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My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad Any Day
It's the old schoolyard battle cry all over again as modern religions fight for recess ruling rights. Christian leaders argue with Islamic elders over who has access to the "real" God. Jews and Muslims blow up opposing forces in suicide bombings in an attempt to out-Holy each other. Meanwhile, everybody picks on the Wiccans, and the Buddhist monks must consider taking up Uzis to protect their monasteries from hostile Westerners anxious to wipe out pacifism.
All this because one group of people is convinced that they and only they know the right way to God. Just like the next-door neighbor who insists his weed killer is better than yours, or the parent-to-be at your birthing class who insists that the Ferber method outweighs the Sears concept. Or the gas station attendant who swears on his mother's grave (even though she's still alive) that the only way to get to the Grand Canyon is to take a right when going left would be a heck of a lot faster, at least according to the map you purchased from said attendant.
The problem is, there's more than one way to read a map. Furthermore, on the road to the Divine, there's more than one map.
Think of what Jesus said about His Father's house having many mansions within. Even Jesus knew that all routes ended at the same truck stop. Some of those routes even share the same viewpoints and rest stops.
Why then do we continue to look for God in all the wrong places, or insist that we know where God is when in our hearts we don't have a clue? My guess is that we will really only know when we actually visit those wrong places. We need to check them out for ourselves to see what the attraction is. It's like when you were a kid and you thought the local carnival was to die for, only when you finally convinced your parents to take you on that warm summer's eve, you couldn't believe how dirty and grimy the whole place was. The cotton candy was stale, the rides were all down for repairs, and those awful, horrible, misshapen freaks gave you nightmares for weeks -- and I'm referring to the other kids and their parents, not the sideshows! Personally, I found those carnivals really frightening.
By exposing the people, places, and things we mistake for that which we really seek, we can finally figure out the Mystery of Mysteries. The key to a successful search is to take our time, have some fun, and keep our eyes open wide for clues along the way. And there will be clues. Plenty of them.
Just don't get so caught up in looking for God that you miss finding God when you finally get to where God is. Remember the Biblical saying, "Be still and know that I am God." The key phrase is "Be still." Slow the pace, enjoy the ride. Too much movement often leads to confusion, exhaustion, and discouragement, unless you're a ballroom dancer or a one-armed man on the run from the FBI.
It's the process that counts, not the destination -- because in this case, the process is the destination. This probably sounds confusing now, but you'll see what I mean as we go along.
We've got a lot to cover, so let's begin without any further ado. I hope you will enjoy this journey we are embarking on together. There will be roads that take us to serious places, and roads that take us to silly places, because life, like God, is both serious and silly. I will speak of things reverent and irreverent, relevant and irrelevant, but rarely will I be reticent in my revelations, as we motor along the highways and byways of life.
© Marie D. Jones 2003
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A spiritual self-help guide written with a dash of humor,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Looking for God in All the Wrong Places (Paperback)
The effort of writer, video producer, progressive activist, and New Thought minister with a background in metaphysical studies Marie D. Jones, Looking For God In All The Wrong Places, is a spiritual self-help guide written with a dash of humor and a great deal of wisdom concerning the many pitfalls of drugs, alcohol, or unrestrained lust for sex, money, or power that interfere with achieving and maintaining a closeness to God. Offering paths for the faithful to follow in order to focus one's mind and truly open one's heart to God's love, Looking For God In All The Wrong Places is a recommended and astute contemplation for Christian readers.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast, funny and profound,
By "memamilly" (Bridgeport, CT) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Looking for God in All the Wrong Places (Paperback)
A great read and full of humor and profound insights about who, what and where we look for spiritual satisfaction and happiness. I found the essay style easy to grasp and the ideas stayed with me for a long time after reading. This book is deceptively fun to read. Deceptive because you don't realize what great lessons are being hammered into your head as you are having fun reading it!!!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you for this wonderful gift!,
By Andrea Glass (Cardiff, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Looking for God in All the Wrong Places (Paperback)
I was first attracted to the book because the title was so tongue-in-cheek. Turned out, so was the book! Looking for and finding God (if you're lucky) can be a heavy task, but in Marie D. Jones' brilliant book, it is treated in more of a light vein. With chapter titles like "Do You Validate?," "Might as Well Face It, You're Addicted to ___________," and "Catechism Cataclysm," I was able to laugh at myself and others as we take many wrong turns in our life's journey. The book led me to People, Places, and Things where I and others have looked for and not found God or Spirit or Peace. When I finally arrived at "Where to Find God," it all seemed so simple, so obvious. Yet so elusive at the same time. It made me remember how important it is to take "time outs" during my hectic days to sit in the silence, rub my cat's belly, take three deep breaths, and know that God is everywhere and God is right here where I am. Thank you Marie, for this wonderful gift!
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