Saving Paradise

I've just finished reading an amazing book written by Rita Nakashima Broch & Rebecca Ann Parker "Saving Paradise". The authors give a historical survey of the church and in particularly how she has lost the notion of paradise here and now. They trace the development of the theology of the Western Church through the testimony of its religious art and its historical documents.
I'd like to leave a quote from the last paragraph of the  epilogue:

We reenter this world as sacred space when we love life fiercely and, in the name of love, protect the goodness of earth's intricate web of life in all its manifold forms. We feast in paradise when we open our hearts to lamentation, to amplitudes of grief for all that has been lost and cannot be repaired. The beloved departed who have come before us draw near. The veil lifts between the living and the dead. We recommit ourselves to this world as holy ground when we remember the fulness of life that is possible through our communities, our life-affirming rituals, and our love of beauty. Thus, immersed,we are more responsive to and responsible for life on this earth. We give thanks for gifts of love that have been ours all along, an ever-widening circle of beauty, the Spirit in life. We enter fully - heart, mind, soul and strength - into savoring and saving paradise.

OPEN HOGs

I went to Croatia recently and by accident was only 8Kms away from the Harley Davidson European Festival. Bikers from all over Europe gathered together to share their passion for the prestigious American machines. In our hotel a few bikers were accommodated and i was told that everyone was welcome to attend the festival.

We decided to go and take a look. I was impressed by the multitude of bikes present and the distance their owners had ridden to be at the festival. The a atmosphere was amazing, friendly and open to all...Inclusive...

Reminds me of how another community should be but unfortunately is not always...

A community that follows a man that included the wild and marginalized in his entourage...

The church has become a club for respectable, nice middle-class people...to be accepted into this group one has to put on the nice respectable look, especially on Sunday.

Ok so I might be exaggerating a bit but I think you get the picture.