Sunday, January 30, 2011

Meditate on This – 2

How to approach the act of Giving.
Do not think of giving just from the perspective of what God wants you to do. Think of it from the perspective of what God wants you to become.

Giving can transform you, altering your perspective on life, changing your priorities. Giving can actually make you less needy, freeing you from a material bondage that you may not even realize exists.

When you write a check to your church or a charity, drop change in a Salvation Army bucket, donate a winter coat, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or whatever, allow the experience to be all that it can be; in addition to expressing your hope that your gift will make a difference, here's a prayer of giving you might try:
Father, thank you for providing me with many blessings, so that I may provide for others.
Transform my heart and mind through this giving experience.
Bring me closer to You.
Expand my worldview.
Diminish my material desires. Increase my appreciation for the simple pleasures of life.
Empty my heart of want. And fill my heart with contentment. Amen.



Thursday, January 27, 2011

Is it okay to do Yoga? Part 1


Yoga exists in many forms around the world. It is used by people of various religions, therefore some Christian organizations have cautioned against it. For casual Christians, it can sometimes lead toward the adoption of Eastern theologies. They may interpret the physical and mental benefits of a yoga experience as part of the spiritual fulfillment they seek. But to a New Age Christian, yoga simply offers wonderful methods to enhance physical and mental well being, as well as tools to meditate in order to contemplate and receive God's wisdom and love. And whatever helps connect you to God is worth exploring.

Hatha and Vinyasa are forms of Yoga that involve physical conditioning, the kind that you'll experience in classes at your local gym. Through various poses and breathing techniques, an individual can enhance his/her body's strength, flexibility and balance. These types of yoga provide a keen awareness of an individual's muscles and joints, which promotes a more proactive relationship with physical wellness. Additionally, many people have found that yoga exercise is helpful in relieving mental stress. The relief of stress is not only beneficial to your health and well being, it makes it easier to experience the presence of God. You release yourself from the mental chains of everyday life, so that you can shift your emotional and spiritual state to a more peaceful place.

So it's perfectly okay to incorporate yoga into your wellness plan. But remember, there are many different types of classes and instructors. Simply look for a yoga class that is meant for exercise, and you'll be on your way to a better physical and mental state of being. Oh, and if someone says to you, "Namaste," they are just greeting you or acknowledging you and the spirit within you.

Namaste. Have a blessed day.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What is Sin? Part 1

 A friend asked me to define Sin from a Christian perspective. So here goes.

The original definition of Sin is to miss the mark.

God has provided us with wisdom and guidance on how to live with greater purpose. Ever since the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis, He has cautioned us against living a selfish, hedonistic lifestyle.

Jesus expanded the concept of missing the mark or point, when He admonished the Pharisees for being far too critical, self-righteous and fixated on rules and regulations.

So we have two vital aspects of life, Pleasure and Virtue, that when taken to extremes get us into trouble. Both the hedonist and the puritan are missing the point of life.

To Sin is to ignore the teaching and guidance of God in order to pursue a life of self-gratification, or even self-righteousness. We become our own god. Or we create other gods: money, success, power, authority, materialism, thrills, etc.

Oftentimes it takes self-reflection to realize that we are on a sinful path. And it's still not easy, because the norms of society can be confusing. Simply watching the behavior of "characters" on some reality TV shows can skew your perspective. After all, if those people are becoming celebrities, they're actions can't be too bad, right? But the norms of society are not the guidelines to follow if you want to avoid a sinful path.

Hopefully, most people can still recognize if they are living a hedonistic lifestyle, if they are deceitful and dishonest, if they are mean and bossy, if they are greedy and materialistic, if they are gossipy and envious. Here's a test: look at your checkbook and look at your calendar. How do you spend your money and your time? Next, what kind of words come out of your mouth? These reflections should help you determine what kind of life you lead.

To get an even better understanding of what sin is, we need to define another word: repent.

To repent isn't simply to confess your sins and say you are sorry. If that's all you do, you'll probably keep sinning. Many people fall into a sinful pattern, much like shampooing their hair: sin, confess, repeat.

Nope. To repent means to change direction, do a 180-degree turn. If you are walking down a sinful path, turn around and walk in the other direction. To repent is to change your life for the better.

While Jesus did point out wrongdoing from time to time, His message was more about life direction. That's why He attracted sinners. That's why He made such an impact on people like Zacchaeus the tax collector, causing him to change his ways. Jesus didn't tell Zacchaeus to stop being a tax collector. He told him to become a fair and honest tax collector.

Jesus asked us to repent and then be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He wasn't just saying, “Stop sinning.” He was offering us an alternate lifestyle: immersion in love, compassion, joy, pleasure, wisdom and purpose.

You see, the opposite of Sin isn't Virtue, it's Harmony. Sin is more a direction, than an action.

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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Meditate on This – 1

People often ask God, "Why do you allow so much suffering in the world?"
But that is a question God should be asking us.

Friday, January 21, 2011

What on earth are we doing here on earth?

New Age Christians are committed to living with purpose. We want our lives to have meaning and fulfillment. We want to make a difference in the world. That is why we seek Truth. That is why we spend time learning. That is why we incorporate spiritual disciplines into our daily experience.

Every NAC should develop an individualized mission statement, which is a brief, clear statement of your spiritual mission in this life, i.e. what you want to do. And then develop a purpose statement, which briefly states why you are going to do it.

But before you can do that, it may be helpful to have some context. Let's step back for a moment and address the reasons for our existence and God's general intention for us.

Why are we here? Why did God create us?
God created Mankind and the universe to express Himself, as an artist would. Your life can be a masterpiece. This world can be a masterpiece. If only we let the vision of the artist truly manifest.

What is the meaning of life? What is our general purpose?
The pursuit of Pleasure. The pursuit of Knowledge. The pursuit of Virtue.
A life must have a balance of all three in order to achieve Harmony. (more about this on another day)

What mission and purpose did Jesus give us?
He told us to find His lost sheep. He is the head shepherd who has put His trust in us to protect His flock, to do whatever it takes to find the least and the lost of this world, so that they may experience His infinite love and grace.

He told us to be Light. Think of it like this, He is the Sun, and we are the Moon. We are meant to reflect His glory, so that people are drawn to Him. 

He told us to be the Salt of the Earth. Salt is a preservative that is rubbed into meat to keep it from decaying. We Christians are all grains of salt. We must be rubbed into the world, not just lightly sprinkled upon it. That is why it is so important to transform ourselves into loving, compassionate, wise and selfless people. So that we preserve the planet and it's people. And, like salt, we draw out the true flavor of God's creation.

Now, ask yourself what specific mission you can create for yourself, and what is your mission's purpose.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What you seek is nothing new.


The wisdom and guidance of Jesus have been around for centuries. Therefore, we humans have had plenty of time to make His simple, elegant words as confusing as possible. Too much emphasis is often placed on the wrong things, so that we never get a clear picture of what Jesus wants us to do...or become.

One of the primary activities of a New Age Christian is to seek the Truth in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Let's get back to the essence of this ancient wisdom, so that we can understand it better.

First, Jesus taught in various ways. Sometimes He was straightforward. Other times He used symbolism, poetry and parables. Using parables was brilliant. A parable is like a pool of water. You can gain wisdom by just dipping below the surface, and you can gain much deeper wisdom as you develop spiritually.

Let's look at one of the best examples. Luke Chapter 15 contains three parables; this is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. The third parable is The Parable of the Prodigal (or lost) Son. (Tim Keller's book Prodigal God is required reading on this, and my source.)

In the story there are two sons. The younger son dishonors his father by asking for his inheritance, which was basically saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead.” Amazingly, his father gives it to him, and the son leaves to experience a hedonistic lifestyle, until he has squandered all that he has. After much suffering, he gets the nerve to return home to his father to ask for a job as a farmhand. His father immediately forgives the son and throws a huge party to celebrate.

Most people would see the sentimentality of this story: how sweet that the father forgave his son. They would assume that this is a story about forgiveness, which if you dip just below the surface, it is. And that's an important lesson. But there is much deeper meaning. And this deeper meaning is a core theme of the teachings of Jesus, and what it means to be a Christian.

Some of this deeper meaning is actually found in what Jesus left out of the story. In Luke Chapter 15, Jesus first tells the Parable of the Lost Sheep, where a shepherd leaves 99 sheep to find one that is lost. Then comes the Parable of the Lost Coin, where an old woman diligently sweeps her entire house to find one lost coin. In the third parable, when the younger son leaves (or becomes lost), his older brother does nothing about it. There is no mention of the older brother looking for the prodigal son. Instead, he judges his brother as unworthy of his father's love and birthright. He becomes angry when the prodigal son is forgiven. Because of this, we see that the older brother is the one who is truly lost. He separates himself from his father and family.

Jesus is creatively telling us that while welcoming sinners or outsiders into our Christian family is important, searching for them or reaching out to them with love, compassion and acceptance is also a major aspect of being a true follower.

This is just one example of the life lessons found in Scripture. Reading and meditating upon the gospels is a good first step to understanding the many messages. I'm sure it took Tim Keller many readings of Luke Chapter 15 before he became totally immersed in the deeper meanings. He also studied the history and culture of time to better understand the context of the parables.

The First Spiritual Discipline of a New Age Christian is immersion in Scripture, primarily the four gospels.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Religion Among the Millennials - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion Among the Millennials - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Prayer in America - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Prayer in America - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Are New Age teachings dangerous or sinful?

How can you combine New Age teachings and techniques with true Christianity? Many would say that you can’t. A lot of New Age teachings take things a bit too far for Christians. Some promote self-deification, which is the belief that we are all divine, or that we can all become gods. Some promote reincarnation and other Eastern philosophies which simply aren’t inline with Christian scripture. Some teachings say that God is not a supreme being but rather a force, like in the Star Wars movies. And some say that we are saved by good works, whereas Christians believe that we are saved by grace; that our salvation is a gift from God.

I firmly believe that some New Age and Eastern philosophies can actually strengthen Christianity’s message. They affirm Jesus, proving his divinity and validating his wisdom. The more Eastern philosophy I have studied, the more amazing Jesus becomes in my eyes. But this isn’t a blog on Eastern philosophy. This is a blog about Christianity.

My ultimate purpose is to help people become followers of Jesus Christ. For this to occur, I believe people must get the gist of what Christ was trying to teach and reveal to us. And then, people must have both the spiritual and practical guidance necessary to actually follow.

You see, the definition of sin is to miss the mark, or to miss the point. There are far too many Christians who get mired in doctrine or saving souls (and turning people off), or they simply don’t know how to follow Jesus in their daily lives.

So what's the benefit of incorporating New Age teachings with Christianity?
By using some variants of New Age teachings, we can gain a clearer picture of Christianity. It is vital to understand the fundamentals of living by faith and trust in God, so that we may develop healthy, meaningful relationships with God and with the world around us.

But it is important to note that practicing other religions is NOT encouraged by New Age Christians. We simply want to use appropriate wisdom and helpful practices to enhance our Christian experience.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Where did the New Age Christian idea come from?


I have been a Christian all of my life. I went to an Episcopal church on a regular basis (my grandfather was a bishop). I went to a Presbyterian school through sixth grade. I was in a Catholic youth group and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I've been on Christian retreats and have participated in numerous Bible studies. Yet still, I did not have the knowledge or skills to truly practice my religion. And I didn't really understand what kind of relationship I had with God. One of the main reasons for this is that traditional Christian worship services I participated in were mostly irrelevant to my life experiences, as they use centuries-old liturgies; the Nicene Creed is about 1700 years old. Additionally, so much of the message was about how not to behave (more on that at a later date). I had almost no exposure to spiritual disciplines besides basic prayer.

As an adult, I began to meet many people who were raised in the Christian church, but did not seem to be engaged in any Christian practices. In fact, they were seeking spiritual fulfillment outside of the church – studying other religions and philosophies. Then one day, a friend started talking about the Law of Attraction. I was intrigued, because I didn't feel like I had much control of my life. So I picked up a copy of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. It's an excellent book, and it led me to a deeper understanding of my Christian faith, even though it's technically not a Christian book. After The Secret, I started hearing about other New Age teachers, even seeing one, Dr. Wayne Dyer, several times on PBS.

As my friends were delving into these “non-Christian” teachings (as well as Eastern religions like Buddhism) I was struck by a major irony. The essence of the Law of Attraction is Christian Scripture. In fact, The Secret quotes the gospel books of Matthew and Mark. By the way, similar concepts were expressed in 1952 by the Reverend Dr. Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Power of Positive Thinking.

This realization led me to begin a more thorough study of these “non-Christian” practices and philosophies, as well as the teachings of Jesus. I discovered methods of faith, prayer and meditation that have given me a more meaningful understanding of what it means to be a Christian. I now feel like have have practical tools to use on a daily basis to stimulate my spiritual growth and deepen my relationship with God. Hopefully I can share some insights that will help you gain a new perspective of Christianity, so that you can actively pursue a more meaningful spiritual life.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

What is a New Age Christian?


A New Age Christian is a follower of Jesus who pursues a deeper understanding of Scripture, yet also utilizes philosophies and practices of other religions or schools of thought as a means to enhance the Christian experience.

For example, a New Age Christian(NAC) may use meditation practices learned from Eastern religions. He may read the works of philosophers and psychologists to gain a better understanding of the human mind. She may practice Yoga or go to an acupuncturist. And an NAC may apply some creative methods of New Age teachers to develop more meaningful relationships with God and Humanity.

We find this necessary because while the Bible provides wisdom and truth, it does not detail spiritual disciplines or methods of faith development, at least not in a manner and to an extent that is easily understood and applied to our daily lives. And many Christian churches do not spend much time instructing congregations is these areas.

A New Age Christian is someone who wants spirituality to be a daily experience, not just a weekend event. NACs are continuously seeking wisdom and virtue, as they embrace life with heartfelt enthusiasm.