Today There are three big things in my cultural-religious mind going on today. Today is St Patrick’s Day. It is also Lent. And it’s Israeli Election Day. First, St. Patricks’s Day. With a maiden name like Riley O’Brien, each year on this day I try to feel a sense of connection to my Irish roots. And I never do. I’ve never been to Ireland and I don’t even drink. Instead, observance of St Patricks Day for me is usually something closer to shuffling into... Read more
I recently gave a talk during a retreat weekend about agape, the unconditional love of God. As I prepared this talk, I realized this was the core of everything I’d ever want to say about God and the life of faith up to this point in my life. Here is a modified version of what I shared. Agape is the unconditional love and acceptance of God. It has saved me and continues to save me. I’m going to be vulnerable... Read more
Spoiler Alert: If you are a huge Star Wars fan and are currently watching or plan to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix, this does contain a spoiler about Ashoka (Ah-sew-kah) Tano and the end of Season 5. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Ashoka Tano is a blue and white haired alien that is apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth Vader). The Clone Wars series takes place between... Read more
From a 7 minute slideshow presentation given at Christianity 21 in Phoenix, 2015, by progressive religionist, Pamela Chaddock. The term ‘apocalypse’ makes me think of Tony Jones. Well, that’s because at last year’s Christianity 21 in Denver, Tony Jones inspired me with his talk about apocalypse. He dismissed the prevalent definition of “catastrophic destruction” for the original meaning – to “uncover, disclose, reveal”. Tony described the book of revelation as “a fulcrum or pivot-point between a past-and-known orientation and some... Read more
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.[a] Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1: 16-18 Have you ever noticed how we speak about... Read more
This post is prompted by a number of things that have left me pondering how as Christians we are to bring about change in our churches. When we strongly believe in an issue of justice and yet find that opposed. It is one thing to fight for justice against a government or institution, but what if the struggle is within your own institution? Indeed among the very people who share the faith that inspires our desire to see change? When... Read more
Because everything that comes before the empty tomb? That’s what I’m interested in. That’s what I find remarkable and compelling. A man walking around in Patriarchy Central talking about radical acceptance, non-violence, love of neighbor, and deeply undercutting the exchange paradigm. Someone courageous enough to say what needs to be said even though it will certainly antagonize those in power to a point well beyond dangerous. I’m interested in a guy who calls God “Abba.” I’m interested in a man who will walk calmly toward a horrible death to remain true to his vision of what God wants from his life. Read more
Happy March. Here’s a poem for you. SWAY I like talking in tongues, painting in acrylic, petting my dog in the warm sun of midday, serving the poor, being the hands and feet, and following that Jesus Way. I cuss some, and moonshine is alright, I sound like a sailor and I read my bible by the candlelight, Sometimes in the cool of day, you can find me on my front port- SWAY SWAY ... Read more
I am a mess. I’ll take “This is not news” for 500, Alex. But for real, though, my life is absolute chaos. I run between being a full-time seminary student, a part-time web designer, a writer, a wife, a mom-to-be, and what feels like eight million other things during every moment of my life. And I have a feeling this isn’t exceptional–most of you probably feel the same way. And yet, for some inconceivable notion, I have a Pinterest account. Why?... Read more
This year started out with a sense of possibility. I had friends stay over from Argentina, it had been 15 years of not sharing a meal together. We shared a year together as missionaries in Bogotá in 1998, we shared so much more, we were revolutionaries – “guerrilleros” for Christ. We had small kids and had no boundaries and how far we would go to share Christ as we knew him. Late nights every night, gave so much... Read more
Emergent Village
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In