Do I choose to live from the places where I constantly feel rejected or do I choose to live from the place where I know I am the beloved of God? That’s a choice, an inner choice, very hard to make. from Beloved
04113 – Choosing is Hard!
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03790 – Biblical Stories are Descriptive
Most biblical stories are descriptive, not prescriptive. They show what it looks like to wrestle with trying to live a moral life—recording success and failure. But here's the thing: That makes the Bible more holy, not less. Treating spiritual texts like a recipe book...
03779 – The Way of Love
During an era when religious institutions used theology and Scripture to malign and reject others, Jesus accepted and included Gentiles, the poor, the sick, women, Samaritans, Romans, children, and many others who were outcasts and oppressed. Being inclusive and...
03668 – Easter is…
Easter is about listening to women preach resurrection. Easter is about switching the sword for the cross. Easter is about rejecting the ways of empire and rising up for the oppressed. Easter is about paradise for the humble and power for the lowly. Easter is hope for...
03285 – A Loser’s Script
Many religious people think that it’s all a merit badge system—all achievement, accomplishment, performance, and perfection. The good people win and the bad people lose. Of course, once we cast anything as a win-lose scenario, the irony is that everybody loses. Why...
02901 – Been Bamboozled?
One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to...
02899 – The Comfort of the Crucified
All sufferers can find comfort in the solidarity of the Crucified; but only those who struggle against evil by following the example of the Crucified will discover him at their side. To claim the comfort of the Crucified while rejecting his way is to advocate not only...
02737 – Love, and Love Deeply
Do not hesitate to love and love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep...
02437 – Dealing with Discomfort
Everything is dependent upon our ability to sit with discomfort, and not numb it, and not reject it, and not use it to hurt other people...everything beautiful comes from there.
02211 – Feelings Don’t Always Carry Truth
Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: "These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious...