Jellybeans for all!!!

Out of the RUINS

of the UNLOVED

the NEGLECTED souls

we have become INSPIRED

to CREATE a spark

and to KINDLE a new beginning

RUNICK

Sometimes religion and culture leaves those of us who are unique feeling as if we are less than others. We often feel as if our lives are nothing but ruins. We feel unloved and neglected by those around us who choose to judge and make fun rather than take the time to get to know our uniqueness. 

I feel as if God/dess has given us this uniqueness to inspire not just ourselves, but those around us. When everyone is "normal" or engrained to think and believe the same things, it is hard to become inspired. I believe God/dess has made us in Their own image so we have the power to create. 

We are given a chance to kindle in each other a spark of love, kindness, and faith.

We are RUNICK for a reason!!!

Tonight a group of 4 met. To start something new. To explore, to ask questions, to grow and learn. Amazing thoughts were shared, future ideas. Ideas for study, for exploration and even for experimentation. Jelly beans, pizza and sweet tea were shared. The elements where called up on to help guide us. If our numbers grow...AMAZING....if not our group already has a heart.

In the words of Yeshua  Shelama

Spark of the Divine Within

 

 

It only takes a spark to get a fire going

and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing

that's how it is with God's love

once you've experienced it, you spread his love to everyone

you want to pass it on. 

What a wondrous time is spring when all the trees are budding

the birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming

that's how it is with God's love

once you've experienced it, you want to sing its 

"fresh like spring"you want to pass it on. 

 

 I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I've found

you can depend on God, it matters not where you're bound

I'll shout it from the mountain top

I want the world to know the Prince of Peace has come to me

I want to pass it on

God, Allah, Yeshua, Gaia

Full of life, full of sparks

in you has been entrusted this spark

kindle it with love, care, and kindness.

Peace, love, joy, happiness

sparks to share

so simple, so easy

use your spark to light others.

 

Lately, as many of you know, I have been feeling a lot of anger. To counteract this anger, I've tried many tricks of the trade. Walking, meditating, prayer, and singing songs such as the one above that I learned from very happy times at church youth events. 

During these retreats, while we used the bible to study, we were taught much more about love from the Prince of Peace rather than quoting scriptures and not knowing the love behind them. 

Because of my fortune of not only being a Lutheran youth, but a VA Synod Lutheran Youth, I have a fountain of these songs in my head to sing when times are hard. I also enjoy singing them and sharing them when times are good. 

I've picked this song to share tonight on the eve before our Runick Group starts. A group of spiritual exploration. Where will it take us? We are yet to find out. The beauty will be in the journey.

I took liberty with this song and changed "him" to "God" and "Lord of Love" to "Prince of Peace". Personally, I find it much more accessible to those not of the christian faith to just slightly change words. (or maybe I just spent to much time in an MCC church) 

Each and every one of us have that spark of the divine in us. We call it by different names, but it is the life spirit given to us by our higher power. A spark barely burns, until it is shared and then the light spreads. I don't care who you are...queer/straight, what color, able or differently abled, autistic/neurotypical, with a spiritual life or seeking one, you have that spark. Together lets learn to make it glow and how to share it.

*Pass it On courtesy of Kurt Kiser

**MCC is the Metropolitan Community Church, the first accepted queer church started in 1969

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

God/dess doesn't make junk!!! How do we know? How do we really know? If we are fortunate enough not to feel like junk but we see those around us, lame, crippled, or other wise disabled, how do we know?

We have problems unseen (un believed)  , "friends" make fun of us, loved ones don't understand us, how do we know?

Our chair, our cane, our walker, the cancer, blindness, deafness,injuries that change life plans, how do we know?

Being gay, queer, transgendered, a different race or culture in a small community. How do we know???

How do we know God/dess doesnt make mistakes or junk....or even throw a ways???

FAITH  oh yes one little word that is so so hard at times. Faith!!!!

How do we find it.....?  Look in your heart, look at the people around you, look at what you do have. Look at creation, how do you even see all this with out faith, a belief in a higher power.


Personally I'm struggling with this right now.  It feels I have two choices...to medicate and make myself acceptable to those around me ( this is my problem not theirs, the hurt is getting to much) , or re-accept myself and accept most people will never under stand me even partiality.

I have FAITH I know God/dess didn't make a mistake  so....so I go to science, part of her creation to get me through this hump...or do I some how pray, mediate, hope, wish, work, for the strength to get a better grip and realize if they don't accept me they are not worth it. It hurts. I wont lie. It is hurting my job, my home life, my friends, my heart, my soul, but oddly enough my Faith is stronger and even more sought after than before, and a friend out of the blue saw my status and as been getting me through!!! So some good has come!!! (not to mention J is helping but I fear I'm hurting her).

"The strong and steadfast power of faith is precious indeed."

Buddha 

I have faith, so how do I listen to it??? Is it faith to trust science, or faith to trust my strength to over come? Or even strength to have faith to trust science??

Some say I'm a dreamer

 A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight,
 and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.

Oscar Wilde

How hard it is to see beauty where others see  ugliness

Frustrating to see light where most see only darkness 

Isolating to see hope when they see despair

So very lonely to see God in their emptiness

Where ugliness is, create beauty

In the darkness, let your light shine

Where you see despair, share your hope

In the emptiness, invite Goddess

Beauty ugliness in the eye of the beholder

Darkness light an opening of the heart

Despair hope expanding your soul

Remove the emptiness, follow Yeshua

Ugliness beauty beauty ugliness

Light darkness darkness light

Despair hope hope despair

Allah, Mother Gaia, Buddha

Am a I dreamer for believing in the good?

If so allow me to sleep

Is it a dream to believe all are one?

Then hold back the dawn 

258 days and counting!!!

1 Corinthians 13:13

For there are these three things that endure: 

Faith, Hope and Love, 

but the greatest of these is Love. 

Aramaic Bible

 

 Easter is over, Christ has risen, spring is here, Ostara has made her return as promised with spring hope and blooms , birds, and love are in the air. 

So now what do we do? These gifts have been given to us with no expectations in return. Yet many look down on these gifts and offer little thanks.

If love doesn't fit OUR definition we refuse to count it as true Holy Spiritual love. Are we scared? Are we snobs? Do we feel it is a competition? 

 

 

 

 

So many times CHURCHES want to make women second best.... but when you truly read ANY religious history including Christianity there is male and female, equal in the divine. At no time is this more prevalent than in the spring with the hope and promise of new life.

 "A religion without a goddess is halfway to atheism."

 _anonymous

Mother Gaia

 To see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone.
-The Buddha

 

As I said Easter is over and we have 258 days tell Christmas Eve and about the same for Winter Solstice, as Christians and other spiritual folks what do we do in the middle?

 

How about follow some of the Buddhism teachings and not only learn more about Christianity and the bible and Christian history, but lets go where few dare to go.....lets study each other, each religion and see where we meet..where we are the same...stop with the semantics and differences in names , instead of diverging at the fork in the road lets meet there!

"Love all, with sincere love and concern" 

Islamic

Jesus used the word Shelama in his native Aramaic , meaning unconditional love for each other. Most other prophets in the majority of religions challenge us to this form of love. We do don't get to pick and chose which neighbors we love.

 And ever has it been known that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.

Khalil Gibran-Arabic

As for me I found out ow great my love for my God/dess and Her love for me was, during the few most painful moments of my life...when I lost my twin, my brother....I lost faith in every thing , my world fell apart so intently I wasn't even sure of gravity. Not only did I fall to my knees in grief, I was totally prostrate holding on to blades of grass to ground me, scared I would some how fall off the world. And gently so gently He called me back, She refilled my heart with the love that was never gone. Again I was able to stand, to be some what whole.

We have 258 days to not hate, to not judge, to not make fun , to not be cruel or hurt.

258 days to make our prophets and God/ Goddesses pleased with our growth, with each of us bringing heaven closer to earth

What will you do with those 258 days?

I'm Queer and I BELONG to God/dess

7 APRIL
Easter Eve is a
time for services of
baptismal renewal.
Today wash your face
with special care and
attention; let the waters
flow over your face.
Look into the mirror
and say, "I have been
baptized. God loves
me. I belong to God.”

I could say so much right here. Remind you mu focus is on the life not the cross. Water is a part of many religions...long before Christianity came along!!! AND I DO NOT HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED TO BELONG TO GOD/DESS!!!! Or even to be Christian!

That said J and I did feel the need and a call to make a point that GOd/dess loves us too!!! So we made a rainbow cross for the front yard for the zillion of Baptist that pass by on teir way to church to see. And remind them of A) God loves queers B) there are lots of of queer Christians and C) the rain ow as a reminder of a promise of love to ALL  people.

Getting prepared for tomorrow morning!!

Wonder if it will be broken or stolen?? Any takers on that bet!!!

Is the crib and the cross all that matter

5 APRIL
Jesus died on the
cross. Think about it.
Why did it happen?
Ask yourself what you
truly believe. Now ask
God.

 

 

If there was no Crucifixion of Christ, no morbid death and torture, no resurrection, would you still follow the teachings of Yeshua? 

 

 

What if He was a great prophet, lived a long life, married and had children, and died a natural death. 

.....or are the teachings in between worthwhile or worthless? Do we only want flash and bang or are we willing to sit at the feet of the teaching rabbi and learn? Or are we only sitting at the foot of the cross and wailing? Waiting for another great miracle or have we learned and moved on??

 

Do we forget our spiritual life with out a significant reminder?

 

Many people say with out the Resurrection Christianity is just another religion.....what if? 

Shelama