Renaming God as Wellspring & Source

March 13, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

The Bible depicts God as a divine Wellspring, the Source of all that is. Renaming God as Wellspring and Source can lead to liberation. In this series, “Renaming God,” we discuss the benefits of finding alternative names for the Divine. For one thing, many people find traditional names for God difficult because of their cultural background, theological issues, religious trauma, or other reasons. Some people want to believe in God but feel they must abandon the language of patriarchy and... Read more

Missionaries Getting Squicky: Faith, Fashion & Appropriation

March 10, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Hudson Taylor said that Missionaries should live and dress like the people they seek to evangelize. Is this just squicky cosplay? I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church that elevated the idea of missionaries above all else. There almost seemed to be a hierarchy of Christians. Sure, you could respond to the Great Commission as an ordinary believer who occasionally invites others to church or tells them about Jesus. If you were really serious about saving the lost and... Read more

Jesus & Lao Tzu: When the Spiritual Life Feels Lonely

March 6, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Do you feel misunderstood because of your spirituality? When the spiritual life feels lonely, Jesus & Lao Tzu understand. Lao Tzu often writes about the difficult life of a sage. He suffers ridicule and feels he is blown by the wind. Or, at least, he is aware that people regard him as unstable. Yet, Lao knows that he possesses a sage’s wisdom. This insight comes from his ability to refrain from differentiating between yes and no, good and evil, light... Read more

Why Are Evangelicals Feeding the TikTok Croc?

March 3, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Feeding wild animals teaches them to treat you as a food source. Or as the food itself. So, why are Evangelicals feeding the TikTok Croc? On a recent vacation, our Mexican resort boasted wild monkeys, coatis, and crocodiles. The sign said not to feed the animals. We saw what happened when tourists ignored the signs and fed the monkeys and coatis. Those hungry creatures came to associate humans with food, accosting them from the restaurants to the beachfront. What would... Read more

Renaming God: The Way, The Tao, & New Perspectives

February 27, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Are old names for God limiting your faith? Renaming God as “The Way” and “The Tao” can open new spiritual insights. Why Would You Want to Rename God? Recently, I rewatched Stuart Hazeldine’s movie The Shack (2017), based on Wm. Paul Young’s novel of the same name. In this amazing story, Mack feels God has abandoned him. Because of his childhood trauma and a recent devastating loss, he misunderstands God’s nature. Instead of a loving parent, he views God as... Read more

Jesus & Lao Tzu: When Good Intentions Go Awry

February 24, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Jesus and Lao Tzu warn against good intentions like knowledge, wisdom, charity, and righteousness. They can go awry. Curious? Keep reading… Even the things that seem like virtues can sidetrack faithful people. Similar to the last verse of Lao Tzu’s writing, verse nineteen addresses people’s inclination to sacrifice the best on the altar of the good. The sage contrasts the seeming virtues of knowledge and wisdom with the simplicity he invites you to embrace. Next, he places charity, righteousness, and... Read more

What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?

February 20, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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What’s on your bucket list? In just a few days, I will achieve a lifelong goal and visit Mayan ruins. What do you want to do before you die? In the city where I work many businesses decorate the outer walls of their buildings with interesting murals. One has taken a different route, covering their parking lot-adjacent wall with a single writer’s prompt. The wall leaves lots of room for the public to fill in the blanks with chalk. The... Read more

Love Knows No Borders: Walls, Deportations, & Tariffs

February 17, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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I live on one side of the US/Canada border and work on the other. Because of my commute, people often ask about my border experience. I think about borders more than most people. I am an American, living in Canada. Growing up in the US South, I never thought anyone would call me a Yankee. But up here I get it a lot, mostly with good-natured ribbing. Honestly, though, I don’t see much difference from one country to the next.... Read more

Jesus & Lao Tzu: Don’t Exchange the Best for the Good

February 13, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Christians spend so much energy trying to live right! But are we exchanging the best for the good? What’s better than righteous living? Jesus and Lao Tzu agree: the best thing is to quit trying to live right. That’s because, when we try to live right, we trade perfection for mere performance. Verse eighteen of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching disturbs many Christians who believe they can cultivate godly virtue through rule-following. These scrupulous believers give up the best thing... Read more

Renaming God Can Rescue Your Floundering Faith Today

February 10, 2025 By Gregory T. Smith

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Too often, people abandon spirituality because Christians give God a bad name. But renaming God can rescue a floundering faith. “God” Doesn’t Work for Everyone Unfortunately, God doesn’t work for everyone. What I mean is, that the word “God” doesn’t resonate with many people anymore. Each person who has given up on a traditional Judeo-Christian concept of God has their reasons. Some have suffered emotional abuse and physical violence in God’s name. For others, God is too tied together with... Read more