I write when I cannot take the pain anymore–the pain of trying to contain myself for the comfort of others. I have lived my entire life with pain. I learned early on that it cannot be avoided. In my experience, it is inevitable in this life. Suffering however, is optional. Suffering comes when you do … More When the Pain is Too Much, I Write
What is freedom? It’s one of those words that is used frequently, but I suspect many of us have no idea what it really means. I have come to the conclusion that when most people use the word, it is a way of saying, “I want to be able to do whatever I want to … More Be Still And Know: Who Is the Free One?
Are you familiar with the conversational phenomenon known as mansplaining? If you have never heard of it, here is a working definition of it: Mansplaining can be when someone who has lesser or incomplete knowledge on a subject offers an explanation to someone with greater knowledge of the subject under the assumption that the person … More Sight Beyond Sight – A Commentary on “Mansplaining and more…”
Is there an ideal that you profess to believe, but that–for reasons you cannot readily explain–are quite incapable of expressing? Perhaps it is something as simple as eating healthier or watching less television. Or perhaps it is something much needed in this world like living into a society where inclusiveness and equality are not just … More Love Your Inner Me(s)
What follows is a message I delivered at Second Baptist Church of Boulder on October 30, 2016 for their youth Sunday. The premise of the message is that whatever we do or don’t do has an impact on the world. The message was inspired by the Sermon on the Mount and a conversation I had … More Doomed to Significance
Don’t let the title of this post fool you. If you’re thrown off by this image and the title then chances are you have never heard of the show from the early 2000s based on the life of comedian Chris Rock as a teenager. The show was entitled “Everybody Hates Chris” and chronicled the awkward misadventures of young Chris as he navigated the challenges of growing up and trying to find his place in the world. … More Everybody Hates Christians
On July 17, 2016, I preached a sermon entitled “Broken For You”. The idea behind the sermon came down to the idea that if people took 100% responsibility for their lives the whole world would be transformed in an instant. The spark for the sermon came from Jesus’ teaching that those who desire to follow … More If You Don’t Bear Your Cross, Someone Else Will Have To
How do you relate to the labels that have been assigned to you or that you have assumed? Are they prisons that bind you or do they demonstrate choices that you have made and relationships that you are a part of? Do you define the labels or do the labels define you? Here is a … More Do Your Names and Labels Define You?
One of the words that freaks out many of my fellow liberal Christians and people abused by religion or even the people who qualify themselves as “spiritual but not religious” more than anything is “REPENT!!!” Sometimes I imagine myself saying it in a sermon and seeing people’s eyes bug out. They might say, “Oh crap! … More Where Are You?
This weekend my wife and I will be facilitating another session of Coming Out of the Dark in Quincy, MA. Shortly after the last time I did it and posted the above blog in an online group, I was labeled by a reader as a Prophet of the Wishy Washy Gospel. His comments gave me … More Prophet of the Wishy Washy Gospel
