What I’d like to say to the people of Westboro Baptist Church:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43...

But they wouldn't listen anyway. "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8

God is love.

God IS love.

God is LOVE!

Peace, Love, Coexist

My Head Hurts

Recently, in trying to research what I believe (that sounds a bit absurd already) I've had all these new terms thrown at me... Emerging Christians (or is it emergent?) neo-charismatic, radical center (I kind of like that one), substitutionary atonement... My head is spinning.

While I really admire theologians for all their hard brain-work, I'm not a theologian; I'm a pretty simple-minded human. Sometimes I just want to curl up under the sheets and forget about it all.

Meanwhile, I'll just do the best I can: love God and love my neighbor, as the Bible says to do. (Luke 10:27) Some days that's all I can do.

Am I wrong? Will I go to hell if I don't understand the nature of the Trinity? I don't think so. I don't think God expects us to fully understand Him. After all, He's bigger than we are.

Peace, Love, Hope

A Third View on the "Gay Issue."

I've decided it’s time for me to come out of the closet. This is really hard, because I haven't spoken to another person with my problem. (I feel so alone.)

See… I'm gay-neutral. There, I said it. I just don't think my opinion of gays really matters. It seems like every other person on this earth feels the need to LOUDLY voice his or her personal opinion. I don't. My opinion about your personal life (Is it a sin? Is it a choice?) doesn't matter.

I'm afraid that by my silence I've given the wrong impression. Because I'm an environmentalist, people might think I'm ultra-liberal and therefore pro-gay.

Because I'm a Christian, People might think I'm ultra conservative and anti-gay.

I'm neither. I'm pro-love.

Since I'm gay-neutral, I am in favor of legalizing gay marriage. It’s not up to me to decide if two people who love each other should be married. Why should I decide?

Look around. Some of these couples have been together for decades. They're living their lives, keeping jobs, sometimes raising children, whether I acknowledge it or not. Anti-gay laws do nothing whatsoever to promote my "family values." In the state where I live, legal gay marriage has flip-flopped from illegal to legal back to illegal, and in my house I couldn't tell the difference.

I do have one thing to say, though:

I am passionately, vehemently, anti-hate, anti-bullying, anti-holier-than-thou.

Some people would say this isn’t the Christian way to believe. Wrong. I believe this way BECAUSE I am a Christian. Jesus, when He said "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone" (John 8:7) meant that no one should bully another person. No one should oppress another person. Ever. For any reason.

This is an issue I am not neutral on!

Ashamed to be a Christian?

If you're a Christian, is it your goal to spread the Good News?

That's the message of the Great Commision; Jesus' words to His disciples not long before he ascended into heaven: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28: 19-20

For the sake of simplicity, I'll assume that this was directed not only at the eleven remaining disciples, but at all Christians.

So how, as a Christian, do I spread the Good News? In a nutshell, I believe the "Good News" is the message of Jesus, his atoning death on the cross and his resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the promise and hope of salvation for the faithful.

Let me try two ways of proclaiming, and let's see how it might sound to nonbelievers...

"I'm not ashamed to be a Christian. Look at me! Look at meee!!!"

or...

"Here, you look like you're in need. Let me help you. By the way, when I was in need, Jesus gave me hope. I'd like to tell you more as we get to know each other."

The term "I am not ashamed" is a direct quote from the Bible:
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Romans 1:16
(Gospel = Good News = Promise and hope of salvation)

But when I hear a Christian say "I'm not ashamed" nowadays, it seems to be a challenge, and it isn't a pleasant one. It means that if I disagree with this person's politics, I'm not a good Christian. I don't walk in lock-step with any political party, left or right. Does that make me a bad Christian? I hope not. Because I avoid people who really only want to draw attention to themselves. I'm attracted to people who gently point the way to God.

No, I'm not ashamed of the Good News! Sometimes, though, I'm ashamed of the way some Christians act. I fear they're building themselves up rather than pointing the way to God.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:11

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. " Galatians 5:22-23

I'm sure there are many ways to spread the Good news. I've chosen mine. For me, it's not brazenly arguing politics. If other Christians think that means I'm "ashamed," they'll have to deal with it.

Peace, Love, Gentleness

And They'll Know We are Christians by Our... Hate?

When I was in college, my church group sang this song a lot. If you've never heard it, it has been performed beautifully by Jars of Clay.

We are One in The Spirit,

We are One in The Lord.

We are One in The Spirit,

We are One in The Lord.

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.

And they'll know we are Christians by our love,

By our Love,

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other,

We will work side by side.

We will work with each other,

We will work side by side.

And we'll guard each man's dignity

And save each man's pride.

We will walk with each other,

We will walk hand in hand.

We will walk with each other,

We will walk hand in hand.

And together we'll spread the News

that God is in our land.

But how true is it? Are Christians today "known by our love?" When I think of Christians in the media, here's what comes to mind for me:

• Picketing funerals,
• Burning holy books of other faiths,
• Gloating over natural disasters,
• Squabbling about evolution vs. Creationism,
• Condemning gay marriage,
• Judging the poor and/or unemployed as unworthy.

Um... I'm not feelin' the love here. None of this brings to mind anything like love. In fact, Christians today are known for our HATE. Is that really what we want?

Christians, reread 1 Corinthians 13. The first sentence, in case you've forgotten, is: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

I want to give credit where credit is due: This song was written by Peter Scholtes with additional words and music by Carolyn Arends

Peace, Love, Unity

Today is my 25th Wedding Anniversary

So...

How did we stay married so long?

First of all, let me get one thing straight: It wasn’t because either my husband or I have any sort of super-human strength. It wasn’t because we don’t fight. (Oh, yes, we fight.) And it wasn’t because we know something the rest of the world doesn’t. Or maybe we do…

We started by saying “we” instead of “me.” Unfortunately, in our society, people value independence far more than interdependence. We live in an era of prenuptial agreements and separate bank accounts. We value “rugged individualism” far more than teamwork. We admire to “mavericks” and “self-made men.”

But no one is completely “self-made.” That’s an illusion. It’s not a weakness to admit you need help; it’s a strength.

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

In a working marriage, two people don’t tear each other down; we lift each other up.

We don’t compete; we cooperate.

We don’t point out each other’s flaws; we celebrate each other’s strengths.

Most of all, our marriage is not of two, but of three. There are times when both my husband and I are too weak or (I’ll admit it) self-absorbed to see things clearly. Frankly, neither of us is strong enough to hold it together in tough times. That’s when we depend on God to hold us together.

Peace, Love, Teamwork

My Favorite Bible Passage

So, I took the summer off. Lots to do and all that. I didn't stop thinking. I just didn't write it down.

1 Corinthians 13

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹²For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

What if we look at it the other way? What's less important than love?

Speaking in tongues: not so important.

Prophesy: not so important.

Knowledge: not so important.

Faith: not so important.

Giving to the poor: not so important.

Enduring hardship: not so important.

It's not that these things are unimportant, not at all! But without love, they're... all... empty. Love must be the driving force behind what you do, or you're just making noise. And if your driving force is hatred - hatred of people different from yourself, of sinners, of gays, of politicians, of Muslims... - It can't be love.

If it's not... maybe it's time to have an honest talk with God and ask him to tell you why.

Who Killed Jesus? I Did.

On what we now call Palm Sunday, (Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19), Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. The common folk celebrated, but the Religious officials of their day (the Pharisees) grumbled. The Romans threw them a bone; they allowed the little parade to happen.
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew how weak and how fickle His followers really were. In Luke 19:41 as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he looked at the city and wept over it, foretelling the suffering that awaited the city. But he accepted their Hosannas. He knew they were going to kill him -- They didn't even know! -- and He loved them anyway!

The Jews and the Romans were deeply divided over what to do with Jesus. To the Jews, He was supposed to be a great leader. He was suppose to make everything better… to fix the government. (And boy, it was a mess.) Some Jews wanted Him to get on with it already and take His rightful place as King. Those in leadership wanted to get rid of him ASAP. Everybody had their own opinion. Everybody had their own agenda.

Less than one week later they were united in one cause… to make sure He died.

I don’t want to be like that; so sure of myself, and so caught up in my emotions, that I crucify the very God I profess to love. I get caught up in my little agendas all the time. (At best, mine tend to relate to my “shopping list” of prayers. At worst, they relate to things I have no business in, such as my opinion of Quran-burners and whether gays should be allowed to marry.) I pray that I can set these things aside and listen to what God's agenda is:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

Let’s not be united in a cause that crucifies Jesus.

Peace, love, and Hosannah.

Am I Gonna Get Hit By Lightning?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

If I admit that I feel doubt will I get scratched out of the book of life? (Rev. 20:15) If I ask questions, do I make God mad? If I get mad at God, does he reject me?

I hope not. Because I do all those things, every day. I really don’t have any choice. Thoughts and doubts pop into my head all the time. Call them the devil if you want. That’s fine. The devil has a firm hold on this world, and I’m in this world (if not of it,) so I can’t avoid the devil. Here are a Christian's choices, as far as I see:

1. Pretend I don’t feel doubt (Contradictions? La la la not listening!) and hide in the crowd of “happy” Christians. (They’re all happy? All the time? What’s wrong with me?)


2. Reject a God who usually appears to be hateful or, at best, uncaring. I’ve been an agnostic, but I’ve never fully turned my back on God. I was more like a teenager who says “I hate you!” to her parents when she doesn’t get her way.


3. Keep praying, keep listening, keep reading, keep asking questions. And, yeah, keep doubting.

I’m not sure if I’ll get the answers to those questions. I often say jokingly that when I get to the pearly gates, I’m going to have a looong list, though. (#1 on the list is “If You’re all-loving, [1 John 4:8] why do you allow suffering?”) Other questions, like “What were Dinosaurs doing in a 6000-year-old world?” aren’t even on my radar. So what? What does that have to do with the way I live today? I think one of the worst things we do as Christians is making up our own answers to our questions, just to make ourselves feel better. That leads to silly answers, like “dinosaur bones were put in the ground to confuse non-believers.” (WHAT? God is TRYING to lead people astray?)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

A friend of mine says, “If God can handle anything, He can handle my silly little doubts. He can handle my questions. He can even handle my temper tantrums.” The important thing is to trust Him anyway. If I feel questions arise (and I do!) I turn them over to Him. Sometimes I even get answers! God loves me and I love God. Now the important thing is to spread that love. I don’t want to just tell about it. God wants me to pass it on.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Peace, Love, Trust

Please Don’t Make Me Look Stupid

“Tide goes in, tide goes out. No miscommunication!”

If you don't know, that’s what Bill O’Reilly said. Bill is a political pundit with a show on Fox, who likes to argue and browbeat people who disagree with him. Apparently he was proving the existence of God to an atheist. He said it with such a smug attitude – and his argument is sooo dumb – that it went viral. People who don’t watch his show (like me) got to see Bill O’Reilly make a laughingstock of Christianity.

So, what was Bill trying to say? Science doesn’t explain everything, therefore there has to be a God. Is that it, Bill? Okaaaay. I get it now! I’m convinced. Jesus is Lord. I’m ready to be saved. Just pray the sinner’s prayer with me and I’m good.
No?
Why not?
The moon pulls the tides, says Bill, and we can’t explain the moon. No miscommunication. And furthermore, you're a pinhead for pointing that out! I’m convinced now! I feel so humble.
Wait.
We can explain the moon? (And the two moons of Mars?) It’s got something to do with gravity, or so I’ve heard. Einstein and Kepler and some other smart guys worked out a lot of equations, and they had lots of numbers in them, and – I admit it – I believe them. Sometimes it’s okay just to trust that scientists know stuff.
Hmmm.
Okay, now what?
A lot of scientific facts can be explained, well, scientifically. As a Christian, that doesn’t bother me. See, that’s what science is about; explaining things. Faith is about those things that can’t be explained. Faith in God is about our relationship with God (as opposed to, say, tides). I think many Christians today don’t get that. They want to argue science with scientists. What they should be doing is shining the light.

...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

As a Christian, I actually understand what Bill was trying to get at. (For someone who talks so much, he manages to say very little.) Ultimately, if you look deep enough, science doesn’t explain everything. Atheists would say we just haven’t figured it out yet. Christians would say that if we go deep enough, we’ll find God.
But is that what the world is yearning for? Scientific proof of the existence of God?

See, it’s not the stupidity of Bill’s statements that gets to me. It’s his smug attitude. If I were an atheist, I wouldn’t want to know God based on Bill’s little diatribe. The God I know is loving, forgiving, and kind. The God I know is someone I can turn to when I’m unhappy, who loves me and gives me peace. For me this didn’t happen overnight. It’s taken me a long time to trust God and to find His peace. It’s been worth it. If you're not there yet, I'm not going to call you names, or to bully you into agreeing with me. The God I know doesn't think you're a pinhead.

This is what I think about when I think of God:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 1 John 14:27

Peace, love, faith

Adam's Navel, and What It Means to Me

When Adam was made by God (Genesis 2:7) he must not have had a belly-button, right? (After all, he didn't have a mom.) This must be VERY important. Scholars have actually STUDIED this phenomenon.

This is the online diary of an ordinary Christian. I believe everyone has full access to God's mind; not just priests, pastors and Bible experts. But God's written word, the Bible, is big and (admit it) often difficult to understand. I'm not saying I have the answers... I'm just exploring.

So, is Adam's navel worth contemplating? I think Christians often get sidetracked by unimportant (yes, that's what I said) issues like the exact age of the earth (Yawn...) when we should be discussing real issues, like how to love our neighbor. Some Christians say that to believe the Bible, you have to believe ALL of it - literally. And it often seems like this is the MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE of the Bible! Is it?

I'll have to think about this some more. Let me get back to you... (Hey, look! Lint!)


Peace, Love, Omphaloskepsis

Why Jesus Broke the Law

Jesus purposely broke the laws of his day. (By laws, I mean religious statutes.) Why?

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
Matthew 12 1-13

Why did He do this?
First, He was showing us that He's God. As God, He could do as he pleased. This drove the Pharisees crazy!
I also think he meant to show us that we have a bad habit of making the LAWS more important than the PEOPLE they’re meant for. He didn't break laws haphazardly or selfishly. He always did something good. He fed and healed, and saved. Isn't that MORE IMPORTANT than the laws themselves?
Are the laws still important? Some are, I think. Some don't fit our society, and some are just plain unnecessary.

Take leprosy, for instance. (Leviticus 13:4) Nowadays it’s called Hansen’s disease, it’s treatable, and - to my knowledge - no one follows the biblical statutes of keeping people with leprosy separated from the general population. To me, some laws were clearly meant for the time they were written.

Or how about this favorite? Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. Leviticus 19:27 I just don't get it. I know there are Orthodox Jews who abide by this law, but I don't see the point of it, and I've never attempted to learn more.

So, are Biblical laws aplicable to us? I believe some are. The ten commandments still make great sense to me, and the "Golden rule" (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31) pretty much sums everything else up neatly. "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Hmmm... If we just attempted to follow this rule more closely, maybe the others would fall into place.
Maybe sometimes it’s left to us to decide. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us now. Maybe, as with Jesus, we're capable of knowing when a law is fitting and when it's best to break it for the greater good. Not alone, of course, but with God's guidance. We need to spend time in prayer and we need to gain wisdom through studying the Bible.

Peace, Love, and Wisdom

"Yes, but..."

These words are right from Jesus' mouth. He was talking to a large group of people "who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases."

Luke 6:27 "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Ouch! This is extreme! Do you do everything Jesus asks of you? (I know I don't!) How does this fit in with your life? Your philosophy? Your political views?

Once I was approached by a homeless lady who admired my coat. When I smiled and walked away, she got huffy. Did Jesus want me to give it to her? I may never know.

As for turning the other cheek... Yeah, right. like that's gonna happen.

So why did he say it? Apparently he wants us to willingly give more than what's asked of us. Did he really mean it? If you read this and you even think "Yes, but..." maybe you're doin' it wrong.

Peace, Love, Give

Simple Christianity

Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

How simple is that? Believe in premilleniallism or postmillenialism, young-earth Creationism or Theistic evolution, transubstantiation or consubstantiation, but remember to carry each other's burdens. That's what Christianity should be about.

Peace, Love, Simplicity

Imagine No Religion

Yesterday I was listening to “Imagine” by John Lennon. I love that song. But then I thought; What kind of bass-ack-wards religion has Christianity become, that lines like this were even written?

“Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky”

To me, this isn't a good thing. After all, as a Christian, I love the idea of heaven. If it weren’t for that line, this would be my favorite song. And I like the "no religion" part just fine, because religion makes us do stupid things. Even Jesus said so. (Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Matthew 23:13)
But the line is there, like it or not, and it keeps bothering me.

Instead of being seen as the people of peace and love, Christians (and other monotheistic religions) are seen as people of hatred and judgment. Yes, the Bible talks about judgment; but God’s judgment, not ours. (Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 7:1) Leave the judgment up to God. He knows what He’s doing.

Try this on for size:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

Hey, Christians, here’s an idea: Let’s be the dreamers. Let’s be people of grace. Let’s lovingly invite people to join us... so the world will live as one.

Peace, love, dreams

Maybe We’re Not Supposed to Understand God

This may not go over well. After all, we as a people take pride in our ability to understand everything; the big bang, Einstein's theories of relativity, psychology, philosophy, apologetics... well, okay, we don't really understand it all. But we're pretty close, right? We know how the universe began; we've got a cure for cancer... okay... we're not even close.

It's important to be Smart. That's why Creationism is just as much of a science as evolution is, with scientific explanations for everything from the earth's age (around 6000 years) to how Adam was made from dust (and Eve from a rib), to why it appears that dinosaurs walked the earth before the earth was even made. Because, if Christians don't understand science or if, (gasp) our Bible doesn't explain everything in detail, we'll seem stupid; and that's not good.
But... when I read the Bible, it seems as though I'm not supposed to know everything. In fact, wasn't the tree that Adam and Eve ate from called "the tree of knowledge of good and evil?" Wasn't it bad for them to eat from that tree? Is God trying to say something in this story, besides laying out our genealogy?
Maybe the message is closer to "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18
And "... But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 1 Corinthians 1:9

Science can (mostly) be explained; God can't. Maybe it's time to stop trying to bend our tiny little minds around his great one. He knows things that we can't--and aren't supposed to--fathom!
Personally, I think evolution was God's way of creating us. It fits in with the order, but not the time frame, laid out in Genesis. But I could be wrong. Lord, forgive me if I’m wrong. I just don't think it matters that much.

Here are some actual theological discussions; some from the past, some still going on. How important are they?

Does the earth revolve around the sun?
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? (This was probably never actually discussed. It was an insult to nit-picky theologians.)
How many animals were on Noah's ark? How did the dinosaurs fit?
Were dinosaur bones put in the ground by God to confuse us?
Did Adam have a belly button?
Can God make a rock so big that He can't move it?

I have some better questions; how can I help the people in my community to know and love God? How can I help people in my family, my neighborhood, and the world? How can I really understand the meaning of love, since that's the center of Christianity?

As a Christian, I'm so glad I don't have to come up with an answer to any of those first questions. I know God loves me anyway.
Some (like the sun revolving around the earth) are now seen not as literal interpretations of the Bible, but metaphor.
At the time, the Christian scientific view of geocentrism was based on:
"the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved." Chronicles 16:30 KJB
"[the Lord] Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever." Psalm 104:5
"The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose." Ecclesiastes 1:5

This isn't exactly science. Could these verses be talking about something else? In fact, when the "science" is taken out, the verses and stories are much richer and more meaningful.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! - Romans 11:33

It’s a Relationship, not a Religion

I like this concept. In fact, I try to base my life on it. So when I joined an online Christian group with this name, I was surprised to find people squabbling over the finer points of the religion; pre-tribulation vs. post tribulation, Creationism vs. evolution, does the bread really turn into Jesus’ body, does the Bible condone slavery, etc., etc., etc. I found very little discussion over how to improve my relationships with God and people.

Why? Personally, I think people like to argue. Not just Christians, either. I’ve been in vegetarian groups and atheist groups, and found just as much arguing there.

The Bible is full of rules. Regulations, thou-shalts and thou shalt-nots. Most of them were wiped out when Jesus died on the cross. So why were they there in the first place? I think the whole Bible is a big arrow, pointing to Jesus. The Old Testament points out our need for Him, and the New Testament tells about what He’s done for us and what we should do in return.

And what is that?

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, he named two: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

If these are the two greatest commandments, all the others must be less important, right? So; why aren't Christians seen as the most loving people in all the world???
I’ll try to follow the other rules, (those that are applicable to my life,) and I’ll try to live by these two. And, if you think about it, they’re really not so bad. Love. At the risk of sounding trite, if people were all more loving, the world would be a better place.

Love, Peace, and Harmony

Christian = Love. Right?

I’m interested in causes that seem (to me) to be “loving.” One such issue is healthcare reform. It pains me no end that Christians seem to be anti-love. Why are some Christians more concerned with keeping their money from “freeloaders” than in taking care of those in need? Christians should be at the forefront of these causes!
I can find many, many verses that tell us to be generous with our money.
Luke 12:33: Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Matthew 19:21: Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
James 1:27: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Especially, read Matthew 25:31-46 and try to interpret it another way.
I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like to have inadequate healthcare. When I was a college student, I had no insurance at all. Don’t tell me I was a freeloader. I was living on my own, I was a student, and I had two part-time jobs. Now I have decent healthcare, and I am not so prideful to think I’m any better than those who don’t. Everyone deserves decent healthcare.

(If only this were the only issue in which Christians seem to be so selfish.)

Am I a minority of one? If it’s just the “Christian Right” making us appear this way, and if they’re a minority, then Christians left and center should speak up loudly enough to drown them out. The word “Christian” should be synonymous with love, caring and generosity. Instead, we appear to the world as stingy, selfish, prideful, hypocritical money-grubbers.

Pecae, love & grace.

The Parable of the Good (Fill in the Blank)

You’ve probably heard the parable of the good Samaritan. It was a story, told by Jesus, about a man who was beaten and left to die on the side of the road.

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn in Jericho and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

In our society, this parable has lost its meaning because Samaritan has actually come to mean “good person.” To those listening to the tale at Jesus' feet, they were religious rivals, not unlike Muslims, Jews, and Christians. They weren’t just rivals, they were despised.
To give the parable a modern twist, let’s try filling in the blank. What group of people do you hate the most? Okay, you don’t hate anyone. Who do you dislike a little? Who makes you afraid, angry, or a little miffed? Who wouldn’t you like to meet in a dark alley? Who would you most hate to be stuck with on a desert island? A black person? A white person? A democrat or republican? Maybe a homosexual, or a fundamentalist. A Yankees fan? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Now fill in the blank.
What if you were the one who had been robbed and beaten? You’re lying on the side of the road, too weak to move. Someone walks by. It’s someone you really admire. A great republican or democrat leader, someone who has said great words. A high authority in your church, known for his or her great sermons about compassion. But… they cross to the other side, whistling and pretending they don't see you.

The next person is (someone from a culture or religion you dislike.) He’s touching you. You imagine that he hasn’t washed in a week. This person is helping you, when you are utterly vulnerable.

Can you picture this person cleaning your wounds, putting you in his car, and spending his hard-earned money on you?

This is your neighbor. This is the person Jesus wants you to love.

Peace, love & more love.