Hearts class 10/9/16 Inbox x Kay Gilbert Oct 8 (1 day ago) to bcc: garyleeparker1. We are reading What The Mystics Know: Seven Pathways To Your Deeper Self by Richard Rohr. We continue with Part 2. Please read through page 45. I think we left off last week with the question of page 21. The questions are: P. 14. Why does the journey matter? What does the process do? P. 16. Asking the right question: How can we use evil for good? How can we put together darkness and light? P. 17. What did you learn from the wall-eyed pike research? How does it apply to your life? P. 18. How carefully do you guard your nothing? Who/what is your personal God? P. 19. Has “the cosmic egg” (core values of Western civilization) broken for you? How? What are you questioning today? P. 21 Rohr says,” Victory over sin is never total but rather a victory over sin’s power to overwhelm us or defeat us.” What did he mean? P. 22. Do you agree or disagree with Rohr’s definition of and explanation of liberals? P. 23. “Our people are dying for lack of vision, for lack of transcendent meaning to name their soul and their struggles.” Discuss. P. 24. Do you agree that “we are the masks of God?” What is the “false self?” Does the “false self” actually exist? P. 25. Share an example of how you’ve revealed your neediness to another? What happened? P. 26. Do you agree with Rohr’s statement that “sin is the distorted personalities people are trapped in?” P. 26-27. What is the danger in judging who is worthy and who is unworthy? P. 27-28. Define faith. Is it passive or active? What is the difference? P. 29. As you struggle on your life path, where are you in learning to both receive and grant universal forgiveness? P. 30. “Missing the mark,” “separation from God,” “fixations that prevent the energy of life, God’s love, from flowing freely.” How do you view sin? P. 32-33. “Our gift is our sin.” Explain. How do we overcome our passions and learn to perceive reality more objectively? P. 33. “The problem is precisely in the need to be right and the need to think of myself as right.” How does this block us from being able to allow love to flow? P. 34. How does binary thinking block us from rush to judgment and spiritual seeing? P. 35-36. Do manifestations of piety, in yourself and in others, block you from spiritual seeking? P. 37. What is excess? What is enough? What is sufficient? P. 39. Contemporary dilemma: 1) Our culture no longer values the inner journey; 2) We actively avoid and fear it; 3) Many no longer have tools to go inward because 4) we are enamored of and entrapped in the private ego and its private edges.” How long can the center hold? P. 41. How does one go about letting go of the ego self and finding the “no one?” P. 42. What are the 3 demons in our personal wilderness? P. 44. Why must we love both sides? How can this happen? P. 45. What are your steps in taking joy in imperfection? Hearts Benediction Go out into the world in peace; Be of good courage; Hold fast to that which is good; Render to no one evil for evil; Strengthen the faint hearted; Support the weak; help the afflicted; Honor all God’s children; Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Heart of Christianity "Hearts class for Sunday, 9 October 2016 at First United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States from Kay Gilbert
We are reading What The Mystics Know: Seven Pathways To Your Deeper Self by Richard Rohr. We continue with Part 2. Please read through page 45. I think we left off last week with the question of page 21. The questions are:

• P. 14. Why does the journey matter? What does the process do?
• P. 16. Asking the right question: How can we use evil for good? How can we put together darkness and light?
• P. 17. What did you learn from the wall-eyed pike research? How does it apply to your life?
• P. 18. How carefully do you guard your nothing? Who/what is your personal God?
• P. 19. Has “the cosmic egg” (core values of Western civilization) broken for you? How? What are you questioning today?
• P. 21 Rohr says,” Victory over sin is never total but rather a victory over sin’s power to overwhelm us or defeat us.” What did he mean?
• P. 22. Do you agree or disagree with Rohr’s definition of and explanation of liberals?
• P. 23. “Our people are dying for lack of vision, for lack of transcendent meaning to name their soul and their struggles.” Discuss.
• P. 24. Do you agree that “we are the masks of God?” What is the “false self?” Does the “false self” actually exist?
• P. 25. Share an example of how you’ve revealed your neediness to another? What happened?
• P. 26. Do you agree with Rohr’s statement that “sin is the distorted personalities people are trapped in?”
• P. 26-27. What is the danger in judging who is worthy and who is unworthy?
• P. 27-28. Define faith. Is it passive or active? What is the difference?
• P. 29. As you struggle on your life path, where are you in learning to both receive and grant universal forgiveness?
• P. 30. “Missing the mark,” “separation from God,” “fixations that prevent the energy of life, God’s love, from flowing freely.” How do you view sin?
• P. 32-33. “Our gift is our sin.” Explain. How do we overcome our passions and learn to perceive reality more objectively?
• P. 33. “The problem is precisely in the need to be right and the need to think of myself as right.” How does this block us from being able to allow love to flow?
• P. 34. How does binary thinking block us from rush to judgment and spiritual seeing?
• P. 35-36. Do manifestations of piety, in yourself and in others, block you from spiritual seeking?
• P. 37. What is excess? What is enough? What is sufficient?
• P. 39. Contemporary dilemma: 1) Our culture no longer values the inner journey; 2) We actively avoid and fear it; 3) Many no longer have tools to go inward because 4) we are enamored of and entrapped in the private ego and its private edges.” How long can the center hold?
• P. 41. How does one go about letting go of the ego self and finding the “no one?”
• P. 42. What are the 3 demons in our personal wilderness?
• P. 44. Why must we love both sides? How can this happen?
• P. 45. What are your steps in taking joy in imperfection?

Hearts Benediction:
Go out into the world in peace;
Be of good courage;
Hold fast to that which is good;
Render to no one evil for evil;
Strengthen the faint hearted;
Support the weak; help the afflicted;
Honor all God’s children;
Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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