*** This is a letter from many years ago that I thought would be helpful to repost today. WHAT IS COMPASSIONATE SPEECH? Good day my friends. Today I want to talk about compassionate speech. It was inspired by one of our members posting this quote of Domo Geshe...
Ugh! Complicated Friendships
Ugh! Complicated Friendships I was recently invited by a couple of old friends to join them for a cigar and single-malt on one of their decks for an evening. Three guys… old friends from back in the evangelical, charismatic church days. They still go to such a church....
The Guilt of Just Being
THE GUILT OF JUST BEING Do you ever suddenly catch yourself feeling guilty for not doing anything? We hear about the importance of being before doing. But so many of us grew up in religious cultures that demanded constant holy activity, including attending church...
TLS Letter- Please Give Me Your Opinion
I NEED YOUR OPINION: Hi TLSers! So, every once in a while I ask for your opinion on something. This time it’s about a frequent request I keep getting: Should I start a podcast? Funny thing: I get interviewed for podcasts 2 or 3 times a week. BUT I don’t listen to...
The Pressure to Explain Yourself
The Pressure to Explain Yourself Hi TLSers! I get a lot of private messages from people across all social media platforms. Consistently, they are struggling with deconstruction. But not just deconstruction in general. I’m finding the main struggle is how to...
Still Daring to Grow
I’m in my sixties and I’m still growing. I don’t ever want to stop. My latest challenge? One of the things that has lied dormant since I left the ministry and the church 10 years ago is making music. I wrote and sang my own songs, and led worship. My beautiful Taylor...
Unity and Diversity
I was at an event recently where the speaker acknowledged that because of the thousands who were there, each one might have a different name for the Other… “God”, “Universe”, “Source”, “Great Spirit”, etcetera, or nothing at all. It felt comfortable and no one felt...
The Boredom of Personal Growth
THE BOREDOM OF PERSONAL GROWTH I went for a run this morning. Half way through I felt like walking for a bit. An argument ensued: Keep going! No, walk! Keep going! No, walk! So I tried to figure out what was happening: I felt good. I wasn’t winded. I wasn’t sore. I...
Bruce Lee and Thee
BRUCE LEE and THEE I was thinking about Bruce Lee, considered one of the most influential martial artists of all time. Why was he so unique? How did he build an entire life, career, and philosophy upon his distinctive style? He gave these four pieces of advice that I...
OBSESSION
OBSESSION Okay, I’m going to get personal. I worry a lot about my weight and appearance. I experienced a lot of body-shaming when I was growing up. I possess the notorious “Hayward Gut”… where the Hayward men don’t gain weight anywhere but right underneath their ribs...
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