Father is right, all this stuff about sibling rivalry or son against father, is beside the point. It all begins and ends with God. Just as it always has. Providence belongs to God; the Will of God is God’s. It’s God’s universe and vision. God created man so we could grow to be his sons and daughters, his adult children. Eventually to be indistinguishable from God. It’s a glorious, loving plan, so sharing, so inclusive and it has never changed.

After you know this, the path becomes blindingly clear. God appoints his representative leader, that leader appoints someone, and he/she appoints someone and so on. That’s the path.

The rest is distraction that, unfortunately, ends up consuming most of our time. The rebel son, the errant disciple, the ministries of the other children. Ourselves, our denial, our innermost hearts. All these things are judged by the spiritual truth of that crystal clear path God has given us. In the end, spiritual truth is the only truth. In the face of spiritual truth, the time for talking is over. In the realms of the social and political, there is no truth. At least nothing absolute. There are only positions. That’s why rumor rules those spheres.

So we have to stay on the path. The crystal clear path given to us by God, judges us all. Actually it doesn’t even judge. It just sits there. We judge ourselves. Could it get anymore fair than that?

What should we think about the rebel son and errant disciples? We can love them, and we should. Have to in fact, because real families don’t excommunicate. But we can’t leave the path ourselves. We think of God as being absolute, and he is about most things. But also God allows for forgiveness, and that’s a safety net God thought up, but which doesn’t really have to exist in order for the universe to function. And yet it does. This is God’s love weighing in to mitigate God’s truth. The mother advising the father on the logic of nurturing, softens his stance.

A man steals $10,000 and squanders it on the usual stuff. After sinking to the depths of human degradation and growing weary of his job tuning pianos in whorehouses, he returns to the father, to the path, with a remorseful heart and hands back the nine dollars and eighty-one cents left over. The father takes the money, embraces the son, and pulls him back onto the path. That’s not exactly absolute. It’s something different. But it’s a very, very good thing, and it’s the only reason some of us have any bacon left.

But still, I should count on the path, rather than forgiveness. It will save wear and tear on everyone if I remember the path. Everything I do, every single breath I take, is for this path God gave me.

Larry Moffitt
23 January, 2010

Dear brothers and sisters,

Happy Ahn Shi Il, (for yesterday.) I hope you could have a good week. I want to give you an interesting perspective on the Global Peace Festival.  http://www.globalpeacefestival-uk.org

Firstly it really is global, and an incredible testimony to how God and True Parents have established a worldwide foundation, that goes far beyond the members of our Church. In many places the GPF has been taken up and pioneered by Ambassadors for Peace, especially in nations where there are few Blessed families. Also, Hyun Jin Nim has had an uncanny, clearly God given ability, to move and win over top political and social leaders who had not been sympathetic at the outset. He has brought on board even current Prime Ministers of some nations, Mega Church leaders, etc, because he genuinely exudes passion and commitment to the vision of one family under God.

If you listen (pls click the link below) to Sun Jin Nim’s recent message at the ‘HQs church’ she candidly expresses her gratitude to all of us, but especially all of you who have been walking with and attending True Parents and God all these many years. However it may seem to yourself, all of you have done so much through your life, to help realise the vision of one family under God. So, it would be sadly ironic if we cannot find a place for ourselves in this project.

http://tworiversvip.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=243&task=videodirectlink&id=124

This global peace festival project really is a vehicle that gives us an opportunity to bring change and develop a culture through which God can work. Part of that change and development is also for our own Unification movement and family. But it really needs all of us to make that happen. Otherwise, we revert back into our standard operating procedure of top down direction, mobilisation for an event, etc.

I have seen signs that what we are doing this time round is very different from before. But, what we have to figure out is how to make it relevant for all of our lives. All of us, regardless of our position, can return to a previous era and miss this opportunity, if we so wish.

I am aware of the tension between the vision and expectation and the real day to day lives of our local communities. Even many of our pastors are out at work all day and then doing their mission after they clock off. I feel motivated to help figure out the solution that does exist to make this last 36 days towards November 22^nd a success.

It is a success if it is a launch for our movement to start to fly, rather than to fulfil an obligation towards making an event happen. It is a victory, if it means we start to feel free to really work with others beyond our faith community, rather than just doing everything on our own. Finally it is meaningful if through our volunteering efforts we grow spiritually, and become more mature in heart and fulfilled in our soul. Is that not what all people are ultimately and unconsciously craving for?

So please get in touch with your pastor and ask how you can help. Also, knowing that on a family level I stand in the same circumstance as many of you, I am asking myself what am I doing about it? I am making a plan with my family, (well, more with my wife, the kids are not so in to planning yet) to figure out as a family how we are going to contribute, who we are going to invite, write to, etc. I know I should have done this probably more than a few weeks ago, but better late than never!

I will write again soon, to keep you updated. (and feedback is gratefully received.)

(The keys to open this GPF door for all of us are initiative and creativity….hmmm  a personal challenge for all of us to use these qualities that we often keep locked away.)

God bless you, and thank you.

Simon