St George
I got a text of of my mate Pete today. Pete used to work for me. Pete is one of lifes characters. Witty, sharp, intelligent & Scouse (read scally). Pete usually sends me offensive texts, jokes about current affairs etc and I pretend not to read or laugh at them (though obviously I do – sometimes to my own shame). Any how, his text today was of a different type and calibre:
“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”
It's a great line innit? It rang true for a couple of reasons.
One: my lad Rory really got into surfing whilst we were on holiday in the Gower recently. Rory is a git. He is better than me in almost everything he tries. He's much more skilful than I was at rugby. His guitar skills are getting rather good. Academically he's a bit bright. He's not as handsome as me obviously, but he does seem to attract the chicks (something I failed at until Audrey took pity on me). On the surf board he was a natural. He was reading the waves and riding them on day one. Like I say, he's a git.
Two: When Pete worked for me I was well and truly engrossed in the church – not religious thank god, but certainly fervent and evangelical in that I was certain that everyone was entitled to my opinion. Pete at some stage made it known that he wasn't into the “church shite” (was he a prophetic angel?) and suggested I read a book on Zen Buddhism (The Way of Zen – Alan W Watts) and work out my self before I tried work out god. How dare he proselytise to me!
Three: The latter half of last week as you remember I became an apprentice christian Buddhist.
Four: I'm a George Harrison fan. He was by far my favourite ex Beatle. George was a deeply spiritual person. A follower of the Hindu, ,Hare Krishna tradition. He once said "Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot...". I like that and I think Pete would have too.
So, where am i going with this diatribe? I suppose what is apparent in my starting this Blog is that I have a few issues to deal with involving my christian faith and I'm learning a little more everyday that my walk needs to be much more, MUCH MORE, spiritual. I'm carrying some hurts and baggage associated with the orthodox church and some of its members. However, I'm starting to truly realize that my faith has nothing to do with the church or it's people (apart from circumstantial). It's all to do with the spiritual awakening I had during a real God moment and a couple of other God experiences I've had since over the years (more of that another time).
I wrote on my “About Me”, that I'm a Dweller on the Threshold – a nod to Van Morrison. But it's true. I've been on this god journey for years now and I'm only just begining to see it for what means. It is truly a journey and I've but taken a few steps.
I reckon I'm on the right path in that I have a God Realization, but I'm only starting to see where I might fit into Gods plans (if indeed God has plans). In the christian bible there's a book called Romans and we are told to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices…” because “this is your SPIRITUAL act of worship” Worship I suppose is placing value on God, catching his waves, to appraise HIS value.
The I God I believe in is called Jesus. Christians talk of Jesus being a saviour (we'll discuss the relevance of this term for the 21st C and the enormous weight it carries another time too). Zen is oft described as “a way of liberation”. What's become apparent since Petes text this morning is that some of the beef I have with my past connections with the church are simply waves and that if I work harder on focusing in on Jesus then maybe I'll learn to surf as well as my lad. So, the question is not whether or not surfing is spiritual, rather is riding the waves my spiritual act of worship?
“There's a preacher out there warned me about Satan
Could be that he knows him
Cause' He acts like he's possessed
I said 'Hey man let's hear about God realisation
For a change'
he said "We ain't got time for that
First you must hear the evils of fornication"
Could be that he knows him
Cause' He acts like he's possessed
I said 'Hey man let's hear about God realisation
For a change'
he said "We ain't got time for that
First you must hear the evils of fornication"
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