And Then I Met Jesus
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Finding Answers at Book Club?
Why are so many of us, former Church People, so cynical and cranky? Even those of us, like me, who haven’t actually left the church? What’s wrong with us? I’ve wondered about that (and what to do about it) for a while now. Thanks to Mike Cosper, I finally have an answer. Who would’ve thought it would happen at Book Club? Who would’ve thought I’d ever end up at Book Club? I guess that’s what happens when you make new friends and ask the Holy Spirit what to do next. I am NOT a literary. I’m not really even a writer, at least not personality wise. That fact is made…
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Our Cranky Hearts are Leading Us Home
This is the final part of a three part series. Yesterday I left off with this sentence: “So where do we go from here? How do we find enough faith to seek when we just feel tired, and cranky, and cynical?” That’s exactly where we are going to pick up. Fair warning, this might be a rant! 🙂 Don’t be ashamed of your doubt and questions about God. Or afraid of your cynicism and the snarkiness that simmers just beneath the surface when it comes to organized religion. Or feel guilt because of your depression and/or disillusionment with Christianity. Can I be honest? I am so over American Christianity. I literally…
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But Jesus isn’t White…and Why it Matters
Back when my husband was a youth pastor, one of his favorite object lessons was to print a bunch of images of Jesus and lay them on the floor. He would ask the teens to choose a picture that they resonated with and stand by it. He found some really crazy Jesus’s as well as more traditional ones. Sweet Jesus in white robes, surrounded by children. Tough Jesus, arm wrestling Satan. Gentle Jesus, holding a lamb. Powerful Jesus, calming the storm with one outstretched hand. Bad Ass Jesus, with his sleeve rolled up showing a “love” tattoo on his muscular arm. Hot Jesus, tall and handsome with a confident stride.…
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Christian Religion is Not Enough
I just finished a book called, Unveiling Grace, by Lynn K. Wilder. It’s the true story of a family finding their way out of Mormonism and into a relationship with the real Jesus. Amazingly, Lynn and her husband were converts to Mormonism as adults even though they were exposed to Christianity as children. Their story proves the burden on my heart. Christian religion is not enough. Attending church or Sunday school is not enough. Living a “good life” is not enough. I’m afraid the corporate American church is horribly broken. I’ve met a lot of people lately that agree with me. People who have left, and people who have stayed. Frustrated,…
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Love Beyond Words
I probably should have been scared. He was very noticeable, standing at the Starbucks counter. Not only was he was dressed all in black, with tall black combat boots, he also had this amazing hair. It might have been fake, but it was really long, black, almost woolly, and kind of jagged. As I got closer, I saw the black gauges in his ears, and not one but two rings through the center of his nose. I smiled. Standing behind him as he ordered, I was close enough to see his chains, tattoos, and black, zippered, leather jacket. My smile got bigger. We waited for our coffee together, although he…
