Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~Jesus (Matthew 5:43-48)

The Hippie Christian Manifesto

Peace, Love and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

Rock Mass 01-05-2020

Rock Mass on the first Sunday of the month.

Rock Mass for Sunday January 5, 2020

"The spirit of war is at the extremely opposite point to the spirit of the gospel"

~Charles H. Spurgeon from "The Vanguard and Rereward of the Church" December 26, 1858


"We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretence whatsoever; and this is our testimony to the whole world. The spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil and again to move unto it; and we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the spirit of Christ, which leads us into all Truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world."

~The Quaker Peace Testimony, Declaration of Friends to King Charles II, 1660

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
- Jesus (Matthew 5:9)

Peace, Love and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

The inspiration for creating "Rock Mass" came from the Rock Mass at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena California back in the early 1970’s. On the first Friday night of each month All Saints held a Rock Mass which was a mix of traditional Episcopalian Mass and rock concert. A live band would play popular rock music which couldn’t necessarily be called “Christian” but contained spiritual phrases and references to God or Jesus. During the 1960’s and early 1970’s there was an explosion of these songs coming out of the "secular" music industry way before there was “Contemporary Christian Music”, in a way, it could be called "The Gospel According To Billboard's Top 10".

(Stained glass guitar angel found at www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber)

Fair Use Notice

On Becoming a Peacemaker

If you have been following my blog you most likely have noticed a recurring theme, Peace! One of my favorite verses in the Bible comes from The Sermon on the Mount where Jesus proclaims “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”. I am contemplating what it means to be a peacemaker and how to personally live a life of peacemaking. Primarily, I have seen this as someone who promotes world peace, advocating the end of war. This limited understanding of peacemaking is easy to live out, but what I am seeking is a lifestyle of peacefulness which is a little more complicated than simply protesting war. Being a peacemaker involves the messiness of day to day relationships.

I am finding that remaining calm while in the midst of conflict is no easy task. I do not like it when my personal peace is quickly eroding and self-control gives way to feelings of anger. I am seeking tools to disengage and take a step back from the edge. Breathe, I tell myself to breathe deep breath after deep breath until I feel my peace return. I'll take a walk, breathing in the calm and breathing out the toxic. When my mind clears and my ability to think in terms of solutions returns I am able to fulfill the role of peacemaker.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath (Ephesians 4:26)

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)