Interfaith Spirit Quest

Special Announcement - New Ministry - LifOvation

Special Announcement Aug 31, 2011: After almost three years as Interfaith Spirit Quest, we have a new name, a new location, and a slightly different focus and direction. It's called LifOvation!! All future posts will be posted at www.lifovation.com - we hope you'll come over for a visit now and then! Thank you for your past support - it has been a huge blessing to be part of this ministry and we look forward to an exciting time of spiritual exploration in our new ministry.

LifOvation: There's a new Christ-centered Community Center coming to Appleton, WI - founded by yours truly & friends after feeling called by God to do so! LifOvation will have its own permanent location for services, events and activities! LifOvation will offer a unique service style and refreshing content. Learn more at www.lifovation.com. Please share with friends and let us know your thoughts. :)

Why the new direction?: After almost three years of exploring the religions of the world through a Christ-centered lens, we believe that it would be a good idea to begin weekly services for people of all-faiths to learn about the spiritual therapies of the Universal Christ.

Planetary Shift - Birth 2012

Calling all visionaries, evolutionaries, change leaders and heart-centered humans:

This is your opportunity to give your highest gifts in creating a Planetary Birth Experience that can shift our consciousness and evolve our world.

Join us for this historic event!  Interfaith Spirit Quest is signed up to participate and we hope you will too!

Training Session:  Agents of Conscious Evolution (ACE) Training with evolutionary pioneer Barbara Marx Hubbard!

You are invited to Activation Day – 21 months in advance of the day many luminaries are declaring as our Planetary Birth Day – the symbolic start of a new era in human evolution.

What if Dec. 21, 2012 marks the passing of one phase of evolution and Dec. 22, 2012 marks "Day One" of the next epoch of evolution – for the next 26,000 years? A time we can collectively set our intentions for a more evolved world?

The catch is that it likely won’t happen if we sit back and hope for something cosmic to occur. Instead, we can decide to come together now and co-create the greatest field of love, resonance and social synergy in the history of the world.

Barbara Marx Hubbard, a futurist and evolutionary thinker, has stepped forward as our prophetic voice for this Day One event. Deepak Chopra calls her “the voice for Conscious Evolution in our times.” She has become the subject of much excitement as more people recognize that she holds key codes to help activate this historic event.

More info here. 

Training Session:  Agents of Conscious Evolution (ACE) Training with evolutionary pioneer Barbara Marx Hubbard!

The Shift:  From a worldview built on separation to one based on oneness. Rewiring of beliefs, identity, morals, economies, and even politics - an evolution of consciousness AND culture.

Shift  / from > to:

 

•     Materialism   >   Sacred, living universe
•     Protected borders   >   Open exchange
•     Cutthroat capitalism   >   Socially responsible business
•     Tribal, racial or national identity   >   Global human family
•     National defense   >   International alliances
•     Consumer waste   >   Restorative cycles
•     Competing religions   >   Global spiritual pluralism
•     Patriarchy   >   Masculine-feminine balance & partnership

This IS happening, but how can we best accelerate it? 

More info here.

Training Session:  Agents of Conscious Evolution (ACE) Training with evolutionary pioneer Barbara Marx Hubbard!

 

Respect for the beliefs of others without advocating

Interfaith Spirit Quest

From our Interfaith Spirit Quest blog post today in the Appleton Post Crescent, our local paper: 

We can respect without advocating.  This philosophy applies to many other areas in life besides religion; such as politics, lifestyle, sports... that about covers it, right?  There are those who are opposed to the 'without advocating' part; they demand that we accept, adore, affirm, and applaud what they deem to be true, right and good.  But we don't have to do this.  Doing so begins an equivalent retaliation; 'if I have to affirm your beliefs, then you have to affirm mine'.  This is not possible.   People conveniently ignore the truth of the other.  We can live in peace with each other when we share a mutual respect for each others belief systems without becoming their advocates or number one fans. 

After a dozen years studying religion and spirituality it became quite clear that there are many paths to developing a better understanding of God (Creator, Energy, Force b-with-u, choose your term).  In fact, I have come to believe that the path we are on is the path to God.  The more deeply we reflect and contemplate our inner nature and being, the better we come to understand 'the will' or desire of God.  Accountability for our actions come in the form of consequences (in this life or the next).  Actions opposed to the will or desire of God create the opportunity for personal development through a natural and divine process designed to produce a whole and harmonious personality.  Love, truth, beauty, goodness and grace are consequences of sincere and right (righteous?) efforts.

I respect the beliefs of others, including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others.  In fact, advocating somewhat, I even incorporate many of their spiritual practices into my personal spirituality; feeling most comfortable with the Christian tradition since it is my personal heritage.  I also respect the choice of others to worship exactly as their faith teaches, and not in general terms, but rather because these spiritual practices and disciplines more often than not produce well-balanced individuals who really try to love others as they believe God loves them. 

Sheila
Interfaith Spirit Quest
Calendar:  Meetup.com/interfaith
Appleton, WI

Surprising information on crimes against Muslims, Jews and Christians

This week, on Tuesday, 8/26/10, in New York City, in a shameful display of stupidity, a drunk, 21 year old man stabbed a Muslim cab driver - apparently just for being a Muslim.  This is probably the definition of a hate crime.  Some are already jumping to conclusions about the incident, saying it was related to the Cordoba House Mosque building project near Ground Zero.  Perhaps, but probably not in the way you might think.   Turns out the drunk worked with an organization that apparently favors the project, and the Muslim cab driver opposes the project.  So perhaps the attack was about eliminating the opposition, in this case a reformist or moderate Muslim who was against the building project.  In today's Wall Street Journal, Ms. Irshad Manji is also a Reformist Muslim who is opposed to the Cordoba House expansion project. You can read her thoughts here.  She has a list of questions we should be asking.  I hope we get some answers. 

9 years ago, in the aftermath of September 11, as one could imagine, there was indeed a spike in crimes against Muslims. 

National Review:  According to the FBI, hate crimes against Muslims increased by a staggering 1,600 percent in 2001. That sounds serious! But wait, the increase is a math mirage. There were 28 anti-Islamic incidents in 2000. That number climbed to 481 the year a bunch of Muslim terrorists murdered 3,000 Americans in the name of Islam on Sept. 11.

....The following year, the number of anti-Islamic hate-crime incidents (overwhelmingly, nonviolent vandalism and nasty words) dropped to 155. In 2003, there were 149 such incidents. And the number has hovered around the mid-100s or lower ever since.

What about hate crimes against Jews? 

National Review:  In 2001, there were twice as many anti-Jewish incidents as there were anti-Muslim, according to the FBI. In 2002 and pretty much every year since, anti-Jewish incidents have outstripped anti-Muslim incidents by at least 6 to 1.

Six to one!!  According to FBI statistics on hate crimes for 2008, 65% of the so-called hate crimes were pronounced 'Anti-Jewish' while 7.7% were labeled 'Anti-Muslim'. 

So do we have an Anti-Muslim climate or an Anti-Jewish climate?  No one really wants to discuss these facts.

What about hate crimes against Christians? 

Again, according to FBI statistics on hate crimes for 2008, when you add up the raw numbers and percentages, there were slightly more hate crimes committed against Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, than there were against Muslims. 

On certain news programs and on numerous Internet sites, open hatred toward right wing (evangelical) Christians  is all the rage.  It seems perfectly acceptable to openly criticize those who have a different view as long as they are right wing (evangelical) Christians.

So, in order, here you have it - for 2008:

1. Anti-Jewish hate crimes 65%
2. Anti-Christian hate crimes 8.4%
3. Anti-Muslim hate crimes 7.7%
   

The bottom line?

Things are not always as they seem folks.  If we are all to get along, we must stop calling each other names, we must begin to accept each others differences without being forced to advocate these differences.  

How about we build an international, multi-faith worship center next to Ground Zero that would allow people of all faiths, spiritual but not religious, or no faith; to come and reflect, worship, meditate and contemplate on their terms as we learn to respect and love our neighbors without fear of religious intimidation? 

Desmond Tutu thinks Craig Ferguson is Crazy!

Desmond Tutu thinks Craig Ferguson is crazy - what an unusual premise for what turns out to be a great interview.  Check it out. Lots of laughs too.

This will be a 3 part YouTube video - at the end of each video there will be a link to Part 2 and then Part 3.

World Shift 2012 - Are we all Doomed?

Part of the Declaration of World Shift 2012:  

"There is no doubt that we are now in a state of global emergency. This unprecedented worldwide crisis is a symptom of a much deeper problem - the current state of our consciousness: how we think about ourselves and our world. We have the urgent need, and now the opportunity, for a complete rethink: to reconsider our values and priorities, to understand our interconnectedness and to begin a new direction - living in harmony with nature and each other.”

Global emergency?  Crisis?  Deeper problem?  Urgent need?  My goodness!  Are we all doomed?  Well maybe not.

Climate Change - Global Warming is one of the issues World Shift 2012 is concerned about.  Here are my views on this issue:

• Climate Change - Global Warming:  Realize that the problem really has more to do with pollution than anything else and therefore must be dealt with and solved by the corporations that are manufacturing the problem.  Do not be fooled into thinking that if you just bring your own water bottle, you're solving Climate Change/Global Warming.  You're not.  The company that manufactures water bottles must stop making them and focus instead on creating a system of water stations where we can refill our own water bottles, our own unique, cool, sporty water bottle that we carry around with us everywhere.  If you don't bring a water bottle, you have to buy a new one on the spot - so you'll have seven water bottles at home before you get smart and start carrying one with you everywhere. 

This is just one example, but this philosophy should work well in most situations, at least from my viewpoint.  

So what can we, as individuals, do?

• Relax, God is in control of the big picture
• Pray, ask God to give you the wisdom and the courage to live as He wants you to live
• Be engaged, be the change you want to see, but be it in a God loving way
• Look for the root of the problem and make smart corrections

 

2012: Science or Superstition - The Movie

Video Trailer for the movie:  2012:  Science or Superstition

 From 2012dvd - About the documentary movie: 
2012: Science or Superstition

December 21, 2012: the end date of the sophisticated Long Count Calendar created by the ancient Maya in Central America. Countless books and websites, magazine articles and newspaper headlines debate its meaning, with enthusiasts in two camps: those forecasting apocalypse–the end of time–and those who see a coming renewal, a rebirth of consciousness.

Adding fuel to the debate, some scientists see the increasing number of natural disasters in recent years as evidence of a catastrophic climax of events in 2012. How much of what we're hearing is science and how much is superstition? In this film the leading researchers, writers and scientists in the field tell us exactly what this date means to them, why it's important, and what we should expect.

Featured in the film are Graham Hancock, John Major Jenkins, Daniel Pinchbeck, Alberto Villoldo, Anthony Aveni, Robert Bauval, Jim Marrs, Walter Cruttenden, Lawrence E. Joseph, Alonso Mendez, Douglas Rushkoff, John Anthony West and Benito Vegas Duran.

Purchase the movie or the book:

An Invitation to Transformation - "Field of Dreams" Workshop

  Interfaith Spirit Quest presents: 

An Invitation to Transformation
* Workshop * Ceremony * Celebration *

Last Chance:  Call to Register - 920 968-7738

Saturday, May 23, 2009
*  1:30-6:30 PM  *
Appleton, Wisconsin

Workshop: 

"Living and Serving
Joyfully and Courageously
in a Field of Dreams"

Ceremony: 
Public Ministerial Ordination Ceremony

Celebration: 
Fellowship and Food

What's in your Field of Dreams?  Incredible things can and do happen when we believe the impossible. Do you have a seemingly impossible but uplifting idea for a service project or mission that you believe will transform the world, a community, or a life? Are you inspired and committed to making a difference? Perhaps you are motivated to do something, but don't know where to begin. The process of creating a service project that expresses your vision may seem overwhelming. This is where you begin. This workshop is designed to move you toward accomplishing your vision for change and transformation - joyfully and courageously.

Will be held at the Monte Alverno Retreat & Spirituality Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.  Come for a day of spiritual transformation, relaxation and celebration. This is an interfaith event open to everyone, sponsored by Interfaith Spirit Quest, a non-denominational, God-centered ministry of truth, beauty and goodness.
Get away for one joy-filled day!

Open the PDF document below for all the details of the Field of Dreams Workshop, Ministerial Ordination Ceremony, and time of Fellowship and Food!  This workshop is for you if you desire to make a difference in the world, in your community, or in your own heart.

Please join us for one joy-filled day! 

Interfaith, Inner life Music - Playing for Change - War - No More Trouble

Make a Joyful Noise....

The act of playing music with people of different cultures, religions, economics and politics is a powerful statement. It shows that we can find ways of working together and sharing our experiences with one another in a positive way. Music has the power to break down the walls between cultures, to raise the level of human understanding.

~ Mark Johnson, founder, Playing for Change

Music Video by Playing for Change:

War - No More Trouble

Interfaith, Inner life Music - Playing for Change - Don't Worry

Shout to the Lord....

The act of playing music with people of different cultures, religions, economics and politics is a powerful statement. It shows that we can find ways of working together and sharing our experiences with one another in a positive way. Music has the power to break down the walls between cultures, to raise the level of human understanding.

~ Mark Johnson, founder, Playing for Change

Music Video by Playing for Change:

Don't Worry