Posts in Personal, Religion
Taking it seriously (8)
What does it mean to act like God actually meant what he said?
What if believing isn’t the point? (5)
What if the wide path and the narrow path don’t mean what most of us think they mean?
clearing logs from the river, only to miss the dam (2)
I’m often told (by folks that read this) that I’m too hard on myself. And for years I’ve countered that internally with the thought that I’m probably not hard enough.
But maybe everyone’s right and I’m wrong.
I’ve written ad nauseum about my problems, my shortcomings, my character flaws, my imperfections. I’ve publicly berated myself for them, […]
Accountability (1)
I’m tired of being unaccountable for my actions.
I’m tired of living in a culture that tells me it’s okay, I can do what I want. I’m tired of being told that everything is subjective, tired of being told that I can rationalize away my worst thoughts and deeds. I’m tired of being able to chalk […]
Villains (6)
When you’re in elementary school, you start a club. A spy club, or a ninja club, or a boys club or a treehouse club. And in doing so you create your own little world, something you identify with. You and your select group of friends who are in your club suddenly have something that other […]
Simplicity (3)
Simplicity is a difficult thing to come by. We live fragmented, disjointed lives, always running from something, to something. We’re trying to get more and more done with less and less time. It’s an impossible race that leaves us tired, empty, drained.
We as a society love to prize the man or woman who can do […]
the invisible man (1)
I have always had a problem with trying to do big, important things.
It’s not a problem in that it often works – for whatever reason, many projects I’ve undertaken have been successful for just this reason. But it’s a problem because I’m often closing a door to the mundane as a result.
We as a people […]
Free Lunch (2)
With the wedding and my upcoming move to Chicago, I’ve been worried a lot about money lately. This week I resolved to not spend any money eating out.
This afternoon, as I was sitting in a Starbucks, I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. A few minutes after I realized I was pretty hungry, […]
Makes you want to be an Athiest (2)
For all my character flaws, I feel as though I’m generally a pretty good natured guy. But these past few weeks I’ve been extremely angry.
The majority of clients we work with are fantastic - good natured, easy going, and excited to be collectively striving to acheive a shared goal. But once in a while you […]
How to have a successful relationship (2)
I have plenty of theories about what makes a relationship work and what doesn’t (in college, I wrote a book on the subject and sold it to guys for $50 on the Internet. Sold nine copies…I think my mom still keeps them in her basement.)
But if I had to say there was one rule that […]
Bono’s a wise man… (0)
One of the more interesting reads I’ve had in a while. Thanks Julie…
Everything I know about original sin I learned in diapers (1)
On those rare occasions when I find myself in a conversation about the inherent goodness of people, I like to talk about kids.
I went back to Colorado again this past weekend to look for wedding sites. While we were back there we spent some time with my parents, and they ended up showing Michelle a […]
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The season of giving is supposedly upon us, but as in years past I’m a bit of a humbug. It seems as though I’m not alone.
I’ve been witness to a number of conversations in the past week or so about panhandlers and the things they do to ‘trick us’ out of our hard-earned money. We’re […]
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The Bible is just a crutch. God is a belief system that man created to make ourselves feel better. We like to be drawn into a story, and that’s what this old book is - a story. Passed down from generation to generation, probably embellished and changed as the years have passed. It’s a myth, […]
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I had a very interesting conversation with a coworker the other night. It started with a conversation about job stuff but quickly turned into a talk about the meaning of life (it’s officially a trend.) I explained to her why I see us not as evil people but broken people who are missing something very […]
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Had an interesting conversation with a budding improv comedian and weekend philosopher last night. The conversation was over drinks, and as such it jumped from topic to topic every 15 seconds or so. But looking back it seems the heart of the conversation was about meaning.
My friend asserted that by focusing on meaning (referring to […]
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You’d be amazed at how many people get upset when they learn that I really don’t care about the whole evolution vs. creationism thing.
My Christian friends wonder how I can not care about a debate that is so pivotal to the “Christian cause.” They wonder how something as big and important as the origin of […]
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This is the fourth in a series of posts on building a personal sanctuary. You can find the introduction here.
Cultivating Silence
Eventually, you reach a dry spot. You find yourself at a place where it’s impossibly tough to break through the curtain - you believe in God, you trust that He is loving and wants the […]
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This is the third in a series of posts on building a personal sanctuary. You can find the introduction here.
If there is one thing that has kept people from praying, it’s the fact that the relationship is so often missing from the message. We know we’re to pray when we’ve screwed up or when […]
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There is a school of thought that is extremely pervasive in the world, Christian and otherwise. For most people who would call themselves “spiritual,” life is divided into their thought or spiritual life…and everything else.
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Anyone who knows me knows how difficult it has been for me to progress as a Christian.
After college, there was a six month period of time where I experienced explosive growth - if not in deed at least in thought. Things that were once abstract and hard to comprehend were opened up in my […]
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I saw Deep Blue last night. What an amazing movie…
I found myself confronted by a strange truth as I was enjoying this film. Watching what must represent some of the most jaw-dropping underwater footage ever recorded, I continually thought to myself, “Man, God is so amazing to have created all of this!”
This awe was tempered […]
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I’ve got all these opportunities for spiritual nourishment. I’ve got dozens of translations of the Bible online or in a store. I’ve got all these churches, all these small groups. All these bookstores, all these books, cds, radio programs, retreats, conferences.
In this culture of abundance, I have so many opportunities.
And how do I respond to […]
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‘God is love.’
‘God is big.’
‘God is everywhere.’
‘God is us.’
‘God is dead.’
‘I have no idea.’
What is God like? What would you say if someone were to ask you?
The typical response would probably be something like, “I’m not sure.” And, of course, with that response would come an air of indifference. Like it’s not that important. Like […]
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There is no defense for the unguarded moment.
I’ve long believed that we decieve ourselves when we call ourselves good. We all like to believe that there is immense evil in this world, that terrible things are done by terrible people. We throw Saddam into that list, perhaps the President, and often our boss or coworkers.
But […]
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My business partner was telling me about a movie he saw that showed how they farm chickens these days.
The chickens grow up in the cages. Their beaks are burned off. They never walk, never move. And then they’re killed. Sent to us, and we eat them. That’s their life.
For some reason, as he was telling […]
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“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship….There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to […]
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What is it about our greatness that frightens us so much?
It’s a question that has been nagging me for a very long time now. For years, I’ve looked at people who have had so much potential, and without fail have chosen to take a path of mediocrity. It makes me so sad.
I recently hit a […]
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A utopian society does not exist. Never will.
Activists and intellectuals have talked for centuries about the promise of a utopia. They’ve talked about a city on a hill, shining as a glorious testament to mankind’s achievements and successes. They’ve talked of a perfect world where man’s faults have been removed and our inner goodness finally […]
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Imagine a trial in which a serial killer was convicted. Before the judge handed down the sentence (which would surely be death,) someone ran into the courtroom and said they wanted to take the man’s place. Though they didn’t know the man, they wanted the man to be able to go free and they to […]
