Excerpt from the book Campfires in the Desert: A Deconstruction Travel Guide Copyright © 2025 by Karl Forehand Learn to be Where You Are (Presence) “The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future.” – Eckhart Tolle Ms. Beaty was one of my favorite teachers. Back then, teachers took attendance by calling each student’s name and asking them to respond with “here” or “present.” Although both responses indicated the same thing, we now recognize that they... Read more
Excerpt from the book Campfires in the Desert: A Deconstruction Travel Guide Copyright © 2025 by Karl Forehand Get Away from Your Trauma “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.” – Peter A. Levine When I first stepped away from the pulpit and my role as a pastor, my immediate reaction was to seek solace in a larger church. I soon began searching for ways to reconnect with ministry experiences. Yet,... Read more
Excerpt from the book Campfires in the Desert: A Deconstruction Travel Guide Copyright © 2025 by Karl Forehand Getting Out of Survival Mode “You are not lazy, unmotivated, or stuck. After years of living your life in survival mode, you are exhausted. There is a difference.” – Nakia Homer After leaving religion, I quickly realized that I had unresolved traumas I didn’t know how to face. For 20 years, we operated at full throttle, striving to do “God’s work” as... Read more
Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book was created for you. As a former pastor, I made the mistake of deconstructing a bit and then trying to start something new, as I was trained to do. The problem with that approach is that I wasn’t ready to begin something new. I hadn’t delved deeply enough or asked enough questions. The first stage of deconstruction typically includes assessing our beliefs regarding hell and... Read more
After spending several years in the deconstruction world, I benefited from the wisdom of those who traversed it and eventually realized what I shouldn’t do. As in many instances before, pastors and ministry workers demonstrated the lesson of what NOT to do. I am part of this indictment because I was also a former pastor. I will share the mistakes I made that led me to write this book and provide insights on a better way to proceed. When... Read more
A Course Correction for Deconstructing Evangelicals “You are not lazy or unmotivated or stuck. After years of living your life in survival mode, you feel exhausted. There’s a difference.” – Nakia Homer After leaving religion, I quickly realized that I had unresolved traumas I didn’t know how to face. For 20 years, we operated at full throttle, striving to do “God’s work” as if Jesus were returning tomorrow. We acknowledged our issues while also recognizing the efforts we needed to... Read more
Two years ago, I felt like I had stumbled into a nightmare within The New Evangelicals community group. My friend told me about the situation and began sharing information that various people had kept hidden, which led to other details that had been printed and preserved for many years. These receipts involved someone named Tony Jones, and an incident from around 2009 was later amplified when many acted incorrectly in 2015 after Tony’s issues resurfaced. We discussed it in... Read more
“Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.” – Paul Tillich We used to advise young married couples, “If you can’t be alone, you shouldn’t be together.” This conveys that understanding our identity and self-awareness is essential before merging our lives with others. Being comfortable with solitude doesn’t mean we are loners or dislike socializing; rather, it signifies that we can engage in meaningful activities independently during quiet moments. Instead of seeking... Read more
“Like a Fish, Standing on the Beach”[1] This phrase is the title of an episode of Rob Bell’s podcast, The Robcast. In it, he asks, “In the home you grew up in, did you hear the message, ‘Life is an adventure you’re invited to experience’ or ‘Life is a burden to bear’?” Reflecting on this question enables us to evaluate whether we are still affected by negative environmental messages. To move forward, our perspective is vital for uncovering new insights... Read more
“Immutability means God does not change in any way; He is unchanging and, for that reason, perfect in every way.” ~Gospel coalition The universe is continuously changing, mainly because it is always expanding. This indicates that galaxies are moving farther apart over time, and this expansion is even accelerating due to a mysterious force known as dark energy. Molecules are in constant motion—vibrating, rotating, and translating. Their positions and orientations continuously change because of their thermal energy. This movement... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In