Arts Archives - UNIVERSAL FAMILY

The Journey from Easter to Pentecost

May 13, 2022 by Jeff

“Lazarus, come forth!” Imagine Jesus saying this to you, and you saying this to others. Here’s class that has embarked on that venture.

Feeling: Mozart, Jesus, and evolution

November 22, 2019 by Jeff

Imagine a school of feeling that cultivates sensitive responses to the full spectrum of varieties of beauty–actual and potential. Imagine courses in the arts, studies of Jesus, and experiential education in living the ups and downs of evolution.

The supreme desire and the supreme joy

September 6, 2019May 31, 2019 by Jeff

Evan: I came across a definition of the gospel that puzzles me because it’s different, but it really attracts me. The gospel—the supreme desire to do the Father’s will coupled with the supreme joy of the faith realization of sonship with God.

What happens after you die?

September 6, 2019May 10, 2019 by Jeff

Sophia the philosopher and Evan the evangelist discuss the possibility of growth after death. Why is heaven not just one place? The Hebrew Bible speaks of “the heaven of heavens.” Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. In Second Corinthians, Paul refers to a man (most probably himself) being caught up in the third heaven. Hmmm. What’s going on?

Persecution righteousness happiness

September 6, 2019April 26, 2019 by Jeff

Ali from Iran and Miguel from Colombia meet in a world religions class and have an extended conversation about a sentence in their assigned reading: Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Know anyone who is grieving?

September 6, 2019April 5, 2019 by Jeff

A tender-hearted girl, her tender-hearted father, and her tender-hearted grandmother, were all sensitive and responsive to human need. And they led the family in doing things together when they would notice when a neighbor or friend or stranger would have a particular need; and they all got considerable pleasure by doing something to meet that need.

How will the meek inherit the earth?

September 6, 2019March 22, 2019 by Jeff

This is a story of an antagonistic boy and a meek boy who grow up to cooperate. It symbolizes hope for our world and satisfaction for those who take to heart the promise: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Your daily praise phrase

September 6, 2019December 15, 2018 by Jeff

A praise phrase for each day of the week reminds you to align with the new way of living: worshipful, scientific, philosophical, sensitive to beauty in nature, artistic, morally active, and righteous.

The Transformation Blues

September 6, 2019September 15, 2018 by Jeff

To gain most from Dante’s Divine Comedy to 12-Step programs and the Enneagram, seek first transformation through the Spirit of Truth.

Revisit Galilee (revised)

A dozen years ago I went with about twenty-five believers on a pilgrimage to Israel and beyond. I was greatly moved to discover how seeing places of Jesus’ ministry enabled me to remember, ponder, interpret, and commune. One thing that I brought back home was a placemat which I have on the dinner table. It […]

Jesus’ Scientific Knowledge: Scientific Living and Spiritual Living in the Teaching of Jesus

Jesus was not only an idealist. He was also a realist. He had his feet on the ground, and his knowledge of facts was excellent. And excellent knowledge includes some scientific knowledge. I believe that as the human Jesus grew up, he learned to be Watch the 3:50 video or listen to the podcast episode. […]

The Treasure in your Field

The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found. He covered it up again, and in his joy he went out and sold everything he had and bought that field. What was this treasure in the field? I think it’s what Jesus was talking about when he said, “The […]

A man with a funnel in his head

A few years ago, on several occasions, when I looked out from the window in my study, I would see, across the street, my tall neighbor standing in the middle of his front yard. His little girl, about two years old, was running around in the yard, staying fairly close to him. Every few minutes, […]

A workshop, a reflection on truth and love, and a correction

There is some business that I want to mention at the end of this post, and it connects directly with some of the most important teachings of Jesus. Here is the question that I want to answer today. Jesus taught that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—and our neighbor […]

With all our strength

I’ve been on a quest to live–and write about–loving God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Yesterday I sent to my editor friend a revised section on strength. She discovered weaknesses in it. It didn’t take long for me to realize (this is a pattern) that she had uncovered a fresh, hungry need […]

Faith child

The faith of a little child not only enables us to join the kingdom family of God, it also continues to guide us as we progress. Jesus’s teachings and interactions on this theme are marked by a wonderful simplicity. And the variety of these teachings touches on several concepts that are part of the whole […]

Sean finds God

A 21-year-old computer whiz embraced the concept of the wonderfulness within, but rejected the idea of the spirit of God within–until two weeks ago. How did philosophy help? Watch the 9-minute video or listen to the podcast episode. For the video, I simplified the philosophy so much it’s hardly recognizable. I have organized some ideas […]

Falling across the Pentecost finish line

After acknowledging the failure of an experiment in the last class meeting (falling across the finish line), I summarize a five-week class, "The Journey from Easter to Pentecost." Then I distinguish garden-variety spiritual experience from the taste-and-see variety. The post Falling across the Pentecost finish line appeared first on UNIVERSAL FAMILY.

The Journey from Easter to Pentecost

"Lazarus, come forth!" Imagine Jesus saying this to you, and you saying this to others. Here's class that has embarked on that venture. The post The Journey from Easter to Pentecost appeared first on UNIVERSAL FAMILY.