Find Religion

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field.

I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language- even the phrase “each other” -do not make any sense.

This Rumi poem/prayer of truth is the way we are to approach sacred circle. Empty out so the space can be filled with Her grace. Divine femininity is characteristic by the chalice, the bowl; such as the womb. It is hidden, open & receiving of the abundance that is our birthright. She gathers her knowledge and wisdom not thru words but thru sacred imagery and symbol. This is why creativity is so essential to nurture the spirit. Our creative endeavors are Divinity Herself being made real for all to see. This is why beauty is so important not only to the senses but the sensibilities. We were created for ecstasy and pleasure. Art is the God/dess Herself manifest. I can’t imagine much more exciting than that right now. Go create! Let’s see what She wants to say thru You! This is a challenge. Read the Rumi Poem & begin. Be Inspired!

Email me pictures of your creations so I can show them in a future post. Thanks!

Welcome to the October 1, 2007 edition of religion in everyday life. You can see a past issue of this carnival here.

Only Three Notes presents >Reforming Religions: Religious Rights vs Human Rights! posted at Only Three Notes.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Facing Fear Eye to Eye posted at Tupelo Kenyon.

Chris presents Keeping God at the Center posted at Christian Dating Experiences.

Eric Michael Johnson presents Parsimony and the Origin of Life in the Universe and Shamanic Visions of Selective Sweep posted at The Primate Diaries.

Ched presents >Josh Williams on the OT, Christ and Textual Hermeneutics posted at >Straight out of the SWBTS Blogosphere.

ChristianPF presents Don’t give to the poor? posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog.

Sammy Benoit presents >I Always Walked to Shul With My Dad–A Rosh HaShana Story posted at YID With LID.

Arlene Mei Pinpin presents >Mind, Heart, and Mysteries: God’s Little Schemes posted at >Mind, Heart, and Mysteries.

Chris DeMarco presents >The Substance of Prayer posted at >The “C” Branch.

:: Suzanne :: presents >:: adventures in daily living ::: daily strength for daily needs: August 21 posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Doris Chua presents >Touch of the Master’s Hand posted at Life..Passion..Travel & More….

Phil B. presents >Atheists have Morals « Phil for Humanity posted at >Phil for Humanity.

Ariah Fine presents >We Created God in Our Own Image posted at Trying to Follow.

As many of you know, I’m also the blogger for Reality on Bravo, and since many of you here may not read that site, I just wanted to bring to your attention that I’m running a humungo contest for bloggers on that site. There’s already lots of blogtestants, sponsors, and judges who’ve signed up, and I hope you will too!

You can find all the information to enter the competition here. Don’t be afraid to throw your hat in the ring–there are some awesome prizes lined up!

(Note, you don’t have to be a Project Runway fan to enter–you just have to write a blog, either on your own or through another network!)

Good luck everyone!

Welcome to the September Religion in Everyday Life blog carnival. Can you believe the summer is over already?!?! I’ve received quite a large number of great submission, and reading all of these various views on how we can find religion in every aspect of life is really interesting. Thanks to all who have submitted, and feel free to submit again for October!

I was a bit more selective this month - I’m including only the best entries from the over 25 submissions I received!

Only Three Notes presents Reforming Religions: Religious Rights vs Human Rights! posted at Only Three Notes.

FitBuff presents Out of Body Experiences: Medical Mysteries or Scientific Explanation? posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog.

Te-Erika presents I Let Him Go For God posted at Share My Dream.

Holly Ord presents The Prejudice of Atheism posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Eric Michael Johnson presents The Feeling of What Happens posted at The Primate Diaries.

Ched presents An slpime alipcatoin of a wrod tcrik to rdeanig bliabcl nratveirs posted at Says Simpleton.

Anmol Mehta presents How to Make a Baby the Right Way- With Illustrations! posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga.

Stephen Miracle presents Washing Dishes In God’s Presence | AltNoise.net posted at AltNoise.net.

therapydoc presents Yad Vashem posted at Everyone Needs Therapy.

Mitch Ross presents When should I stop casually lying to my kid? posted at MitchRoss.com - A Pastor’s Husband Blog.

If I had $300 dollars I would buy________.

What would you buy with $300? Or even $200 or $100? Now is your chance to find out! Comment on any 451 Press site during the month of August and you could win! Three comments will be chosen at random to win a cash prize of $300, $200 or $100. The more you comment the more chances you have to win. So start reading and let those fingers fly!

Welcome to the August Religion in Everyday Life blog carnival. I’ve received quite a large number of great submission, and reading all of these various views on how we can find religion in every aspect of life is really interesting. Thanks to all who have submitted, and feel free to submit again for September! I’ve divided them into loose categories so make them easier for you guys to read.

Religious Debate and Politics

Phil B. presents Abortion: Religion versus Practicality versus Morality « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity.

Tracee Sioux presents What Would Jesus Do? posted at So Sioux Me. Applying What Would Jesus Do? to health care in America.

James Carr presents God Delusion – Why the labels don’t work. posted at Small-town Big-shot.

Eric Michael Johnson presents Calculating Faith posted at The Primate Diaries.

The Afterlife, Death, and Destruction

Nathanael presents The proximity of death posted at Despair and Coffee.

Tristan L. Sullivan presents Paradise posted at Imagine.

therapydoc presents Can You Cry Too Many Tears? posted at Everyone Needs Therapy.

Laura Young presents Guest Blogger Patrick with More on Grief: Where Religion Fails Me posted at Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life.

Family and relationships

Tupelo Kenyon presents Gratitude for Home and Family posted at Tupelo Kenyon. Home and family is literally the center of our universe, but how often do we take it for granted? Celebrate life through gratitude for our sense of home and the people we share it with. At the same blog, you can also read Meaningful Spiritual Relationships – Namaste Matters.

Esther Garvi presents The art of walking on water posted at Ishtar News.

Mitch Ross presents What’s it like being a Pastor’s Husband? posted at MitchRoss.com - A Pastor’s Husband Blog.

Spiritual Growth

Anmol Mehta presents Embrace Reality and Let the Universe Fulfill Your Desires posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga. On the same blg, you can also read New Kundalini Yoga Classes and The Courage To Live Dangerously.

Humor

Sheppard Salter presents Orthodox Bumper Stickers posted at salterblog.com.

Poetry and Prose

zamejias presents Simple terms posted at crizematt.

Esther Garvi presents Contemplations posted at Ishtar News.

Learning Lessons

KimC presents My pride: a story from 20 years ago posted at Life in a shoe: the methods and madness of one mother of 8. ***This was my favorite submission of the month!

Thom presents Everyday Liturgy posted at Everyday Liturgy. Habits are only good when they provide the framework for the life of freedom we desire. Praying daily is a dry ritual only when we unceasingly pray for prayer’s sake, in order to keep the streak going. Habits find their fulfillment only in the ability for us to ascend above ritual and into the life of liturgy.

Other

Phil B. presents A Letter to God (if you exist) « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity. Dear God, Where have you been lately, and what have you been doing?

Cade Krueger presents How Much Do You Appreciate Your Life? posted at Home Based Business Opportunity.

Nneka presents Spiritual Leaders and Teachers posted at Spirituality Blog.

Ched presents The Storm Front moves in, and the King of Glory passes by posted at Says Simpleton.

Tom presents My place in the religious hierarchy posted at geekandfather.com.

Welcome to the July Religion in Everyday Life blog carnival. I’ve received quite a large number of great submission, and reading all of these various views on how we can find religion in every aspect of life is really interesting. Thanks to all who have submitted, and feel free to submit again for August!

Heather Flanagan presents Congratulations! It’s a God! posted at Visualize Possibilities. This post looks at how God can be born though us in every new moment. It is a playful article and definitely on topic.

Sundance presents Faith posted at A Girl Named Sundance.

Does the “abolition” of Limbo by the Pope mean all will eventually go to Heaven? Simon presents Does Pope Benedict XVI endorse apokatastasis? posted at Apokatastasis. He also presents The Hesychast and the Ten Commandments at the same site.

The Junky’s Wife presents The Junky’s Wife: A God I Can Embrace posted at The Junky’s Wife.

Brandon Peele presents Male v. Female Spirituality posted at Generative Transformation.

Ungraspable presents Top Three Writing Lessons From the Bible posted at Savvy Writer. This was one of my favorite submissions!!!

We are caught up working for security and stability. Hiyasmin R. Linatoc presents The Story We Live and Celebrate, Part I posted at Mind, Heart, and Mysteries.

Travis presents It’s a Party! Let’s get dressed!! posted at traviseneix.

Hakim Abdullah presents How Do Jews Pray? posted at Hakim Abdullah.

Sheppard Salter presents Reminiscing On Hiking posted at salterblog.com.

ChristianPF presents What is the ROOT of all evil? posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog. A discussion about one of the most mis-quoted verses in the bible.

Trust requires the ability to get outside oneself. Why do I find that so hard to do? Charles H. Green presents Trust, Freedom and Resentment posted at Trust Matters.

John Hill presents What Is Spirituality? posted at Universe Of Success.

Leslie Williams presents Do You Weary in Well Doing?: The Battle Belongs to the Lord posted at Do You Weary in Well Doing?. The battle is the Lord’s.

Ched presents Reminding the Redeemed of their Rescue: A Confession posted at Says Simpleton.

Why is it appropriate in American culture to harshly criticize Mormons & what is it like being LDS today? Kate presents I´m a Mormon & it´s ok posted at Kate’s Blog.

JHS Esq. presents Rediscovering What I Believe posted at Colloquium. Guest Author Robert W. Mattheis, Bishop Emeritus of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, discusses the way in which his faith and belief is evolving over time and raises thought-provoking questions about the manner in which faith is conceptualized.

Hopeful Spirit explains why we must practice tolerance toward each other in order to live peacefully and in harmony, and because it is a decidedly Christian trait. Monday Candle Moment: Tolerance posted at On the Horizon.

Diversity is part of the magic of Life. We all have our own paths in life, we need to practice non-judgment. Karen Lynch presents Freedom of Thought posted at LivethePower.

Tupelo Kenyon presents How to Keep Your Word posted at Tupelo Kenyon. Celebrate life through the creative power of your word.

Mark30 presents The Bible Can Help Your Marriage posted at Business Blog.

:: Suzanne :: presents he was listening after all posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Anmol Mehta presents My Baby Is Silencing My Mind posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga.

As always, the views expressed above are not necessarily the views I hold, but it is important to learn about various ideas when on a lifetime spiritual journey, and healthy discussion is always a plus, so feel free to leave comments either here or directly on the sites of the posts!

Today’s winner of the church photography contest is Sara Rayman from Missouri.

This picture was taken at an old log cabin church in southwestern Missouri. The congregation still has church there occasionally when the weather is nice, although you can see the old fireplace in the background that was once used to keep the place warm. There’s no bathroom in this church, just a quaint little outhouse in the back.

Love Sara’s work as much as I do? You can check out more of her photography at her website, as well as learn how to contact her for more information.

If you’d like to submit a beautiful church photo (inside or out) to the contest for a chance for recognition and links back to your website, contact me at allison.boyer@yahoo.com. All photos must be sent as .jpeg.

photography, churches

A while back, I had annouced a photography contest of sorts for your guys, encouraging submissions of beutiful church photography.

The entries are slowly trickling in–and don’t worry, you can still enter if you want!

Today, the featured photograph is by Mollie Bryan:

It was taken in Guatemala, Chichicastenango March 2006.

Mollie Bryan is a freelance photograher in Olympia, WA. Her main passion is sponateus photos of people and events while traveling. You can view more of her amazing work and learn how to contact her by visiting her website, www.myspace.com/mokedophoto

Awesome picture, Mollie!

If you have a photograph you’d like to enter into the competition, email it as a jpeg, along with your name, where and when the photograph was taken, and any bio information/links you’d like to be included if you’re selected for a feature to me, Allison, at allison.boyer@yahoo.com.

photography contest, church, photography, freelance photograher