Volume 2 Issue 20

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His Light
is as if there were a Niche;
and within it a Lamp;
the Lamp enclosed in Glass;
the glass as it were a brilliant star;
lit from a blessed Tree,
an Olive neither of the East nor of the West,
whose oil is well-nigh luminous,
though fire scarce touched it.
Light upon Light!
God guides whom He will to His Light:
God sets forth parables for men, and God knows all things.
--Qur’an 24.35
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As our Muslim brothers and sisters enter into the holy month of Ramadan from which the lessons to be learned are “controlling desires and urges for worldly satisfaction, and to feel empathy for the poor,” and for which “the reward for successful completion is forgiveness of the individual’s sins;” may the whole people of God unite in the effort to put behind us those sins which separate us from the love of God and one another. (Yahiya (J.A.) Emerick, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam”, 2002, Alpha Books, Indianapolis, IN)
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Did you know that there are different banner quotations at the top of each Growing in Christ page? You may also rotate through them by clicking on the “refresh” icon found on your browser tool bar. Each set of 13 quotes is replaced by a new one every three months. Please feel free to send me any sayings you find meaningful, and I’ll gladly include them in upcoming issues.
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I never want to forget to thank you for inviting me into your home, place of work, or wherever it is that you access this site. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about what I consider to be the subject of ultimate importance. Thank you, too, for inviting your friends and loved ones into our ever-growing circle of disciples who strive to be “Growing in Christ!”
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 19

“In every age and civilization, three ideas about life and beyond seem to overlap. The first is that there’s an infinite, invisible world beyond the world that we experience. The second is that this infinite world is a part of every human personality. And the third is that the purpose of life is to discover this infinite world.” -- Wayne Dyer, Ph.D.
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Once again, thank you for allowing me to come into your home, place of work, or wherever else you may have accessed this site. I am deeply grateful to those of you who are taking the time to share this ministry with your friends and relatives. Slowly but surely ‘Growing in Christ’ is extending its reach to all those who feel moved to explore their spiritual identity and its relationship to their theological worldview. Please take some time to visit the Bulletin Board, read what others have shared, and contribute your own thoughts.
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A growing number of you are sharing in the “hard copy” aspect of this ministry by receiving a printout of the newsletter and sermon each week in the mail. If you know of someone who doesn’t have access to a computer or other means of getting on the Internet, just send me their name and address and I’ll be happy to add them to the mailing list. When referring me to a friend I’ll be sure to give you credit; when your intent is to harass someone with more junk mail your anonymity will be kept.
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Some of you have expressed appreciation for my mention of books that I find to be of interest. I’m confident that our larger audience will be equally interested in learning of what you have to recommend for reading. Whether it be through the Bulletin Board or via e-mail to me, please feel free to share those sources of inspiration that have meaning for you with others.
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 18

“Not everyone has a harsh judge, but many of us have some inner voice that has the power to undercut, to make us doubt ourselves, and to leave us wondering why we aren’t more content. I realized it was important to find a different and kinder relationship with my judge because of its power to drain my positive energy. Learning to be more generous with ourselves is not selfishness. It is just the opposite: Trusting our own inner voice and needs helps us to be more truly generous with others.” --Sue Bender
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Once again, thank you for allowing me to come into your home, place of work, or wherever else you may have accessed this site. I am deeply grateful to those of you who are taking the time to share this ministry with your friends and relatives. Slowly but surely ‘Growing in Christ’ is extending its reach to all those who feel moved to explore their spiritual identity and its relationship to their theological worldview. Please take some time to visit the Bulletin Board, read what others have shared, and contribute your own thoughts.
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It was brought to my attention this week that my use of the term “deism” in last week’s sermon (10/05/03 “At-one-ment”) was not entirely correct. Writes the Rev. Dr. David Conner of Wheat Ridge, Colorado: “Deism is an intellectual movement which was popular especially in the 18th century. Essentially it was/is an attempt to avoid supernaturalism for the sake of Newtonian science. Deism affirms natural law as a universal explanatory principle, which obviates the need to refer to a God who intervenes via miracles or Divine Providence. Deism's God is therefore certainly not the God of the Bible nor of antiquity generally.” This is the kind of exchange that this site aspires to, and I hope that Dr. Conner’s lead will prompt others to become a part of the dialogue.
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 17

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
You have made from one every nation and people
to live on all the face of the earth.
From “The Great Thanksgiving for World Communion Sunday”, The United Methodist Book of Worship, 1992
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It’s good to be back in the groove. Thank you for allowing me to come into your home, place of work, or wherever else you may have accessed this site. Today’s sermon addresses two significant observances which occur today; Christians around the globe will be sharing World Communion, and at sundown the Jewish tradition will begin the holiest of holy days, Yom Kippur. The message also anticipates the Moslem thirty-day observance of Ramadan which will commence at sundown on October 26. This comes with the earnest prayer that we may strive to focus on those things we hold in common rather than our differences.
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Perhaps it’s not wise to recommend a book that requires a word of caution, but I am fascinated by Talmudic scholar Hyam Maccoby’s “The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity” (1986, Harper Collins Publishers, San Francisco). I found my copy on the “sale” table at Barnes & Noble in Billings, Montana while visiting Mom. If you are deeply vested in the traditional understanding of Jesus being at odds with the Pharisees and of Paul having come from a Pharisaic background, this book is NOT for you! If, on the other hand, you’re open to an entirely unorthodox point of view, I think that you will also find it fascinating reading.
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There’s good stuff on the Bulletin Board, and always room for more. If you have a little extra time, you’re invited to read the thoughts and opinions of those posted, and, if you’re so inclined, to post your own. Some of you have told me that you’re hesitant to show your ignorance publicly (two points: 1. this stealth website has extremely low public exposure; 2. my willingness to weekly make public my ignorance ought to eliminate any reservations you may have), but if this is the case I still enjoy hearing from you privately via e-mail.
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Let me know if you’re aware of someone who would enjoy having a hard copy of each week’s newsletter and sermon mailed to them. A generous benefactor of this ministry has made the funds available to make this venue available to those without Internet accessibility.
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Until next week…….Shalom!