FALLING UPWARD:
A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

By Richard Rohr

Reviewed by David Bradshaw

Introduction


Every once in a while a new book comes along that speaks to your circumstance so clearly that it has the ability to transform, expand and elevate your worldview for the rest of your life.

Falling Upward was such a book for me.

My research on redefining "retirement" was accelerated in the summer of 2012. I was asked to discuss the topic, "Will You Ever Be Able To Retire?" on several radio talk programs, as a part of my duties as publisher of a new economics book (The Great Debasement by Craig R. Smith & Lowell Ponte).

Comics joke that "80 is the new 65," but for millions of Americans, it's no longer a laughing matter.

Insurance giant AIG has already warned that the U.S. and other indebted Western governments will soon be pushing up retirement ages to as high as 80. This presents a new window of time and opportunity opened for a very non-traditional "retirement" by the vast Baby Boomer generation.

What I discovered in researching this topic was that more and more headlines were appearing asking a different question; "Do You Really Want to Retire?" This is the key question many boomers, largely unprepared for a traditional retirement, are now asking.

Then, in the Spring of 2013, a Sunday morning guest speaker at Paradise Church in Phoenix, AZ named Mark Bankord (Founder and Directional Leader of The Trajectory Institute) introduced the idea that this monumental migration of Boomers presented the culture in general - and the community of faith specifically - with a new and exciting challenge.

Bankord highly recommended two books to understand this topic further - The Big Shift by Encore Founder Mark Friedman and Falling Upward by Richard Rohr. Which leads me to my book review.

A Visionary Book About Growing Up Spiritually

A book about growing up spiritually, Falling Upward, is by visionary Franciscan pastor/teacher/author Richard Rohr. It offers a fresh road map to guide Baby Boomers through the next vital rite of passage they face. Rohr offers readers his flashlight to help us find our way out of the dark and into a joyful, bright second half of life.

"Falling Upward is fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life," says GoodReads.com. "Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite."

Rohr's inclusive writing style is, I suspect, the fruit of his four decades of experience in helping injured souls find healing, feel loved again and acceptance at last - and from this experience becoming free to discover the hidden meaning of the "necessary sufferings" we all face in our lifetimes.

His premise is simple: "The way up is the way down." He sees many examples of this axiom everywhere and in every culture - ranging from Greek mythology to "Man of Steel" modern heroes, and especially in Scripture, such as Jesus' Beatitudes, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and the Apostle Paul's words, "It is when I am weak that I am strong."

Like the U-shaped curve seen in all of the natural world, so our lives are formed by a series of fallings, losses and even failures - in preparation for the next rebirth, rising, gains and successes. "The goal," Rohr writes, "is to make the sequences, the tasks, and the direction of the two halves of life clear."

"The loss and renewal pattern is so constant and ubiquitous that it should hardly be called a secret at all. Yet it is still a secret, probably because we do not want to see it. We do not want to embark on a further journey if it feels like going down."

It is this 'losing our life to find it' that eludes us during the first half of life, but becomes ever clearer in the second half of life. But we all need some help and guidance finding that road less traveled. "You cannot imagine a new space fully until you have been taken there," writes Rohr.

Falling Upward serves as a reminder to Baby Boomers that it is our duty and responsibility as elders to cross over into the second half of life to help guide the next generation down their path toward wisdom.

"In this book I would like to describe how this message of falling down is, in fact, the most counter-intuitive message in most of the world's religions, including and most especially Christianity," writes Rohr.

"We grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. That might just be the central message of how spiritual growth happens; yet nothing in us wants to believe it."

The problem we all face is that our rational mind cannot process suffering or setbacks, so instead we avoid them, deny them or blame someone else for them. What we should do, Rohr explains, is embrace them as part of our journey, our pathway to growth.

The Two Halves of Life Explained

In the first half of life we move incrementally from utter dependence upon our mother and father toward independence. In the first half of life we search for identity, meaning, significance and support to create a "proper container," Rohr writes.

"We all need some successes and positive feedback early in life, or we will spend the rest of our lives demanding it, or bemoaning its lack from others," writes Rohr. How true!

In the second half of life we discover the contents that the container was meant to hold and deliver. The old wineskins must be replaced by new, stronger, tested wineskins stretched to meet the changing needs of maturity.

True elders must learn patience with "juniors" because they cannot understand what they have not yet experienced. "The 'True Self' is very hard to offend," writes Rohr.

"In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity," said Pope Paul XXIII, as a reflection of second half of life wisdom.

"The first journey is always about externals, formulas, superficial emotions, flags and badges, correct rituals and special clothing, all of which largely substitute for actual spirituality - yet they are all used and needed to create the container," Rohr writes. He sees that if we do not find a way to do the age-appropriate tasks of the two halves of life, both will be unfulfilled.

Today we live in a "first-half-of-life culture" largely preoccupied with surviving successfully. But, to quote a Native American aphorism, "No wise person ever wanted to be younger."

What does this say about modern American culture, driven to find the elusive fountain of eternal youth?

To me it illustrates how desperately our society needs true elders to emerge who have made a conscious choice to live and act like grownups, not like perpetual children who are content living in their first half of life forever.

The usual crossover points, writes Rohr, are a kind of "necessary suffering" and "homesickness" which could include the losses of a job, fortune, our reputation or health. This is the falling down which will end up turning into a falling upward if we allow the circumstance to do its inner work on our soul.

This second half of life also involves beginning to write our own life script, owning it and paying attention to 'the task within the task' of life. Moving from surviving to thriving.

"The familiar and habitual are so falsely reassuring, most of us make our homes in the first-half-of-life permanently," says Rohr. We do not willingly move out of our 'comfort zone' unless circumstances force us to do so.

The song Picture Of Grace (Lyrics Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC copyright) by Sanctus Real expresses a first-half-of-life understanding and path to enter the second half of life...

"Took us 30 something years to see the light
It took a whole lot of tears and sleepless nights
It took the pain of wondering why, wondering why,
Oh why
But now I see every tear we've cried
Is a drop of purpose in the sea of life
And as the water washes over you and I
I can see something holy made of two broken lives
Cause we believe in something bigger than our own lives..."

Henry David Thoreau wrote, "If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. But, now put foundations under them."

Connecting the first and second halves of life together is about seeing the world not as either-or, but rather both-and. Falling Upward presents a fresh vision of wholeness that calls us both upward and downward, for we cannot really understand Up until we have first experienced Down.

Regardless of your age, I recommend reading Falling Upward with an open heart, mind and spirit. You will better understand the spiritual aspects of aging and of making a "further journey" to discover your True Self. You will also grow in seeing how to "love thy neighbor as thy self."



Resurrection Day 2019: It's A "Christ-Soaked" World Now!

THE UNIVERSAL CHRIST: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe
by Richard Rohr
- Convergent Books (March 5, 2019)
4.18.19 ~ Reviewed by David Bradshaw, My Idea Factory

Introduction

Question: What percentage of the 2.3 billion Christians alive worldwide - both Catholic and Protestant - would you guess have been taught that they are presently living in a "sin-soaked" world in need of salvation to avoid eternal damnation? My guess: about 99%.

But imagine taking a fresh look at both Scripture and history - and suddenly rediscovering the truth that every single human being on earth is living in a "Christ-soaked" world, and thanks to Christ Jesus' life, death and resurrection, hell has forever been destroyed!

TUC How's that for Good News? It's the ultimate spiritual game-changer! But, does it sound too good to be true?

Richard Rohr's newest book THE UNIVERSAL CHRIST reveals a profoundly new, yet very historic understanding of how it is possible that every human being is 'in Christ' - a reality that could change our perception of the world and everything in it.

Rohr brings a sorely needed healing balm to a hurting world by celebrating the things the entire human race has in common. In doing so Richard lifts the reader's spirit above petty doctrinal issues. He offers readers an invitation to join him on a journey of fresh Scriptural understanding based on a half-century of Franciscan teaching, ministry and personal spiritual experience.

There's something very poetic about the release of THE UNIVERSAL CHRIST on 'Fat Tuesday' (March 5, 2019) a day which marks the beginning of Lent season - usually full of feasting and celebration - prior to a time of reflection upon the humility, suffering and death of Jesus leading up to the earth-shaking resurrection of Christ.

"Incarnation is the oldest Christian story. Through Christ, God is pouring God's self into all creation. To be Christian, then, is to see Christ in every thing," writes Rohr on his book's jam-packed resource collection page which is full of quotes, videos and book endorsements.

THE UNIVERSAL CHRIST puts forth six major themes which all originate in Scripture, yet for many (including myself) these truths lay hidden in plain sight and require a seasoned teacher like Rohr to coax readers to reframe them in a larger perspective. The key themes include; 1) Christ is not Jesus' last name. 2) Accept being fully accepted. 3) See Christ in every thing. 4) Original goodness. 5) Love is the meaning. 6) A sacred wholeness.

Rohr's style of teaching is very loving and gentle, yet transformative. He often poses thoughtful questions rather than making dogmatic or inflammatory statements. He is careful to explain this "forgotten reality" using abundant Scriptural references, starting with a reevaluation of Genesis 1, which reveals "original goodness" inherent in all of God's creation (including mankind) prior to "original sin" in Genesis 3.

Rohr recommends re-reading a few key foundational New Testament Scriptures with a "beginners mind" starting with; Genesis 1, John 1:1-18, Ephesians 1: 3-11, Colossians 1:3-14, Hebrews 1 and I John 1:1-3.

I am still working on a more detailed review the book, but I wanted to share this short, introductory review with my family and friends during this blessed Easter 2019 season. Happy Resurrection Day!


A Spirituality for the Second Half of Life

In January 2019 I finally had the great joy of meeting my favorite contemplative author, Richard Rohr in person at Saint Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church in Scottsdale, AZ.

After reading his bestselling book "Falling Upward" in late 2012, Rohr's book set me on a new journey toward a unitive spiritually - connecting the two halves of my life - which helped prod me to move through "order, to dis-order, to re-order" my life on a new upward trajectory in response to a series of downward "necessary sufferings".

Rohr I have since read and written reviews of six of Rohr's important transformational books, which have also inspired a number of original songs. There are all posted at a baby boomer resource website I established back in 2013, Primelifers.org.

Here are seven condensed takeaways from Rohr's "A Spirituality for the Second Half of Life" seminar.

1. "Life is not about you - you're about it!" (It being learning how to pour out the life of God to others)

2. Four stages of life; "cleaning up, growing up, waking up, showing up" -Ken Wilbur (Here is an introductory book review of Ken Wilbur's classic "A Brief History of Everything").

3. Rohr's genius of helping give his readers the BIG picture was on display as he breezed through the nine levels of development which have been refined and explained by both mystics throughout history, such as] Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, as well many luminaries in the field of psychology more recently such as; Piaget, Kohlberg, Maslow, Fowler, Clare Graves and Ken Wilbur.

4. Whatever you teach or receive, will be heard on at least 8-10 different levels, according to the inner, psychological and spiritual maturity level of the hearer. This transformational path, or ascent of consciousness may take a lifetime for those seeking it, while others may remain in the early stages for a lifetime by clinging to their Ego-centered or False self and/or refusing to face or just ignoring their Shadow self, which must be done to uncover our True self.

5. Stages 1-3 are characterized by dualistic/polarized thinking, "My body and self image is who I am...My external behavior is who I am...My thought and feelings are who I am." Education is a substitute for transformation. At least a minor fall or death in your life must be experience to more forward to higher stages.

6. Stages 4-6 are characterized by "Deeper intuitions and felt knowledge is who I am... My Shadow self if who I am... I am empty and powerless." This individualism, self-absorption must eventually end in a "dark night" or else I will run back to the perceived safety of earlier stages. This is a key turning point, any attempt to save myself by superior behavior, technique, morality, or religious devotion will lead to regression. God is about to become very real, however a major death or fall must be experience to move forward.

7. Stages 7-9 are characterized by "I am much more than who I thought I was...I and the Father are one...I am who I am." These stages mark the death of the False self and birth of the True Self! It will first feel like a void, as "luminous darkness" You will slowly find your new self able to embrace paradox and mystery, to love your enemy, to see the world a gracious place in which "Everything Belongs" - even negative circumstances. "One knows God in oneself, and knows oneself in God," said Teresa of Avila. Henceforth there is only God - seen in all things, people and creation. I have no need to appear to be anything special, but just who I really am. I embrace the role of "the holy fool" as I learn the humility of being poor of spirit. I will also become much more patient with earlier stages of growth, knowing that as I transcend I must also include all previous stages gracefully.

In a nutshell this is what I gleaned from this special time together with brother Rohr, a humble servant of God given to this generation as a gift. I can hardly wait to see what's in store next, as he reveals "The Universal Christ" in his next book.

If you seek a daily devotional which encompasses the best of Rohr in recent years, I highly recommend his Year of Daily Meditation: "A Spring Within Us" OR if you have not read Falling Upward that is a good place to start understanding a spirituality for the second half of life.


Trinity

Trinity: The Soul of Creation
Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and Wm Paul Young
Insights on the foundational pattern of reality: loving relationship

"If these are the creatures, what must the Creator be like?" -Francis of Assisi, First Life of Francis of Assisi, Thomas of Celano

Session 1 - Rohr Introduction
-Christianity and all wisdom traditions and teachers share a common vision of the importance of the displacement of our small 'self' in order to live in the larger flow of God.
-The Trinity is the unique gift Christianity brings to the world to model a loving relationship which thrives on self-emptying love which offers dignity to all of creation.
-The contemplative mind offers the solution to a world of disconnected individuals, who feel alienated from God, others and our self. Trinity love attracts love. Like knows like.
CAC Panel - Practical Benefits of Contemplation
-Contemplative practice is a doorway to experiencing unity with the Trinity
-Trinity is the template for everything created (Gen. 1:26-27) God is absolute love.
-Contemplation helps us slow down and be more present. I can let go because I trust God
-Components of Contemplative Practice;
Vulnerability - openness to God's flow in me
Holistic Presence - aware of unity through body, head and heart
Surrender - Stay aware, but surrender any specific focus
Moments of Rest - Truth that I am helped and guided by Absolute Love
Compassion - watch myself compassionately from a distance (Lk 24) Losing oneself to find oneself.
Sample Chant "Speak through the earthquake of wind and of fire. ooohhh - still small voice of love."

Session 2 - Roundtable
Rohr
-God loves things by becoming them. God is a circle dance (perichoresis)
-Science confirms the universe is ever expanding, illustrates God's evolutionary growth
-Moving from transactional theology to transformational theology
-The Greek pagan view of Zeus as angry, violent God is programmed into society
-In John 17 Jesus reveals God as participator, not critical spectator
-Enlightened salvation and transformation come when we move from an economy of merit to an economy of grace. This is a major paradigm shift which is now under way.
-Jesus primary metaphor for eternal life was a banquet table to which all are invited.
-Gen. 1:26-27 confirm Trinity "Let us create...in our image" We all have inherent dignity, goodness.
Bourgeault
-I woke up to discover I was inside the Trinity, the living stream of love that Catholic and Evangelicals can agree on.
-I was raised Christian Science, taught to pray to a principle, a rational God - later learned the centrality of relationship. When you enter a mystery you lose control.
-Difference between shame and guilt; shame is 'I am' something wrong, guilt is 'I've done' something wrong.
-"For God to be good He must be one. For God to be love He must be two. For God to be joy He must be three." Richard of Vicor, 11th Century
Young
-In the Shack Trinity was needed for Mack to find healing. Missy represents something that died in us as children - a nearly universal identification with loss. Most view Jesus as coming to save us from angry Father God.
-When we run to our head, it is usually a sign of a broken heart. In life women show up to throw us a lifeline.
-There is no hierarchy in God. If God is alone, there is no basis for relationship and love.
-He is in agreement with atheists who don't accept the reality of a God that has been presented to them by some Christians.
-Wholeness is when the way of your being matches the truth of your being.

Session 3 - Contemplative Practice - Paul Young
Intro Chant "Lord as you will, Lord as you know, have mercy, have mercy"
-God does not heal us so he can use us, God heals us because He loves us...then He invites us to play.
-I wrote the Shack during tough financial times, I learned the opposite of more is enough.
-Often we are so afraid of truth that we are attracted to religion.
-image of Trinity [Three Chairs turned toward each other, face-to-face-to-face ... and One chair by itself]
-The problem with religion is that it begins with separation, from creation and loving God.
-Does anything not good originate in God? No. It originates in us. Separation and aloneness is the first lie. Jesus can to expose that lie, first to ever call God Abba Father.
-The fruit of the spirit is the truth about who you are, not something to ask God to give us.
-Christians resort to 'magic' when we believe in ritual/religion more than relationship/mystery of trust.
-Trinity has never been a religious being. All religion created by man instead of relationship.
-If God can turn his face away from His creation in judgment, you can never trust Him. In Trinity there is never abandonment. (Ps. 24)
-God is against child sacrifice. Abraham discovers Jehovah Jirah, God provides, If you need a sacrifice, God will provide Himself.
-Jesus did not sacrifice to appease an angry God, it was "God in the hands of angry sinners"
-Inside Trinity love is unconditional. Relationship is conditional, a choice.
-There is no problem, darkness, sorrow, tragedy or crisis so powerful that God will not climb into it with you, and with my participation, transform it into a monument or icon of grace.

Session 4 - Contemplative Practice - Richard Rohr
-The nature of being is relationality, not rationality, as Aristotle taught, which place the highest quality of being upon "substance".
-5th Century Boetheis took further; "Human beings are individual substance of a rational nature." No!
-Aristototelian thinking major force into the enlightenment and beyond - It is still not true today!
-We are substance relationality - our personhood is mirrored early in life by our parents - if done well we develop mirror neurons in our brain which give us the capacity to feel connection.
-Shared identity vs. individual identity - self knowledge and God knowledge rise simultaneously.
-Bonaventure's vision of Trinity - 3 buckets on the waterwheel of love, constantly emptying out because of the perfect trust of being refilled. In contrast to worldview of scarcity, never enough.
-Religion is almost always right about what they affirm - and wrong about what they deny.
-Re-spect - to look at something a second time. To see it's naked existence as worthy of love.
-"Draw the warm compress closer to your chest, God wants to draw close to that you are." -Cloud Unknowing
-Trinity is like electricity - it only operates in a circuit, it is not one directional.
-God's first creation was light (Gen 1:2) Science now tells us all light is connected in universe.
-We need to move from my personal story, to our shared cultural story to the story (big picture) truth is always transformational rather than tranactional.
-The future of Christianity is ecumenical, undivided, unseparated - like the Trinity.
-Love cannot bear the torture of man for eternity - "Hell? No!" CD
-Universal is definition of "Catholic", but unliked term for evangelicals.
-The mystery of communion with God comes down to you capacity for presence, mind, heart, body.
-Mind must stop reliving past or worry about the future, needs to be present in the moment.
-How do we bring our head into our heart? The soul/heart cannot live without meaning/purpose.
-Body is when word become flesh, must overcome shame unhealthy to carry in our body.
-What mind, heart and body come together you will know what you need to know.

Session 5 - Cynthia Bourgeault
-Let's now examine Trinity from a different practical perspective; as a cosmological principle, (how) vs. a theological perspective (why). Like 5 blind men describing an elephant.
-The Law of Three - helps explain how the world operates, introduced to West by Girgeff (1866-1949)
-Girgeff introduced Enneagram in 1924 to understand personality. He sought to find the missing piece within radically inclusive Christian love. Frank Lloyd Wright was a student of Law of Three.
-"In any new arising (domain/scale) is the result of three independent forces or lines of action."
1. Affirming - initiates
2. Denying - resists - push back
3. Reconciling - permits 1 & 2 to come together.
-When an impasse is encountered between 1 & 2, the 3rd is missing or undiscovered.
-Note this interaction is morally neutral and #4 is the new unique arising that results from 1,2,3.
-Examples; The Shack - 1. Papa - love, 2. Mack's sorrow, wounds, 3. Mack choice to surrender his heart and the new arising is the healing made possible for Mack, his family and all lives that they touch.
Gospel - 1. God so loved world, 2. World hatred of God, 3. Jesus surrendered heart. 4. Salvation for all.
-Advantages of application of Law of Three to problems...
1. Spacious, impartial reframing of any situation
2. Paradox tolerance, to endure process and trust messiness.
3. Creative, non-judgmental regarding right/wrong, play, laughter best expander of limitations.
4. Alignment, Trinity is seed of everything, DNA planted in all creation, a template for Christianity.

Session 6 - Contemplative Practice - Cynthia Bourgeault
Intro Chant - "Thou of I, I of Thou, Seek yourself in Me, seek Me in yourself."
-The Future of Wisdom (book) "History is itself an unfolding of Christ"
-Christianity is far more influenced by Plato than by Jesus.
-Trinity is based on goodness of all creation, an Alternative Orthodoxy based on presence of God.
-The modern reclamation of Trinity focus started at a low point in 1950s with Ronner's "God For Us" book
-Cosmo-Theo-Andros - Threefold structure of reality - World, God, Man ... Father, Son, Spirit
-Cosmo-gonic Template by Beatrice Bruteau later added that Trinity is always driving outward and that as a pattern it is repeated in the universe - the manifestation of God, holy, sacred
-God's Ecstasy (book) - symbiotic unity - "clumping" seen as next evolutionary stage - like a romance moving from loving the other to loving what the other loves (infatuation to engulfation)
-Law of Three - 3 takaways showing the advantage of overlaying truth
1. Deeply upholds incarnational theology, God's self-disclosure of love in the world creates dignity.
2. Builds a bridge between scientific and theological truth, exposes false dualism, we become God's ecstasy.
3. Builds a bridge between theology and practice, leaving meditation pillow to reconcile, resolve to see the third force and revealing the divine heart to every heart.

Session 7 - Contemplative Practice - Paul Young
-Don't be con-formed to the world (schema), but be trans-formed (morphe) by renewal of mind. This is an unveiling from the inside out of what is going on inside the Trinity - which is everything!
-Monkey story with shock collars reveals how we are all limited by our habits and traditions.
-In Gospel of John 8 there are 7 "I Am" statements by Jesus "I am the light of the world" etc.
-In John 9 story of man born blind, represents us. Religion seek to blame on parents or his sin. Note Jesus heals the man and then leaves, later reunites to declare He can so all blind may see and those who think they see will become blind.
-Universalism? Do all roads lead to Papa God? No, but God will mean us on all roads. The salvation that Jesus brings is to the whole world. "If I be lifted up I will draw ALL men unto myself."
-The beauty of Trinity is we see a God willing to submit, but wants to dismantle all that is not of love's kind in favor of an authentic relationship.
-The Four Spiritual Flaws - God loves you and has a plan for your life, either perfect of permissive, but this teaching from Ro. 3:23, ignores 3:24 "all justified freely by grace..." we participate in plan.
-God takes ownership of chaos, but not authorship. No plan is needed in a relationship of trust to co-create.
-Martin's violin - the artist seeks the most resilient and resonate wood, the "singer trunk" in which every hardship forces the roots deeper. When adjacent trees fall it forces the trunk to twist in very unique ways. Once tree is chosen, it must season for years before violin construction begins. The art of violin creating is not forcing but cutting and preserving the lines in the fiber of the wood.
-The perfectionist seeks to fulfill the law, the artist seek to fulfill the sound.
-Ro. 8:28 Called - wood is chosen, justified - work with texture of life, glorified - despite flaws we are all given a voice.
-It is not the wood that yields to the Master, it is the Master that yields to the word. Seeing the world as a creation vs. a construction site. God has the heart of a creative artist not a construction engineer. Each of us is a work of art in the making. Each makes a unique sound in God's orchestra.
-"Wisdom House" book story of cloning Beethoven, not possible due to all of his unique life struggles.
-Your life matters to God! You are a singer trunk - to the praise of His glory!

Session 8 - Rohr, Bourgeault, Young Audience Q & A
1. How do we use the Law of Three to deal with evil? - What is the origin of evil? Because God has given up the freedom of choice there are consequences, such as evil. Evil is often created collectively so it must be solved collectively and reconfigured by love. Evil, pain and suffering is unjust. God is light. Light can exist without darkness. Freedom can exist without bondage.Life can exist without death. Darkness and evil originates in man's turning from light, love, relationship and Trinity. So, Trinity is the solution to darkness, hatred and evil. True definition of sin is not being true to your nature of of a loving relationship with God, your self and others.
2. Is there only one path to salvation? An alternative orthodoxy says Jesus did not come to change God's mind about man, but rather to change man's mind about God. The target of crucifixion was to end death, the ultimate goal and focus is upon Jesus ascension and transfiguration. In His lifting we are lifted.
3. Millennials leaving the Church? They find no meaning in rituals of organized religion devoid of relationship. The juices are not flowing in many organized churches. Rather than abandon, we need to stay on the edge of inside, realizing institutions never last forever, learn to be in it, not of it.
4. Paradigm shift, in-between moment spaces? Liturgies can be reinfused with new energy if relationship is focus. Rituals always reveal the shadow side, recognition that Lord I am unworthy. Ceremony allows no expression of shadow side and thus can become a lifeless expression of our pure goodness. "Aren't we wonderful?"
5. Stay faithful, don't try to understand everything? The contemplative mind grows gradually. Be patient with the rewiring of your operating system. Learn how to stay inside of the grace of just one day. Be present, childlikeness and trust are vital. No future-tripping. Joy is in the presence of God!


Conference Resources:
Presenter books: (book review links of each book)
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three: Discovering the Radical Truth at the Heart of Christianity
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice Review
Richard Rohr (with Mike Morrell), The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation Review
Wm Paul Young, The Shack and Lies We Believe About God Reviews

Other titles referenced by presenters:
Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counseling
Beatrice Bruteau, God's Ecstasy: The Creation of a Self-Creating World
Baxter Kruger, The Shack Revisited
Catherine LaCugna, God for Us: The Trinity and Christian Life
George MacDonald, Robert Falconer
Ian McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Mary Oliver, "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass," Evidence
Raimon Panikkar, The Trinity and the Religious Experience of Man
Rob Parsons, The Wisdom House


Jesus' Plan For a New World
The Sermon on the Mount

by Richard Rohr & John Feister - Fransiscan Media, 1996, $14.95
Book Review by David Bradshaw, Idea Factory Press
January 23, 2017

Introduction

Last Friday the majority of Americans were delighted to hear President Trump's inaugural speech focus on transferring the seat of power to the people and away from the ruling elite in Washington D.C. Fifty-three percent of those who watched the inaugural ceremony, rated the president's address as "excellent" or "good." Only 20 percent said they were less than impressed, according to a Gallup poll.

To the 20% unimpressed, I get it. Our nation is very divided on many issues. Many feel the need to express pent up anger and skepticism, which is understandable. Trump campaigned on restoring America pride and now citizens are anxious to find out if his proud political promises will translate into humble statesmanship now that he's in office.

-Will Trump's world order be any better than Obama's, or Bush's, or Clinton's?
-Will his policies positively impact the poor, jobless and those at the edges of society?
-Can a world of centralized political and economic power be turned back over to the citizens?
-Will the previous power structure which embraced progressive dreams of equality allow it?

Stay tuned for the answers to these important questions over the days, weeks, months & years ahead.

Meanwhile, I just read a book about another inaugural address - even more radical and inspiring than Donald Trump's!

Rohr 'Jesus' Plan For a New World' by Richard Rohr - a big thinker and scholarly Fransiscan teacher - written two decades ago, with co-author John Feister. I stumbled on the book while reading his daily meditations from Center for Action and Contemplation, which I find challenging and transformational.

For several years I have felt the message and mission of Christ is most concisely laid out in the Sermon on the Mount - which begin with the so-called Beatitudes, or "Happy Attitudes" as Rohr refers to them.

Part One of the book, "Getting Ready to Hear Jesus," delves into the the cultural context of Jesus' message, which reveals the rich historical and cultural canvas on which Jesus painted his simple, yet profound message of how to join heaven with earth in a most counter-intuitive manner - which ultimately could only be fully validated by living it out in his own death and resurrection.

For example, I had always assumed Jesus was preaching from the mount to the masses, yet I discovered Jesus' sermon was primarily targeted at his inner circle of disciples, who were best equipped to grasp his revolutionary new teaching. Here are a few of the major takeaways from this excellent book:

-Jesus sought to reveal the Kingdom of God's new order by upending, then rewiring the existing religious, political and economic order.

-He revealed God as a loving Father intimately involved in our lives and world - not to be feared.

-His emphasis was on reaching the outcast and downtrodden of the world from the inside out and bottom up.

-He demonstrated how and why the powerful must seek to help the powerless or they become destructive and self-serving.

-He used metaphors to illustrate how we can and should imitate God - who is always and forever merciful and loving.

-He demonstrated how to strike a perfect balance between having a 'conservative' mind and yet a very 'liberal' heart.

As Rohr puts it, "Jesus holds onto the foundation and the center of the old (conservatism, exclusivity), while moving the boundaries out (liberalism, inclusivity) much farther than almost anyone expected...Exclusivity at its extreme would have been the Law of Holiness (Lev. 17-25)... But inclusivity at its extreme, where all boundaries are thrown out...very often can mean standing for nothing, betrayal of central and essential truths....Wisdom is knowing how to hold both inclusion and exclusion in ideal tension...Jesus is really a master at that."

If you are interested in getting inside Jesus' worldview and grasping the most radical inaugural speech ever delivered, The Sermon on the Mount, I highly recommend this book. I feel strong that both my conservative and liberal friends could find lots more to agree with each other about during this present season of strong political division in our nation.


RE-CENTERING ON GOD
Book review: WHAT THE MYSTICS KNOW: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self

by Friar RICHARD ROHR, Center For Action and Contemplation
6.1.15 - Reviewed by David Bradshaw, Idea Factory Press

INTRODUCTION

recentering I've been a fan of Richard Rohr since reading "Falling Upward" in 2013 and "Eager To Love" in 2014. Richard Rohr is an authentic spiritual teacher who promotes balancing Christian contemplation with action. His views are a unique blend of orthodox, yet iconoclastic (meaning he's an equal opportunity religious offender in a good way).

So, what exactly is a Christian mystic? Since the word mystic has some negative baggage, as in "so heavenly minded they're of no earthly good", I was interested to read what the widely respected Franciscan Friar had to say on the subject.

Rohr defines a "Christian mystic" is anyone who places experiencing God personally as their number one priority, as opposed to simply knowing about God in Scripture, church doctrine and theology. Rohr advocates prioritizing God-centeredness to rule over self-centeredness, a basic Kingdom principle.

THE SIMPLE TRUTH

I like reading Rohr because he prompts me to rethink instead of react. I admire his love of Scripture as well as vast historical knowledge of the early church Fathers and important Saints, something most Protestants are rarely exposed to - even in a lifetime of Sunday sermons.

Jesus said his disciples are called to be salt and light - preservers and illuminators - and that His Kingdom requires some things old and some things new. Our Lord warned us that our biggest obstacles in this life would include our; old self, hardness of heart, a thirst for power and position and the spiritless traditions of men.

2,000 years later, it's clear we have complicated Christianity in such a way that has confused both believers and non-believers alike. How else can we explain the dramatic rise of American Christians who now identify themselves as "Dones" - those who have given up on religious affiliation.

What is needed is a simplification of the pure Gospel message, an amplification of our loving God's deepest desires for us, and a fresh revelation of where we fit in His plan - moment by moment.

Tom Ehrich, founder of MorningWalk, offers a visionary perspective on tomorrow's faith community ... "Enough about churches that are dying. Let's imagine something that lives, breathes, serves, makes a difference. It would be God's incarnate presence in human life. Not the only presence, but one that many people could enter into. It would see people wanting to draw closer to God. It would see human needs such as grief and tragedy, hunger and hopelessness. The community would have a bias toward action. Welcoming the stranger, providing care and food, supporting people in transition, working for justice. This faith community would teach about God, not by formulating doctrines, but by telling the stories people are living with God."

Speaking of telling God-stories, Doug Sherman, founder of TradingUp.org says, "The ability to see God's hand, hear His voice, converse with Him, to make fresh starts, to see His heart and then represent Him by sharing our story is the central mission of TradingUp.org and Letters From God."

RE-CENTERING ON GOD

Knowing what the mystics know means choosing to re-center upon God more frequently and thereby de-centering our old selves. As Rohr puts it, "Thy Kingdom Come, My Kingdom Go." This is a process and journey of a lifetime. Richard Rohr is on the same journey and invites us all along for the ride of a lifetime.

This latest book by Friar Rohr offers nearly 200 short devotional essays divided into seven core mystical truths - most of which, like the words of Jesus, can at first appear counter-intuitive. Below are the book's seven chapter headings with a few sample devotional story quotes which struck me as important ...

WTMK 1. THE ENLIGHTENMENT YOU SEEK ALREADY DWELLS WITHIN YOU
- "We don't think ourselves into a new way of living, we live ourselves into a new way of thinking."
- "Self worth is not created; it is discovered."
- "Each of us are a story. We were created by God as a story waiting to be told..."

2. GOD IS FOUND IN IMPERFECTION
- "God is an earthquake...the preaching of the Gospel pulls the rug out from under us. We have to put life on a new footing."
- "The ability to stand back and calmly observe my inner dramas, without rushing to judgement, is foundational for spiritual seeing."
- "Three demons Jesus faced in the wilderness...the compulsion to be; successful, right and powerful...until confronted presume they are still in charge."

3. FROM PROFOUND SUFFERING COME GREAT WISDOM AND JOY
- "It is the things that you cannot do anything about or with that do something with you."
- "It's not that we have a message then suffer for it. It is much more the opposite: We suffer, come through it transformed, and then we have a message!"
- "The Prodigal Son might also be better called the story of the Merciful Father, a proclamation of the nature of God's love and mercy."

4. THE MYSTICAL PATH IS A CELEBRATION OF PARADOX
- "Untested faith tends to produce a very mechanistic and impersonal spirituality. Mature faith, however, almost always has a quality of paradox and mystery about it - as if to leave room for the freedom of God."
- "Truth isn't where we suppose. As Jesus says, be prepared for the surprise that 'the first will be last, and the last will be first" (Matt. 19:30)
- "You pay a price for being a bridge - people walk over you from both sides."

5. CONTEMPLATION MEANS PRACTICING HEAVEN NOW
- "By contemplation we mean the deliberate seeking of God through a willingness to detach from the passing self, the tyranny of emotions, the addiction to self-image and the false promises of this world."
- "What's happening in the heavenly kingdom is communion, unity, family...Union and communion are the goal of what God is doing on earth."
- "It is much easier to belong to a group than to belong to God. To belong to a group one usually has to be convinced the group is 'right'; to belong to God, one always knows one is as wrong as everybody else."

6. TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU MUST BECOME THE TRUTH
- "The Spirit confers the gift of inner authority. Only people of inner authority will use the outer authority correctly."
- "Happiness is finally an inside job...drawing life from within. They're not letting other people name them. They are named by God..."
- "First I have to act, and then I'll understand...Then I'll know what I know. But I really won't know why...it's the mysterious wisdom of faith."

7. WHEN YOU ARE TRANSFORMED, OTHERS WILL BE TRANSFORMED THROUGH YOU
- "The effect of contemplation is authentic action, and if contemplation doesn't lead to action, then it remains only self-preoccupation."
- "Sacrifice comes from the words sacrum facere - to make sacred or holy. We make something holy by reconnecting it to the whole - in our case by giving ourselves."
- "The Gospel is before all else a call to live differently, so that life can be shared with others...simplicity, vulnerability, dialogue, powerlessness and humility."


HOLY FOOLS: SAMPLE DEVOTIONAL

"SOMETHING NEW: HOLY FOOLS", page 118

Those who will lead into the future will have some hard-won virtues that I will try to describe here. But there is one character type that we cannot do without. Those who name and exemplify what God is doing will be "holy fools".

holyfool By holy fool I mean what the Bible and mythic literature have always presented as the "savior." They are persons who are happily, but not naively, innocent of everything that the rest of us take for granted. They alone an trust and live the new work of God because they are not protecting the past by control (conservatives) or reacting against the past by fixing (liberals). Both of these are too invested in their own understanding to let go and let God do something new on earth:

Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
- Isaiah 43:18-19

According to pattern, the wise fools are always formed in the test ground of exile when the customary and familiar are taken away and they must go much deeper and much higher for wisdom. As a result, they no longer fit or belong among their own. Yet they alone can point the way to the ever new Jerusalem. Conventional wisdom is inadequate, even if widely held by good people. It is Paul, isolated but enthralled by vision of universal Gospel, who can say,

"Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise." - I Cor. 3:18

The holy fool is the last stage of the wisdom journey. It is the man or woman who knows his or her dignity and therefore does not need to polish or protect it... these alone can be trusted to proclaim the Reign of God.


According to Christian ideas, "foolishness included consistent rejection of worldly cares and imitating Christ, who endured mockery and humiliation from the crowd. That's why, spiritual meaning of 'foolishness' from the early ages of Christianity was close to unacceptance of common social rules of hypocrisy, brutality and thirst for power and gain."

CONCLUSION

"This book is grounded in the Christian tradition, but - and because of this - it can reach considerably beyond it to enhance and expand that faith. Too many spiritual leaders dabble in mysticism, cafeteria-style. The result is a potpourri of 'this and that.' It may sound good, but it lacks grounding - as well as perspective and true breadth. Because this book is written by an experienced mystic, you will avoid a lot of the pitfalls of so much 'junk spirituality' floating around out there," writes Dr. Wayne Holst, professor of religion and culture at the University of Calgary.

I agree. The goal then of the true Christian mystic is to become so heavenly-minded that we become some earthly good. "What The Mystics Know" will help you do just that.

My prayer is that this book review has been helpful, if so, please forward this link to family and friends. FYI, my reviews of Rohr's "Eager To Love" and "Falling Upward" follow below this story. May we all learn to re-center our lives upon our God this day ... and forever more!


EAGER TO LOVE!
Book Review
by DAVID BRADSHAW

"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."
-Andrew Carnegie

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."
-Francis of Assisi

ETL INTRODUCTION

In Eager To Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi Friar Richard Rohr, founder of The Center for Action and Contemplation, weaves together a beautiful and healing spiritual tapestry revealing the 'secret' of Francis of Assisi's way of simplicity born eight centuries ago.

This is the third book by Rohr I have read in the last two years, following "Falling Upward" and "Yes, And..." - all of which I have found exceptionally transformational.

Eager to Love offers us important revelations and reflection upon the living legacies of Francis of Assisi and the courageous followers of his simple yet profoundly inclusive "sidewalk spirituality".

My attraction to Rohr's latest work is from the perspective of a seasoned believer seeking to learn more about Francis' "experiential knowledge of spiritual things" (aka first-hand revelation) which Rohr refers to as Christian "mysticism" in a most positive way.

My spirit tells me that this Franciscan way of love, paved by history's most famous and beloved "Saint" Francis, may also serve as a fresh path for many to explore today.

Rohr's passion and life mission is to help others develop a holistic worldview patterned after Jesus Christ simple, yet counter-intuitive, message embodied in the Sermon on the Mount, as walked out in Francis of Assisi's amazing life of contemplation and action.

"Only when we are eager to love can we see love and goodness in the world around us ... Integrity is often a willingness to hold the dark side of things instead of reacting to them, denying, or projecting our anxiety elsewhere," says Rohr in the Introduction.

THE ORIGINAL PROTESTANT

"Francis of Assisi has been called the original protestant," says Rohr, reflecting on the his positive influence upon believers and unbelievers alike.

The words and life of Jesus and Francis challenge us to live in a world without sacred vs. secular distinctions, to see "everything as a revelation of the divine - from rocks to rocket ships," as Rohr puts it.

"Both Jesus and Francis did not let the old get in the way of the new, but like all religious geniuses, revealed what the old was saying all along," writes Rohr.

Readers who accept the death and resurrection of Jesus are called to move beyond mere understanding and thankfulness of this "Divine Mystery" to the next level of setting out on this same path of servant leadership for themselves.

THY KINGDOM COME, MY KINGDOM GO

"Our Christ 'reigns from the cross, but with a new kind of power that looks and feels like total weakness, just as all human suffering and humiliation does. Only those who have joined him there and come out the other side, like Francis and his authentic followers, will understand this. They 'rule' from the edges and reign from what is no longer the bottom," Rohr concludes in Chapter 2, "A Happy Run Downward."

FoA I agree with Rohr's conclusion that most Christians at best split their loyalties between God and Caesar - with our minds controlled by seeking money, status and power. This can distract us from seeking first His Kingdom in our lives, day by day, moment by moment.

"When you agree to live simply, you have time for spiritual and corporal works of mercy because you have renegotiated in your mind and heart your very understanding of time ... time is not money anymore, time is life itself," challenges Rohr.

LOVING THIS DIRTY OLD WORLD

Our worldview frames everything we see, think and believe. If our worldview is clouded with a perspective that the world is evil, we will see evil all around us. If we can learn to see the world (and all the people on it) as sacred and lovable to God, it will change our mindset forever. Our world is no longer "us vs. them", but rather, "us and them".

Francis of Assisi strongly held this inclusive worldview of the 'sacramentality' of nature and all God's creatures. While much of the religious/evangelical world can hardly wait to escape this "dirty old world" to arrive in heaven, Francis saw the splendor of God's present earth as a reflection of the heavenly goodness and love to come later.

"Franciscans, Amish and Quakers are the Christian groups with the least negative baggage in Western civilization," says Richard, due to their emphasis on "contemplative, simple living and peacemaking foundations."

PARTICIPATIVE SEEING & ABIDING

Chapter Five, "Contemplation: A Different Way of Knowing" was one of my favorites. Echoing Doug Sherman's message of "Trading Up" from a self-centered to a God-centered life, Rohr writes "contemplatives surrender some of their own boundaries and identity so that God an see through them, with them, and in them - with a larger pair of eyes."

"Francis told us that we needed to 'give people reasons for spiritual joy' and not just quote commandments to them, write Rohr. "Francis and Clare exemplify a truly 'beautiful morality' ... which shines forth when someone does an imperfect thing," in sharp contrast to rigid moral conclusions so often held by Christians.

"Franciscan poverty" is not just a life of simplicity, but also the practice of letting go of our small vantage point," writes Rohr, recognizing we are powerless and ineffective unless we are abiding in the vine of Christ (John 15:6).

SAYING "YES" TO PARADOXES

"In the practical order, contemplation gives us an inner capacity to live with paradoxes and contradictions ... a new way of processing the moment ... the ability to incorporate the negative ... accepting absurdity and tragedy as part of God's unfathomable agenda," says Richard.

Rohr views the ability to hold and overcome life's many paradoxes as the beginning of training in Francis inclusive, unified or contemplative living, as opposed to denying paradoxes. "Conversion, therefore, is not joining a different group, but seeing with the eyes of the crucified."

"Neither logic nor law can fully achieve this, but participation with and in God can. (This does not make logic or law unnecessary; they are simply inadequate to the work of transformation) ... this mean we all must learn to offer life a foundational 'yes' before we offer our critical 'no'. If we start with no, it almost impossible to ever get back to a full yes." Bonav

Rohr quotes one of Francis most articulate followers, Bonaventure (1217-1274) who sums up how contemplatives "know" things: "The soul itself is an image of God, to which God is so present that the soul can actually grasp God, and is capable of possessing God and of being a partaker in God."

In fact, the book devotes an entire chapter to discussing how Bonaventure "was to Francis what Paul was to Jesus," providing the church with a complete theology and systematic worldview based on integrating contemplation with an extremely active life.

FROM WORSHIP TO IMITATION

"You only know as much as you do," Francis told his first friars. "For Francis and Clare, Jesus become someone to actually imitate and not just to worship. Francis starting place was human suffering instead of human sinfulness," reveals Rohr.

The writing of Francis reflect this; using the word 'doing' rather than 'understanding' 175 times to five. 'Heart' is used 42 times to one use of 'mind'. Love is used 23 times vs. 12 uses of 'truth'.'Mercy' is used 26 times while intellect is used only one time.

"This is a very new perspective and different from the highly academic theology that would hold sway for the next thousand years," explains Rohr. "Francis knew what many educators have now proven - that humans tend to live themselves into new ways of thinking more than think themselves into new ways of living."

FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALITY - THE THIRD WAY

"The Franciscan worldview is not heretical, nor is it a threat, except to the comfortable and the careerists ... Francis put almost all of his attention on issues of daily practice, humble relationships, and a way of life rather than on Sunday recitations of creeds. When you honor both power and powerlessness, you quite simply come up with a third something, a very different kind of power," says Rohr.

"Good Franciscan spirituality always tries to maintain three freedoms; 1) God's freedom to do what God wills, 2) Maintenance of structural freedom, and 3) Contemplative prayer to maintain inner, psychological freedom to do the first two."

"Our emphasis on orthopraxy (simplicity, nonviolence, living among the poor) and in our thought ('univocity' of all being, freedom of conscience) found Franciscans on the invisible edge of the Church, which is exactly where Francis wanted us to be."

Rohr systematically reveals the heart of Francis. "I hope you now see more clearly how Francis cannot be written off as a mere soft and sweet figure ... he was deliberately and consciously undercutting the entire 'honor/shame system' on which so much of culture, violence, false self-esteem and even many of the ministrations of church totally depend."

"This message of simplicity, smallness and downward mobility is rather clear in the Christian scriptures (Phil. 2:7, II Cor. 8:9) ... No wonder Francis called water 'Sister Water, so useful, lowly, precious and fair!' Water always and forever seeks the lower, and even the lowest, place. We let water - the simple universal element necessary for all life - be our teacher here."

DRAWING OUT 'SISTER WATER'

Proverbs 20:5 says "The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out."

siswater The insight from wise Christians, such as Richard Rohr, helps to draw out our deep waters and a deeper sense of purpose. We are all called to serve the purposes of God in our spheres of influence, including family, friends, neighbors, and community. The first way we draw the hidden purposes out of others is by learning to be a good listener ourselves, as we see modeled by Francis of Assisi.

Spiritual leaders and practitioners on the front lines of helping transform our "serve me" culture into a "serve others" culture, seek to dig into our rich history to reveal our deepest calling - the pearl of great price - which is to fall in love with our loving Creator and all of His creation anew daily.

In Matthew 5:3-9 Jesus offers us eight basic rules for Kingdom living on earth ...

1 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
3 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
4 Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
5 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
6 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
7 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
8 Blessed are the persecuted: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Francis of Assisi based his 'rules' upon this solid foundation and so should we. Notice Jesus 'rules' carry a special blessing and promise. The power to live like Jesus (and Francis) is never generated by our own efforts, but rather upon the finished work of the cross. Humility, empathy, meekness, righteousness, mercy, purity and peacemaking are all unmerited gifts of God. Praise His name!

Millions of Christians around the world - catholic, orthodox and protestant - today are seeking fresh ways to reach this generation with the message of God's unconditional love. We are called to reach up, reach out and reach back over two millennium to discover what has gone beautifully right ... even when we think it has gone terribly wrong. Richard Rohr's writings are a gift to the body of Christ to prepare for a great season of Kingdom expansion ahead.

Thanks Richard! Your book has made me more eager to love!

P.S. Here is a link to watch a good movie version of Francis of Assisi.


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