I’ve been reading widely lately, enjoying the poetry of Rumi and Hafiz; it’s amazing how looking at shared life experiences from the life of another can help re-focus your lenses in powerful new ways. I’m experiencing this same phenomenon with a contemporary writer, Samir Selmanovic, and his provocative book It’s Really All About God. Samir has walked in many shoes across his life. Ethnically he is Croatian. In faith, he is a Christian – a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor to be exact. But these labels don’t tell the whole story; there is more: At different times in his life, he has also been Muslim, and Atheist – and with strong affinities for Judaism – all lived out, these days, in the melting pot of New York City (see his work at Faith House Manhattan). In the crucible of these different identities he’s been able to hold all identity lightly and focus on what unites rather than divides us – what I’ve come to call meeting at the intersection of humility and mystery. Samir says it differently than I do, and I celebrate this difference as I’m reading his story.

As my friend Mike Morrell recently said on his blog regarding It’s Really All About God,

Do yourself a favor and read it. If you’re too cheap to immediately spring for a copy merely on my recommendation, listen to this recent talk he gave. And hear him read excerpts from his book. But then buy it! You’ll be glad you did.

Here’s Samir in his own words:

What are you reading right now that’s giving you life?

So much of the Christian world today seemingly puts more emphasis on ‘right’ (rote?) thinking than anything else. ‘Getting it right’ is, for many, still what matters most. It’s important to believe the right doctrines and say the right phrases in the right ways – maybe like the recitation of the ‘sinners prayer,’ learning certain creedal statements, or creating ‘statements of faith’ that are as precise, complete and as ‘biblical’ as possible. Meanwhile as these core teachings are crafted and a multitude of cleverly-written tracts are being published, the surrounding community is responding with massive indifference; they’re longing for relief from debt, poverty, poor daycare and healthcare options, and deficient educational opportunities for themselves and their children.

Too bad things like conducting ourselves according to the Fruit of the Spirit (passing tradition on the other side of the road instead of the person in need), all too often places a distant second to our dogma(s). Continue reading…

I love the ebb and flow of nature. As a matter of fact, I’d be hard-pressed to choose my favorite season of the year. A while back I really got into investigating what takes place during each successive stage of the equinox: winter to spring, summer to fall, and back to winter again.

In this season of falling leaves and scurrying animals in search of goodies for their winter storehouses, I find myself in a reflective mood regarding the entire idea of ‘change.’ I wonder why it is such a natural part of nature and yet so often resisted in my own life and those with whom I hold conversation. Continue reading…

It may not be the end of civilization (yet), but it seems we may have turned the corner on the end of civility… and so the latter cannot be a good sign for the former.

Behavioral scientists sometimes speak of different levels of human development and consciousness. For instance, ‘warrior’ consciousness expresses itself in terms of “the world is a jungle; eat or be eaten; express yourself and to hell with everybody else.” You have to admit those are not particularly admirable traits nor do they lead to admirable ways of interacting with others and the world at large. And yet, even though this level of consciousness is one of the lowest levels of all human interaction, suddenly it feels ubiquitous. Continue reading…

I once had a friend who told me that if I ever wanted to ‘understand’ the different cultures and peoples I felt called to embrace, then I must first learn to ‘stand under’ them. It was great advice. Especially for those of us who live in the West and in the U.S. in particular.

Once on a trip to Israel I was invited into the home of Fr. Elias Chacour, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He was quick to point out that many of the Christians who come to his land do so with a mindset that says, “let me tell you how it is done; let me show you the way to Jesus and the appropriate expression of the way your life is to reflect his presence.” Continue reading…