Saturday, September 11, 2010

Mr. Lightbulb by Richard Rohr

Great people are usually humble. They understand and accept that they draw from another Source; they are satisfied to be an instrument. Their genius is not of their own making but a gift. They do great things precisely because they do not take first or final responsibility for their gift, and they don’t worry much about their failures. They understand that their life is not their own but has been entrusted to them. Someone Else has taken them seriously, and they feel profoundly respected, which is what men ultimately want and need.

A few weeks ago I was invited to meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town, South Africa. He told me that he—and I—were mere lightbulbs. We get all the credit and seem to be shining brightly for all to see, but we both know that if this lightbulb was unscrewed from its source for even a moment, the brightness would immediately stop.

He laughed hilariously afterwards, and gave me a wink of understanding!

Where is the abundance in my life?
And how do I pass it along to others?

FROM DAY 341 OF FR. RICHARD'S NEW BOOK: On the Threshold of Transformation: Daily Meditations for Men


Thursday, September 2, 2010

840,000 Saved

840,000 saved through night and day prayer in South Africa in the last six years. For video CLICK HERE

EMERGING CHRISTIANITY by Richard Rohr

"Jesus told people to love your enemies, but in effect we ended up condemning them or splitting them, because we did not give them the software to know how to actually do this. Again, we gave them the what but not the how. Emerging Christianity is going to have to emphasize orthopraxy (walking the talk) much more than mere orthodoxy (talking the walk). It is the walking that changes you and reveals your own deeper self to yourself (in ways that are not always flattering).

"Spiritual practices must invade, touch, and heal the unconscious, where 95% of our real motivation lies. Faith-filled actions, contemplative prayer, solitude, silence, and many life events have the power to expose and change our unconscious agendas and motivations. Most “belief systems” are just laid on top of our egoic world view, and unfortunately do little damage to it. We can say all the right words, practice all the right rituals, and our heart can remain cold and unconnected."

From Emerging Christianity: the conference recordings