Spiritual Experiences

Brennan Manning writes:



"Consider how our churches have explored and exploited our need to replace the numbness in our lives with a passion for something, anything. We've created worship in which the music is meant to stir the emotions but the soul is left unmoved, in which the words spoken are little more than manipulations of the heart. We have created cathartic experiences filled with weeping and dancing in the Spirit that leave us with the sense that we have touched God but that fail to give us the sense that God has touched us. We run to churches where the message feels good and where we feel energized and uplifted--but never challenged or convicted. "



Henri Nouwen writes:



"It is not surprising that spiritual experiences are mushrooming all over the place and have become highly sought-after commercial items. Many people flock to places and persons who promise intensive experiences of togetherness, cathartic emotions of exhilaration and sweetness, and liberating sensations of rapture and ecstasy. In our desperate need for fulfillment and our restless search for the experience of divine intimacy, we are all too prone to construct our own spiritual events."

Jesus Forgets

Author and speaker Brennan Manning tells the story of a woman who
visited her priest and told him that when she prays, she sees Jesus in a vision.

“He appears to me as real as you are standing here right now, Father,”
said the woman. “And he speaks to me. He tells me that he loves me and wants
to be with me. Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Not at all,” replied the priest. “But to make sure it is really Jesus who is
visiting you, I want you to ask him a question when he appears to you again. Ask
him to tell you the sins that I confessed to him in confession. The come back and
tell me what he said.”

A few days later the women returned.

“Did you have another vision of Jesus?” the priest inquired of her.

“Yes I did Father,” she replied.

“And did you ask him to tell you the sins that I confessed to him while I
was in confession?”

“Yes I did,” the woman answered.

“And what did he tell you?” asked the priest expectantly.

“He said . . . ‘I forgot.’”

Where Grace Falls

So when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing." Luke 23: 32-33

In this passage, Jesus is asking God to forgive the Roman soldiers who are nailing him to a cross, executing Him when he had done no wrong. His request is no mere platitude, nor is he glossing over their actions. Jesus is asking God to forgive the men who have no understanding of what they are doing.

Those Roman soldiers placed Jesus on a cross to die.

But Jesus doesn't remember that.

They have been forgiven. The sin that they committed on that fateful day has been removed, thrown as far as the east is from the west. They may face condemnation for their unbelief, but not for their actions that day. Jesus, the one who has power to forgive all sins, acquitted them of their crime.

He has done the same for us.

If He is willing to forgive those who put Him to death, we should be confident that He is willing to forgive us when we sin. Jesus has no time for our regret, our guilt, or our hindsight. We have been healed; all that He asks is that we go our way and sin no more. Never once did he ask a man or woman to pay penance for their sins. He simply said, "You are forgiven."

It is mysterious, but not complicated. All the hurt we have caused is erased with just a few words spoken by the One who has power on earth to forgive sins. Because of our broken nature, we feel that there should be punishment, retribution, and payment. But God has said, "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts." Jesus is above our broken nature, and has already forgiven us of our past and future sins.

If His forgiveness is extended to those that put nails into his hands, then surely His grace falls on us whom He calls friends.

Book Review: What Difference Do It Make? by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

In their follow up to Same Kind of Different As Me, Ron Hall and Denver Moore offer a look at what was going on in their lives while they were writing their breakout hit and what has happened to them afterward. It is also sprinkled with short stories of people the book has influenced, and the impact they have had on their community.

The book is written in the same style as Same Kind, with chapters alternating between Ron and Denver's point of view. Ron goes into more depth when describing his childhood, and also tells of his relationship with his father since the publication of his book.

The book is small and medium length, running only 201 pages. It almost feels like gift book, and really doesn't cover much new ground. The only thing that really keeps this book going is the touching sincerity of Ron Hall and Denver Moore. They truly love God, Deborah Hall, each other, and everyone they meet. Some of the words they speak in this book will truly move you. My only regret is that this book feels rushed to capitalize on the success of their previous book, but nevertheless, it does have some touching moments in it.

Book Review: The Post-American World

Fareed Zakaria takes stock of the present and the future in his book The Post-American World. Zakaria chronicles the decline of Western influence, and America's role in the world to come. There are some who have painted this book as sensationalist and others have called it anti-American. The former obviously didn't grasp the concept of the book and the latter definitely didn't read it.

The first few chapters of the book deal with the affluence of America and the culture that has been created with its arrival, and the eroding influence that Western culture is having on the world today. He cites a parallel example in the decline of the British empire, but is careful to point out that the British empire and the American nation have little in common, and that America's struggling economy is better today than Britain's ever was.

He also devotes chapters to the rise of China and India, giving the details of their economies and political structure. He paints a picture of the future based on current trends and is especially knowledgeable of India, his home country.

The final two chapters focus on America's strengths and the goals it needs to set if it is to succeed in the coming world. The two main ideas are that America's system of economics and government is doing just fine, but the political system needs an overall, and that while America's slice of the pie will get smaller, it will still be more than every other country in the world.

Zakaria uses statistics and trends to show what America's place will be in the future global market, and points out some areas of weaknesses that need to improve in our culture. I think this book should be required reading for any teacher. The only negative I have about it is that the book's hypothesis isn't exactly earth-shattering. But the data contained within makes it an interesting read.