I will start out with a definition of mysticism, since the definitions of mystic and mystical both refer to this. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary:

Mysticism n. 1. the doctrines or beliefs of mystics; specif., the doctrine that it is possible to achieve communion with God through contemplation. 2. any doctrine that asserts the possibility of attaining an intuitive knowledge of spiritual truths through meditation. 3. vague, obscure, or confused thinking or belief.

There are probably quite a few people who would accuse me of being a representative of definition number 3. That’s okay.

I believe that I have a mystical relationship with God because when I relied strictly on thinking I found no real answers to anything. I found college to be very disappointing because nothing I was taught there seemed to have any real significance in the world.

When I became a Christian I devoured the Bible hungrily - but I didn’t really understand it. I loved Jesus, but I didn’t really see how the Bible related to the world either. There was a lot of stuff, especially in the Old Testament, about morality and sin. But I didn’t really understand how I was supposed to deal with these tings in my own life. The New Testament said that I couldn’t do anything about it myself - that I needed to trust God for it. But what did that mean exactly?

I heard a lot of references to the Holy Spirit but I didn’t understand that either. The Holy Spirit was supposed to help you know how to interpret Scripture. Well, either that wasn’t happening or I wasn’t getting it.

Then I was reading a book by Billy Graham about the Holy Spirit. I don’t remember anything about the book except for a Scripture that he quoted. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Luke 11:13

So I asked.

Things began to change. Slowly at first, but then like a roller coaster, with increasing momentum. This was just over six years ago. The momentum smoothed out some, but I continue to learn more and more about God and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Not only did I learn from reading the Bible and finally understanding it, but after I asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I had the desire to spend more and more time in silence, listening for God’s voice. And not only do I hear it, but I often feel his presence. A month ago at church I sat for 45 minutes alone in a pew, with the sensation that someone was sitting with their arms wrapped around me.

There is a Scripture that says, “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is…” Romans 12:2. I believe that the only way you can do this is by seeing through God’s eyes. And the only way you can see through God’s eyes is by having a mystical relationship with God.

I was a Christian for 18 years before I ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The biggest change I see in how I think now as opposed to how I thought then is that I am much less judgmental of non-believers. However, I have much less patience with those who claim to be followers of Jesus while supporting war, the socio-economic system of the United States, and not wanting their tax dollars to help provide health care for those who can’t afford a $250+ a month premium. I have had my eyes opened to the fact that these are things that break God’s heart.

I get criticized quite regularly by religious people for my views.

Of course, so did Jesus.

Recently I became aware of one that so far seems to fit very well, not just with Christianity, but other religions as well. That is the Force as the will of God. You don’t have to be a Christian to act in accordance with the will of God.

As a Christian I don’t believe that I am able to do anything miraculous by myself, but that the power of God flowing through me makes this possible. I am coming to believe that this power is The Force. This ties in with my belief that the Force is bioelectric energy, which keeps everything alive.

Of course, the will of God can be a very complicated thing. I was reading a book recently, Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne, that points out that the Bible says that God establishes the rulers of all the nations. However, this doesn’t mean that he approves of them. (My pastor has stated that the reason George Bush got elected is because he is the president we deserve - and he didn’t mean it in a good way.) This could explain why Hitler was able to escape from so many assassination attempts.

I believe there are certain certain qualities that are more likely to be in accordance with the will of God. These qualities have to do with unselfishness, love of others (which includes a refusal to commit any kind of violence against another), and the ability to seek justice for all by seeing the big picture and recognizing that we live in an imperfect world where answers are rarely black and white.

I tend to believe that our entire existence on earth is a test of these qualities. That our physical existence is of very little importance, but our spiritual existence depends on the outcome.

1. The Environment - God made us stewards of his creation. How different has it become from the way it was when he entrusted it into our care?

2. War - If we take Jesus’ words seriously, as his followers, we are barred from participating in war. If you love your enemies, that precludes killing them.

3. Palestine - God told Abraham that the Holy Land would be given to his descendants - what seems to be forgotten is that the Muslim Arabs in Palestine are also descendants of Abraham.

4. The AIDS Pandemic - AIDS is to today’s world what leprosy was in Biblical times. So, if we are to follow the example of Jesus, we are called to respond to this in love.

5. Gay Rights - Gay/Lesbian Unions - If the state is involved all unions should be civil unions - marriages should be left to the church.

6. Gun Control - The moment you claim ownership of a gun you put yourself into the culture of fear, and will find yourself in situations where you need to use it. Our only weapon should be the ‘Sword of Truth’ which is the word of God.

7. Education - How are the schools in our cities funded? Are the affluent given access to a better education than the poor? All children deserve to receive the best education possible.

8. Abortion - A majority of Christians believe that abortion is bad. But are we able to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus for the woman who finds herself in a situation to need one?

9. Immigration - 9 million illegal immigrants pay over $16 billion a year in taxes. They pay $7 billion a year in Social Security which they can never draw on.

10. Crime - Scripture shows that there are four responses to crime: repentance, restitution, reconciliation, and restoration. These involve not only the criminal, but the victim. We also need to consider the ways in which white-collar crime contributes to other types of crime.

11. The Federal Budget - Budgets are moral documents. Jesus said that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also(see Matt.6:21). This truth applies to individuals, families, churches, and certainly to governments. Where is our country’s heart?

12. The Minimum Wage - In the U.S. today a single person needs to make at least $9.00 an hour just to get by. And this is based on a 40 hour work week. To support a family of four takes two wage-earners making at least $15 an hour.

13. Debtor Nation - As of April 2008, the United States is $9.5 trillion in debt which averages out to $79,000 per tax payer. Nearly half of this is owed to other nations with Japan and China owning 47% of foreign debt. Much of this comes from individual debts because many credit card and mortgage companies get the money they loan from other countries.

In my job there are many ways to check out the veracity of someone, but it is not fool-proof and there are times when it just comes down to the vibes the person gives off. At least, I am usually pretty accurate in my assessments.

I have to admit that I am not much of a fiction reader. I don’t know who most of the characters are, and I don’t really care.

Of course, I’m not even all that much into the Star Wars movies either. When I was in college I was really into science fiction and it was against that back drop that I saw A New Hope on the day it opened in 1977. But I never got into them like a lot of people.

The idea of the Jedi really intriqued me. But I am more interested in how real Jedi would function in today’s world than in how the fictional Jedi functioned in a fictional world.

But, to get back to Traitor, at least in those 6 really interesting pages I did find some ideas that are making me think about certain things. So, ala in all, I would have to say that it is worth reading the boring parts. (That is what speed reading is for.)

I will be planning the Good Friday service at my church this year. As part of it I plan to give a brief talk on The Meaning of the Cross. But there is one slight problem. Through my studies I have come to the conclusion that the cross means something different than what most of the people at my church think it does. I believe it pertains to something much more radical and present than the common view that Jesus died to save us from our personal sin.

I believe that Jesus also came to save us from our complicity with the systems of the world. Crucifixion was a form of death that Rome reserved for those who were viewed as a threat to the power of the emperor and the state. The Bible says that the men crucified on either side of Jesus were thieves. But the original word lestes is better interpreted as insurgent.

The problem is that I feel that I have to balance what I view as the importance of this belief with the need to “not offend anyone.” The Bible says that you need to use gentleness when correcting a brother. I do believe that humility is important, but what if your brother treats you with haughtiness and refuses to listen?

This is something I will be working on over the next few days as I prepare my talk. The reason I am doing this is because our pastor will be away. I can’t imagine that he would be very happy to show up on Easter morning and find that I had driven most of the congregation away.

As a Christian Jedi I have a slightly different take on the Force than most people. And while I have a very definite view, it is not a static view. It is constantly refining itself. I am very interested in hearing what other people have to say regarding their own beliefs of what the Force is because I often find things that I have not considered before that then contribute to my own view.

I try to communicate to others that my views are just that - my views - and I do not desire in anyway to ‘cram them down anyone’s throat.’ I respect all views, even those I do not agree with.