Outside the Pigeon Holes

A heartfelt reply to an 'absolute truth' teller who takes on the divorce issue (under the guise of it being just about 'people who have divorce parties'). This one is for all those who are in or have left terrible, destructive marriages but still feel the scorn from the 'perfect plan' people. Here's the link to the post Here is my reply. As bothered as you were with the guy in the grocery store, I grow weary of the judgment from the 'I'm staying married forever no matter what!!' screamers who seem to think they have it all figured out on how they will keep it together... "I just have to CHOOOOSSE to stay'....Good luck with that when you wake up to find that your spouse didn't change, but was never the person you thought they were in the first place. Divorce is never easy....EVER. It sucks. As happy as I was it was over I still cried the day the gavel came down in the courtroom. I wanted to grab my ex by the shoulders and say ...

Below is my off the cuff reply to some questions posed by someone in my latest class on Coursera.... Ooooh! A quiz!! :) 1.  Did All Those Humans who lived tens and hundreds of thousand of years before the Bible was written have a chance to go to heaven? Which definition of Heaven are you referring to? The idea of a magical place that is unattainable except upon death and only accessible by a certain few who do a certain thing or things to earn it? Or to the 'Kingdom of God'/'Kingdom of Heaven' that Jesus spoke of?  2.  Did Jesus die for the sins of Neanderthals, Homo Erectus, etc. ?  If not, why not? Sure! Why wouldn't He? :) In my understanding Jesus died 'Once for All' - to fulfill and thus eradicate the need for the sacrificial system that was established by humans to appease god/gods in a limited (and still progressing) understanding of the nature of God. In doing so, Jesus ushered in a new, open and free access to God available to all - pas...

I've put my finger on the deepest heartbreak of losing Refuge...It embodies exactly what 'Church' is supposed to be. People gathered around in love, fellowshipping, sharing joys and sorrows, laughing, loving, singing, bands, prayer. People have been adopted and baptized and dedicated here. Some folks study the Bible together, others play 'Magic' or read, people are free to be themselves in a place they know they are loved and knowing they will see friends and family whenever they are here. There is wise counsel for the asking from pastors or just a caring heart, but it all happens spontaneously - nothing manufactured. Refuge was true 'Ekklesia' - Community of faith - and the message was portrayed within the people who gathered. I will truly, truly, miss this beautiful, beautiful place and the way we all have been blessed to have gathered these last 4 years. Thank you, David Joseph Zuber and Colleen Zuber for making this place real.