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 ...

  “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 t...

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...

  The story of David and Goliath has become somewhat of a children's classic. But let’s go back to something a little more accurate. Let’s take the cute little cartoon characters and flesh them out until they look like real people. Let’s stack a very large, muscular warrior against a young teenage boy. Let’s add the tension of battle. Peek into the camp of Philistine warriors ready to annihilate a people group. They are eating and drinking. They are discussing how the battle is all but won and mocking the men that are on the other side of the battle lines. Where is King Saul? Hiding in his tent, cloaked in shame. Chosen as king because he was one of the tallest among them, and now he is pitted against a man even taller than him. David walks into the scene and can smell the stench of cowardice on his people. He can hear the mockery of Goliath, not only against his people, his nation, but also against his God. His God, who he loves more than anything else. He doesn’t get it. “Wh...

There is a book that contains many other books and letters. It is a book full of fascinating historical facts and biographical accounts. It contains details of battles, giants, the sun being stopped in the middle of the sky for a day, the defeat of powerful kings by mere men, of death and people being raised from the dead. This book is a wild ride of adventure and intrigue, mystery and revelation. This book is the compiled 66 books of the Bible.  I used to feel that reading the Bible was a feat that was overwhelming and unsurmountable. I would begin to read from Genesis and wouldn’t make it much further than the genealogies or levitical dietary laws. Another source of discouragement was when I was part of group Bible studies where there would be a set timeline for reading a passage of scripture, or a commentary book to read along with the scripture.  I would make it part of the way through, and then fall off track.  When growing up, I thought the Bible was mainly to read ...