-
Four Signs of a Formulaic Christianity
Christianity, like any other religion, has its formulas. I am not talking about the basic foundation of the church on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is not a formula. That is a fact. I am talking about the ways in which Christians strive for right answers or formulas to apply, myself included. Religion is a seductive siren. She promises all sorts of answers to the unanswerable. Religion offers a way out of wrestling with God. And wrestling with God will happen if you are trying to follow Him carefully. I am going to tackle the four formulas most often promoted. And my issue with these is not…
-
How to Have Done with Wrath and Still Love Justice
My relationship with wrath is complicated, so when God asked me to tell a young woman I had never met that He was angry at those who had harmed her, I was a little nervous. I walked up to her and asked if I could tell her a message I had from the Lord. She looked at me with a little apprehension, quite rightly. After all, it isn’t every day a stranger walks up to you with a message from God. She nodded and agreed. Her friends looked at me as if I was absolutely crazy for which I couldn’t quite blame them. As I told her that God had…
-
Six Signs You Experience an Abundant Life
I suppose each person has their own idea of what an abundant life looks like, but I am pretty sure people agree on what it feels like to lack one. The promise of an abundant life is perhaps one of the most abused promises precisely because of our individual interpretations. And when those interpretations are mostly external, expectations are likely to be disappointed. The one sure place to look for signs of an abundant life is the only one who really understood what one was. And I suppose even Jesus, like the rest of us, suffered interruptions of that life, particularly in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.…
Healing Through Art & Words
