Bishop Craig

Daily Teaching for Tuesday, May 21st

Bishop Craig — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:56 +0000

The purpose of spiritual practice isn’t to appease an angry God, for such a God is a fiction and a projection of the worst of human behavior. The purpose of spiritual practice is to achieve wholeness and a healthy spiritual perspective that we might positively impact the world around us.

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: spiritual health, spiritual practice, transformation, wholeness

Tragedy in Oklahoma

Bishop Craig — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:30:09 +0000

Reblogged from The Universal Anglican Church:

The thoughts and prayers of The Universal Anglican Church are with the people of Oklahoma and all those impacted by the tornadoes of the past few days. Our hearts go out to the injured, the missing, those who have lost their lives, those traumatized by the events; as well as their loved ones, friends, and family members. It would be disingenuous of me to say that I know what they are feeling, but I can see the pain in their faces on the many images from the tragedy.

Credo, a First Draft

Bishop Craig — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:14:49 +0000

I believe in God,
Present from the beginning,
Beyond defining but within understanding,
Spirit not embodied,
Without gender,
Responsive not autocratic,
Without ego or it's needs,
Creating not destroying,
Accepting not judging,
Prodding not compelling,
Liberating not confining,
Uniting not dividing,
Loving all without exception,
Life giving not life denying,
Universal not tribal,
Existing in and beyond all traditions,
Dwelling in and around everything and everybody.

I believe in a world
For which we are responsible.
We are called to protect and preserve
Our environment and all sentient beings.
Nothing is disposable,
Nothing is insignificant.
Faith compels us to look outside ourselves
And become agents of healing for all we encounter.

I believe in Spirit
Present among us as
The still, small voice within.
Calling to us from the depths
Of spiritual practice,
Slowing us down
And lifting us up
Beyond our self-imposed limitations
Into the fullness of who we will become.

Filed under: faith, God Tagged: belief, credo, creed, spiritual practice

Daily Teaching for Monday, May 20th

Bishop Craig — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

It seems like so much of traditional Christian teaching attempts to convey esoteric “facts” about God rather than spiritual practices that actually help people transform their lives. Maybe that’s because empowered people are difficult to control!

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: christian, empowerment, teaching, transformation

Daily Teaching for Sunday, May 19th

Bishop Craig — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

With the exponential advances in human knowledge in the last fifty years it’s no wonder our old images and language around God no longer fit. Do you have the courage to let go of the old paradigm in search of the new?

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: God, images, language, paradigms

Daily Teaching for Saturday, May 18th

Bishop Craig — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:03 +0000

This weekend is college graduation for many people. Congratulations to all of you!

Filed under: Daily Teaching

Daily Teaching for Friday, May 17th

Bishop Craig — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Our culture needs new rituals and rites of passage that speak to contemporary people and their life experience. Such events require mentors to guide people through these them. Our problem is that most people of age to be mentors never received mentoring themselves, leaving them ill prepared for the task. Others have mentored themselves by finding people and programs through which they have evolved. Those of us who are able must lift up those around us for the sake of our future.

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: maturity, mentor, rites of passage, service

Daily Teaching for Thursday, May 16th

Bishop Craig — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

The solution to crime isn’t imprisonment, it’s removing the causes and conditions for crime to arise. You can’t be punished out of poverty, addiction, racism, inequality, or injustice. When will we learn?

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: causes, conditions, crime

Daily Teaching for Wednesday, May 15th

Bishop Craig — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:48 +0000

Once you believe you have it all figured out, you can be pretty sure that you don’t have it all figured out. As they say in Korean Zen, “Only don’t know.”

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: certainty, doubt, Truth, uncertainty

Daily Teaching for Tuesday, May 14th

Bishop Craig — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:11 +0000

If you can’t safely tell the whole story of your faith journey to your pastor, church or denominational authority, spiritual teacher, or other faith leader, then why in the world haven’t you left?

Filed under: Daily Teaching Tagged: faith journey, honesty, integrity