God

Listen to God; Screw the Rest

Nov
15
2010

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You and God are co-stars in the only reality show you (or, surprise, He) will ever really care about. Screw the rest.

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Agnosticism: The Perfect Answer That Never Delivers

Nov
05
2010

As a rational response to the question of God, agnosticism is unassailable stance. So then why are there so few agnostics?

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If Your Family Has Attitudes This Time of Year, Use the Beatitudes to Stay in Good Cheer

Nov
04
2010

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Dreading upcoming family gatherings for the holidays? This reading of the Beatitudes just might quell your attitudes.

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Constantly Living the Great Commandment is Impossible — And That’s Okay

Oct
14
2010

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We simply cannot love God all of the time in the kind of all-consuming way prescribed by the Great Commandment. And God doesn’t expect us to.

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Should I Feel Remorse Over My Pre-Christian Sinning?

Sep
08
2010

meanjudge

Lately I’ve been getting some advice to the effect that I should condemn and repent of the sinning that I did before I was a Christian. That’s never before occurred to me as something about which I should be even vaguely concerned. In my teenage-to-early-adulthood years, I smoked a lot of weed, had sex with [...]

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Praying When You Have Low Self-Esteem

Aug
30
2010

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A thoughtful commenter to my post What Is Prayer? expressed his concern that he’s essentially not good enough to come to God with his problems and prayers. “God’s focus is deserved so much more by the millions with bigger issues [than mine],” he wrote. “Can anyone recommend a good book on the topic of prayer [...]

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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

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“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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