kingdom of God is the paints and colors of your Self-nature. It’s the dream you still remember and carry in the depths of your intuitive knowing.
The world is the canvas, and you are the artist. You are the instrument of love, peace, freedom, well-being, and wholeness in the world. Your life is transforming the world into the colors, shapes, and textures of God’s Kingdom. Every expression of love, every triumph of love over fear, every shift from false perception to true perception is another color, shape, or texture added to the canvas.”
- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge
Jesus exposed the falsehoods of religion
“Jesus was not part of any kind of Establishment. Not an old one or a new one. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not replace Judaism with Christianity. At a later point, others organized an establishment called Christianity, but the itinerant Jesus had nothing to do with that. The very nature of an establishment was contrary to his free spirit.
Jesus was always picking a fight with religion. Religion was supposed to help people know God, but Jesus exposed the ways it was the obstacle hindering it. Jesus spoke of being divine AND human. He wanted humankind to know that, contrary to the view of religion, the two were not in opposition to each other. Jesus handpicked the most notorious “sinners” of his day as his close friends, and in so doing, confronted the false notion that some people did not qualify for God’s love and acceptance. Jesus didn’t allow the adulterous woman to be stoned to death as the religious law required. He stood in opposition to the performance-based mentality of relating to God.”
- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge
January 2, 2014
Too much philosophy can be a distraction
Many people pour themselves into adding more and more philosophical, theological, and spiritual knowledge and understanding. Of course there is a place for this. But consider the possibility of being much more mindful of your daily experience of life. What is the root cause of your suffering? Why are you so stressed? What is at the core of your unhappiness? Be earnest and have diamond-like resolve to work these things out along the everyday paths of your life.
Cultivating compassion is a path to happiness
You can cultivate compassion and loving-kindness in the smallest ways. Start with someone specifically that you know and care about, and wish for their happiness, well-being, and freedom. Then think of a person you know only casually, someone who is neutral in your life, and wish these same things for them. Then work up to a someone you would consider an enemy, and have these thoughts for this person as well, wishing for their happiness, well-being, and freedom. Cultivate compassion and loving-kindness by focusing your thoughts and wishes for one specific person at a time, and eventually you will see that your compassion and loving-kindness will become indiscriminate and universal for all people.
