YOU DON”T HAVE A GUN TO YOUR HEAD I remember the first time I said this to myself. I had left the ministry (again) in 2003. After a couple of years I decided to try to plant another church. I gave it a few months, realized I hated it, but refused to feel trapped. So I...
A Book You Gotta Read
A BOOK YOU GOTTA READ Today’s letter is very simple. I want to recommend a lovely book to you. It’s “Search Inside Yourself” by Chade-Meng Tan. The reason I like it is because it is written so simply, clearly, and with a good dose of humor. The humor is already...
What’s TLS Good For?
TLSers have something in common. We are pioneers. Here are the three stages of being a pioneer: You realize you’re not happy where you are. You’re not settled. Everyone else around you seems to be mostly content. But not you! You are restless. Maybe you are even...
Do What Helps YOU!
Do What Helps YOU! I’m hitting on this theme lately because I see so many people struggling with doing what they want or even need to do to be healthy and feel happy. Sure, I sometimes struggle with this. I’ll give you an example: The other day I felt like putting on...
You Don’t Need to Explain
Hi guys! I’m creating a course on “How to Leave the Church”. (If you have any ideas you want to throw my way, I welcome them!) Anyway, I’ve been doing some research on it, and I was shocked to discover that there aren’t that many resources online. Well, not really...
Deconstruction as Progress
DECONSTRUCTION AS PROGRESS There are misconceptions about deconstruction, which is the changing of our beliefs, the loss of our faith, and for many of us… leaving the church. Some of the misconceptions are these: We are correcting our mistaken spirituality. We are...
What’s the Meaning of Christmas Anymore?
"What's the Meaning of Christmas Anymore?" Lisa and I were relaxing over the Christmas holidays. I think we were having a glass of wine, listening to music, and reading in front of the wood stove. Ya. Nice. She abruptly asked me a question. She does this once in a...
Be Gracious With Yourself
Many people in TLS have gone through unbelievable ordeals. Some of you are still going through them. The chaotic confusion we experience when going through traumatic change is completely normal. Expect it! BUT... Is it possible to live so freely that you are not...
What Do You Want?
What Do You Want? I left the ministry several times. One of those times was in 1995. It was my decision. I’ll share this story with you soon because it’s amazing. The point of sharing this today though is I was suddenly unemployed, without an income, and had no idea...
When Forgiveness Might Be Worth the Risk
Many of us here have experienced the same thing: the loss of really close friends because our faith vanished or our beliefs changed or our relationship with the church disintegrated or all the above. Lisa and I have chosen to try to restore a few of those friendships....
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