Old Teachings, New Approach: Pastor Seth Pickens Shines His light (Part 1).

Old Teachings, New Approach is a new series I am introducing in my blog.  Its purpose is to take a more esoteric approach to modern day religions, mainly Islam and Christianity.  Each blog under this series will feature a guess blogger and it is my proud pleasure to reintroduce to you  Seth Pickens.

For years, Seth Watson Pickens has served his community and world as a messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before being called as the seventh pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church in Los Angeles, he served as Associate Pastor at Shiloh Church in Harlem, NY for five years.

Prior to his ordination, Rev. Pickens has had careers as a sales executive, an elementary school teacher, and as a stand up comedian. From 2001-2003, he served as a Volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in Haiti.

Upon returning from Haiti, Seth enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, earning a Master of Divinity in 2006 with an emphasis on Ecumenical Studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Morehouse College, where he was an honor student.

He  is married to the former Isis Jones, and they are the proud parents of a son, Seth Isaiah, and a daughter, Zola Patrice. In his spare time, he loves to be with his family and friends, read, listen to music, exercise, and play basketball.

“The knowledge of the secrets of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. This is why I speak to them in parables, ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’ (Matthew 13:11,13).

 S.Sobek:  Jesus clearly states that there is a deeper meaning to his words. He clearly asserts that his parables have an esoteric value that many will miss;however, his disciples were given the "secrets of heaven."  As a senior pastor, do you think those who can understand the inner teachings of Jesus often lose interest in Christianity since many Christian leaders explain Jesus' teachings from face value?

Seth Pickens:  It's true that some people are turned off by Christianity because some preachers and teachers aren't getting deep enough. But because Jesus' teachings are so deep, some people may simply not be able to grasp them right away, even if they try. Right before the scripture you quoted, Jesus gave a parable about spreading the message of the kingdom of God. My job is to spread it everywhere, and with that I need to realize that no matter how much I study and how loud I yell, some people will ignore it. Some people will come running enthusiastically at first but then not follow through. Some people understand intellectually, but get so concerned with the worries of life and wealth that they can't really apply it. But every now and then, someone hears it, gets it, and stays with it.

There are some leaders in Christianity and in every faith who only scratch the surface with their teachings. I'd like to believe I'm one of the good ones who makes God's Word relevant and plain so that anyone can digest it and grow as a result. But even if I do have a knack for teaching about the Spirit, I have to admit that even on my best day, I can only provide a very small glimpse of what the Bible calls the unsearchable riches of Christ. There's a reason why we can keep going back to the same scriptures and gathering new meanings and deeper insights, and that is because none of us have it completely figured out. At best, we can just hope to gradually shed more light on our shared situation.
 

Samsara: Steps in the Liberation of Your Soul

I didn't have enough courage this year to set a New Year's resolution. But one thing is for sure, I'm definitely tired of spinning my wheels. Isn't that why we make resolutions anyway? Indeed, resolutions are usually created due to some level of suffering we have produced via the vessel of bad habits. Maybe it's smoking or drinking for you. Some could be bad spending habits, or the usage of profanity. Either way, whatever habit it might be, you want to be "released" from it because it does not pack the punch you thought it had. Better put, maybe it does but you know that it has disadvantages that leads to your own insecurities and sufferings.

Why does your inner being have urges to shed these mishaps? Perhaps it is because the soul is inherently perfect. It is indeed a reflection of the eternal. And with that comes complete perfection and a direct connection to your creator, no matter what you choose to call Him. However, in your worldly existence, you see not the soul. Moreover, you see everything that is temporary. The day comes and then it departs by nightfall. The mother who birthed you will one day be gone. The money in your pocket is burning so hot that it is sure to leave you soon. Today you will experience one day and when you wake up, that day will be gone (for no day is exactly the same).

And thus we are caught in what Buddha would call-samsara. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not is insignificant for the purpose of this blog...but indeed people often relate to the inherent notion of this buddhist term.

Quoted by Thanissaro Bikku, Samsara is:

Samsara literally means "wandering-on." Many people think of it as the Buddhist name for the place where we currently live — the place we leave when we go to nibbana. But in the early Buddhist texts, it's the answer, not to the question, "Where are we?" but to the question, "What are we doing?" Instead of a place, it's a process: the tendency to keep creating worlds and then moving into them. As one world falls apart, you create another one and go there. At the same time, you bump into other people who are creating their own worlds, too.

According to the ancient sages, this process continues until we are released or liberated from all of our iniquities. Does that mean we must reach perfection? The answer is yes...Even Jesus said:

You must, therefore, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." --Matt. 5:48

And if you subscribe to God making us in the image of Himself...then perfection is the final frontier.

Indeed, it is intimidating to consider the notion of being perfect when one looks at the condition of the human race. After all, pitfalls come more often than opportunities for enlightenment, and by in large, the ways of this world do not match the perfect vibration of the divine primordial spirit. Our only option is to dive in ourselves and listen to the soul within us. Does it not guide us? But then, how often do we ignore it's voice?

Use every moment this year to shape, build and add on to your perfect foundation. The more you chisel away at the useless thoughts and actions of your being...you will find that you will get closer and closer to who you really are.

If you're like me...you're fed up and only radical changes can sway the momentum of actuating the brilliance in you.

Spirituality or Religion: Ohhh, How they Differ!

What makes the difference between these two words? When we speak of religion, we aren't necessarily speaking of spirituality. Instead, religion often offers one a path to become spiritual. By in large, spirituality does not only consist of attending your church, mosque, synagogue, etc. These actions are more so rituals and can become so mundane, they might have no bearing on one's heart and mind (going through the motions).

Religion mainly is exoteric. Meaning, religion mainly deals with the outer forms of man's quest to align with his creator. A good example could be the Ten Commandments or the five daily prayers required of a Muslim. In short, religion gives man a foundation to conduct himself according to his creator's wishes (e.g, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc.)

Spirituality;however, goes much deeper. It deals with the esoteric side of things. It questions the heart of man, and also makes outer practices and rituals null and void if man's heart is not in the right place.

The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. -Genesis 6:5

Being spiritual is not only applying the teachings from previous Masters and religious scriptures, it literally is transforming into those same teachings. Study any Master such as Jesus (p.b.u.h) or Muhammed (p.b.u.h) and you will realize that they were the same teachings they preached. And so a line is drawn between religion and spirituality and it's pretty thin.

The goal of man should not be to be religious but spiritual. And actually, it's hard work. Being spiritual is being able to see the difference between a wordly existence and a soulful existence. I believe that all men have a soul and this portion of their consciousness is eternal. To tap into the soul, especially by the help of a competent teacher or guru, transcends religion. It is the direct path that one must take to become one with his Father.

Now that you can see the difference, you have work to do. Good luck.

Does the Color of Jesus Even Matter?

Historically speaking, yes says Oronde. So long as I can see, the ancient history of the African race has been trampled over, swept under rug, and remodeled for the western world. So spiritually speaking, no, the color of Jesus doesn't matter. However, historically speaking, his color does matter.

Couple that with that fact that Europeans glorified this fake, white, blond hair, blue eyed godman even to the point of justifying slavery---knowing the truth about the matter holds even more relevance in African communities across the world.

Remember, that Africans could not speak the toungue of the Portugese, English, or Dutch (some of the major slave traders right after Columbus opened the market up). What happened in the "breaking in" process of slaves? And yes, there was a breaking in process which Europeans attempted to solidify African's new mode of behavior, customs, creed, religion, etc- I like to call it whitewash.

Well, among many things, Africans were presented with pictures. You probably didn't know that the elaborate stain glasses in churches that display saints and Jesus use to have a more profound meaning, did you? Well think about it. We couldn't read in those times, so a picture was truly worth "a thousand words." And it's no secret that Europeans in power used this to their advantage as a thesis for them being the superior race.

I'll never forget Amistad. Spielberg presented the concept of the Bible, whereas there were plenty of pictures for Africans to see that the white jesus had a direct lineage to God. Meanwhile, western history books boldly state that one of their excuses for murdering, and enslaving natives was because they weren't Christians. So much for do unto others as you would have done to yourself Iguess. Anyway, I won't hold you long today because I want you to view these two clips from Donahue where this same topic is discussed. Know your history, know yourself, and then you will know the truth.