I went to church yesterday. A Vineyard. While everyone was worshipping to some worship songs I’d never heard before, as I read the words on the overhead and listening to my friend lead them, I found myself asking myself an interesting question: Why do I want to be...
The Main Lesson I Learn From Fasting
The Main Lesson I Learn From Fasting Every once in a while I’ll do a fast. I just did another one recently. From food. I’ve done other kinds of fasts. I will fast from alcohol, sex, TV, screens, speech, etc. Here’s the main lesson I always learn from fasting: I...
“Do You Pray?” My Attempt to Answer.
"Do You Pray?" My Attempt to Answer. I’m often asked how I pray. This is intimately related to my view of “God”, so I treat this question with great caution and respect. Lisa and I talk about this quite a bit as well. I distinctly remember when we first left the...
Reactions to your Change
I had a strange conversation the other day that is like so many other conversations I’ve had since I left the ministry and the church in 2010. However, thinking back on it, being fiercely independent with an unquenchable curiosity for the truth, I’ve experienced these...
5 STEPS TO RECOVERY FROM SPIRITUAL ABUSE
5 STEPS TO RECOVERY FROM SPIRITUAL ABUSE 1. Admit that it happened. What I find with many people who've experienced abuse is that they can't believe that such a thing happened to them in the church. It is repugnant to them that an organization that boasts about grace...
How to be Fruitful
I remember having a discussion with a friend some years ago. Well… it was an argument. He claimed that in order to do real good in the world and bring about true change, you had to be in major centers… cities… and be actively involved in social issues. He believed it...
Some Advice for Being with Family Over Christmas
Some Advice for Being with Family Over Christmas 1. Be confident in your position, even if you’re confused about it. It’s okay. 2. Don’t go where you don’t want to go. Figure out ways of saying, “I don’t want to talk about that.” 3. You don’t have to reveal everything...
Who Are You?
I often think of the passage in the gospels where Jesus asks, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples reported to Jesus all the opinions they’d heard about him. Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” I find this passage fascinating. Even though I...
Experiencing a Full Inner Life
We can swim in the Atlantic Ocean here but it’s quite cold. There are at least 3 kinds of people: Those who stick their toes in and run back to their towels. Those who go in just below their groin and hang out there.’ Those who go in all the way over their heads to...
The Cradle and the Fairy Tales
You have the cradle. You have the fairy tales. You have the church. You have the stories it wants you to believe. For some, they leave the cradle but keep the fairy tales. For some, they throw out the fairy tales but stay in the cradle. For others, they leave both...
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