If you need this kind of love... Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps June 24, 2011 I recently discovered this song: Brian Doerksen - Father I Want You to Hold Me Powered by mp3ye.eu I believe the relationship described in this simple piece is what everything evil in the world seeks to separate people from. If anyone EVER tries to tell you that you can't know God unless you do something first, or because of your past, your present or your future, your political views, your race, your sexuality, your gender, your mistakes, your successes, ANYTHING, they are lying. This relationship is there, all the time, at anytime, for everyone. It's for Christians and Buddhists, Israelites and Palestinians, Preachers and Felons, Nuns and Atheists. If the word "Father" creates issues for you, replace it with 'Spirit' or 'Mother' or whatever. It's not the label that is important. It is the communication between Creator and created. Yes, I am a Christ follower. I believe Jesus died to share this message with the world, I affirm all the things that my creed states. But I am not selling a religion here. I am not trying to convert anyone to my church. I don't hope that people read this and suddenly want to become a Bible-toting Christian. I don't care to have a check list of all the souls I saved from hell. I just hope to express the beauty in knowing God the way that I have come to. Because for me, it is everything. It is the point. And nothing else in all the world of theology, as interesting as it can be, matters as much to me anymore. If you need this kind of love, please, please know that it is there. Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps Comments
Why Good People Stay April 23, 2023 The question was: Why do parents not protect their children from a place that hurts people in the name of Jesus? My response: Because they didn't see it anymore than any of us did who stayed in it for so long. The messages are usually very subtle. We get into the 'good stuff' like the music and the prayer ministries and charity work - All of that on the surface seems positive and wonderful for the world. Our friends are there, we feel like we have a purpose...We are taught that this is the way, the truth, the life. Unless you dig deeper or begin to work on/with leadership and hear the closed door discussions, you don't realize the under belly. And even then cognitive dissonance kicks in...So when the cracks start to appear, you try and push the questions aside and think 'well, some of that is just on the fringe. Most evangelicals just want to help people' and you make excuses. When the cracks get bigger you try to stick around to change it from the inside....... Read more
Relationship vs. evidence January 06, 2013 My reply to a blog post discussion with an atheist...I was not attempting to convert him. Just sharing my story. What a neat discussion...I love it when people can talk about these kinds of things respectfully. How much we can learn from each other when we know that the other person is not going to ridicule or go off or resort to insults. THANKS! For what it's worth, my two cents are below. :) I grew up in Evangelicalism, but my faith became the most alive when I ditched the rules and the play-book of 'making converts' through arguing the Bible and defending God (God doesn't really need me to do that anyway). I made it about 'me and God', not 'me, the rules and how I can convince everyone that my religion is right by explaining the Bible empirically'. You can't do that. The Bible isn't a science book. It is a book of experiences and intepretations of experiences by other people - humans as jacked up and confused by life as I am than I was ... Read more
10 Things I've Learned about navigating information overload January 01, 2021 This is what I have learned over many years in the age of information overload. I never would have believed that we'd be here where the conspiracies of QAnon are being increasingly accepted by usually reasonable people... 1. Check sources of every article you see come through your feed, know their slant...(for instance, The Atlantic has a center-left bias but high factual reporting. Knowing this, I know to look for corroborating information from sources with little bias - such as newswires, or even a center-right commentary for a different perspective). 2. Avoid questionable sources and extremely biased sources (even if the lean is in your preferred direction) - those don't want you to think critically or think for yourself and usually don't provide sourcing - or if they do, it's other questionable sources and hearsay. These outlets count on human laziness and human tendency toward confirmation bias. 3. If you see a Twitter thread that sounds like the person is kn... Read more
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