It’s funny where it comes from. I am inspired by my ninety-one year old uncle that I love to visit when I am back in Missouri. To this day, he carries a bit of shrapnel in his leg from WWII that causes him some difficulty in walking. Yet, he finds… Continue reading
God can be so troubling. I dig that Jesus loved those on the fringes of acceptability, but the part about sending unbelievers to Hell, offends my sensibilities. Using Hell Hell has been used as motivation to “get people saved.” Only, we can’t get anyone “saved.” That’s between the person and God,… Continue reading
Here is your assignment. Inspire people who are at a critical juncture in their life with fresh, memorable words from the heart, delivered before a group of several thousand preoccupied people, knowing what you have to say will be critically evaluated by each person present. You have twenty minutes, go!… Continue reading
Typically, it goes something like this, only with a few more details. Well, good morning! I feel kind of scrambled today. My head is full of thoughts of things that need to be done and thoughts that worry me. I wonder just where those dark thoughts come from and how… Continue reading
I was in a funk, terribly bored by the Internet, television, and movies; despising the regular patterns of my life. The more I dreamed of something that would bring a glimmer of life to my soul, the more unattainable it seemed. Fear was holding me tightly, even though I hardly… Continue reading
Short Answer Ain’t gonna happen! That’s my initial response to this month’s synchroblog topic, healing divisions in the church. People like believing they are right. Then they can look down the other poor souls who don’t measure up, and feel very righteous about it. That sums up a big part… Continue reading
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is, perhaps, the best known passage on prayer. Rabbi’s had their own prayers that were embraced by their followers. This is Jesus’. Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as… Continue reading
A reprint of my column in the Kenosha (Wisconsin) News: I have a confession. Brace yourself. I live in Illinois. There, I said it. Please, don’t stop reading. Even though I’m from “south of the border,” it’s only by a block and a half. And that’s how I explain to… Continue reading
What have you got against religion? Religion has a lot of unintended consequences that are very unlike Jesus. It becomes about who is “in” and who is “out.” Therefore, it breeds pride among those who have the “right” doctrinal beliefs. It becomes a brand that you wear; protestant catholic, baptist,… Continue reading
Virtually every religion practices prayer. Communicating with deity seems to be a nearly universal desire among humanity. Prayer can be worship, confession, thanksgiving, requests for ourselves or others, or most anything one would want to say to a deity. Native Americans dance as a form of prayer. Hindus chant mantras.… Continue reading
Something is wrong, very wrong! Something is missing. It is making us stupid. It is stressing our relationships. It is creating a gaping hole in the middle of our culture. I see it every day. It’s in my face on the cable news networks as a Republican spokesperson and his… Continue reading
Q: Why did you write An Irreligious Faith? GH: I kind of had to write it because these thoughts had been swirling around in my head for a few years. I had written things here and there that needed to be put together in a coherent fashion. After going through… Continue reading
We all need a personal resurrection. After all, there are a lot things trying to hold us down and keep us from being our best, truest, most unique self. This month’s broad synchroblog topic is simply New Life. (See the other posts on this topic listed at the end of… Continue reading
Sometimes life seems boring, dull, and frustrating, leaving us with only fantasies of escape to ease our mental anguish. Other times we are so caught up in the beauty, the fascination, and the inspiration of the moment that we completely forget about our pressing responsibilities and illusive dreams. The regular preoccupations no… Continue reading
Stupid is as stupid does. Thank you, Mrs. Gump for cutting through the crap with your profound wisdom. Let’s exegete the text. The emphasis is on the verb, “does.” Forrest’s Mom was reminding her mentally challenged son that his behavior was more important than his IQ. Therefore, below average intelligence… Continue reading
Leaving the institutional church opens up a world of opportunity for people who are serious about expressing their faith. We get to choose where, when, and how we worship. Will we worship God as we walk along a nature trail in solitude? Will we worship him in a crowded festival, full of… Continue reading
Being a pastor can be a drag. There is this “man (or woman) of God” set of expectations that follows members of the clergy. Let me set the record straight, those in vocational Christian service, the ministry, clerics, whatever you want call them are as flawed as any other human… Continue reading
I just turned sixty a few days ago. My Dad is eighty-seven, my mom, eighty-five. It is a bitter sweet time in life. Sweet because my relationship with my parents is the best it has ever been. They need my help, and though, it can be challenging at times, I… Continue reading
Photo credit: Marcel Oosterwijk. Creative Commons My seventeen-day long trip to St. Joseph, Missouri was a packed full of things to be done for my folks…packing, moving, having a sale, closing out the old apartment, taking over their business affairs, unpacking, taking Dad to the hospital, countless trips between the old… Continue reading
Image by arellis49. Creative Commons A few years ago, I sat at the table in the local state employment center as the workforce development case worker explained how the Worker Investment Act (the stimulus) grants awarded to re-educate laid-off workers. I took note of who was there. It was mostly males… Continue reading
Image by SakuriRainne. Creative Commons. We should become opportunistic worshippers, recognizing God wherever we find him. If we approach life like that, he will surprise us with a touch of the divine in weird and unlikely places. I am a party worshipper. Yes, partying has been equated with binge drinking and… Continue reading
If you say something often enough, people will begin to believe it. If you pronounce it from a place of authority, it may be readily accepted. If it is artfully, passionately, and creatively communicated, it will eventually weave its way into culture as reality, no matter how faulty the logic… Continue reading
It was really easy for me to tell you what I hated about church and Evangelicalism, but I had a much more difficult time expressing exactly what I was looking for. For a long time I felt sort of lost, and I couldn’t seem to figure out how to rebuild.… Continue reading
There are two sides to worship, the mystical and spiritual side, that stirs up feelings of awe and reverence and the physical, action-oriented side. Worship is anchored in spirit and truth, but ultimately our worship is revealed in the way we live. That’s what we learned from the Scriptures, and… Continue reading
Image by brizzle born and bred. Creative Commons. I was born right in the middle of the Baby Boom Generation (1946-1964). The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Cold War, The Civil Rights Movement, the assassinations of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., the Vietnam War, student unrest, illicit drug… Continue reading
Image by Bunches and Bits {Karina}. Creative Commons Nothing. What could we possibly offer a God who loves us unconditionally and redeemed us sacrificially? Over and over, Jesus makes the issue one of faith, simply believing him and believing he is who he said he was. Our relationship with God is… Continue reading
Image by epiclectic. Creative Commons. When I was doing Communitas Collective, I found a lot of people in their thirties and forties were pulling the plug and saying “enough,” as they walked away from the institutional church they had known for so long. Often they were blindsided by the sudden… Continue reading
Image by Josa Jr. Ceatice Commons. Worship has been associated with ancient rituals performed by ordained priests, and ecstatic singing, praying, and utterances to be enjoyed by anyone in the congregation. It the minds of most people it is confined to a time (10:30AM) and a place (your local church.) But… Continue reading
Millennials have been in the news a lot lately. Companies want to know how to market their products to this new, coming of age generation and employers want to know how to recruit and manage new talent that has a much different view of success. Anyway, this millennial frenzy got… Continue reading
Image by t0xicsunshyne. Creative Commons. De-toxing, de-constructing, re-constructing, healing, and sorting things out, takes time. So, be patient with the process. Be patient with yourself. I missed the extended family the church provided. I missed the sense of validation and destiny that caused me to feel I was doing something significant,… Continue reading
Image by Jason Wohlford. Creative Commons. For many years, I approached my faith from a fundamentalist perspective which placed a lot of emphasis on being right. The downside to that perspective is the latent sense of arrogance and exclusivity that holds that everyone who believes a little differently is… Continue reading
Image by Nicholas Canup. Creative Commons This is not what I was going to write about today, but life can change things. Just a few minutes ago I was on the phone talking to a loved one (not an immediate family member) trying to arrange a way to help them… Continue reading
If you were a part of the church for a long time and have decided to bow out, you will experience a real sense of personal loss! The mission of the church, and that of your particular local church, was probably something you deeply believed in. Now that you can… Continue reading
Cultural institutions are failing us miserably and that is causing a worldwide season of unrest. Corrupt governments that have been in power for decades are being toppled right and left. Protesters claiming to be the 99%, upset by the widening wealth gap, have “occupied” city centers around the world. Citizens… Continue reading
Image by Kelly. Creative Commons. When I would visit my black, Pentecostal pastor friend’s church, I would leave feeling like I had been put through an emotional ringer. It was draining, but cathartic. They had awesome, emotionally intense music, singing, playing, praying, dancing, and swaying. There were times of reflection and… Continue reading
Image by dgthekneelo. Creative Commons This post is part of the December synchroblog and part of Christine Sine’s annual Advent synchroblog focused on the idea of “Coming Home” and how it relates to this season of advent leading up to Christmas. Links to the other writers’ contributions are listed at the end of… Continue reading
Here is my imaginary last sermon. (Sigh) I’ll just get right to it! Today I am tendering my resignation as your pastor. This will be my last month with the church as I help the board through the transition process, assuming they still want me to stick around after I… Continue reading
Image by Tim Samoff. Creative Commons. Christmastime is full of expectations. I am not referring to the expectation of a Messiah. I am referring to all of the pressure that we put upon ourselves. We want to have to have festive get-togethers with friends, memory-making family time, a Better Homes and… Continue reading
Image: marcia furman, Creative Commons Jesus could and did draw a crowd, until his teaching became more cryptic; then people started scratching their heads and staying home the next day. It was as though he deliberately thinned the crowd, sending away the religious moths that always flew to the brightest light. He… Continue reading
Image by Franco Folini, Creative Commons I came to realize, if I couldn’t take care of myself, I couldn’t help anyone else. Soul care is perhaps our primary responsibility and renewing our soul is as “holy” as serving a homeless person. Our personal wellbeing and our ability to contribute to the… Continue reading
This post is part of a synchroblog in which the contributors tell their own faith story. The links to the stories of the other contributors are listed at the end of this post. How did you answer the Facebook profile question about your religious preference? I couldn’t think of any… Continue reading
Photo by NYCArthur I wish I could spin a yarn like Garrison Keillor, but, alas, I am a concept guy, not a detail guy. Popular author, Donald Miller, recently tweeted, “A good story is more powerful than an army.” Keillor has been spinning his meandering yarns about Lake Wobegon for… Continue reading
For most of my life I have been obsessed with trying to get things right. I have been hyper-sensitive to the teachings of the Evangelicalism which constantly nagged me about what a good Christian does and does not do. That list is a web of expectations nearly as involved as… Continue reading
Here are three quick observations about politics in America. We are obviously so polarized that we are paralyzed. Holding onto power is more important representing the people. There is a monumental lack of leadership and courage to lead the way to serious negotiation and resolution. Our two major political parties… Continue reading
It is infinitely important to have a good editor. She has the same kind of power as a record producer who takes a good song and turns it into a great record (MP3) that is a beautiful piece of artistic expression that connects with people on an emotional level. In… Continue reading
This post is part of a synchroblog on Social Justice. There is a link list for the other contributions at the end of this post. Different Starting Places The pursuit of social justice is more than a feel good motivation for well-meaning people. It is a reflection of the fact… Continue reading
We get together with our friends Christie and Cory a few times a year to try out new restaurants somewhere in or between Chicago and Milwaukee. (We live between Chicago and Milwaukee and they live in Milwaukee.) We eat. We laugh. We linger. That’s what we do when we get… Continue reading
Finally, I am writing again! Here is the latest installment of my second book, Free Range Faith. For context, you might want to go back and read the Introduction and Exhausting Sabbaths. The word, “Sabbath” may stir up mental images of stern looking, old-fashioned, religious people who are strict and… Continue reading
It means so much to me when people take time to read the advance copy of An Irreligious Faith and jot down their thoughts. This review from Jeanne who describes herself as “just an ordinary person,” was so encouraging! “Glenn Hager describes so much of what I am, where I… Continue reading
