worship
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the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 7)
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Not our kingdom. Not our power. Not our glory. It belongs to another. The only one worthy of it. The only one it cannot blemish or destroy. Whenever we take it upon ourselves we ruin it, it ruins us. Whenever we try… Continue reading
America, asking, bible, Christ, Christianity, church, deconstruction, doubts, empire, evangelicalism, Faith, forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, love, peace, prayer, questions, reflection, religion, Searching, seeking, spirituality, the lord’s prayer, Theology, Trust, weekly reflections, worship -
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 6)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: What does this mean? Save us from ourselves. God is not the cause of temptation, of our choices and actions, nor of the resulting suffering. If people are the problem then they can’t be the solution. So we pray, Deliver us. From ourselves, our… Continue reading
America, asking, bible, Christ, Christianity, church, deconstruction, doubts, empire, evangelicalism, Faith, forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, love, peace, prayer, questions, reflection, religion, Searching, seeking, spirituality, the lord’s prayer, Theology, Trust, weekly reflections, worship -
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 5)
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Oh, forgiveness. One of the most difficult asks for humankind. You know. Who is it impossible to forgive? “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Are we forgiven only as we forgive? Do we forgive because we’re forgiven, or are… Continue reading
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the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 4)
Give us this day our daily bread. Yet they starve by the millions, your children, without bread or water. Children die sick in slums or in the streets. Thousands perish every single day from preventable causes. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth… Continue reading
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the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 3)
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Where is your kingdom? It is not in earth as it is in heaven. For what of the Ugandan boy who sat next to me in tears because someone he loved was dying or dead of AIDS. What of the young… Continue reading
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the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 2)
Hallowed be thy name. The sacred name that’s been used by the apparent faithful throughout history to justify the persecution and killing of those who are different from and other than; the faithful who hold the supposed truth and dispense it by the sword (literally or figuratively). Look no further than our own scriptures. God-ordained… Continue reading
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the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 1)
“Lord, teach us to pray.” Our Father which art in heaven, But only there, Lord? Far away up in the sky, above the clouds, beyond the universe, detached and out of reach? To say you’re in heaven makes it sound as if you’re distant, unavailable, like many of our own earthly fathers. Or like some… Continue reading
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back there and right here
I was searching for something, once. When did I stop? The one looking to follow footsteps that never fit his stride, set too close or far apart, or going a direction he was never meant to go. I wore what was ill-fitting for the sake of fulfilling roles and fitting molds. I tried to be… Continue reading
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a meditation for the weary
It was from Matthew 11. “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.” This struck me. “You don’t have to go back to what is heavy and ill-fitting.” Why do so many of us assume God’s way or will is always something heavy and hard, even ill-fitting, that God wants to make martyrs of… Continue reading
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try
Try. Just try. Let the world see your light. Don’t hide it under a cupped hand, afraid of what attention it might bring or what it might cost you. Give yourself the chance to shine and bring light to dark places and broken hearts. Try. Shine. Share your light with one or with the world.… Continue reading
a kingdom built of seeds 