In my meditation this morning, Forrest Gump came to me. And he said what he always says, “Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Well, I love me some Forrest, but this time I thought, you are dead wrong on this one, wise friend! And I think you need my enlightened opinion on the matter.
So I said back to him, “Oh, Forrest. No, no, no! Life is like a box of crayons. You get to choose from a bunch of colors and create your life away!” Read More
With each week between January 1st and April 4th focusing on one of our 8 Spiritual Practices, I have noticed myself becoming increasingly intentional on my daily practice! I really enjoy deepening my appreciation for why our 8 Spiritual Practices are what they are. Our shared commitment to practice is what brings us together in community—we support each other in being accountable, for which I am so grateful! A Course in Miracles says we “teach” what we need to learn most. Amen to that! Read More
It can be easy to experience change and wonder why … why is this happening? And often, why is this happening to me?! I’ve found it to be one of the most painful and least satisfying inquiries. It leads me nowhere but further suffering.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.”
— Alan Watts
Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day inspired by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday with the intention of celebrating generosity and giving. In learning of #GivingTuesday, I heard my inner cynic come out. “Oh geez, here we go, we’ve commoditized one more thing! Now, even non-profits have to ‘get in where they can fit in.”
And, it’s true, culturally we do that … everything we can get our hands on we will work to package and sell. I think Chris Rock said it best on his recent visit to Saturday Night Live. Read More
Like success, prosperity is something many people aspire to create in their lives—and also like success, it’s a concept with many definitions. Here, in the beginning of her Sunday message “The Secret of Permanent Prosperity,” Edwene Gaines shares what it means to her with four main tenets.
Edwene Gaines speaking at Bodhi Spiritual Center in Chicago, IL
Click the button to begin listening to the audio of the message at 5:07, when Edwene shares her prosperity definition. Read the bulleted points based on the transcript below.
What is courage? We often see movies and literature portray courageous people as embodying fearlessness; they jump into burning buildings, run toward fights they can’t possibly win, and generally save the day with their heroics. And while it’s pretty cool to watch your favorite action hero be chased by an explosion down a crumbling hallway, these actions don’t really reflect authentic courage.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the innate ability to act despite fear. It is both a deep awareness of inner fear and a stalwart commitment to understand and move beyond that fear. Courage is being able to look at our inner demons and see the core wounds behind those fears. Courage is the ability to set ourselves free despite every barrier our fears build to block our way. We all have this courage within us, because God is courage, and we are always unified with God.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the innate ability to act despite fear.
President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Bodhi cannot help Chicago build Dr. King’s ideal of the Beloved Community if we cannot help ourselves uncover, understand and confront our own fears around building a better community. Read More
Along the California northern coast, there is a large community of trees that stretch hundreds of feet into the air—some over 350 feet—called California or coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). Some are over 2000 years old, making them literally older than Jesus. They have been around, seen some stuff, survived.
Image courtesy of Kristi via flickr
Though their height and longevity are truly amazing, the most interesting fact about these redwood trees is their roots—they are very shallow, sometimes only 5 or 6 feet down into the earth. It would seem that these trees would not be able to remain standing with such shallow roots. Read More
As we mature into our next decade as a community, I find myself asking, Why is spiritual community important and relevant today? What do we offer at a physical location that you can’t find in a book or online? Perhaps brick-and-mortar community is a dying paradigm? … all popular and timely inquiries.
I am then reminded of my years in sales. I remember the increasing enthusiasm and certainty that web casts, emails and telecommuting would be the “solution” to all of our inconveniences and inefficiencies. “Convenience and efficiency, that’s what we need!” (in a Superman-like voice).
Our first quarterly Love In Action
I don’t buy it. Look, I am all for the benefits of technology and accessibility. I live by Google calendar. I am obsessed with Instagram. I have bookcases upon bookcases of inspiring material. I have attended thousands of hours of workshops and classes to support my personal and spiritual growth. And yet nothing has transformed me more than the rub of human relationship. Read More
In our Thursday night Spiritual Economics class, we are studying the Truth about Prosperity and “raising consciousness, to know that ‘the place on which you are standing is holy ground'” (Butterworth, Spiritual Economics). When the circumstances or conditions of our lives and our world appear as if something is broken—as if scarcity is real or lack and limitation are “true”—we turn to Truth to remind us of Universal Law.
This thing called God is not a Santa Claus figure sitting in the sky waiting to give or withhold if we are naughty or nice. God is an unseen power and presence always operating in, through and as us. Use the word Love, Universe, Source, Spirit—whatever word resonates in your body. Read More
