Live Simple, Pray Hard

We make "simple living" and "hard prayer" out to be much harder than they
really are, sometimes.

To live simply means living according to Jesus' summary of the Law and the
Prophets: Love the Lord in absolutely every way possible and be dedicated to
the welfare of others as much as you care for your own. Included in that is
the idea that what is comfortable and easy for us is NOT the goal,
Consequently, to live simply, to live in conjunction with the command, is to
incorporate into our only those things of this world that are truly
necessary. We could learn much from the Amish - both in the direct
implications of simple living and in loving others.

To pray hard is really just giving ourselves to prayer even when we don't
want to. Muslims are to pray five times a day. Jews used to pray (maybe
some still due) at "the hour for prayer" in their day every day. Christians
are to "pray unceasingly." That may seem like a daunting task - but if we
simply pray the prayers we have (the Psalms among other scripture portions)
and have been taught (The Lord's Prayer, The Jesus Prayer, the Te Deum, just
to name a few) and then keep a constant prayer in our hearts when those are
not being cognitively said... Something like, "How can I best honor you now,
Lord?"

Live simply, Pray Hard. Make it so in me, Lord.

A Response To Baba Ali (re: Who Hijacked Islam/My Religion?)

This may take a little while to load once you click on the play button. Alternatively, you could go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlhNAEClzZw. It's about 10 minutes long.

Who Hijacked Islam?

I just watched a very interesting video on YouTube. (Click the title on this article to view the video.) Baba Ali wants to know who hijacked his religion. His point seems to be that Islam is getting a bad name because the media is preseting a prejudicial view by broadcasting only those who present Muslims as terrorists or, at least, support the terrorists. He says that the barbaric acts committed by s0-called Muslims is completely inconsistent with Islam. He says that the so-called experts of Islam really know know Islam at all - certainly no better than the terrorists claiming to be Muslim. He wants Islam to be protrayed by those who truly know Islam, but those who practice Islam as it was intended to be, as taught in the Qur'an. He wants good examples of Islam. Muslims who carry out and support acts of terrorism are not good examples of Islam. They are not good Muslims. They do not truly represent Islam.

My question: Whom does he propose is a good example of Islam? Who would he like to see represent Islam? Who would constitute a good, a true Muslim? Who represents Islam better than anyone else. I would think, of course, that Baba Ali would at least name Muhammed. Does Muhammed represent true Islam? It is my understanding (and I am open to correction) that Muhammed lived the teachings of the Koran as the model for what the Qur'an truly means.

The challenge, then is to know how Muhammed lived. How can we know how Muhammed lived. The Hadith is one way.

The problem, it seems to me, is that Muhammed engaged in his own acts of barbarism. Check the Hadith. The record is clear. Muhammed did slay numbers of people; at least one time it was an entire village. Was he justified in the killings he committed and/or directed? I won't answer that one... But let me make a comparison.

Who represents Christianity better than anyone else? Jesus Christ. And whom did Jesus kill? Whom did Jesus direct to be killed? What did Jesus teach about how to treat one's enemies? Granted, the Church has not always been consistent with the teachings of Jesus. Some in the Church have committed barbarous acts. But would you agree with me that Christians who act this way are not modeling what Christ modeled?

What model does Muhammed provide?

Answer that question and we may begin to get a picture of who hijacked Islam.

Everything is Changed but Nothing is Different

I saw it again in an editorial in today's local paper. The tragic events
that have occurred have somehow "changed our world." Nothing will ever be
the same. Everything is changed... but nothing is different.

Just this past Monday, in our area there was a shooting at an Amish school -
five girls died, plus the killer, as a result of that shooting. Five other
girls are in the hospital.

We seem to think a tragedy changes the world - that now it's not as safe as
it used to be. After the shooting Columbine, everything changed. After
9-11, everything changed. In one week there were three more school
shootings - one at an Amish school - and now everything has changed. Oddly,
nothing is different. Nothing, that is, except, perhaps, our perception.

The world is a dangerous place. We don't always see it or feel it... but
it's always dangerous. There are no guarantees of any kind of safety in
this world. As one old bumper sticker put it - "You won't get out of this
life alive."

And so what are we to do? How do we protect ourselves and our loved ones
and, especially, our children? The sad and painful reality is that we
can't... oh, maybe we can up to a certain point - but that point comes
quickly and, just as quickly, can disappear. Life is dangerous. Life is
hard. Life is NOT guaranteed.

My grandfather used to tell me, "There are two things every person HAS to do
in this world. One is that you have to die. The second is that you HAVE to
pay taxes. Nobody gets to skip out on taxes this year. And nobody gets to
skip death

Except...

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will
live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die. " (John 11:25-26)

Maybe you do have to die - but who said death has to have the last word? If
that's true, then everything really is different. But it was made different
long before 9-11, long before Columbine. It was made different 2000 years
ago when a Jewish carpenter was killed by the state for nothing he had done
wrong, was buried in a tomb and then, three days later, was discovered to be
alive!!

Now, everything really is changed. Nothing is the same.

Oh yes, there's one more thing Jesus said... right at the end of his
statement about dying and yet living. "Do you believe believe this?"

Do you?

The True Heart of Love

This is a portion of John Michael Talbot's "Reflections on the Gospels" from
Luke 9:43-45.

A heart of love... is a heart of mystery. It lives by dying for those it
loves. It is glorified in being humbled for those it loves. It is given
abundant wealth by becoming poor so that those it loves might share in its
wealth. These things are all paradoxes. They are all mystery. Yet they all
boldly and clearly proclaim the truth of God's love. This love was most
clearly revealed in the death of God's Son, Jesus the Christ.

Do we understand this mystery, or do we still seek a Messiah who will come
in pragmatic, worldly victory? Do we really seek the action of the Spirit in
our life so we might understand this mystery? Do we really allow ourselves
to be daily born again in his love by coming to share in a daily death to
selfishness and sin?

A Prayer

Inflame our hearts with love for Thee, O Christ our God, that loving Thee
with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our
strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, we may obey Thy commandments and
glorify Thee, the Giver of all good things. Amen.

An Eastern Orthodox Prayer