Day One Hundred Forty-Nine of 365 – Things That Bug Me: Unnecessary Prayers
The fourth of the Things That Bug Me is when I practice Unnecessary Prayers! Have you ever felt that prayer is unnecessary? Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying that prayer is always unnecessary. What I’m saying is that perhaps there are times when praying may be less than what is needed. The Navajo have […]
Day One Hundred Forty-Seven of 365 – Things That Bug Me: Misogyny
I love, honor and respect women. I always have! I believe that if women ruled the world, we would live more peacefully; work more productively; govern more reasonably; learn more completely. Now I am not naive enough to believe that all women are cut from the cloth that would produce such lofty outcomes as listed […]
Day One Hundred Forty-Six of 365 – Things That Bug Me: Arrogance
Here I am on day 146 of my 365 day personal writing challenge. For the past several posts, I’ve focused on writing about the Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal. When yesterday rolled around, I knew it was time for a respite from those confessions. I discovered that I have a few more things to process […]
Day One Hundred Forty-Five – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: Hitting the Pause Button
For quite some time now I’ve been posting daily about what it means to call myself a Recovering Bapticostal. I have no idea how many have read posts from this series and I’m not really concerned about that. Oh, when I’m honest with myself, I desire that thousands each day would read and be challenged […]
Day One Hundred Forty-Four of 365 – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: First Loves
So many voices proclaim to know the way. Most of these voices – whether they be political, ideological, sociological or educational – have some religious underpinnings at their base. It seems that the more extreme in either direction (right or left) adherents move, the more they find some religious justification for their position. Further, it […]
Day One Hundred Forty-Three of 365 – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: What’s Inside
In Western Christianity, we tend to downplay our part in finding solutions to life’s problems. We tend to say that “God is everything and I am nothing.” I’ve heard that proclaimed in many ways all of which require me to put myself down. I’ve always had a problem with that. As a youngster, I never […]
Day One Hundred Forty-Two of 365 – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: Thoughts About Creation!
I am fascinated by the various Creation myths from around the world. Woven into the fabric of every civilization are stories about how the world and life began. Most of the ones with which I am familiar tend to treat Creation as a static event – a point that defines the beginning of everything. I […]
Day One Hundred Forty-One of 365 – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: Be Still and Know!
It seems that frenetic activity becomes embedded in the practice of religion. Notice I said religion and not spirituality. I know that was the case for me growing up. So much energy was spent creating an illusion of importance surrounding the practice of faith as I knew it. Church services at least three time a […]
Day One Hundred Forty of 365 – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: The Value of Wisdom
The Value of Wisdom! Growing up in the somewhat convoluted combination of Pentecostalism and whatever “ism” to which Southern Baptists belong, I realized that I heard very little wisdom from the mouths of those whose job it was to dispense it. I heard countless sermons, speeches and lessons purporting wisdom. On the surface, these presentations […]
Day One Hundred Thirty-Seven of 365 – Confessions of a Recovering Bapticostal: Avoiding Hell
Hell! Is it a real place? Will those who fail to believe make Hell their eternal residence? Is earth the Hell for people from another planet? Is Hell a place of our making? Where and what exactly is Hell? This would make a great Google search if you are interested. I remember the take on […]