Spiritual Experience Archives - Page 3 of 8

Is there sexism in the concept of God as our Father?

September 6, 2019May 3, 2019 by Jeff

Why do people reject the father concept of God? Of the various reasons, I consider two here. First, some fathers are terrible parents. Second, generations of sensitive, well-informed, and ethically committed persons have been persuaded that the father concept of God (at least without mention of the motherhood of God) is sexist. To this second concern, I respond with selections from chapters on scientific, philosophical, and spiritual living in my book, Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.

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.

Got purity of heart?

September 6, 2019March 29, 2019 by Jeff

The heart is pure when one’s sole purpose in life is to do the will of God; but what does that involve in its fullness?

Forgiveness and consequences

September 6, 2019March 8, 2019 by Jeff

In order to have the fullest, most satisfying experience of forgiveness, consider that forgiveness is an expression of the divine attitude of mercy. That attitude motivates whatever process may be involved in making forgiveness real.

Love, purpose, and the opioid crisis

September 6, 2019March 1, 2019 by Jeff

Regarding opioids, I’ve read about pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, legislators . . . but nothing about the lack of a sense of purpose in all those involved.

The faith of an adult child

September 6, 2019February 22, 2019 by Jeff

The faith of the adult has the discernment and power that moves from receptive to active faith in decision-and-action, thereby gaining assurance and breakthrough.

The beautiful wholeness of righteousness

September 6, 2019February 15, 2019 by Jeff

Legalism and self-righteousness hostility give righteousness a bad name. But the hunger and thirst for righteousness lead to the divine gift of righteousness and on to our learning the beautiful wholeness. Here’s how.

Overcoming our resistance to social service

September 6, 2019February 1, 2019 by Jeff

Social service defined: Readiness to do good, if we can, to anyone with any kind of need.

It is common for love to be preferential in a way that is not based on our deeper equality in the brotherhood of man, the siblinghood of humankind. But everything changes when we recognize the spiritual core of what it means to be a human being . . .

Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in God’s Answer to Prayer

You may know a person who is struggling to discern whether an impressive answer to prayer has come from the human mind. This post offers an answer that I think will make you smile. The post Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in God’s Answer to Prayer appeared first on UNIVERSAL FAMILY.

What does it mean to be perfect in this life?

Many people have legitimate objections to the idea of perfection as a goal. But what did Jesus mean when he said, "Be you perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect"? The present-tense imperative has implications for this life. Come and see. (There's also a story about the photo of Jesus.) The post What does […]

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 […]