Relationships

Joseph to Mary: “Who could believe such a thing?”

Dec
16
2011

143066_hold_my_hand

(Here’s a conversation I imagine happening between Mary and Joseph the night before Jesus was born.) Joseph: How do you feel, Mary? Mary: Pregnant. Very pregnant. Joseph: Are you comfortable? Do you have enough hay? Mary: I do have enough, thank you. And thanks for doing such a thorough job of cleaning that feeding trough. [...]

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Low self-esteem? Pffft. Who the [bleep] are you?

Dec
14
2011

Dibujo1

So at the conclusion of my last post (Good Friends, or Socially Maladjusted Cretins?), I promised to offer a thought or two around the idea that it’s possible to minimize, if not eradicate, the degree to which others can make you feel bad about yourself. (Sorry I didn’t get to that yesterday, which turned out [...]

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“We ARE the Message”

Nov
17
2011

protestletter

Dear Society to Which You, We, She and He All Belong: So we rocked it, right? Dang diggitty we did. And are. And will, still. The beat don’ stop until the break of dawn. And it’s always dawn somewhere. We know some people out there find us raggedy, unkempt, and perhaps congenitally disorganized. And by [...]

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Erin: You Are Not Responsible For Your Husband’s Suicide

Nov
06
2011

sunset-lover-couple

I received this morning the following heartbreaking letter from a woman named Erin: What happens when you do something that you can’t get forgiveness for? My husband committed suicide three years, four months, and 14 days ago. He needed me, and I wasn’t there. I was too wounded; I was masking it; I pushed him [...]

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Me, WORK at a Relationship? Pfffft.

Oct
13
2011

turtle

I got an email in this morning from a woman feeling guilty about having divorced her husband. She wanted to know if I thought she should feel guilty for having divorced her husband.

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Bullying: Putting Your Money Where Their Mouth Is

Oct
10
2011

prisonkid

When we say that we want bullying to stop, what we’re in large part saying is that we want bullying to stop happening in our children’s schools. Which means we want teachers to put a stop to bullying.

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Posts by Theme

Christian Issues

Evangelicals and Muslims: Both Love Jesus

Aug
18
2010

muslims_believe_in_jesus

Today at lunch I asked Pastor Bob, “If you could say any one thing about Islam or Muslims to American Christians, or to Americans generally, what would it be?” As he started talking, I started taking notes. This is what he said.

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Relationships

When Your Heart Leaves Home

Aug
27
2011

panddaughter

The reflections of a good man upon the occasion of his daughter leaving home for college.

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Christian Spirituality

What Jesus Left Out of The Great Commandment

Oct
31
2011

1343788_radio_antenna

“Why would Jesus leave something important out of the Great Commandment? I believe it was so that we could discover that thing for ourselves.”

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Humor

Why Aren’t Fundamentalists Telepathic Comedians?

Feb
28
2011

mindboy

I knew I’d end up in hell! There’s such a dangblangit fine line between “Funny!” and “Meet Snikky and Snarky, the two fanged minions who throughout eternity will be jabbing at you with searing tridents. Have fun, funny boy!”

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Pastor Bob's Corner

A Primer on Islam: The Basics (Lesson 1 of 6)

Sep
30
2011

pastorbob1

Hi. I’m Pastor Bob. This is the first lesson of a multi-week class on Islam I taught for a large gathering of folks from multiple congregations: Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, recovering agnostics, etc.

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Personal

My Five Reasons For Not Having Children

Nov
20
2009

world

When young my wife and I decided not to have children. Here’s why.

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