Everyone is welcome here who is a practicing believer of their faith and those who have chosen not to believe. I am a member of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement and in my faith tradition I am encouraged to love my neighbor as myself and that neighbor is someone who might be different from me and we are all trying to figure this thing called life out. People are people fundamentally and when people choose to believe they do so with fear and trembling and I could say the same for those who have chosen not to believe. However I have found that non-Christians and non-believers to be some of the best people who reflect what Jesus was talking about. Good Samaritans, good neighbors, good humanitarians. Perhaps there is more in common there than we think. So my Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Muslim, Jewish and Atheist friends you are all welcome here. Grace and peace to you all. Keep on rocking in the free world!
Tag Archives: faith
The provocative faith of Lady Gaga – The Washington Post
In an American context where the media equates religion with social conservatism, Lady Gaga represents a welcome, non-fundamentalist Christianity. She is the closest pop culture version, in values if not tone, to her fellow Catholic, Pope Francis. She champions Christian values not of exclusion and discrimination but of empowerment, grace and self-acceptance.
Source: The provocative faith of Lady Gaga – The Washington Post
A terrific article about one of the great performers of this day. She is inspiring and hits you in the heart and soul like a good songwriter should. I am a fan of this person who does more than many in the faith of Christianity to build bridges of acceptance and hope for those who have been made to feel they aren’t worthy.
Questions About One’s Faith
It’s OK to have doubts about ones faith considering all the stuff going on in the world. Some folks struggles can bring them closer to God or push them further away. Everyone works out their deal with eternity in their own time and space. Perhaps you have to just take some time to find out where you are headed and where you want to go. Sometimes the doubt can bring you closer to your higher power eventually.
Something About Matters Of Faith
Faith is a highly personal thing. No two people have the same take on religious issues. That is the case with me. I find myself being wary of people who use a ton of scripture in every part of their written and verbal communications. Don’t get me wrong, I am a believer in God and I am a follower of Jesus but I would rather my actions speak for me than what is written in The Bible.
I don’t follow the Good Book, I tend to follow the one who inspired it. Scripture is intended to point to God (no matter your faith) but I don’t think it should be used to do harm to others and that happens a lot. I believe in a progressive revelation of who God is and that faith and community in the 21st century is different from that of the era that we read about in the Holy Books of faith that many use.
I think God is doing things now and being more inclusive than many want to admit. Perhaps we should looking at faith and love through the experiences of people in the here and now. Don’t get me wrong, I still am a fan of the Gospels, Psalms and some of what the Apostle Paul wrote. Yeah some folks would have issue with me picking and choosing what I adhere to in the Bible but you know what, God still loves me and all those who are on the fringes who some would keep out of Heaven through highly rigid, highly legalistic and highly fundamentalist interpretations of whatever scripture their faith system holds to. From my perspective there is no fun in fundamentalism. It just doesn’t work for the vast majority of people who see God as loving, caring and comforting.
We all have free will and through that we are going to find our own path through life and the freedom to say yes or no to a divine being. Good for those who make their own choices. Many good people come from a place where they aren’t believers but should be given the same respect as those who have signed on to Team God.
Yeah, everyone is working out their deal with God through a lot of questioning, trembling and perhaps a little fear. I am of the persuasion that there will be a lot of people in the afterlife we will be surprised to see…so I guess we need to treat those folks better while we are still living. There are too many people who might have said yes to God without going through some of the rituals…you just never know.
(I am using God from my Episcopalian/Anglican/Christian perspective… God can be interpreted as something different to those from other cultures and places in the world.)
Help and Donuts
This morning we went to Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast and as we were leaving a man comes up and asks us if we can help him by buying him some donuts for his family. He and his family were trying to rebuild their lives after being burned out of their home. All he wanted was two donuts but I got him six.
Please know I am not trying to brag or to boast for helping a complete stranger. Helping people should be something natural for me since I do it for a living. As a believer, my faith informs me that I am to help others.
But in the grand scheme of things its difficult to know who needs help and those who don’t. I am kind of cynical these days but today was one of those situations where helping this man was something I needed to do. Perhaps I am too judgmental or assume too much. There are stories of people asking for cash and all they want it for is to buy cigs, booze or something else that doesn’t help them like food, shelter, essentials. You know it was $6, it didn’t break the bank. I really hope he enjoyed the chocolate glazed donuts.
I can say that there have been times when we have needed help and it was good to return the favor and passing it forward. This man we helped today needed donuts. Some day it could be a man needing some hope. Sometimes that man is me.
Happy Rosh Hashanah To The Jewish Community Around The World #roshhashanah #jewish
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year festival, held on the first (also sometimes the second) day of Tishri (in September). It is marked by the blowing of the shofar, and begins the ten days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur. This year’s festival begins in the evening of Sunday, October 2 and ends in the evening of Tuesday, October 4.
Grace and peace to my Jewish friends who are celebrating. I wish you grace, peace and love during this time.
The Tony Burgess Blog 