Charles is a friend, whom I adore. We met seven or eight years ago at an Art of Hosting training that I was co-leading. We got involved in a good body of work in Denver with St. John’s Cathedral for about three years. He now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico raising funds and building community for the non-profit, Heading Home. I enjoy his blog posts. He has a knack for bringing together the serious with a taste of the absurd to make it all seem so natural. Like adding cinnamon to chili. Or mustard to bar-b-que sauce. Charles evolves the edge of knowing in some exceptionally skillful ways.
Charles’ blog is The Daily Sip. If you haven’t signed up for it, do so. I reference it here frequently. I suppose I feel just a bit more human when I welcome his words to wash over me. This includes a recent post, in which he includes this from Vine Deloria, JR, a Native American Activist, Theologian, and Historian, followed by his own reflections.
“Religion is for people who are afraid of hell. Spirituality is for people who have experienced it.”
Perhaps we are working too hard at spirituality. Perhaps spirituality comes to us, and is borne within us, simply from the encounters we have with suffering. With hell. With pain. With a desire to learn from our pain.
Religion will try to hand out spirituality like ride tickets at the amusement park. You have read the Gospel of Mark? Here….two tickets. You have decided to get married? Here…four tickets. You have made your confession? Here, nine tickets. You sinned? Give me back two tickets…
The serious. The absurd. The evolution.
Head for the sip. And enjoy.
Thank you for sharing. I feel like I have found a treasure trove of thoughts, feelings and words by meeting this man. No surprise that you two are friends! I signed up for The daily Sip. I got hopelessly lost in his archives, had to tear myself away. Beautiful and powerful writing. I feel blessed, again. Thank you dear Tenneson.