love
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here not there
“I’ve come to think sometimes that maybe I’m running a race I wasn’t asked to run.” A friend of mine said this to me recently, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It’s a phrase that hits me right between the eyes. It hurts my heart to say it. When the words Continue reading
Christianity, Faith, God, hope, Immanuel, Jesus, love, present, reflections, religion, spirituality, Trust, worship -
in the wild (part 2)
In a damp cathedral of towering firs in Oregon, I bend down, close my eyes, then raise them upward, my eyes and heart open. I pray. “You are my hunger and my food. My thirst and my water. My wound and my healing.” I was brought here for this holy moment in the light rain, Continue reading
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in the wild
I sat in my truck watching the furious surf, as if seeking revenge; the gray-white sea bled into the gray-white sky. I thought, “Sometimes you have to walk headlong into the wind and rain. Don’t run from it; run into it.” So I got out of my truck and walked down onto the beach, heading Continue reading
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which God is it? (part 2)
The denial of contradictions (within our experience, the Bible, spiritual community, etc) can produce hesitant, fearful, uncertain, even spiritually neurotic Christians. We hear opposing stories of the same God and are expected to embrace them without doubt or trepidation. “Just believe” is the catch all phrase, the simple answer to complicated questions. The story of Continue reading
bible, Christianity, church, contradiction, doubts, Faith, fringes, God, Grace, hope, Jesus, love, questions, reflections, religion, spirituality, Trust, worship -
which God is it? (part 1)
I remember moments of ceaseless activity, at other times waning. Morning Bible reading and prayer, church services and Bible studies, leading and attending this and that group. Was the fire true? Now it seems like struck matches that never stayed alight; flint without enough energy for the weak kindling. My activities and readings and prayers Continue reading
bible, Christianity, Faith, God, hope, Jesus, love, questions, reflections, spirituality, Trust, worship -
guilt
Ever since childhood, there’s often been a subtly pervasive voice in the background saying, “You’re not good enough, you’re not doing enough, you’re not enough as you are.” Have you heard it? This was not stated by anyone explicitly, but was sometimes implied within spiritual environments I participated in and observed. Guilt. As easy as Continue reading
authenticity, Christianity, church, Faith, God, honesty, hope, Jesus, love, prayer, reflections, religion, spirituality, Trust, worship -
(re)movement
As I have pulled back on my participation in familiar spiritual environments, as I have ceased the once familiar spirituality of my history and context, I find that I still encounter God in the midst of (re)movement. I do not speak, but stay silent; I do not move, but am still; I do not ask, Continue reading
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when it’s over
It’s easy to experience God in the beautiful. I went truck camping this past weekend and found a peaceful, quiet spot by running water. I’d been waiting for a night or two to drive new dirt roads. To find something new, somewhere quiet. I drove miles into the wild, kicking up clouds of dust, thick Continue reading
beauty, Christianity, Faith, God, hardship, hope, Jesus, love, pain, reflections, spirituality, suffering, Trust -
nomadism
Nothing is concrete. I’m not one to build a home on a fundamentalist, literalist, or “rock solid” foundation; I am nomadic in what and where I plant myself. Not the “sinking sand” the Bible speaks of, just finding a place in the dirt to set up a tent, then moving on to the next location Continue reading
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belonging
“…The event contained in the affirmation of God is more important than the belief in God…Belonging first, followed by behavior, followed last and least, by belief.” – Peter Rollins We belong before we believe. The experience of belonging leads to behavior and belief if we’ve experienced the real thing. We may arrive at the right Continue reading
a kingdom built of seeds 