Jacki's Beliefs
Jesus And Living Well
I believe that Jesus lived well on this earth,
and that He lives today so that we might live well.
He enjoyed the wonder of trust in God’s care, and encourages us to a faith that does likewise. He shared his life freely… anchored in Divine love and for the sake of healing and justice. He calls us to choose, likewise, to face down the fears which would tempt us to settle for less – including false securities, habits of judgment, and complacencies about this world’s suffering and oppression. I believe that forgiveness is the way of such salvation.
Christ’s life — then and now — calls us to intention, discernment and generous, sacrificial love. For trust, wisdom and strength to do so, we may always draw deeper from the springs of the Living Well – God’s unconditional love. As we draw from this eternal source, our lives are freed from fear and shame and we are transformed into agents of grace, creativity and fearless truth-telling. Nourished by this source, we come to celebrate and care for our whole lives. We come to dwell in our bodies, minds, spirits, relationships, and world with an awareness of the beautiful presence of the Holy.
Following Christ calls me to a radically open life. As Christ’s disciple, I follow the Way of Truth and Life that embraces the dignity and potential of all people. Christ’s disciples carry the mandate to be agents of reconciliation in the world, and are enabled to transform personal sin and social suffering with radical grace and forgiveness.
I follow the path his followers have set before me, which calls us to create and nourish experiences of empowering love and reconciliation wherever two or three are gathered. I study the Scriptures which he did, as well all the stories of faith revealed through his power since Pentecost. I learn from people of other faiths about the great capacity of God to draw others to lives of grace and wisdom.
I take up Christ’s energy, an energy which enables truth and love to embrace. When these embrace, we can create enduring justice. When we set our intentions for such lives, we are empowered by his Spirit for freedom, bold action and abundant life for one and all. We know, too, the gifts of rest, surrender and trust in the One who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly about all that we can ask or think.
The Power of Belief
All beliefs influence our feelings and our actions, and the range of choices we feel we have in this life. Beliefs that foster shame, judgment, limitation, victimhood and conflict literally block our life energy, our spirit. Jesus announced is that there need not be such condemnation, and that repentance is Good News. We can release these burdens, trust in the Gospel, and live out our full potential for peaceful, creative, and abundant lives. The Good News is that when we stop protecting our own egos, we are radically available for the sincere service of others. By losing our lives, we find them.
What is the effect of your beliefs on your present? On your future? Are they limiting or nourishing your capacity for living well?
