Does Jesus Want Me to Love My Frenemies?

Last updated on: December 31, 2024 at 12:57 pm By Gregory T. Smith

Can we disagree on fundamentally important issues, while remaining friends? Can we follow Jesus and still have enemies? What about frenemies? Now that the US election is over and the inauguration lies on the horizon, many progressive Christians sit in shock. Some are surprised because the American people have dashed their optimistic outlook. Naively, they believed that truth would win out in this election. Basic decency would triumph, they told themselves. Yet Jesus warned about people’s love growing cold. He... Read more

Jesus & Lao Tzu: How to Live Like a Sage

Last updated on: December 31, 2024 at 9:49 am By Gregory T. Smith

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Spiritual seekers need mystical models whose lives exemplify the qualities of a sage. Jesus and Lao Tzu demonstrate how to live in balance. Living like a sage might seem like a lofty goal. But Taoist and Christian teachers show it’s not so much a matter of attaining great heights as settling into the depths of Ultimate Being. You can live like a sage if you learn to be subtle, discerning, alert, courteous, fluid and receptive. The fifteenth verse of Lao... Read more

Dreams, Goals, & Plans Instead of New Year’s Resolutions

Last updated on: December 31, 2024 at 12:55 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Have you broken your New Year’s resolutions already? Better focus on dreams, goals, and plans instead of resolutions. What’s the difference? It’s easy to make a New Year’s resolution. Lots of people make them every year on December 31, then break them by January 2. How can you end the cycle of failed resolutions? Focus on dreams, goals, and plans instead. Resolutions are Re-Solutions By definition, a resolution is a re-solution. That means it’s a solution that you make... Read more

Christian & Pagan Holidays: We’re Not Too Cool for Yule

Last updated on: December 19, 2024 at 8:42 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Christians often claim a godless world has stolen the true meaning of Christmas. Funny—Pagans say Christians stole the true meaning of Yule. Over the past year, my series “Christian & Pagan Holidays” examined the relationship between sacred days in the first group’s liturgical calendar, and those in the second group’s wheel of the year. Some may call it appropriation—and that wouldn’t be incorrect. Others would name it stealing—and there would be some truth to that. But in this season of... Read more

Home for the Holidays: A Place for Everyone

Last updated on: October 13, 2024 at 7:44 am By Gregory T. Smith

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As family and friends come home for the holidays, our homes and churches should resemble Jesus’ house, with a place for everyone. Last month, I wrote about Jesus’ homecoming in Capernaum (Mark 2:1-12). So many people filled his house that there was no room left at the table, in the living room, or even at the door. So, some party crashers cut a hole in Jesus’ roof to get in. I wrote: Jesus is just in the middle of... Read more

Forgiving the Mess: How Jesus Redefines Homecoming

Last updated on: October 12, 2024 at 6:52 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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This time of year, many churches in the southern US open their doors for homecoming services. What was it like at Jesus’s homecoming? Homing services are a traditional Southern practice, where churches invite former pastors and evangelists to speak. They also invite people who have connections to the church yet have not attended in years. Coupled with lavish potluck meals, these special times are sort of like a combination of Back to Church Sunday and a good old family... Read more

Christian & Pagan Holidays: Michaelmas, Mabon, & Matthew

Last updated on: September 20, 2024 at 11:41 am By Gregory T. Smith

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This year, the Fall Equinox is September 22. Neopagans observe it as Mabon. Christians also observe Michaelmas and the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle. Breathe deeply this time of year, and you might just catch the scent of Autumn. Crisp morning air invites the mist to linger longer than it did in Summer’s heat. Borne on the fog, a hint of hearth fire reminds you of cozy days to come. But by midday the gloom has gone, shying away... Read more

Is It the Church’s Mission to Do Social Work?

Last updated on: September 11, 2024 at 6:19 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Should your church offer resources for mental & sexual health, & addiction recovery? I respond to objections to the Church doing social work. Harm Reduction Two recent articles I wrote about harm reduction generated an interesting comment. What is harm reduction? In my article, “Substance Use Harm Reduction: What Would Jesus Do?” I define harm reduction as “mitigating potential harms caused by risky behaviors.” HealthLink BC explains it further: Harm reduction is a public health approach to substance use (including... Read more

Trumpsters’ Trauma Response: Fight, Flight, Freeze, & Fawn

Last updated on: September 2, 2024 at 7:29 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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You’ve heard of the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn fear responses. Trump supporters demonstrate each of these. But what are they afraid of? It’s easy for liberals to become frustrated with conservatives. Especially when that conservatism turns to White Christian Nationalism and Trumpism. While you may disagree with their politics, it’s important to recognize that anger is fear turned outward. At its core, Trumpism utilizes fear as its greatest tool. Trump followers show signs of the fight, flight, freeze,... Read more

What is the Prayer of the Weaned Child?

Last updated on: September 15, 2024 at 7:56 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Shootings, elections, wars, and other unrest can lead to anxiety and fear. The Prayer of the Weaned Child can help you find peace. Many people I work with struggle with restless hearts and anxious minds. At times, we can collaborate and solve problems together. But on other occasions, those difficulties are more than we can solve. In those cases, what they need more than answers is peace. If I were a doctor, I could prescribe medication. But as a behavioral... Read more