Jim Palmer's Blog, page 52

“I just got tired of wearing the Christian mask.”

I have a “Dear Jim” Gmail folder with emails from people who have shared a part of their journey with me… like the one below.

“I just got tired of wearing the ‘Christian mask’. Sick of it, actually. I grew up in a conservative evangelical household where we read the Bible, went to church on Sunday and I attended the youth group. We were all expected to talk the same, pray the same, interpret scripture the same, and above all else, vote the same. It was more like we were members of some spiritually exclusive club. Yet I experienced deep loneliness. As my disconnect grew, I started to look outside organized religion and evangelical settings for some answers. I just wanted to be emotionally whole, but when I brought my issues up I was told to read more scripture. When my father found out I was looking for answers elsewhere, he told me I was going to Hell if I believed anything other than how I was raised (a nice conversation starter, huh?). Anyway, that was the day I left the institutional church and it became the first day of Freedom. I’ve never looked back. I don’t hold grudges against other Christians but my crap-detector goes off immediately when I meet anyone who’s wearing the ‘Christian mask’. I consider myself a follower of the teachings of Jesus and I strive to be like Him. The term ‘Christian’ carries too much baggage for me.”

Everything will be okay

Everything will be okay in the end, because everything was okay in the beginning, and still is.

It takes courage

You can’t be truly happy unless you are free. But it takes courage. If being free was easy, everyone would be doing it. You must have an earnest desire and diamond-like resolve. People are not going to roll out a red carpet and cheer you down the path of freedom. You must leave the shire of your own comfort. There will be wounds at Weathertop and a great struggle in Mordor, but you can’t stop.

We ALL screw up. What we need are people who don’t give up.

Right now I have compassion for all those who feel deep disappointment about their life. Maybe you find yourself in a place you never imagined you’d be. Maybe you’re thinking, “Why me?” “How did I get HERE?!” “What happened?” Maybe you feel you’ve disappointed others. Maybe it’s mainly that you’ve disappointed yourself. That’s a very painful place to be, I know. I’m sorry you are feeling this.

The human journey is not for the faint of heart. No one knows your story fully. No one knows fully what it’s like to be you. No one has ever or could ever walk in your shoes. No one has the right to judge. No one can see what’s inside you. You’re still standing, aren’t you? To me, that makes you a hero. And guess what? You have 100% of the rest of your life left.

Consider this Day One of the rest of your life. This is about who you are inside. The world needs people who go through hell and don’t give up. Right now there are people looking for someone just like you – someone who has felt all that pain and disappointment but is still putting one foot in front of the other. Look, we all ask the “Why me?” question, and can feel like we’ve made a mess of our lives. Welcome to the club called Being Human.

We ALL screw up. What we need are people who don’t give up.

That’s you.

The one who shows up

Stop judging your life, saying it should be this or that, or that you should be doing one thing or another. The quality of your life is not wrapped up in the particulars of what’s in it, but in the heart of the one who shows up.

Absurd Things Religious People Say

I often come across things people say about God, and I keep a Top Ten List of those that seem the most absurd.

I read something this morning that I’m pretty sure is gonna make it into my Top Ten.

The statement was: “God doesn’t give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you, and to make you the person you were meant to be.”

First off, the part of the statement that reads “God doesn’t give you the people you want” is an insult. It might as well be translated as follows, “You are not capable of determining what is good for you. Anything you want is childish and bad. God knows better than to listen to your foolish and silly needs and desires.”

Secondly, God does not send people into your life to hurt you. The pain we inflict upon one another in this world is the result of spiritual ignorance. The idea that God sends hurtful and abusive people into our lives to teach us something or make us grow is not true, and absurd. I certainly hope that all the adult survivors of child abuse, of which I am one, don’t happen across the above statement.

100% of your life

There’s 100% of the rest of your life left.

Excerpts from the newly released Notes from (Over) the Edge

“People are not always going to understand the peace, joy and freedom you have found. Perhaps they will think you are crazy. Don’t let this discourage you. Walk on.“

“Jesus did not die to get us into heaven when we are dead; he lived to awaken us to God’s Kingdom, which is here now.” 

“Religion made half of us afraid to die, and the other half afraid to live.”

“You can’t box up God in religion,

You can’t box up Jesus in Christianity,

You can’t box up church in a building,

You can’t box up truth in a belief system,

You can’t box up love in conditions.”

“Too often religion focuses us on what is wrong or bad with the world, and we grow blind to all the goodness that is around us, and is us.”

““The only thing that can stop you on the path of Truth is you.” 

“When you are truly ready to know things as they truly are, it may be that…

a slight breeze,

scent of a flower,

sound of a faint train whistle,

or eye contact with another human being…

will push you over the edge into the peace and freedom you’ve been searching for.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering

15 Things Jesus Didn’t Say (the rest of the story)

Notes from (Over) the Edge is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. One of the quotes from the book went viral as a blog post with 600,000 views. Now, you can read the rest of the story from the “15 things Jesus Didn’t Say.”

15 things Jesus Didn’t Say:

“For God was so disgusted with the world and you that he gave his one and only Son.”

“I have come to bring you a new religion.”

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have correct theology.”

“If anyone would come after me, let him disparage all other religions and their followers.”

“If you love me, you will regularly attend a church of your choice… within reason.”

“Blessed are the tithers for they shall be called the children of God.”

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in Heaven after the earth goes up in flames and is destroyed.”

“You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor,’ which means the people with whom you attend church and relate to in your Christian sub-culture.”

“In my Father’s house there are a limited number of rooms. But no worries, there is plenty of room in Hell.”

“The kingdom of God has come!… Well, not exactly. I mean, not completely. Let’s face it, the really-real kingdom comes after we die. Hang in there. It won’t be long.”

“And you will know the truth and the truth will make you superior to all the other simpletons who never learned Greek or Hebrew.”

“You are the light of the world… well… in a sinful-filthy-scum kind of way.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you a checklist of things to do and not do in order to remain in God’s favor.”

“For God so loved the world… you know like theoretically… as in, God loves the big ‘W’-world. But when it come to you specifically, there are quite a few things that would need to change for God to actually and specifically love… or even like… YOU.”

“He appeared to his disciples over a period of 40 days and spoke about how to incorporate his life and teaching as a 501(c)3, and go into all the earth to build mega-churches in his name.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering

Giving the gift of Notes (Best Cyber Monday Deal Going!)

Today is Cyber Monday – the online shopping version of Black Friday. There are all kinds of great discounts and deals you can get, shopping online today. I know of a pretty good Cyber Monday deal myself!

For $10, you can be an instrument of peace, healing, freedom, and transformation in our world this holiday season. I wrote Notes from (Over) the Edge because I realized that deep inside, people already knew the answers, they just needed a pair of wiper blades, clearing the gunk off their windshield so they can see those answers clearly.

As one reader put it, “Jim leads us out of your own self imposed prison cells into the joy, freedom, and peace that religious rhetoric promised but fails to deliver.”



Notes from (over) the Edge is divided into five main parts. Part One is a conversation with the reader about how to approach the pursuit of truth. Part Two is a direct, practical, and no-nonsense guide to addressing the root cause of personal suffering, and uncovering true peace and freedom. In Part Three, I confront the teachings of pop Christianity, and how they have hidden or corrupted the true message and meaning of Jesus. Part Four delves into the process of recovering from religious pathology. And in Part Five, I discusses how truth applies in the special cases of domestic violence, and depression.

So, I have a request. Today, Cyber Monday, share Notes from (Over) the Edge by:

1. Purchasing a copy for yourself.

2. Purchasing a couple additional copies to gift to family and friends.

3. Spread the word about this effort among your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ friends by sharing this post and writing your own.

Notes from (over) the Edge is available in:

Paperback

and

Kindle

Thanks!