“And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire.” – Jesus [Mark 9:47-49] Yes, according to Jesus, and also to the Apostle Paul [and most of the early Church Fathers for the first 500 years of Church History], EVERYONE will... Read more
We’re only on week 2 of our journey from Deconstruction to Reconstruction over at Square 1 and already I’m amazed at how wonderful it is. On our first video conference call last weekend, I listened to people share their hearts with one another and the most amazing thing was this: They were mostly concerned about not disrupting the faith journey of those around them. That was seriously beautiful. Yes, our group is focused on learning how to move from... Read more
I know I’ve written about this topic once before, but I really felt like this was something I needed to talk about once again. There’s a modern worship song that drives me crazy. I mean, most of the song is fine, but there’s this one section that says over and over, “You’re never gonna let…You’re never gonna let me down…”, and I’m here to tell you, loud and clear: Yes, God will absolutely let you down, so you better... Read more
Some of us may find it hard to believe, but we humans really do need one other to thrive. Now, some of us may claim that we’re lone wolves and mavericks who don’t need other people and who get along better on our own, or what have you, but the truth is, we really are wired for community. I can remember way back when I had graduated college and taken a new job that moved me from Texas to... Read more
Moving sucks. But, you already knew that, I’m sure. Wendy and I moved to Boise, Idaho a year ago. We left behind our house church family, our two sons in college, and 25 years of our life in Southern California to take a new job that seemed too good to be true. [It was]. So, since January of this year I’ve been focused on growing my freelance copywriting business, writing and publishing two new books, starting online courses based... Read more
It’s one of the weirdest verses in the entire Bible. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy and reminds him to encourage women in Ephesus not to adorn their hair, or to wear expensive clothing, and then after saying he won’t permit a woman to teach drops this bomb: “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” [1 Tim. 2:15] Uhm….what now? Before I go into what this verse actually means, I have to stop... Read more
As I’ve been continually researching the idea of Reconstruction, one thing I’ve become convinced of is that rewiring our brains is critical to successfully moving from darkness to light in this process. We’ve already looked at how important it is to admit that we’ve been hurt, and to work on practicing forgiveness for those who have wounded us, but the other essential element for our healing and freedom involves learning to be grateful. Yes, an attitude of gratitude is key... Read more
When you demolish a building you take everything down to the foundation and stop. At least, that’s what you do if you plan to rebuild a brand-new structure in the same spot. For those who have deconstructed their Christian faith, finding that foundation can be challenging. Sometimes it can feel as if you’re just pounding rocks in the darkness. One day you look around and realize that you’ve torn everything down to dirt beneath the foundation because you weren’t sure... Read more
Deconstructing our faith is a necessary part of growing in maturity and refining our faith in Christ. To truly embrace Christ, we need to first eliminate all the toxic baggage and man-made hierarchy built on fear and control that has twisted and distorted our ability to see and experience God properly. But there is one thing even worse than the controlling fear-based Christianity we’re deconstructing out of – Toxic Reconstruction. Yes, it’s a real thing. Toxic Reconstruction is when... Read more
When it comes to Reconstruction, don’t accept any substitutes. Don’t settle for less. Don’t give up because it’s starting to get hard. Don’t tell yourself that what you’ve got is “good enough” and stop working towards actual, true and authentic freedom from every last shred of toxic Christianity. I know too many people who have stopped short of actual Reconstruction and it’s nearly more depressing than watching someone endure the pain of an un-deconstructed Christian faith. Almost. Usually, those who... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In