A Mending Shift

a bird sings, not because if has an answer to give, but because it has a song to sing … this is my song

Does God really care where “it” goes?

| March 1, 2012

Share Warning, this post asks a few tough unspoken questions in straight-forward, honest ways. (And it mentions the word penis). A lot has been said surrounding God and the gay community (LGBT). But if we were honest, for most, doesn’t it boil down to one question: “Does God really care where the penis goes?” (Told [...]

Dancing Naked and Unmasked

| July 6, 2011

Share “I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.” Kurt Cobain Would you? Would I? Most people, in their hurt and brokenness, seek to be loved for who they are not. They long for love so much that they are willing to wear a mask to be lovable. [...]

Glass-half-wicked or glass-half-good?

| June 28, 2011

ShareSitting on a jury is an interesting experience. It taught me a lot about how important our starting-place presumptions about people are. Let me explain. One of the most important factors of our justice system is that people accused of a crime must be viewed as innocent. Your mindset as a jury is that indeed [...]

You Bring God Pleasure, Not Disgust.

| June 2, 2011

Share Here is the bottom line. It is hard for us to accept our goodness. Shame seems a better friend then our good worth. It is from the words “you are good” that we want to hide from. We run back into the arms of shame, covering our ears at God’s declaration, “You are good, [...]

God Does Things We Would Never Do: Francis Chan and Hell

| May 24, 2011

ShareI love Francis Chan. Seriously, I do. I grew up listening to Francis at Hume Lake Summer Camps and so he has a special spot in my heart. He is eloquent in speech, very persuasive and has a very sincere and genuine heart. He is quite passionate about what he believes, but conveys it in [...]

Letter to Gays and Lesbians (LGBT): I Stand With You

| May 11, 2011

Share [Leerlo en Español] [Watch the video reading] I don’t know what it is like to be black and carry the weight of years of oppression and racism on my shoulders. To pull myself up out of that oppression. To feel different and lacking simply because of the color of my skin. I am white. [...]

Should We Serve Terrorists at the Lord’s Table?

| May 5, 2011

Share This is very moving and powerful 3 min story about the effect praying for ones enemy will have on a community. It really touched a personal chord with me, especially surrounding the communion aspect. Years ago I made a public declaration that I would not take Communion/Eucharist/Lord’s Supper if people in the gathering were [...]

A Label-Absent Reality?

| May 4, 2011

Share Here there is no Christian. Non-Christian. American. Muslim. Heretic. Orthodox. Saved. Unsaved. Liberal. Conservative. Mainline. Evangelical. Catholic. Reformed. Baptist. Pentecostal. Episcopal. Presbyterian. Lutheran. Methodist. Buddhist. Hindu. Blacks. Whites. Evil. Good. Biblical. Unbiblical. Terrorists. Hell-bound. First class. Third class. Believer. Unbeliever. Jew. Atheist. Mormon. Shi’ite. Sunni. Wahabi. Oregonian. Adulterer. Faithful. Right-wing. Left wing. Republican. Democrat. [...]

HELL: 9/11 Victims & Osama Bin Laden

| May 3, 2011

Share Yesterday, I read a headline with Osama Bin Laden’s face on it and large, thick white letters exclaiming, “Rot in Hell!” Yesterday, while hoping onto Fox News Channel and catching an interview with Rudy Giuliani and Sean Hannity, Rudy mentioned that Osama is burning in hell and was met with nods and a slight [...]

Dancing out of Captivity

| April 26, 2011

Share I was once at a wedding at which an incident occurred; in fact, it was more an event. The wedding breakfast was over and the music had begun. An older woman was there. She was a quiet person who kept to herself, a shy country woman who was invited because she was a next-door [...]

15 Signs You’re Dealing with One of God’s “Chosen”

| April 21, 2011

Share It seems that since the release of Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, other things have been released as well, namely an outbreak of very outspoken people who believe they are God’s chosen. As such, they have a mission to squash any person or argument that differs from their understanding of Jesus, God, man, sin, [...]

To Hell with My Kids?

| April 20, 2011

Share So my two oldest children are in a quandary. Our daughter is five and she went to a church where they told her (in her words) that bad people go “down there” to hell (pointing down to the center of the earth) and that good people go “up there” to heaven (pointing to the [...]

But The Greatest of These Is Truth…

| April 18, 2011

Share If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love Truth, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge love and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but [...]

The Hopeful Ending: The Runaways and Their Loving Mom

| April 18, 2011

Share First, Read the Tragic Version of this Story Here. What is the Kingdom of God like, you ask? A woman lived in rural central California. She was known for her kindness, generosity and love, but she was also fair and just. Her five children were normal kids, but the four youngest were known around [...]

Why Do We Lose Jesus if We Lose Hell?

| April 15, 2011

Share Why are Jesus and our traditional notion of Hell so intertwined? Why is it that if we lose Hell, Jesus becomes terribly pointless and ceases to matter? I mean after all, without Hell, what is the point of Jesus coming? What is the point of his life and teachings? What is the point of [...]

I’ll Take Door Number Three

| April 14, 2011

ShareI just read this comment on an Emergent Village blog post. Mike could not have said it any better. There seems to be three God’s preached in Christianity: “The god who wants the save the world but can’t. The god who can save the world but won’t. And the God who sent his son to [...]

The Runaways and Their Loving Mom

| April 11, 2011

Share What is the Kingdom of God like, you ask? A woman lived in rural central California. She was known for her kindness, generosity and love, but she was also fair and just. Her five children were normal kids, but the four youngest were known around town for their rebellious streaks. As a single mom, [...]

Setting the Stage for Conversation

| April 6, 2011

Share So a little about where I am approaching this conversation from. My goal is not to convince, change, prove or debate, just converse and share what I believe and how I see things. I am aware that we are coming at things from different angles, and I have peace with that. I respect your [...]

A Mother’s Hell

| November 3, 2010

Share If a mom is in heaven and her child is in hell, where is the first place she will go? How does this fit within our theology? How does this fit within our image of God?

A Faith-Filled Doubting Human Following Jesus

| August 27, 2009

Share Do you have 5-minutes? If so, I encourage you to watch this video. I have not watched something in a long time that personally resonated with me at this deep of a level. I hope it encourages your faith and gives you peace. So give it a peep … you’ll be glad you did. [...]