called out means get out
The literal translation of the Greek word for church, "ekklesia", is "called out". It's been bashed over my head many times that what this means is Christians are called out of the world and into the church. It's been used to coerce me into faithful church membership...
all you have to do is be human
In Philippians 2, the famous hymn of the humility of Jesus, there is a great declaration that Jesus, being God, humbled himself and became a human being. This is one of our biggest problems as Christians or any kind of religious person… just being human beings. It's...
relaxing in favorable conditions
Yesterday, when my wife Lisa was called to receive her "parchment" at her graduation ceremony, I got all choked up. I realized that after five long years of incredible struggle, it is finally over. It's been hard work for her, for me, and for us as a couple. The...
it’s never too late
Today my wife Lisa graduates with her Bachelors in Nursing. She writes her federal registration exam June 5th. She starts work in palliative care and oncology on the 10th. She's been a full time student for five long years. During that time we went through personal...
the best education teaches us how to think
I was checking some older conversations on TLS and came across this one, "Are You An Ally? Crazy Facebook At It Again!". I believe in teams and allies. But I believe they are made up of independent individuals. The pressure to conform and think and believe the same as...
your life outside of The Lasting Supper
I can't believe people actually have a life outside of The Lasting Supper! Haha. I joke! One of our members started a conversation asking if any other members write blogs or have websites. Several have been mentioned so far. Some have to do with spirituality,...
monsters under thin ice and your scary story
I forget the name of the children's book that was given to us many years ago. We read it to our kids. It's about the Inuit, the northern aboriginal peoples of Canada. It tells the story about monsters that lurk beneath the ice and eat children who fall through the ice...
are you still anxious about church attendance?
I remember reading an interview of Wendell Berry, one of America's finest essayists, novelists and poets. His work is deeply spiritual. He shared with the interviewer that even though he is a Christian, he lets his wife go to church without him because he admits he is...
spiritual exercise and exercise
I try to run at least 3 times a week… Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I try to do a long run on Saturday. Today I ran 12.5K in the cold, pouring rain. It felt great. To me it isn't just physical exercise, but spiritual as well. I don't take my cell phone. I run alone....
