Bible

Since I am in what is sometimes called the advancing years and sometimes the declining (no wonder we Geezers get confused), I am looking to give back to the community what I can before I kick the bucket, throw in the towel, buy the farm, fall into grave disorder. 

The "what I can" part is my take on various realms. I've already given my comments on the application of martial art principles to daily life, on the Gospel of Thomas, on the Bhagavad Gita, and on the Tao Te Ching, so why not dive into the Bible? After all, I cut my eye teeth on it, having grown up as a Baptist in the deep South.

So despite and even because of the heaps of excrement thrown these days at folk who follow the teachings of holy books, here I go!

Turn in your Bibles to Micah 6:8. 

This is a verse that brought me much comfort during my existential angst back-of-hand-to-brow years. I had pretty much soured on all churches, but still derived some understandings and some heart glow from this verse in Micah. 

The latter part of that verse: "what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" gave me direction..

I read that and thought, okay, I can do this or at least keep at it as a spiritual practice. All that is required is to do justly (heck, I learned that in the scouts -- Scout Law: A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.), to love mercy (that's a deep one, I'm still understanding what that means), and to walk humbly with thy God (a continuous practice).

That latter one snags a lot of people who think of God as some kind of floaty creature out there who doesn't have the sense of a billy goat in heat and has screwed up the world something terrible. 

It didn't take me long to realize that what that ("God") means is my source, our Source (whether you capitalize It or not). The Great Mystery, The Wellspring, The Eternal Mother, Father, The One Who Breathes Us, The Original Kin.

And it doesn't say I have to walk humbly with people. I am only required to walk humbly with God. 

The rest takes care of itself.

Sufi Sunday at the Zen Baptist Church

"Today we have a visiting minister. A Sufi joins our Zen Baptist journey. I would like the congregation to welcome Nasruddin, who has the sermon for today. Take it away, Naz!"

"Thank you, George. How many of you here know what I am going to say?"

Silence. Then murmuring. Then finally a response. "None of us do."

"If you don't already know what I am going to say, then the situation is hopeless, and there is no need to proceed further. Back to you, George."  And Nasruddin sits down.

George stands up. "Well, that's it, folks. You had your chance and blew it."

"Wait! Wait! Please give us another try."

"Okay," says Nasruddin. How many of you here know what I am going to say?"

"We all do!" they exclaimed.

"Then I need say nothing." And Nasruddin sits back down.

Now the people are starting to get into this thing. They had been sitting like empty vessels waiting to be filled, for Nasruddin to unscrew their tops and pour clear wisdom into their containers. Now they are getting a little riled up and beginning to be who they really are. Some are grinning. Some are perplexed. Some a little angry.

They confer amongst themselves.

"Give us one more try," they say.

"Okay," says Nasruddin. "How many of you here know what I am going to say?"

"Some of us do and some of us don't!" was the instant reply.

"Fine," says Nasruddin, "Let those who know tell the others."

And he and George walk out into the sunshine and the beautiful day singing one of their favorite songs (composed by their buddy Rumi), "Whoever brought me here will have to take me home."

the Bible

The Bible is the story, the mythos, the journeying of my own soul. It tells of internal dynamics. All its voices are the voices within me, within us. The soul's struggles with being born, its journeyings toward understanding, embroil within its pages.

The Bible is not about "out there." The Bible is about "in here." A delicate yet profound truth is that in here is out there, but out there is not in here. Out there cannot touch in here, but in here continuously touches and transforms out there.

Amen, Selah, and Yes Indeed.