The ancient Hebrew language didn’t have a world for “spirituality.” Apparently that category didn’t exist in ancient Hebrew thought because they believed that all of life had the potential to be “spiritual.” This is very different from our dualistic worldview that separates the world into two categories: the spiritual (sacred) and the material (secular). In […]
Archives for 2006
The Looming Presence
One of the ways we can be more present to the God who is always present is to slow down and pay closer attention to what’s going on around us. You never know when heaven and earth will kiss each other in a moment of clarity, insight, or transformation. The Celtic Christians called these moments […]
October 3, 2006 by 3 Comments
More Hall & Oates
The peer pressure has been intense. I’ve had close friends beg me to recant my last post about Hall & Oates. My official response: I can’t go for that, no can do. Instead, I offer you my Hall & Oates playlist. Before I do, I feel a little background info is needed. I bought my […]
October 2, 2006 by 11 Comments
The Felt Presence of God pt. 4
Life is this simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through it all the time. This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently. […]
September 27, 2006 by 4 Comments
Random Declaration #3
I don’t get Terence Malick movies. I didn’t get “The Thin Red Line.” I didn’t get “The New World.” The pace is way too slow and the loopy voiceovers don’t work for me.
September 27, 2006 by 3 Comments
The Felt Presence of God pt. 3
It’s entirely possible to say I believe in God and I believe Jesus is His son who died for my sins and never really feel the presence of God in your life. We can affirm the theory of Christianity without experiencing the presence of God in such a way that it makes a difference in […]
September 26, 2006 by 10 Comments
The Felt Presence of God pt. 2
What if a scientist told you that atoms exist? Would you believe him, even though you have never seen an atom yourself? What if he told you he could teach you how to manipulate atoms in order to release incredible amounts of energy into the world? If this is something you wanted to do, would […]
September 14, 2006 by 15 Comments
The Felt Presence of God
According to a Newsweek poll, 92% of Americans believe in God. Six percent do not and two percent say they don’t know. Philosophical atheism is not a problem in our culture. What is a problem is that most of the 92% who say they believe in God don’t exhibit behavior that backs up their belief. […]
September 13, 2006 by 12 Comments
Five Years Later
On Sunday, September 9th, 2001, I told the church I was working with in Bellingham, Washington that I was resigning at the end of the year and probably getting out of professional ministry. I was going to get my real estate license and get busy buying, selling, and developing property. I was disillusioned, depressed, and […]
September 11, 2006 by 15 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons