Somehow, through the centuries and millennia of history, religious folk have gotten the notion that the supreme goal of their spiritual pursuit is to know the right answer—to find and know the Truth. With a capital ‘T’. Certainly a goal of spiritual hunger is to find answers, enlightenment, and ‘truth’. But just what that means—”What…
Tag: God’s Kingdom
Our Experience at the Hill Cumorah Pageant
“You’re all sinners! You are an abomination to God!!” These words were angrily spit at the thousands of people peacefully passing through the entrance to the Hill Cumorah Pageant’s last showing for 2013—an event which was attended by this writer and his wife. Friends of ours participated in the Pageant this year. They played various…
Bee-Do, Bee-Do
“You’re a human being, not a human doing!” Perhaps you’ve heard, or read that somewhere? I have. It’s clever, and correct—albeit somewhat cliche. A quick search of the web will confirm its ubiquitous usage.1 The reason for such widespread repeating? We tend to focus on the things we do, more than the things we are….
An Open Letter Apology from the Church
Not that I have any real force behind this open letter to every person on the planet, but it’s what’s on my heart today. For so long, those who claim to know and live for God have been such a harmful representation of him (myself included) that many people wrongly dismiss their rightful place as…
DOMA Arigato
Just about a week ago, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) was in the news for two rulings in regards to same-sex marriages. One was specific to California (Proposition 8), and I won’t address that here, but the first was regarding a case challenging the constitutionality of section three (§3) of the Defense…
The Bible Tells Me So
“Yes, Jesus loves me… The Bible tells me so!” Perhaps you sang those words just now as you read them because they are indelibly engrained upon your soul from countless repetitions in your early childhood. (And maybe you still sing them regularly with your own kids.) It’s a great song, and it’s true. The Bible…
Nothing To Prove
Imagine with me, please, that we are all free. There’s nothing to prove—ever. I don’t have to defend my spoken thoughts to you, nor those I neglected to speak, though you wished I had. You don’t have to explain yourself to me, either. And both of us are able to freely express what we think…
Pray… Why?
Do you ever wonder why we pray? I mean, God is love, he’s all knowing, he’s sovereign, omni-everything, right? So… why should I reiterate what he already knows, especially since he also knows what comes next? Yes. So have I. In fact, I often wonder all of that while I am praying. It happens when…
Opposite World
I’m different. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I know we’re all unique. (And since unique means ‘one of a kind’, well then, how can there be a ‘different’—since there is no ‘normal’, nor ‘standard’?) But I’m really different. It’s quite nearly every single thing that could possible be ‘different’. Allow me…
Allowing For The Process
Sometimes I’m really, really impatient. Also short-sighted, selfish, and in general unwilling to let others—even those I love the most—enjoy the blessings that I have received and thrived upon throughout my life. Yikes. That really doesn’t sound good! But it’s (in a way) really true. God is reminding me recently that he is patient beyond…