Podcasts about love the alternative way

Figuratively speaking,borders are designed to contain people or keep them out. Border teaching aims to stop the flow of movement and imagination. When we discuss frontiers, we;re referring to a more dynamic andadventurous context. Every explorer we study embraces the idea of venturing into the frontiers. There's an ebb and flow, along with the excitement and uncertainty of discovery in this frontierlanguage. Frontier teachers can make us feel uneasy because they lead us into unexplored territory and expect us to take responsibility for our discoveries along the way.Today, we will explore the woods of Franciscan teaching. Some of what you will hear about original goodness and the primacy of the Incarnation may challenge your understanding. However, Jackiewill guide us through Church history, reassuring us that these concepts are not new but, rather, quite ancient. If we choose to embrace this journey, we may find our faith expanding and our perception of God much larger than we ever imagined.Suggested Reading LinksOriginal Blessing: Putting Sin in Its Rightful Placehttps://www.amazon.com/Original-Blessing-Putting-Rightful-Place/dp/1451496761Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisihttps://www.amazon.com/Eager-Love-Alternative-Francis-Assisi/dp/1632531402

In this week's episode of the 3 Pillars Podcast we will be concluding our study on the 12 Male Archetypes. What can you learn from these archetypes about yourself and others? How can we apply our Christian faith to strengthen who we are and find our true purpose? SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW PODCAST CHANNEL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@3PillarsPodcast God bless you all. Jesus is King. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬ I appreciate all the comments, topic suggestions, and shares! Find the "3 Pillars Podcast" on all major platforms. For more information, visit the 3 Pillars Podcast website: https://3pillarspodcast.wordpress.com/ Don't forget to check out the 3 Pillars Podcast on Goodpods and share your thoughts by leaving a rating and review: https://goodpods.app.link/3X02e8nmIub Please Support Veteran's For Child Rescue: https://vets4childrescue.org/ Stay connected with Joe Russiello and the "Sword of the Spirit" Podcast: https://www.swordofthespiritpodcast.com/ Join the conversation: #3pillarspodcast References 1. Jung, C. G. (1968). *The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious*. Princeton University Press. 2. Rohr, R. (2014). *Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi*. Franciscan Media. 3. Edinger, E. F. (1992). *Ego and Archetype: Individuation and the Religious Function of the Psyche*. Shambhala Publications. 4. Pearson, C. S. (1991). *Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World*. HarperCollins. 5. Rohr, R. (2016). *The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation*. Whitaker House. #podcast #archetype --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chase-tobin/support

From the SAND Archives we present two talks from Christian Mystic, Richard Rohr from two SAND Conferences recorded before live audiences. The two talks are entitled “Christianity and Unknowing” from SAND16 and “The Christian Meaning Of Enlightenment” from SAND11. Richard Rohr, as a Catholic priest and Franciscan Friar, offers a concise history of how Western Christianity once had, soon lost, tried to retrieve, and now is roundly rediscovering its own traditional understanding of unitive consciousness (which was our word for non-dual thinking). The Christian contemplative mind was usually a subtext, and yet it was always clearly there too, and much closer to the surface, but only for those exposed to the mystical base that was revealed in the Gospel of John, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, the Celtic and monastic traditions, and what was generally referred to as the apophatic or wisdom stream of Christianity. These were our many saints and mystics. This possibility was brought to the fore by Thomas Merton in the middle of the last century, and is now flowing in many positive directions. It is now our task to rediscover the pre-Enlightenment Christianity that reveled in "the cloud of unknowing", what some called "learned ignorance", and the very notion of Mystery itself. Only when we got into competition with rationalism and secularism, did we adopt this rather recent mania for certitude and a very limited kind of scientific knowing. Almost the entire history of Protestantism emerged in this period, and thus the contemplative mind is an utterly new revelation for them, and frankly for all of us, as we again learn to be comfortable living on the edge of both the knowable and the unknown. Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and self-emptying, expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized. Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam's Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. https://cac.org/

Partindo das oito Beatitudes do Sermão da Montanha, este episódio pretende explorar a relação entre a espiritualidade, o sofrimento e o amor em diálogo com as obras do filósofo espanhol Miguel de Unamuno e do Padre Franciscano Richard Rohr.Refletiremos sobre o sentimento trágico da vida, de Miguel de Unamuno, e o caminho alternativo da espiritualidade franciscana segundo Richard Rohr,  o qual inclui a desordem e a negatividade do mundo.  Música: "Breathe In Breathe Out" -  Reveille. Livros de Richard Rohr: - The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder - Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi - Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve StepsOutros livros:  - Do Sentimento Trágico da Vida, Miguel de Unamuno.- O Sonho de um Homem Ridículo, Fiodor Dostoievski.- The Wisdom Jesus: A New Perspective on Christ and His Message, Cynthia Bourgeault.  

Neste episódio eu continuo tratando da questão da meritocracia e do sofrimento no cristianismo, refletindo sobre o ‘mistério da cruz' de acordo com a ortodoxia alternativa de São Francisco de Assis, conforme exposta por Richard Rohr no seu livro "Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi". Além de nos oferecer uma outra visão sobre o que aconteceu no Calvário, essa teologia enfatiza também que a prática e o modo de viver são muito mais importantes do que a teoria e as afirmações de fé. "Shine Through", de Caleb Etheridge, é a música que anima este episódio. Sugestão de Leitura: - Eager to love: The Alternative way of Francis of Assisi, Richard Rohr

Join our guest, Franciscan Associate Deb Galvez, for this interview. As a chaplain, she accompanies those in need of care, finding that mutual encounter reveals the blessing of being loved by God. Deb explores the mystery of divisions being transformed to loving one another and honoring the goodness of each person.   Deb observes “Meeting people in the hospital when they're in a hospital bed levels the playing field. There is no rich, no poor, there is no division. Everybody is there for health issues and I walk in as a sister of them; I don't feel higher or lower, I don't feel richer or poorer. It is like we're both here on this journey, walking on the road to Emmaus, and there are no barriers. There's nothing to get in the way.”   “I've seen so many people who have been hurt because they're the ‘Other'. Whether it's ageism, sexism, a different color, a different religion, a different viewpoint. I would just love to see us sit down and really listen to the Other, and know that God loves us for who we are and that we are good. … I've talked to so many people who do not feel that they are good.  … I hope and pray that is one thing that I can bring to the world in the greater Franciscan vision, that people are good, they are loved, and they are worthy.”   “Wouldn't the world be different if we could live in love of neighbor, as Jesus taught in the Good Samaritan, wherever and whomever that neighbor, here, near, or far might be, if we would know and live out of that knowing, being known that God loves us and we're good? And that we could pray, whether with or without words; it would transform some interactions, and perhaps our inner hearts, to be more available to what's needing work and healing, and what is still needing attention.”   References:   What is a Newman Center? http://newmanconnection.com/locations. More about Saint John Henry Newman, in whose honor the Newman Centers are named: http://newmanconnection.com/about/blessed.    Franciscan Associates: Deb is referring to the Associate relationships with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls: https://www.fslf.org/BecominganAssociate/. Other religious communities may have lay associates, affiliates, companions or cojourners as well.   The Road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13-35; see: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24.   Francis meets the leper: see https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-meets-the-leper. See also the earliest biography of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano (1C 17) https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195.   The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37; see: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10.   Deb recommends: This book: Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, by Richard Rohr: https://www.amazon.com/Eager-Love-Alternative-Francis-Assisi/dp/1632531402. And these free e-mail subscriptions for spiritual nourishment: +Daily Scripture Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading#subscribe +Daily Minute Meditations: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/minute-meditations +Richard Rohr Daily Meditations: https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/ +Henri Nouwen Society Daily E-meditations: https://henrinouwen.org/read-nouwen/free-daily-meditation/

As we continue to celebrate reaching over 11 Million downloads, I’d like to revisit my interview with Fr. Richard Rohr.  I first encountered the Enneagram when I was a graduate student at a conservative seminary. While on a weekend retreat I came across a copy of Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, Discovering The Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey. In that book Richard describes the traits and the underlying compulsions of each of the nine basic Enneagram types. Based on my life experience and what I’d learned in my training to become a counselor, Rohr’s description of the types blew my mind.  They were uncannily accurate. I felt sure I had stumbled on an amazing resource, not only for Christians but for all people. Little did I know, that 25 years later, Richard and I would be friends and the Enneagram would become the central focus of my work. In this episode, you will learn: How Richard discovered the Enneagram How to break the shackles of self-doubt with self-compassion What exactly is the true self vs. false self Why the Enneagram can help to identify the true-self How we can use the Enneagram on a daily basis as a framework, or blueprint, for spiritual formation Richard also offers words of encouragement for and caution for each Enneagram type. Richard is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and he is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi.  

Messages can be messy. We say one thing, they hear another, but we need to be heard so we need to learn about filters and speak with grace and compassion. The message I heard was probably not the message they wanted to send. Who got it wrong? Over the past few weeks, the online hotel booking company Trivago has been showing an ad on New Zealand Television featuring a young lady and an older lady. In the ad, the younger lady gets a better deal on her accommodation because she used the Trivago phone app. As one commenter on Youtube says ‘What Trivago is really communicating in this ad, is that OLD people are ‘not with it’. Young people are smarter and more savvy. Stereotypes in other words.’ What message did you get from the ad? Now I have asked a few people, and most felt the ad was ageist, discriminating against older people and offensive. Some didn’t see any problem with the ad. That Trivago was helpful to older people. So I asked a friend of mine, Elizabeth Herr, who is a Certified Body Language Trainer to have a look at the ad. I don’t see ageism at all. Instead, I see a sense of superiority/elitism from the older woman! At 0:07, the younger woman has a slightly raised eyebrow, but this seems more indicative of knowing privately that she’s got the better deal – she has a genuine and even smile, but there is no malice. The older woman, on the other hand, made a ‘show’ of the price quoted to her: At 0:08, she lifts her chin (also called a chin jut), and her forehead is back. This, in effect, makes her ‘look down her nose’ in a superior manner. This is followed at 0:10 by an eyebrow raise (to draw attention to what she says), a sideways glance of the eyes and head turn in the direction of the brunette. When she says ‘not bad,’ she also displays a contempt micro-expression (one-sided mouth raise). All of this shows a sense of disdain and superiority. At 0:15, when she says ‘wait’ after hearing the quoted ‘ninety-five pounds,’ she displays a disgust micro-expression (lips pulled up). At 0:21, the woman raises her eyebrows at hearing the benefits of Trivago. Eyebrow raise is often indicative that we like or approve of something or think something is ínteresting. After the brunette explains the benefits of Trivago, she is still smiling at 0:24, but it’s still even (both sides raised, so no contempt). At 0:26, the concierge tries to pry the card out of her hand while pursing his lips, indicating that he’s feeling stressed, and then right at 0:27, the lady has an angry expression on her face (brow furrowed). The only ‘dig’ here might be that Trivago is insinuating that people of a certain age bracket are less ‘app savvy’ than the younger generation and is making them aware of their application.Elizabeth Herr The People Toolbox Messages are messy You say one thing, and they hear something completely different. You think to yourself, or you might even say it out loud … ‘Why don’t they listen to me’! They may well have been listening to you, but you weren’t speaking their language. You weren’t being clear with the message you were sending. Sure the listener has a responsibility to listen. They have to choose to listen, to make sense of the words, the non-verbals, the context. What they hear will be some version of what you say, but it may not be the right version. Message filters To understand communication, you need to understand filters. In photography, one of the ways to get some different looking images is to put filters over the lens of the camera. When the light passes through the lens filter, it is changed and creates a different image to the reality of what is actually there. We all have filters that we listen to others through. Prejudices Beliefs Physical impairments – e.g., hearing loss Experiences A good communicator takes into account the filters people have and adjusts the message for clarity. If you want to be heard Find out the filtersThis is going to take time and observation. Understanding your listener is a sign of respect that you want to know them and connect with them. After talking with them, ask them gentle curious questions to see if they got the right message. Speak with compassionIf you want connection, then you need to have compassion for the listeners. They don’t know what you’re trying to communicate. So think about their situation first. Seasoned with salt The apostle Paul in writing a letter to some early Christian believers, tells us that our speech needs to be gracious, seasoned with salt. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6  Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Colossians 4:6 (The Message) Enhance the flavor of your speech with grace. Listen and speak with love. Quotes to consider People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Theodore Roosevelt The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said. Peter Drucker “A brother has not given up all things if he holds onto the purse of his own opinions.” Francis of Assisi – Richard Rohr Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi  Most people do not see things as they are; they see things as they are! Richard Rohr, Breathing Underwater Questions to answer What was your first response to the Trivago ad? What filters do you have that you listen to messages through? Do you ever exclaim ‘Why don’t people listen to me’? Where does the responsibility for the communication begin? Further reading

Messages can be messy. We say one thing, they hear another, but we need to be heard so we need to learn about filters and speak with grace and compassion. The message I heard was probably not the message they wanted to send. Who got it wrong? Over the past few weeks, the online hotel booking company Trivago has been showing an ad on New Zealand Television featuring a young lady and an older lady. In the ad, the younger lady gets a better deal on her accommodation because she used the Trivago phone app. As one commenter on Youtube says ‘What Trivago is really communicating in this ad, is that OLD people are ‘not with it’. Young people are smarter and more savvy. Stereotypes in other words.’ What message did you get from the ad? Now I have asked a few people, and most felt the ad was ageist, discriminating against older people and offensive. Some didn’t see any problem with the ad. That Trivago was helpful to older people. So I asked a friend of mine, Elizabeth Herr, who is a Certified Body Language Trainer to have a look at the ad. I don’t see ageism at all. Instead, I see a sense of superiority/elitism from the older woman! At 0:07, the younger woman has a slightly raised eyebrow, but this seems more indicative of knowing privately that she’s got the better deal – she has a genuine and even smile, but there is no malice. The older woman, on the other hand, made a ‘show’ of the price quoted to her: At 0:08, she lifts her chin (also called a chin jut), and her forehead is back. This, in effect, makes her ‘look down her nose’ in a superior manner. This is followed at 0:10 by an eyebrow raise (to draw attention to what she says), a sideways glance of the eyes and head turn in the direction of the brunette. When she says ‘not bad,’ she also displays a contempt micro-expression (one-sided mouth raise). All of this shows a sense of disdain and superiority. At 0:15, when she says ‘wait’ after hearing the quoted ‘ninety-five pounds,’ she displays a disgust micro-expression (lips pulled up). At 0:21, the woman raises her eyebrows at hearing the benefits of Trivago. Eyebrow raise is often indicative that we like or approve of something or think something is ínteresting. After the brunette explains the benefits of Trivago, she is still smiling at 0:24, but it’s still even (both sides raised, so no contempt). At 0:26, the concierge tries to pry the card out of her hand while pursing his lips, indicating that he’s feeling stressed, and then right at 0:27, the lady has an angry expression on her face (brow furrowed). The only ‘dig’ here might be that Trivago is insinuating that people of a certain age bracket are less ‘app savvy’ than the younger generation and is making them aware of their application.Elizabeth Herr The People Toolbox Messages are messy You say one thing, and they hear something completely different. You think to yourself, or you might even say it out loud … ‘Why don’t they listen to me’! They may well have been listening to you, but you weren’t speaking their language. You weren’t being clear with the message you were sending. Sure the listener has a responsibility to listen. They have to choose to listen, to make sense of the words, the non-verbals, the context. What they hear will be some version of what you say, but it may not be the right version. Message filters To understand communication, you need to understand filters. In photography, one of the ways to get some different looking images is to put filters over the lens of the camera. When the light passes through the lens filter, it is changed and creates a different image to the reality of what is actually there. We all have filters that we listen to others through. Prejudices Beliefs Physical impairments – e.g., hearing loss Experiences A good communicator takes into account the filters people have and adjusts the message for clarity. If you want to be heard Find out the filtersThis is going to take time and observation. Understanding your listener is a sign of respect that you want to know them and connect with them. After talking with them, ask them gentle curious questions to see if they got the right message. Speak with compassionIf you want connection, then you need to have compassion for the listeners. They don’t know what you’re trying to communicate. So think about their situation first. Seasoned with salt The apostle Paul in writing a letter to some early Christian believers, tells us that our speech needs to be gracious, seasoned with salt. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6  Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Colossians 4:6 (The Message) Enhance the flavor of your speech with grace. Listen and speak with love. Quotes to consider People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Theodore Roosevelt The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said. Peter Drucker “A brother has not given up all things if he holds onto the purse of his own opinions.” Francis of Assisi – Richard Rohr Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi  Most people do not see things as they are; they see things as they are! Richard Rohr, Breathing Underwater Questions to answer What was your first response to the Trivago ad? What filters do you have that you listen to messages through? Do you ever exclaim ‘Why don’t people listen to me’? Where does the responsibility for the communication begin? Further reading

God, will it always be like this? That was what their heart was wanting to know. The answer lay in knowing their slave master of despair. Hope is the dance partner of Faith and Love. Every day felt the same, in fact, every week and every month. Do the job, make a meal, go to sleep: repeat, repeat, repeat — monotonous drudgery. It wasn’t just the repetitive nature of the grind that got to you., it was the slow wearing down of the soul. It was like something beautiful and purposeful was being scraped off a ‘Mona Lisa,’ dropped on the floor, trampled on, and ground into dust. They sensed they were losing themselves. Who they were, who they were meant to be — all at the hands of a slavemaster tyrant.   Your slave master What keeps you stuck? What keeps you in the same Mental Health timezone? That hole of depression. That tightrope of anxiety. For a nation of people, it was the oppression of an Egyptian slavemaster. They were building a man’s glory while destroying their own. That was the lot of the nation of Israel. Slaves to Pharoah. Brickmakers day in, day out. So they [the Egyptians] organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen.They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the harder the Egyptians worked them, the more children the Israelites had—children everywhere!The Egyptians got so they couldn’t stand the Israelites and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor.They made them miserable with hard labor—making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields.They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload. Exodus 1:11-14 It’s easy to identify an external slavemaster. It’s their fault. They are the ones to blame. They are the ones who are making my life miserable. So easy to give others more power than God ever wanted them to have. Yes, some people are controllers; they like to be slave masters, dominating, and oppressing. They, too, are trapped in their fears. Locus of control There is an interesting psychological concept called Locus of control Locus of control is the degree to which people believe that they have control over the outcome of events in their lives, as opposed to external forces beyond their control. Understanding of the concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954, and has since become an aspect of personality studies.A person’s “locus” (plural “loci,” Latin for “place” or “location”) is conceptualized as internal (a belief that one can control one’s own life) or external (a belief that life is controlled by outside factors which the person cannot influence, or that chance or fate controls their lives).[1] Individuals with a strong internal locus of control believe events in their life derive primarily from their own actions: for example, when receiving exam results, people with an internal locus of control tend to praise or blame themselves and their abilities. People with a strong external locus of control tend to praise or blame external factors such as the teacher or the exam. Wikipedia Locus of control What does your focus tell you about your locus? I have found in myself and others that focusing on how other people treat you (external locus) takes away a sense of personal power. You give the other more power than they need to have. We even can do this with God. Blaming God for our circumstances instead of taking healthy responsibility for our own choices. Oh, yes, and we can blame the devil. ‘The devil made me buy this dress’ by Flip Wilson springs to mind (must listen!). There has to be a time where you come to an internal locus of control. What can I do? What do I have control over? The crying out of the slave There comes a time when you have had enough of being a slave. The slavery of a belief you have held in your brain. A Pharoah sized belief is keeping you in captivity. You recognize that there is some internal thinking work you need to do. No one else can do this for you. It’s your brain, your responsibility, 100%. You cry out in prayer because you realize that this is too big for you to do it by yourself.   Supernatural goals need supernatural resources. Larry Crabb   You sense yourself as being like those Israelites. The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Their cries for relief from their hard labor ascended to God: God listened to their groanings. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw what was going on with Israel. God understood. Exodus 2: 23-25 (The Message) Then, in the male aspect of God’s divine nature, God moves (Exodus 3). Your Moses God moves to a man on the run. A man also trapped and enslaved by his beliefs. Moses had been living in the desert for 40 years. He had killed an Egyptian slavemaster and had fled. Forty years of being shaped by both the harshness and the beauty of the wilderness. Forty years in the wilderness getting to know the beastProjected and reflected on the greatest and the leastForty years of days and nights — angels hovering nearKept me moving forward though the way was far from clearBruce Cockburn We all need a Moses. Someone who will speak healing truth to our lies, the concoctions we have created in our minds that keep us enslaved. It will be Spirit (Holy) nudging, poking, prodding, alluring us to face the falsity. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth.  Jesus John 14:16-17 The words of encouragement will come through others. People who have a compelling vision for you that things can be different. Silence will be involved where you have to both wrestle and dance with your own beliefs. I, Barry, may also be involved. If I can, at the very least, pray for you, then it would be a great privilege. Send me an email via the contact form. Will it always be like this? I don’t think so. History tells me that change happens. Hope is the dance partner of Faith and Love, so let’s keep seeing where this leads. Quotes to consider Despair is what happens when there is a lack of new creation. When things are just are what they are and there is a deep sense of impotence that there is nothing you can do about it. Rob Bell Episode 219 | Jesus H. Christ – Part 9 – Is That His Last Name? Despair is a spiritual condition. Despair is when you fall under the belief and conviction that tomorrow will simply be a repeat of today. Rob Bell  Without the inner discipline of faith, most lives end in negativity, blaming, or deep cynicism—without even knowing it. Richard Rohr Page: 24 Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi  Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart. Abraham Joshua Heschel When you are no longer able to change, what will God do with you, if you have not yet become what He wants?  D. Riddell God does not love you if and when you change. God loves you so that you can change. Richard Rohr Don’t judge the future by the past – the future will be different when new insights and understandings restore hope. David Riddell Questions to answer What beliefs are keeping you, enslaved? What’s it like to know God listens to your groans, remembers the promises, sees your plight, and understands? What would ‘God moving’ into your situation look like? Would you like an ‘on the run’ convict to be your advocate/ rescuer? Further reading Barry Pearman Image cc: Nagy Arnold

God, will it always be like this? That was what their heart was wanting to know. The answer lay in knowing their slave master of despair. Hope is the dance partner of Faith and Love. Every day felt the same, in fact, every week and every month. Do the job, make a meal, go to sleep: repeat, repeat, repeat — monotonous drudgery. It wasn’t just the repetitive nature of the grind that got to you., it was the slow wearing down of the soul. It was like something beautiful and purposeful was being scraped off a ‘Mona Lisa,’ dropped on the floor, trampled on, and ground into dust. They sensed they were losing themselves. Who they were, who they were meant to be — all at the hands of a slavemaster tyrant.   Your slave master What keeps you stuck? What keeps you in the same Mental Health timezone? That hole of depression. That tightrope of anxiety. For a nation of people, it was the oppression of an Egyptian slavemaster. They were building a man’s glory while destroying their own. That was the lot of the nation of Israel. Slaves to Pharoah. Brickmakers day in, day out. So they [the Egyptians] organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen.They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the harder the Egyptians worked them, the more children the Israelites had—children everywhere!The Egyptians got so they couldn’t stand the Israelites and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor.They made them miserable with hard labor—making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields.They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload. Exodus 1:11-14 It’s easy to identify an external slavemaster. It’s their fault. They are the ones to blame. They are the ones who are making my life miserable. So easy to give others more power than God ever wanted them to have. Yes, some people are controllers; they like to be slave masters, dominating, and oppressing. They, too, are trapped in their fears. Locus of control There is an interesting psychological concept called Locus of control Locus of control is the degree to which people believe that they have control over the outcome of events in their lives, as opposed to external forces beyond their control. Understanding of the concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954, and has since become an aspect of personality studies.A person’s “locus” (plural “loci,” Latin for “place” or “location”) is conceptualized as internal (a belief that one can control one’s own life) or external (a belief that life is controlled by outside factors which the person cannot influence, or that chance or fate controls their lives).[1] Individuals with a strong internal locus of control believe events in their life derive primarily from their own actions: for example, when receiving exam results, people with an internal locus of control tend to praise or blame themselves and their abilities. People with a strong external locus of control tend to praise or blame external factors such as the teacher or the exam. Wikipedia Locus of control What does your focus tell you about your locus? I have found in myself and others that focusing on how other people treat you (external locus) takes away a sense of personal power. You give the other more power than they need to have. We even can do this with God. Blaming God for our circumstances instead of taking healthy responsibility for our own choices. Oh, yes, and we can blame the devil. ‘The devil made me buy this dress’ by Flip Wilson springs to mind (must listen!). There has to be a time where you come to an internal locus of control. What can I do? What do I have control over? The crying out of the slave There comes a time when you have had enough of being a slave. The slavery of a belief you have held in your brain. A Pharoah sized belief is keeping you in captivity. You recognize that there is some internal thinking work you need to do. No one else can do this for you. It’s your brain, your responsibility, 100%. You cry out in prayer because you realize that this is too big for you to do it by yourself.   Supernatural goals need supernatural resources. Larry Crabb   You sense yourself as being like those Israelites. The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Their cries for relief from their hard labor ascended to God: God listened to their groanings. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw what was going on with Israel. God understood. Exodus 2: 23-25 (The Message) Then, in the male aspect of God’s divine nature, God moves (Exodus 3). Your Moses God moves to a man on the run. A man also trapped and enslaved by his beliefs. Moses had been living in the desert for 40 years. He had killed an Egyptian slavemaster and had fled. Forty years of being shaped by both the harshness and the beauty of the wilderness. Forty years in the wilderness getting to know the beastProjected and reflected on the greatest and the leastForty years of days and nights — angels hovering nearKept me moving forward though the way was far from clearBruce Cockburn We all need a Moses. Someone who will speak healing truth to our lies, the concoctions we have created in our minds that keep us enslaved. It will be Spirit (Holy) nudging, poking, prodding, alluring us to face the falsity. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth.  Jesus John 14:16-17 The words of encouragement will come through others. People who have a compelling vision for you that things can be different. Silence will be involved where you have to both wrestle and dance with your own beliefs. I, Barry, may also be involved. If I can, at the very least, pray for you, then it would be a great privilege. Send me an email via the contact form. Will it always be like this? I don’t think so. History tells me that change happens. Hope is the dance partner of Faith and Love, so let’s keep seeing where this leads. Quotes to consider Despair is what happens when there is a lack of new creation. When things are just are what they are and there is a deep sense of impotence that there is nothing you can do about it. Rob Bell Episode 219 | Jesus H. Christ – Part 9 – Is That His Last Name? Despair is a spiritual condition. Despair is when you fall under the belief and conviction that tomorrow will simply be a repeat of today. Rob Bell  Without the inner discipline of faith, most lives end in negativity, blaming, or deep cynicism—without even knowing it. Richard Rohr Page: 24 Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi  Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart. Abraham Joshua Heschel When you are no longer able to change, what will God do with you, if you have not yet become what He wants?  D. Riddell God does not love you if and when you change. God loves you so that you can change. Richard Rohr Don’t judge the future by the past – the future will be different when new insights and understandings restore hope. David Riddell Questions to answer What beliefs are keeping you, enslaved? What’s it like to know God listens to your groans, remembers the promises, sees your plight, and understands? What would ‘God moving’ into your situation look like? Would you like an ‘on the run’ convict to be your advocate/ rescuer? Further reading Barry Pearman Image cc: Nagy Arnold

Sister Michelle L’Allier is a Franciscan Sister from Minnesota, and I’ve had the absolute pleasure of getting to know her through leading retreats at San Damiano Retreat here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sister Michelle and I got to know each other over the course of several years, when she was the adviser for the retreat team I led. She’s a person that I feel so very lucky to know; she’s deeply spiritual and also approachable, meeting each person she encounters where they are. I’m really excited to have her on as the last guest of Season 4.   One of the things that I love about our discussion is that we dive into the question of “how do I be myself?” It’s a question that embodies the inspiration, intention, and action that have been the focus of this season. For Sister Michelle, the question of being herself led to the Franciscan faith, and an understanding of love, and what divine love means. For myself, I think that being myself means saying yes to Joy, listening to it, looking for it, and living by it. In this episode, Sister Michelle L’Allier and I talk about: Growing up in Minnesota Finding love The story of St Francis and Clare of Assisi Loving all parts of yourself How we can begin to break down walls and dismantle things like human trafficking Working through trauma is important for everyone, and how to do it How you can learn to talk about emotions even if it wasn’t something you did growing up How people bundle a wider range of emotions under a single word, and why that doesn’t serve them The gifts of joy and compassion and how they are needed by every person How to jumpstart your joy: letting go of the addiction that fuels perfectionism, finding connection and love, and living a life of adventure. Resources The Wisdom Jesus:Transforming Heart and Mind -- A New Perspective on Christ and His Message by Cynthia Bourgeault on Amazon Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Saint Francis by Richard Rohr John Duns Scotus on Wikipedia A Franciscan Moral Vision on Amazon The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford on Amazon Catholic Means Universal: Integrating Spirituality and Religion by David Richo

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard’s teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and self-emptying, expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized. Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. His newest book is The Universal Christ (coming March 2019).

I first encountered the Enneagram when I was a graduate student at a conservative seminary. While on a weekend retreat I came across a copy of Fr. Richard Rohr's book, Discovering The Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey. In that book Richard describes the traits and the underlying compulsions of each of the nine basic Enneagram types. Based on my life experience and what I'd learned in my training to become a counselor, Rohr's description of the types blew my mind.  They were uncannily accurate. I felt sure I had stumbled on an amazing resource, not only for Christians but for all people. Little did I know, that 25 years later, Richard and I would be friends and the Enneagram would become the central focus of my work. In this episode, you will learn: How Richard discovered the Enneagram How to break the shackles of self-doubt with self-compassion What exactly is the true self vs. false self Why the Enneagram can help to identify the true-self Richard is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and he is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam's Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi.  

ather Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. A Franciscan priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, NM, his work is grounded in practices of contemplation and self-emptying, expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized. He is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Breathing Under Water, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. His latest book is The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell). Fr. Richard is also academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation, which trains individuals to work for positive change based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. We spoke about the growing interest in contemplative Christianity, aspects of Franciscan theology and the purpose that drives his work. Learn more about Fr. Richard Rohr here: https://cac.org/richard-rohr/richard-rohr-ofm/

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Simplicity, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi.