Insight Out--the Naked Truth "That's Funny": Recent Episodes
Errol Strider
The featured phrase for this week is, “That’s Funny”. “That’s Funny” can mean, “That’s Curious, that’s weird, strange, unexpected, or even… … funny.” Our conversation includes music, characters, insights, surprises, and laughter. You can share with us as we move from the ridiculous to the sublime.
There Was a Man Once, Truly That, written and narrated by Errol Strider with music by Charles Mozelle.
A poetic description of the life of Jesus (Jeshua Ben Joseph) from the point of view of "The Urantia Book"
The Urantia Book tells the story of Jesus' life and teachings that goes beyond what is in the New Testament, and reveals aspects of his life and teachings that have not been recorded before. According the the Urantia Book, Jesus' main purpose was to reveal the nature of God and the potential of what each of us can become as we, like Jesus, align ourselves with the fundamental intention of life--to love, create, and evolve.
The poem touches on the some of the unassuming and magnificent ways Jeshua showed up in his incarnation.
Here is the text of the poem if you'd care to read along with the recording:
**There was a man once, truly that.
Who is known for the cross that he bore?
But who laughed in the market
And slept on the floor
Who designed riverboats in Capernaum,
Studied the ways of all men
In order to rule in perfection
With its trials, upsets, and demands
A universe of 10 million planets
Which the man, who upholds it
Designed, fashioned and planned.**
**There was a man once, truly that.
Who embraced the mortal dilemma
With a boundless trust
And abiding faith.
Who was immersed in a River Jordan
Allowing himself to give in
To life as we know it in fullness
With its sores, its aches and injustice
But which serves a great hidden purpose
Which the man, who entered its bowels
Could foresee what to us is so dim.**
**There was a man once, truly that
Who transcended all tradition and dogma
Who forgave the sin
And loved the sinner
Who feared not one who attacked him
But attempted to show them the truth.
By example, he set in their presence,
With his words, his acts, and entreaties
He sought to convince those around him
That all men could live as he
Secure, abandoned and free.**
**There was a man once, truly that
A man who broke from his elders
Made friends with the poor
Played with the kids
Made choices like all other men
To use power for good or for evil
To be simple or prideful and vain
Battled with grief, failure, betrayal,
But still to remain steadfast to the God,
Who this man knew always as Father and friend.**
**There was a man once, truly that.
Who did not what others expected
Disappointing his pupils
Estranging his mother
Rejecting requests of the mass
When they wanted to make him king
Yet allowed them to place down the palms
As he rode on an ass to the city
Where they rejected once and for all
This true man, who understood them
And forgave their blindness and gall.**
**There was a man once, truly that.
A man whom we all misinterpret
Who knows all as his brother
To the exclusion of none
Who did not really die on the cross
To wash away our sins
But to reveal a God of mercy
Who forgives, only loves, has compassion
On his ignorant children who err
So this man died only to show them
How far love would go for them.**
**There was a man once, truly that.
Whose life on this beleaguered planet
Was a model for all to behold.
Who revealed our humanity to us
What each person can actually become
When we join with this man in knowing
The Spirit that indwells our hearts.
And as he rose from the darkness of death
And appeared to those who knew him
He showed us the path to aliveness…
the deep forever mystery
Of the timeless journey of love.**
"To Trust"-- written and narrated by Errol Strider
Our ability to trust is one of the greatest challenges we face at this time. In this poem I explore the often hidden obstacles we face as we attempt to reclaim trust in a society of betrayal.
As Jeshua (Jesus) says "When justice is gone, trust is gone. When trust is gone, civilization is gone." (From Love Without End by Glenda Green)
The end of the poem points the way to how we can revive trust in our lives.
For more recorded poems that are part of the "Essential Journey" series, please contact, estrider@gmail.com or go the our website, www.thelaughingheart.org.
This audio is the second "key" from the book by Glenda Green, "Keys of Jeshua" This piece, entitled "Recovering the Authentic Self," quoting Jeshua, explores the "I AM That I AM"--Being and Love
It ends with . "Through joining in love, which is compassion, and the unity of spirit, which is peace, light comes to the world and all is accomplished."
Narrated by Errol Strider
Other recorded "Keys" are available if you're interested.
Please contact me at estrider@gmail.com and go to our website: www.thelaughingheart..org where you'll find a variety of inspirational works of art: poetry, podcasts and videos.
Blessings...
Errol Strider
The featured phrase for this week is, “That’s Funny”. “That’s Funny” can mean, “That’s Curious, that’s weird, strange, unexpected, or even… … funny.”
I was just reading about Michael J. Fox who’s had Parkinson’s disease for 26 years and who is able to find his involuntary movements quite funny.
But then there is the urge to take things, especially ourselves, very seriously. That’s funny in itself.
Reinhold Niebuhr, a profound religious philosopher of the 20th century says, “Humor is, in fact, a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer.”
If that sounds like a stretch, then, by all means, join our conversation. Our hope is that we can find much to laugh about, especially in ourselves and that, indeed, it can lead us into a deepening of our connection with our Source-- prayer.
Our conversation includes music, characters, insights, surprises, and laughter. And if you’ve never heard Rochelle laugh, be ready for a large dose of it, because she has an immediate and abundant trigger for laughter with her daily-- my foibles.
Hopefully you can share with us as we move from the ridiculous to the sublime.
We are, Errol and Rochelle Strider.