I got a delightful kick in my pants early this morning from some new spiritual firends!

I've been in communication with Helen Mildenhall who hosts a wonderful site dedicated to Christian dialogue called "Conversation at the Edge".  This is how the site describes itself : “ 'helping Christians become normal' since 2001. The site is a conversation between Christians, atheists and people in between." I found it while connecting with bloggers who might want to submit to the Blog Carnival on Engaged Spirituality which is being hosted here on the Virtual Tea House on March 1.

From connecting with Helen, she graciouly wrote a post on her site about my site.  From the dialogue that ensued, she pointed the way to some other sites I might be interested in, and I found one early this morning called "Square No More", hosted by Pastor Phil who self-identifies as 'friends with witches'.  While I'm no witch, I identifiy with the Celtic branch of Christianity, which is about embodiment, and is rooted in nature.  So I was intrigued.

On his site, January 08's synchroblog focused on The Holy Fool.  Since this is one of my favorite archetypes, I was attracted immediately.  And I found my mind opening in ways that it hasn't in awhile--Helen and Pastor Phil are post-modern religious thinkers and are engaged, along with apparently many others, in re-structuring how they, as believers, engage with the world.  WHO KNEW? 

Those of you who read my blogs know that I'm a 'foo'...but here's the unholy part. Because I came from an evangelical background (Wesleyan Holiness), and felt religiously wounded, I've thought I knew what evangelical Christianty was about.  After lots of spiritual work on my part,  I had 'them' in a box, with a big label on it that says something like: "Nice people, a little rabid.  Leave alone and hope they'll do the same for you.  You can love them in singularity."

Well, here's the kicker--just by cruising through these sites and the hundreds of personal blogs they link to, that musty ole box got opened up to some air and light this morning.  What's moldy is what I thought I 'knew' about this particular branch of Christianity.  

What I seek, the pearl above all price, is to be holy.  Today, and with any luck I'll revise this definition tomorrow instead of it being inert, my feeling of holiness is: a view of humanity that is open to the fact that on a good day, we're all bigger than the theologies we think we live by. 

I had a split moment of that awareness today, and my life was changed.  

I'm loving this--I find my heart beating faster and my senses engaged.

If you have any interest in inter-faith dialogue, I highly suggest you take a look at either of those sites, and begin your own pilgrimage. 

Beth, VTH Host and Holy Fool Wannabe