Spiritual

I begin this blog by stating that I am watching the basketball game. The finals. Boston vs. Lakers. I'm rooting for Boston and right now they are winning, 52 - 40. Now 41. I said that to say that my attention is here AND on the game so I would like for what I'm going to say to sound very well thought out, but it probably won't. But it's on my mind so I wanted to post my thoughts on this tonight. Perhaps I'll come back and edit later. Perhaps not.

Today at church the preacher talked much about people stating that they are "spiritual" and not "religious." As I have used that phrase myself I listened carefully to what he had to say on the subject. He stated that people who make that statement are "taking scraps of different religions instead of committing to one." Well, I consider myself to be a very spiritual person but not particularly "religious" and not because I'm taking scraps of other religions. Now, I was brought up in a Christian church and still attend a Christian church. So I say this with a great background of the church. I am always in awe of other people. How similar and different we are made. The many different ways we act and think. How we come up with solutions to problems. How beautiful we are. In my study of human beings, I also enjoy studying different religions. I look at the peace of Ghandi and the dedication of Mother Theresa. The practices of Muslims and the meditation of Budhists.

I believe that God speaks to all of us. Yes, all of us. Now, please don't misunderstand, the minister was not saying that God does not speak to all of us. By the way, I am not mentioning his name here because I don't want folks to think that he was bashing people who claim to be "spiritual." I believe his intent was to speak to the people of his church about dedication to the path of Christ.

Truthfully, that is what has me writing this blog. I consider myself to be a Christian in the purest form of what that means to me. Because I strive, daily to follow the path of Christ. Loving others, speaking truthfully, honoring others, giving honor and glory to God with everything I have and everything I am. I am posting this blog because I believe that there may have been people in the audience who may be like me, not in question of salvation, but on a quest to further understand the thinking of fellow human beings who worship the One God Almighty differently than they do. I believe that they may judge others who use the term "spiritual" as not in alignment with God.

Yes, I know that Jesus says "I am the way, the truth and the light." To me, the word I is all of who Jesus is. I is love, I is peace, I is understanding, I is God, I is respect. I is all of who Christ is. So yes, I am the way, the truth, the light.

God speaks to us all. He speaks to me, I know.