jdkolker7

[jdkolker7]

From Study to Experience: My Transition from Seeking Solutions to Embarking on my Eternal Spiritual Journey

I grew up in the Southern Baptist Christian heritage. I was at church whenever the doors were open. From the teachings I absorbed, it became clear that learning and living the faith were considered primary, while external human experiences were secondary. The teachings led me to believe that to grow in my faith, I needed to study the Bible, grow closer to the Evangelical Christian God, and share His gospel.

During my teenage years and mid-20s, my life was unlike that of most young adults. Instead of parties and outings, I spent most of my time in my basement bedroom, engrossed in studying God's word and listening to sermons. I remember the countless hours spent pouring over the Bible; my only company was the soft glow of my dimmed bedroom lights and the quiet hum of the house around me.

Then, I attended Moody Bible College, a hub of diverse ideas, many of which contradicted each other. The college is nestled in the heart of Chicago, a city known for its diversity yet marked by segregation, making the college a microcosm of the city itself. I vividly recall the heated debates in theology class and the passionate discussions that filled the dorm rooms late into the night. The diversity of thought was so vast that one professor even believed another was destined for hell.

Having been exposed to a multitude of ideas and beliefs at the college and in the city, I left with an excitement to apply the teachings from Moody to further grow in my faith.

After leaving college, I embarked on a mission to find the truth among the teachings I had encountered at Moody. Christianity encourages its followers to seek the faith, and that’s exactly what I, as an individual, was finally doing. All denominations started with someone seeking a truth that may have been different from the teachings of their past. Martin Luther is a prime example of this.

I’m not claiming to be a reformer of Christianity. I’m merely pointing out that there are many examples of individual faith leaders and laypeople seeking a different outlook on faith within the umbrella of evangelical Christianity. My goal wasn’t to create a new outlook. Instead, I was trying to find a denomination that I believed was closest to what I perceived as the true faith. Just as some people may hop from church to church, I was denomination hopping.

This journey led me to a broader interpretation of the beliefs I had grown up with. I remember the day it hit me, like a sudden explosion, that I had discovered a deeper understanding of my spiritual heritage. This understanding was something that those in my life might view as heresy. Yet, there was absolutely no way I could forget about the peace and understanding that I found, a peace and understanding that extended beyond my Southern Baptist heritage.

Embracing this new understanding, I found a peace that harmonized with the teachings I had grown up with. This peace became a beacon, guiding me forward. I remember the feeling of liberation, of stepping into the unknown, guided by a deep inner conviction.

In the midst of my spiritual journey, I discovered Unity Spiritual Centers and "A Course in Miracles" (ACIM). These teachings resonated with me and felt like a natural progression of my spiritual growth, enriching my understanding of spirituality.

Unity Spiritual Centers, like the Southern Baptist tradition, emphasize the importance of a personal relationship with the Divine. However, Unity takes a more inclusive approach, embracing spiritual seekers of all faiths. It focuses on the oneness of all people and places emphasis on our inner similarities rather than our outer differences.

ACIM offered a fresh perspective on concepts I was familiar with. It teaches that love is our natural state and forgiveness is a tool to remove the barriers we've built against love. This was a profound shift from the teachings I grew up with.

ACIM presents a unique approach to the healing of human suffering. It provides a pathway out of our suffering through the disciplined practice of love and forgiveness. It teaches that Divine is pure, unbounded, unconditional love. We, like the Divine, are also limitless, bodiless spiritual beings. ACIM introduces the concept of non-dualism, suggesting that we are not separate from the Divine or each other. It also reinterprets some of the teachings of traditional Christianity.

My new understanding, shaped by Unity Spiritual Centers and ACIM, is a deepening and expansion of my original Southern Baptist beliefs. Both Unity and ACIM emphasize love and forgiveness, concepts that are central to Christianity as well. However, they introduce new perspectives that encourage personal growth and a deeper understanding of these concepts.

They teach me that love is not just something I receive from the Divine, but something that I am. Forgiveness is not just an act of pardoning others, but a process of releasing my own guilt and grievances.

These teachings have helped me reconcile the peace I discovered with my spiritual upbringing. They have not negated my original beliefs, but have built upon them, providing me with a broader understanding of spirituality.

So, while my path has grown and evolved, they are not a departure from the traditional Southern Baptist way. Instead, it’s a journey towards the same ultimate goal: a deeper understanding of the Divine, a closer relationship with the Divine, and a greater sense of inner peace.

Throughout my life, I’ve come to understand that there isn’t a problem requiring a studied solution. Instead, life is a divine journey waiting to be experienced. This journey offers opportunities to embrace love, extend forgiveness, and realize our oneness with all.

I’ve also learned that we should build upon and cherish our past experiences and knowledge learned, rather than hiding from, degrading, or rejecting them. The past experiences and knowledge learned are valuable lessons that guide us towards the peace and understanding our souls yearn for.

This encapsulates the essence of my experience - a shift from merely studying to truly experiencing the spiritual journey.

I will leave you with this prayer: May we all find inner peace and encounter peace every day, everywhere. May we all cultivate love and respect for everyone, regardless of their attitudes, mindsets, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.

Someday, this prayer will resonate with all - those in higher consciousness, those on earth, and those in lower consciousness. Every voice will acknowledge the Divine Light within us, not just glorifying a single entity, but the universal Oneness of the Divine, which is the source of our shared identity and unity. This will then manifest across all existence, leading us to return to the source of our shared Divine existence.

May your journey continue in unity, embracing love, extending forgiveness, and realizing our oneness with all. Until we meet again in this setting or in person, keep shining your Divine Light.

Fine Print: While writing this, I used an AI tool to help organize my thoughts and improve the structure of my writing. However, the ideas, beliefs, and messages conveyed are entirely my own. The AI simply helped me present them in a more coherent and effective manner.

[jdkolker7]

Live in the now because it’s all you will ever have in this reality.

Don’t worry about the past or the future. Many will still say don’t worry about the past or the future because the now has too much to worry about as it as is.

I will tell you a truth don’t worry about the now either because she will guide you wherever you need to go. If you just flow and do what you gotta do everything, everything will fall just into place. I promise you I promise you that.

[jdkolker7]

You’ve heard it said before as “above so below” but let me tell you the truth the below doesn’t exist.

The only thing that exist is the above. The below is just a dream the above is having. While you dream at night everything in your individual dream is you, but it’s not “real”

Same for the above dreaming up all the individuals and things that make up the “below”. The above’s dream is just that a dream.

[jdkolker7]

Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God.

(https://acim.org/acim/en/s/43#1:1-3 | Preface.1:1-3)

The only thing you can’t lose, is your consciousness/soul.

[jdkolker7]

I will never have all the answers to life's biggest questions but I am ready to ride this ride we call life.

JD February 3, 2015 8:58 PM

The above written in my Apple Notes. That was the start or continuation of my awakening journey. The fall of 2014 is when I dropped out of bible college to find a church that fit my beliefs but I’ve found or lost more then just a church 😘💖😘 I lost/found myself in/as god herself/himself/their-self but we can’t use the word self when describing this presence.

[jdkolker7]

It's just so nice to do the things you want to do and to embrace this exact moment that you are without any judgment or worries in this new known now reality. https://www.instagram.com/p/CjgI1fnLTas/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jdkolker7]

[jdkolker7]

People treat you with the same level you respect yourself. Always keep the focus on the boundaries you establish, compassion you feel for yourself and the world and how in love you are with your life. Don't focus on somebody else. Pay attention to how you feel about yourself and how you exercise self-respect in your daily life. Then the external world follows.

[jdkolker7]

Travel why travel?

Move why travel?

I’ve moved around 19 times and have traveled to more than double the number of my moves. I’ve also had more jobs than moves. I'm not even close to being 40 yet so imagen what lies ahead or what Lies in the Known Now. The travels, the jobs, and the people that I will meet. But the more I Think about it the more I’ve Realized, that I’ve never moved.

You ask, what do you mean you have never moved? You just wrote you moved 19 different times. Well, lets Really Think about what Really is a move? Moving you're personal belongings to another location and then calling that place your home or a place you live? Sure that's a definition most humans would agree upon. But I will just merge these moves into my travels because my home is not here in this time and space most humans would agree upon to be our reality. So yes let's move my moves into where it belongs, into my travels.

Oh, right my personal belongings? Once you get to my level of travels you'll understand that belongings can be replaced and shared and if my home is not here, neither are my personal belongings.

People are why I do what I Think I do. People are the manifestation of god, the home that we will all merge into at the end/beginning/here of this Known Now. Yes just as the lily wilts and dies so will this Known Now. But instead of wilting, this Known Now will awaken back into where it is Known Now, back into the One.

[jdkolker7]

Humanity what is it? it’s life. it’s god. it's not here. Why why is life not here? That's the right question.

I Now you will keep looking in the Know. Because the Know is the closest thing we Now to be reality.

Know Keep Looking.

[jdkolker7]

This world is a dream. Why live it? Why find peace? Why not just leave? Why not just wake up? Well, we can't just leave and we can’t force ourselves to wake up. If you try to force yourself to wake up you end up creating a religion. Enlightenment is not forced it is embraced or it embraces you. It chooses you out of all the rest of humanity, but by choosing you it chooses all because we are all. If you try to leave you will find that you come right back or you may not remember, but you will be back until we are all embraced by the One.

[jdkolker7]

What is patience without persistence? What is persistence without patience? Without either you can’t be fully happy where you are or what you are becoming. Patience and persistence I believe are the greatest virtue for happiness.

[jdkolker7]

We are our own worst critics. You are doing so much better than you think. Even if what you're writing seems like the worst thing you've ever put down - even if you're not writing anything at all - reality is so much kinder than what's in our heads. Ask a friend, or someone else you trust, and I bet they'll tell you, you're doing fine.

Don't give up!

[jdkolker7]

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”

— Virginia Woolf

[jdkolker7]

“So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”

— Rainbow Rowell

[jdkolker7]

I Am that I Am sayeth All Humanity! What a great life we live with all these beautiful manifestations of the Lord Christ. One day we will all be One! But we already are! 😘💖😌

[jdkolker7]

Whatever some may had identified with, whatever gave them their sense of self, had been taken away, Then suddenly and inexplicably, the anguish or intense fear they initially felt gave way to a sacred sense of Presence, a deep peace and serenity and complete freedom from fear.

This phenomenon must have been familiar to St. Paul, who used the expression "the peace of God which passeth all understanding" It is indeed a peace that doesn't seem to make sense, and the people who experienced it asked themselves: In the face of this, how can it be that I feel such peace?

You realize your true identity as consciousness itself, rather than what consciousness had identified with. That's the peace of God. The ultimate truth of who you are is not I am this or I am that, but I Am.

A New Earth Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Eckhart Tolle