The Spear

It has always been interesting to me how you can meet so many people that all claim to believe in the same god, and yet their views of him and the ways that they describe his character are strictly individualistic. Or we can call those descriptions very “telling.” Their view of him is often small and flat…simple. To so many, the idea of god is a one-dimensional character with next-to-no depth or meaning.  Now, I recognize and fully support the concept of god being an individual, and that each person knows him differently. But one distinct difference is when I meet people who only believe in god as long as he matches and agrees with all their accepted beliefs. Therefore, the only response upon meeting someone that doesn’t think the same way and has a concept of god that is different, is to assume that the other person simply doesn’t believe in god. How arrogant. How truly conceited.  I have heard things like, “If you are a Christian, you can’t vote for so and so.” “How can you believe i

  “Know thyself.” This quote from Socrates is better known than its meaning. You will see those two simple words scrolled on walls, journals, and even tattooed on people’s bodies. Yet, too few actually live by it.  Being well acquainted with oneself is a concept that seems to be lost to most. We have been taught how to work with complex machines or cells. We stare into the endless abyss of the deepest oceans and seek out its secrets. We gaze upward and reach as far as we can into the unknown cosmos, longing to know more. Still, we struggle with understanding our own motivations. We ignore our own feelings, fears, and desires. We walk around as spirits covered in flesh and ignore what lies within. We live with a stranger in our own bodies.  We have ignored the command to, “take the plank out of your own eye,” in favor of seeing only the problems in others. We do not see our own issues. We don’t even recognize our own cries for help. We refuse to see ourselves and yet cry to be seen by o

  I often see people posting on social media about the importance of being kind. It is phrased around the concept of, “You don’t know what people are going through,” or, “The Golden Rule.” What I have found most interesting is that, oftentimes, these people are not calling for more kindness as something they themselves practice, but as a deep cry to be the recipients of it. I have even looked into people that were being cruel or leaving hurtful comments on posts, only to find that they have “anti-bullying” content all over their accounts.  I think most people would simply call this hypocrisy and leave it at that. Make no mistake, it is hypocritical. But there is something more than that. If we look a little bit closer, we see children crying out to be treated in a way that they themselves lack maturity enough to duplicate. They cannot be kind. They cannot act with tenderness, forgiveness, or understanding. Yet, they want to be treated that way. Something in each human being throughout

A few days ago my husband and I took the kids to the park. We were in an area that we were not familiar with. We don’t know anything about anything or anyone in the little town nestled in the Virginia mountains.  There, along a river, is a small park. We pulled up and saw another family there. Allow me to add that, it just so happened that on this day, I had the courage to wear shorts. I have struggled so severely with my self image, and obsessed over hiding myself out of fear, that I didn’t even own a pair of shorts until last year when I got some because I just couldn’t take the Texas summer heat anymore. Still, I would wear them at home most of the time. But today, I was feeling free. I put on my shorts and took my kids to the park.  When we walked up to the playset, I could see that the family was dressed in…well, let's just say they were dressed in a way that would be obvious to most that they are part of a specific Christian religious group. I have zero problem with them. I f

The last few weeks…well, the last month or so have been some of the most challenging. I seem to find myself in these places often. The comforts and “guarantees” of the world are stripped away and I find myself fighting for a breath as the waves of this dark world crash over me. The beautiful facade that money and privilege afford society is pulled back and I see Truth. I see this place for what it truly is; dark, ugly, angry, selfish, fearful. I am tempted to build up my walls and be like them. The desire to become cynical rises up, but there is something in me that still calls me to be tender.  I lost my grandmother this past summer. I watched her pass from this world. It was not pretty or peaceful. It was painful and hard. I knew that in order to help my family with her care I had to shut down a part of myself. I knew that I had to set aside my own loss and pain in order to walk through that place. On the other side of it, alone, I allowed the pain to hit me.  In obedience, we often

Okay, so here’s the part where I say something about how Christianity is wrong and you all get upset with me because… Why not?  Christianity, in all ways, has ditched the original point and purpose of His mission. Even hijacked His terms and words to suit its own thoughts and beliefs. Anyone have a soap box I can stand on? ‘Cause I’m just getting started.  We have begun to spread the “word” of God like a disease, and it makes me sick to see what it has become. People that travel thousands of miles across the world to…. Oh, how did He put it? It was so well said. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Goodness, He says it so well it gives me chills. No holding back to spare their feelings. No tenderness in order to prevent offense. “You make them TWICE the child of HELL as you are.”  Hold on a minute, I’m geeking out here. T