Tribe Fallacy

About 10 years ago there was this big push to “find your tribe!”. Your tribe consisted of, “like minded” people. I spent a lot of energy trying to find my tribe, I was always disappointed. I tried churches, para-church organizations, I tried my neighborhood, I tried a bunch of things. I finally settled down, rode…

The Freedom of Knowing Nothing for Certain

I try to write things that I am personally processing. Sometimes, at least I hope, it also speaks to someone out there who reads it. Lately, I have been missing the certainty that I had in my youth. I could tell you how to live, how to succeed, what to believe, I sang songs about…

Civil Discourse: a lost art

I feel like we as a society have lost the ability to reason together. We have lost the ability to talk through philosophies that may or may not be followed by one communities normal way of thinking. I cannot fix society, I can however, work on myself. I keep thinking, “I miss civil discourse”, but…

The Sinner’s Prayer

My last essay ended with, ”I found Peace. I found it by loving beauty and ultimately loving God. It wasn’t logical. It didn’t come through, “The Sinner’s Prayer”. It came through beauty and learning to love and accept love.” I admit that I wrote that trying to get an emotional response. I would like to…

Finding God

I remember sitting in philosophy classes talking and thinking about God. I remember justifying God and the realization that I believed in God. I remember my Bible classes where I learned to lay out a theological argument. I remember the arguing, the debating, and the resolves.  I do not remember peace. I do not remember…

Christmas….Christmas!

Christmas. Christmas….It brings many things to mind. Is it candy, trees, tinsel, and bells, or Santa, reindeer and snow, or maybe angels, shepherds and a manger. I venture to say we all wish for something more during this time of the year. It is said by Dickens and others that the spiritual world and the…

Can the Crucifixion be Beautiful?

Sept. 26, 2019 Can the Crucifixion be beautiful? This was a question discussed on a pod cast, “Believe to See”, from The Anselm society, an artist group in Colorado Springs. It sent my brain on a ponder that has lasted several weeks now. I admit, I was raised in an Assembly of God Church. We…

My Painted Sign, My Protest, My Heart!

“The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had. Finally it reaches  the opponent and so stirs his…

Music in silence

I am struck by the idea that dichotomy exists everywhere, that life is found in death, that music is found in silence and yet we hold so tight to one side of the equation without allowing it to balance. Like an algebra problem or a chemical equation, the equation has to be balanced. We must…

Lumps of Coal

I was reading “A Christmas Story “ by Charles Dickens. I noticed that Scrooge was so stingy that he wouldn’t buy coal to warm his house or his place is business. It made me think about the Santa Clause myth about leaving coal for the naughty kids. I decided that Santa was pretty gracious. He…

Christmas Imperfections

“She wants to own the perfect designer house but her house was built in the 70’s with small rooms and small windows. She wants to be the perfect hostess but her rooms are small and she is a simple home cook. She wants her plate of cookies at the cookie exchange to be the most…

Family, Where Everyone Deserves A Seat At The Table

Family. One of many things we come face to face with during the holiday season. I got to thinking about my family and the challenges that go along with family. If you know my family, you will know that I am not using actual names or personas. I am making this up to make my…