the oughts and musts and shoulds
Something we have to get used to when we leave the church is not hearing, over and over again, the "ought and must and should" routine that, in my experience and observation, is the fuel that runs the engine of religion. Every week what was required of us was preached...
get in touch with your own spirituality
It is possible and I would even say necessary to have a spirituality outside of church. That’s my opinion of what a healthy church is anyway: a collective of uniquely independent spiritual pilgrims. Therefore, it comes down to how to have a healthy spirituality...
freebie friday: 2 Sophia 2013 Calendars
Just leave a comment and you're entered into the draw to win one of 2 Sophia 2013 Calendars! Contest ends tonight midnight my time. Good luck!
Letter: Don’t Let Anyone Rush Your Grief
Don’t let anyone rush your grief! You’ve left the church. That’s heavy! Grieve it. Feel it to the full. Go ahead and deny that it hurts. Then bawl your eyes out once in a while. Get angry. Get frustrated. Think about going back then change your mind again. Get...
we have seen a great light
It is very difficult not to impute into the very unassuming original story all the grand assumptions of our time. We don't know what happened. We can't rely on the texts for historical accuracy. Our minds gather all the accretions built up over the centuries and...
where are all the important people?
I remember during one Christmas season as a pastor of a church I brought a nativity scene made with rough olive tree wood from around Bethlehem. I talked about how unseemly it was and no important people were there. It was a rather uppity church with important people...
My Farewell Message When I Left the Church
As promised, I told you guys that as members of this site you would have exclusive access to my more private life and thoughts. So I wanted to share with you something I found in one of my files the other day. This was delivered in the Spring of 2010. It is the last...
Exercise: My Last Church
This is a video of me parked outside of the last church I pastored. This was taken this morning. What a strange, emotional feeling. I do not advise anybody to do what I explained in this video. That has to be totally spontaneous, voluntary and natural. Don't force it....
painting: one tree one man
Loneliness. It's human. Existentially so. Being part of the church for so long lead me to believe it wasn't normal. I'm learning solitude. It's the best...
