Category: Spirituality

Paulianity Paul an apostle – sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead – and all members of God’s family who are with me… Galatians 1:1-2a The apostle Paul wrote many of the books of the New Testament. An important … Continue reading Paulianity

Good vs Bad, Part 4 There are not sacred and profane things, places, and moments. There are only sacred and desecrated things, places, and moments – and it is we alone who desecrate them by our lack of insight and reverence. Fr. Richard Rohr[1] In my early adulthood I worked as a landscape designer. I … Continue reading Good vs Bad, Part 4

Good vs Bad, Part 3 Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh… Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Luke 6:21b, 25b One of the defining differences between churchianity and Christianity has to do with how concretely good and bad are defined. Some churches and religious … Continue reading Good vs Bad, Part 3

Good vs Bad, Part 2 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Last week I suggested we have an inaccurate understanding of good and bad. Specifically, we limit the full nature of what is good by condemning certain things … Continue reading Good vs Bad, Part 2

Good vs Bad You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry, You’d better not shout I’m telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town.[1] Many of us developed an image of God based more on Santa Claus than on anything biblical. That image, born in childhood and perpetuated by many churches, persists long beyond … Continue reading Good vs bad

Questions vs Answers, Part 2 “You insist on explaining everything as if the whole world were composed of things that can be explained…Has it ever occurred to you that only a few things in this world can be explained your way?” Don Juan Matus[1] Our desire for clear-cut answers to deep and difficult questions, and … Continue reading Questions vs Answers, Part 2

Questions vs Answers Of course you don’t understand it. If you understood it, it wouldn’t be what you’re looking for. It would just be one more thing you understand. James Finley[1] One of the significant points of distinction between Christianity and churchianity has to do with the degree to which one believes we can be … Continue reading Questions vs Answers

Reconciliation vs Retribution, Part 4 Grace is what we call what is left over after the scouring of the self, the dying to the self…Grace comes to us in the flesh, through the spaces and forms and contents of our human life…Grace is so mixed up in the stuff of human life that it cannot … Continue reading Reconciliation vs Retribution, Part 4

Reconciliation vs Retribution, Part 3 The term “heresy” is used with derogatory connotations by evangelicals & their apologists, yet all it means is belief contrary to orthodoxy. The religious elite of western Christianity have rarely been on the right side of history, so finding myself out of alignment with what they have determined to be … Continue reading Reconciliation vs Retribution, Part 3

Reconciliation vs Retribution, Part 2 We need to bury once and for all those fear-and-punishment scenarios that got programmed into so many of us during our childhood. There is no monster out there; only love waiting to set us free. Cynthia Bourgeault[1] In order to feel better about ourselves and our own perceived shortcomings, we … Continue reading Reconciliation vs Retribution, Part 2