I am somebody
because
I am lovable
because
I am good enough
because
I can be good
because
I want to be good
because
I have to be good
because
I want love
because
I am not loved
Because
I disbelieve God
because
I despise God
because
I want to be God

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Time to turn over
a new leaf
he thought
Honesty
is the best policy
he thought
(People like
honest people)
he really thought
“Do you have
a cigarette?”
asked the street kid
One
he thought
My last one
he thought
(Damn that kid)
he really thought
“Sure”
he said
Guess that’s just
the price of honesty
he thought
Feels good
he thought
(Wish
that
damn
kid
hadn’t
taken
my
last
cigarette)
he
really
thought

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This may be so basic that I should feel like an idiot for bringing it up, but we Christians should probably pray before we write blog posts. Or write comments on the blog posts of others. Or write pretty much anything that other people will see. And I mean really pray. Not “just” the kind [...]

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Don’t criticize your preacher too much. He has a hard job.
Preaching is very personal. The preacher is vulnerable within the Community of God. He is weekly under the microscope, scrutinized by God and his people. You probably have no idea what that does to the dynamics of his personal and family life.
The preacher must call [...]

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Why live boldly as a Christian? Why speak and act in a way that offends people who don’t want to be confronted with God’s truth? Most of us are to some degree people-pleasers, avoiding confrontation, flattering and cajoling, generally speaking and acting in a way that gets us ahead in life by not offending others, [...]

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“This church is different!” Fine, but why? Because everyone there is young and hip? Because everyone is Reformed? Because all the parents keep their kids out of public schools? Because the music is good and loud and original? Because there are icons and candles and an ancient liturgy to connect us to the historical church? [...]

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One could think of “suffering” as the experience of pain without hope. Such pain is hard (impossible?) to bear. However, with hope, the experience of pain becomes endurance—waiting it out, holding fast. If one has a reason to endure the pain (whatever it is), then perhaps the pain itself becomes more bearable.
Lack of control seems [...]

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