growth
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walking the length of an island
Why do you walk eight, nine, 10 hours a day? In any weather and conditions, on whatever tracks or pavement or gravel or dirt or sand or grass, through deep mud or rushing water—anything the day brings? In whatever environment, from muggy subtropical forest to beaches to farmland to towns or cities to quiet or Continue reading
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“the long path”
The longest backpacking trip I’ve done to date is eight days in the Patagonia region of Chile, averaging around 10 miles a day when it was all said and done. Now, I’m planning to thru-hike New Zealand’s north island for at least two months, hoping to average more like 15-18 miles a day during the Continue reading
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what comes after?
It’s easy to believe in God, in heaven; even in hell, if you’re speaking of hell on earth. All of us have experienced both heaven and hell in this life. We’ve seen evidence of their reality here and now. But are they actual places and states of existence in the next life, the afterlife? I Continue reading
afterlife, asking, authenticity, bible, change, Christianity, church, compassion, deconstruction, empathy, eternity, evangelicalism, experience, Faith, God, Grace, growth, heaven, honesty, hope, immortality, Jesus, knowledge, learning, listening, love, openness, personal, prayer, reflections, religion, scripture, Searching, seeking, spirit, spirituality, story, Theology, Trust, truth, understanding -
35
I don’t know where I thought I’d be at 35. I couldn’t have foreseen I’d be here—living in a ski town in Montana, housed with a family of five in a room above their garage, working a job that gives more freedom than I could have ever hoped for, not to mention a sufficient income. Continue reading
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the tree
in my youth a tree was planted in the heart’s field. there it grew, watered and well-tended, bathed in light. years passed. my soul’s winter came. the lackluster tree loses its leaves. it still lives but with broken branches and missing limbs. even now it reaches skyward, though a little skewed, almost remembering something it Continue reading
authenticity, beliefs, change, Christianity, creative writing, deconstruction, evangelicalism, experience, Faith, God, Grace, growth, honesty, hope, imagery, Jesus, learning, love, metaphor, past, personal, poetry, prayer, present, reflections, religion, spiritual journey, spirituality, story, Trust -
the bible
Is it our salvation, a love letter, a rulebook, a guide, an instruction manual, a weapon, or just stories made up long ago? Is it true, inspired, outdated, or myth? Is it directly from or dictated by God, or only some of it, or none of it. Does it point to God, or do only Continue reading
asking, authenticity, bible, change, Christianity, church, compassion, deconstruction, empathy, evangelicalism, experience, Faith, God, Grace, growth, honesty, hope, Jesus, knowledge, learning, listening, love, openness, personal, prayer, reflections, religion, scripture, Searching, seeking, spirit, spirituality, story, Trust, truth, understanding -
prayer
Heads bowed. Eyes closed. Hands folded. Who taught us to pray this way? Would God have us pray in a spirit of formality. Or would he rather we lift our heads, open our eyes, and stretch out our hands to the mystery that reaches us. I think of the Michelangelo painting on the ceiling of Continue reading
asking, authenticity, change, Christianity, church, compassion, deconstruction, empathy, evangelicalism, experience, Faith, God, Grace, growth, honesty, hope, Jesus, knowledge, learning, listening, love, openness, personal, prayer, reflections, religion, Searching, seeking, spirit, spirituality, story, Trust, truth, understanding -
my (short) story
Now, a little about me. I think back. What led me here? There’s childhood. A well behaved pastor’s kid though my father wasn’t a pastor but something more—a praying carpenter, a spiritual giant, a minister in his own unique way. I was like him, until l wasn’t. I wanted to be like him, until I Continue reading
asking, authenticity, change, Christianity, church, compassion, empathy, evangelicalism, experience, Faith, God, Grace, growth, honesty, hope, Jesus, knowledge, learning, listening, love, openness, personal, reflections, religion, Searching, seeking, spirit, spirituality, story, Trust, truth, understanding -
movement
I sometimes feel a sense of guilt at re/moving myself from familiar spirituality, from my roots, from certain religious practices, from pieces of my history and context, from unquestioning Christianity. I “should” on myself—I should be involved, I should serve, I should attend, I should do this and that spiritual discipline whether I feel like Continue reading
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gods
gods— Flittering through memories, seen but unseen. Saving us. Or betraying us. Do they save us from or betray us to suffering? We are all damaged. All of us. Even by those closest to perfection, or at least goodness. Our worlds built by those who could not fail but did. And do. And always will. Continue reading
a kingdom built of seeds 