Universal Family

Of the various reasons to reject the father concept of God, I consider two: some fathers are terrible parents; and generations of sensitive, well-informed, ethically committed persons have been taught that the father concept of God (at least in isolation from the truth of the motherhood of God) is sexist. I respond to the second concern by reading excerpts from chapters on scientific, philosophical, and spiritual living from my book Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.

Ali and Miguel are in a world religions class and begin discussing the teaching, "Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

A story about a peacemaker family: the father was a diplomat, the mother a facilitator of public dialogue regarding contested issues, and the daughter a psychology researcher on the relationship of personal peace with social and political peace. One evening they had a conversation about the teaching, "Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God."

A story of two women, best friends from childhood, who learned to forgive each other and creatively go through similar programs of personal growth. As a result, they came to a better understanding of mercy.

In order to add meaning and plausibility to the eternal truth: Happy are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted, . . . I offer a story.

Purity of heart means to will one thing--if that thing is to have as one's sole purpose in life to do the will of the God of love. But what does that mean? Here are several aspects of the outworking of that purpose.

This is a story of a meek boy and an antagonistic boy who grow up to cooperate. It symbolizes hope for our world and satisfaction for those who take to heart the promise: "Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Have you faced this question? Choose this day whom you will serve. Are you in or out? Is your life saying YES to God?

Salvation and spiritual rebirth are two ways to name the same event, an event that is widely misunderstood for two quite different reasons. . . .

When the Creator chose to launch imperfect, free-will beings on the stage of action on an evolutionary world, it was predictable that mercy was going to be needed. Mercy is the divine attitude that applies love to the understanding of a creature's motivation, circumstances, and personal history.

The New Testament book of Matthew 18:12-35 reveals the mercy process of forgiveness in its fullness.

What I have read about the opioid crisis says nothing about the lack of a sense of purpose in the lives of our brothers and sisters who consciously use dangerous drugs--and, for that matter, our brothers and sisters who deliberately profit from excessive opioid use. Yes, lack of the healthy momentum of a noble purpose is something we all experience at times. Moreover, a sense of hopeless often owes much to factors beyond the control of the individual.

That said, to experience the love of God is a game-changer. We get a new sense of who we are: a infinitely loved son or daughter of God and a brother or sister to those we meet--and the other aspects of better or worse this or that fall into perspective when we are anchored as members in the family of God. The eternal God, our Father and our friend, is present in each person, leading quietly, patiently, gently, powerfully, with abundant forgiveness, being a loyal companion as we go through whatever consequences are ours to live through on the way to a magnificent career beyond this world.

And God has a magnificent destiny for humankind. So our new-found sense of purpose can include making a contribution.