Words of wisdom for all those in search of the enlightened life that leads to the divine.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/11/15/e13266cf-8ad7-4887-8df8-a9264edf15f1_how_we_get_paid.m4a

Two things seem disconnectedBut are inseparably bound,Your creative workAnd your means of livelihood.The first is the way you serve the world,And the second is the way The world repays you For your generosity.

How We Get Paid

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/11/15/114c434f-77a6-4436-b310-d47a5ccc2631_he_walks_away_in_silence.m4a

He walks away in silence.He does not say a word at leaving.And ruin follows in His wake,Precious ruin.And it will claim all thoseWho wanted Him in the first place.

He Walks Away in Silence

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/10/14/84592983-83b4-470f-b608-b3b8c0f22025_the_dome_of_heaven.m4a

To refuse to be a victimAnd to refuse to victimize,It is a mystery for the manWho finds that he is worn out in the fighting.And how is it done? By walking away,And by not needing the things that they provide.Can you find safety without the need to enforce any laws?And can you find freedom without the need for an army?I have. And it follows me like the dome of heaven.

The Dome of Heaven

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He’s going away to warAnd I am walking away from war.And that’s ok. Good men go to war.Me too. I war within myselfFor the principles That will free me from the need to go to war.It is the last frontier,It is the war That, when men, finally, are willing to fight it,Will end all wars.

Going Away to War

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I stop for the night and parkIn the middle of a grassy field Beside a stream. And nobody sees.Or at least nobody notices.And it feels as if it was made just for me,Just for this night. I am amazed at the wayThe world opens up for heavenWhen we believe and keep moving onToward the thing we know is right.

For One Night

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/9/12/9f82e17e-9dd4-4bb0-b207-c700a59e5095_the_poem_i_didn_t_publish.m4a

I wrote a poem the other day That was full of worldly wisdom.It was advice for how to prosperIn this world so wily and unpredictable.But after I did, I felt discouraged and tired.I put the poem away and broke with my own advice.I decided that perhaps better adviceWould be to follow JesusOut of the worldAnd into the road of sacrifice That leads to renunciation.And I know that many of you,Perhaps the very ones That I want to reachWill turn away upon hearing thatBecause you think I mean to get the old religion.But that’s not the case at all.

The Poem I Didn't Publish

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Christ, just like Silence and Truth,Is available to each irrespectiveOf religion or lack thereof.So that He can be hadFor the reach.

Available

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/6/19/1ca1b835-4508-4709-abbe-e036028c0f64_the_spirit_of_christ.m4a

Christ may be the only way that the world will change.It is not the idea of Christ, but the very Spirit of Christ that changes.It enters into the heart and offers new choices When it appears that war is the only way.And it seems to me that it is found most readilyIn the experience of total silenceAnd the hearing of genuine praise.

The Spirit of Christ

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I took home a baby bird that I found on the ground.Because I forgot all of the things they told meWhen I was a boy at school,Like don’t take home baby birds. Look for a nest. It’s mother can take care of it better than you can.Oops. But now it’s here.It cheeps in my living quarters.Tried to feed it. No luck yet. And I think to myself,I am not good at this. I should have remembered what I learned.Later today, I’ll go back and look for a nest In the hopes that the mother is not far away.And I don’t know what to say about itNow that I’m the one in charge,Other than, I’ll remember next time.

I'll Remember Next Time

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When Christ reigns, it makes things personal.When the letters rule, it&#39;s one size fits all,And who wants that?

Better Than Letters

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/5/16/51931f34-dbc6-494d-af71-da7cc317691e_obedience.m4a

Far more than obedience to the creedIs obedience to the still small voice.

Obedience

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Don’t move around too much.And be careful not to be luredBy that which costs too muchOf your precious time and means, Especially by that which invites to MOREWhen MORE is obviously too muchOr comes laden with complexities and waste.

Don't Move Around Too Much

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Right here, without reaching out for more,Except in the listening forThe next wordThat leads on to the New and more abundant LifeWhere everything is provided right hereAnd without reaching out for more.

Without Reaching Out for More

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Looking back in the rearview mirror of life,I see the past diminish out of sight.And looking into the future Of the promise that’s decreed,I see the hope of restoration of all thatWhich I have lost in choosing not to fight.

Choosing Not to Fight

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“I ordain that it be slippery for 100 years,” he said.And then I woke up from the dream. For a long time, I mourned Over this decree.But now, I seeThat it is a relief to knowThat it will roll out in waves.So that, I can notice my progress and sayNot bad for the first five years. Let’s see If I can hold on to the new lifeFor a little longer next time.And all of it so thatMy children’s children’s children May enter in to go not out forever.

Slippery

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He’s only sixteen, And completely unprepared for life.So was I. I had no idea what it was like.But that’s ok. He’ll live it anyway. And so have I.Surely he’ll break up and flounder.And maybe he’ll get “right”.I don’t know if I’ve ever done that.But that’s ok. I live it anyway.And he will too.And it is the best we have to give.And when we love each other, that’s still something.

Sixteen

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Hot air balloons hovering over the city.I wonder where they land.Somewhere. And I don’t understandHow they do that. But they do.I am like a balloon Now that I think about it.

Where Do They Land?

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/4/28/5/9848deef-e71c-4741-ae76-e65c3eff8490_private_property.m4a

It&#39;s private property, they say.That’s right for now. For now,It’s in your power to endlessly seek gainWithout a thought of those who have no place.But the tables are about to turn everlastinglyIn the favor of those whose homeIs not of this world.

Private Property

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/4/26/18/7918cd89-eb81-4b4d-8ce1-8cd933afa7fe_the_meaning_of_work_harder.m4a

I always thought, when people said “work harder”That they meant to work faster,To be more busy,More rushed.Hustle is the word that comes to mind.And I’ve never been good at that. I struggle to sustain itSince it so often comes with a kind of anxiety As if I am making up for an inherent deficit.But I have found a new meaning for “work harder”:Work more consistently, without stopping, overthinking, or getting distractedAs long as it takes, until the project is completed.I find this definition to be far more useful.It is extremely effective for getting things doneAnd much more peaceful than what I thought they meant.

The Meaning of Work Harder

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/4/26/5/31db4821-5999-402a-a52e-4b2f9ba2d0a4_reno.m4a

I once heard that strangers who wandered into SodomWere robbed, beaten, sometimes raped, and then cast out.I&#39;m not sure if that&#39;s completely true, but if so,No wonder such a city met with fire from the skies.I once heard from a homeless person That the hardest city to survive inWas the second-largest cityIn the state that makes its livingFrom gambling and prostitution.Lure them in, take their virtue and their money,Leave them broken, then spit them out,Chase them away, from the sight of thoseWho make their living on the process.And I can&#39;t help but think that fire waitsTo pour itself down on such a place.

Reno

Words of wisdom for all those in search of the enlightened life that leads to the divine.