I Remember Now with Pastor Tim Tengblad
Eight years ago at one of our Aurapalooza’s, I was in the kitchen putting out more food for our guests and a very tall, nice looking gentlemen walked towards me with a gentle smile and extended his hand. He introduced himself, Tim Tengblad, a Lutheran Pastor. He said he had read one of my books and wanted to learn more about spirituality so that he could bring it to his congregation. I was speechless for a second while I gathered my wits about me. A Lutheran Pastor? Here at my teaching Center? He wants what? My head was spinning with questions. Is he serious? Is this a joke?
He didn’t look like he was joking. He looked quite authentic. I have no idea what I said back to him, I was so nervous. This was the second time in my life that a Lutheran pastor had approached me about spirituality and that relationship turned out to be wonderful so I told myself to relax. He asked if we could meet for coffee and I said of course, even though the thought of it scared the heck out of me. I walked around in a daze for the rest of the day. I knew something important was happening here and I couldn’t imagine what it could be.
About a week later we had our first coffee date and I was on pins and needles. I was raised to revere the clergy. They were honorable men who were close to God and we need to be respectful of their station in life. In a way, I felt like I was tripping over myself for fear of saying something wrong or being inappropriate in some way. There had to be some old beliefs inside because I’m not usually inappropriate with people. I definitely needed him to take the lead because I didn’t know how to start out the conversation with a Pastor. One by one, all these mis-conceptions were addressed and I started to think of him as a person rather than God’s first Sergeant . A psychic and a pastor having coffee seemed like a very odd twosome to me, but I soon found out it was exactly what both of us needed.
We began meeting every couple of weeks and slowly I brought up different topics. Reincarnation was a big one that Tim was interested in. He was also interested in healing, different levels of our souls and life after death. Before I knew it, we were chatting like two old, very old souls catching up with each other. We jumped from topic to topic, so excited to hear what each other believed. I met his spirit guides and started channeling information to him. We had so much fun sharing our thoughts and beliefs.
I think it was on our third coffee date that Jesus appeared to me and asked if I would give “Paul” a message for him. Turns out, he and Jesus went to school together and were very close friends. Tim’s name in that life was Paul and mine was Ruth. Jesus channeled such a wonderful message to him and it left both of us in awe of what we had learned about ourselves that day.
Tim and I have met several times over the last several years and it’s been incredibly healing and inspiring for both of us. He’s been a great source of information for me regarding Christianity and the Bible and I’ve been a source of information for him about spiritual matters. About two weeks ago in meditation, I heard that it’s time for Pastor Tim, who is now retired, to have a column in my website where he can share his thoughts on spirituality and religion and also answer questions that you have about them. My hope is to bring them live through a podcast someday.
There is a series of books that Tim and I both love written by author Gina Lake. Her books are channelings that she has with Jesus. They really resonate with my soul. We particularly love What Jesus Wants You to Know Today.
I’m going to start it out with the first question I asked him eight years ago. What makes you interested in spirituality coming from a strong religious background?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 Tubwayhun layleyn d’kaphneed wart hey L’khenuta d’hinnon nisbhun The Aramaic translation Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for physical justice-righteousness. They shall be surrounded by what is needed to sustain their bodies. Aligned with the One are those who wait up at night, weakened and dried out inside by the unnatural state of the world, they shall receive satisfaction. Healed are those who persistently feel inside, “If only I could find new strength and a clear purpose on which to base my life,”…
READ MOREBlessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9 Tubwayhun lahwvday shlama dawnaw(hie) d’alaha nihqarun The Aramaic translation: Blessed are those who plant peace each season, for they are in the flow of the One. Integrated are those who joyfully knit themselves together within. Aligned with the One are those who prepare the ground for all tranquil gatherings, they shall become fountains of Livingness. Dr. Neil Douglas Klotz, “Prayers Of The Cosmos.” Dr. Klotz writes that the roots of the Aramaic word lahwvday creates images of “planting, tilling the ground , laboring…
READ MOREBlessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 Tubwayhun layleyn dadkeyn b’lebhon d’hinnon nehzun l’alaha. ”Blessed are the consistent in heart; they shall see Sacred Unity everywhere. Aligned with the One are those whose lives radiate from a core of love; they shall see God everywhere. Resisting corruption are those whose natural reaction is sympathy and friendship; they shall be illuminated by a flash of lightning; the Source of the soul’s movement.” “Blessings of the Cosmos”, Dr. Neil Douglas Klotz. Once again, the English translation of this beatitude does not serve us well. The word “pure” conjures up an impossible ideal…
READ MOREBlessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 The word “meek” is an unfortunate translation of this Beatitude. We equate being meek as “being a pushover, having no spine, not standing up for yourself.” The milk toast my mother used to give me when I had stomach issues comes to mind. But being “gentle, “humble” “strong” and “healthy” are valued by most, and are found in the translation of the Aramaic beatitude Tubwaykhon l’makikhe d’hinon neptune arha “‘Blessed are the gentle. Aligned with the One are the humble, those submitted to God’s will. They shall be gifted with the productivity of…
READ MOREBlessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who mourn now, for you will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 Laughing and making people laugh have been two of my most cherished experiences in life. It’s oxygen to me. I’ve even tried my hand briefly at being a stand-up comedian. That was a tough gig! How did I do? Well, I can honestly say that I DID stand up while I was doing it (that one night at a Comedy Club.) But I never thought that the way to get people to laugh was to…
READ MOREThis begins a series of posts on the Beatitudes of Jesus. It is my hope that after taking in this series, you can better see their real transformative power and depth. The Beatitudes are well known, and are dear to the hearts of many, which in itself has always amazed me. The English word Beatitude comes from the Latin word “beatus,” which can mean either blessed or happy. But they can seem like such a strange prescription for being blessed or happy. Here are some of the Beatitudes in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5. “Blessed are the poor in…
READ MOREI recently was on the podcast Intuitive Living, with Echo and Bobby Sullivan. And I was asked about the Church’s Doctrine of the Trinity. God as ‘Three in One’ in the ‘persons’ of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is the Church’s attempt to put together the three references of God as ‘Father (Creator), Jesus as God’s “only” Son, and God as the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. It attempts to explain the mystery of the relationship between the three. As if mystery could or should be explained or understood. In my 35 years as a Lutheran…
READ MORE“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you think you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Mark Twain One of the main things I hear people say about the Bible is this: “The Bible says that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” I’m hear to tell you the Bible does NOT say that! Can we all just put this one to rest? This statement is not only untrue. It’s not only unhelpful. It is destructive. The statement likely comes from a misuse of a text in I Corinthians 10:13 that says, “…God…
READ MOREIn post 34 I wrote of my meeting a wonderful, elderly man named Peter in a tiny, neighborhood restaurant in East Boston. Perhaps you could read it before you keep reading. It’s OK. I’ll wait………………………………………………………… OK, now that you’re back, I recently returned from another visit to Boston, and met two more times with Peter at our spot, Angela’s restaurant. The first time involved just the two of us. As I was waiting for our time together, I noticed some lovely and remarkable things going on within. I noticed this joy, kindness, and calm welling up within me. It helped…
READ MOREChange is inevitable. Except from a vending machine. Robert Gallagher Life is like underwear. Change is good. A bend in the road is not the end of the road. Unless you fail to make the turn. Helen Keller Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle, and best at the end. Robin Shama Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them. That only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. Lao Tzu Everything that exists is blessed with one universal instinct. The inherent instinct to evolve and change. The instinct to evolve is found…
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