Dad and A Dime Today is Father’s Day and my heart is filled with thoughts of a black Irish man with jet black hair and a red beard. I haven’t had dad here for over ten years. My dad used to save every dime he got in change and would put them into a rather large old wine bottle. When it was full he would cash it in to the tune of five hundred or so dollars. Dimes in Unlikely... Read more
Abortion Talk I had a young lady come into my life twenty years or so ago. I loved her like a daughter. She was precious to me and endeared to my heart. There were many times that we enjoyed just talking to the world. During those special moments, we never had a conversation about abortion that I recall. We would later, and my heart would break over it. It would also gradually change my black and white stance about abortion... Read more
Pride Because Beatings This week, a gay couple was riding a bus in London, they were holding hands. They weren’t discussing Straight Pride. One of them was on a sabbatical for medical studies. These weren’t “butchy” women looking for a fight. The men began taunting them, wanting them to kiss each other for their entertainment. The scene exploded into violence and before they knew it, their blood was spilled. Pride for the Oppressed This week has been a loud one... Read more
God Made Me Gay Whenever I say, “God made me gay” it is a provocation of those who hold prejudice toward my “kind”. I have said it on Facebook and an explosion of judgmental criticism erupted. It offends those whose religion has taught them that who I am and consequently what I do is a “sin”. Ignorance is often the root cause of their revulsion. I am saddened by this, but their “choice” to believe belongs to them and I... Read more
Suffering for Jesus Suffering for Jesus was something I was well acquainted with. I suffered for Jesus by serving in every area of our church without recognition. Giving years to an organization like a church is something we are supposed to do thankfully, in service to God. In Christianity, they call it your “reasonable service”. It’s what we tell ourselves when we’re cleaning bathrooms, sitting in the camera booth or trying to manage sixteen screaming children. We all are supposed... Read more
“Kindness is a currency that, when spent, buys more than money can..PK Langley” Kindness Opportunity He came into my office for an assessment, a young white kid in need of kindness. I got the impression that his whole life was in that black wore out backpack of his. Those dark brown eyes were almost black, and conveyed an emptiness that seemed impenetrable. I felt no hostility from him and I’m always watching and listening for any signs of danger. He... Read more
Scapegoats A scapegoat is essential in human culture. It’s the guy who gets blamed for things that happen, so we all feel better. It’s the person or thing that gets all the rage, all the hatred and malice. One of the most famous scapegoats was that poor ram in the story of Abraham. God asks Abraham to stab to death his only son, the promised son. The kid Abraham had waited on to carry on his lineage, something that was... Read more
Giving From the Heart When I was a senior pastor, we told people that their giving should only be to the church. If people gave to the poor, they were irresponsible. Everyone knows that if you give to someone on the corner, they are going to buy booze with the money, or drugs. I believe when you tell people what to do, they stop listening to that still small voice. They stop giving, except to the church. Pockets “Check your... Read more
Happy Birthday Today would have been my father’s 75th birthday. It’s been twelve years this year and it still feels like yesterday when he died of a heart attack. There are parts of me that feel like it’s been forever since he died. It was during those first thirty days after my father passed that my deconstruction began. A Clash of Faith I was a senior pastor when my father died in a bathtub after helping my brother cut up an... Read more
Frustrated Grace
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Religious Focus
Religious Legalism Plenty of volley’s fly back and forth across the religious legalistic net. Debate rages on for who is right, and who is wrong according to their religious stance. People picket abortion clinics and gay pride parades to point the proverbial “sinner finger” at those they believe are doing wrong. I want to propose to you that this isn’t the good news that we should be sharing. Religious Sin Police The policing of sin abounds for those who believe... Read more