“About 200 attend Hempfield’s Word of Life Church amid coronavirus shutdown”

“Love Alone Overcomes Fear”

And a fitting finale to Part 1 and Part 2:

This seemed the perfect follow-up to Part 1:

Thought threads that have been weaving themselves together in my mind in light of the COVID-19 pandemic …

To start, here’s a story that I first heard more than 20 years ago and have encountered in various forms many times since, the origins of which are likely Taoist, coming from ancient China:

All over America, the coronavirus is revealing, or at least reminding us, just how much of contemporary American life is bullshit, with power structures built on punishment and fear as opposed to our best interest. Whenever the government or a corporation benevolently withdraws some punitive threat because of the coronavirus, it’s a signal that there was never any good reason for that threat to exist in the first place.

From the article “America is a sham” by Dan kois

Authentic spirituality is always on some level or in some way about letting go. Jesus said, “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Freedom is … letting go of our need to control and manipulate God and others. … We become free as we let go of our three primary energy centers: our need for power and control, our need for safety and security, and our need for affection and esteem.

“letting Go As a way of life” by richard rohr

Pondering a Short Story about Being Human

As you read the story, how did you envision the two characters in your imagination?

A Short Story about Being Human

Continued from Part 2

“It’s simple. … Came to me on that same bus trip after I talked to those lesbians. So here goes: I see you’re wearing a wedding ring and I’d bet a couple of Ben Franklins that you’re not married to someone of the same sex, right?”

“Right, yeah.”

“So when did you choose to be attracted to the opposite sex?”

A Short Story about Being Human

Continued from Part 1

“So I didn’t grow up religious or anything, and my parents were pretty open to just about anything, so I guess you could say my philosophy was always kind of ‘Live and let live’ when it came to that kind of stuff. But then one time on another all-night bus ride—I take a lot of trips by bus to see old friends who moved away after high school, just FYI. Anyway, on this bus ride I saw two ladies sitting next to each other … one maybe in her fifties, the other one probably in her early thirties. So I’m thinking maybe a mom and daughter, right? Then we stopped at a travel plaza, and I saw them hold hands and hug and kiss. So I caught up to them in the restaurant and asked if I could sit down with them. Ha, guess it’s a habit, huh?”