Moms, I Know Sundays Are Harder Now Than Ever

Photo by Quinn Vo

My wife shared her heart with me while we were on vacation a few weeks ago. And I wanted to share it with you. If this encourages you will you share it with someone who could use some encouragement? Thanks! - Nate

I raised my goldfish to the Lord. It wasn’t intentional. I lowered my hand immediately.  Though I thought about putting it back up again. 

You see that’s what my hands are like these days: they are full. And me? Well I’m usually distracted.

I used to think I was alone in my distractions. And then I looked around. Distraction fatigue is everywhere.

But for a moment I forgot the distractions. I forgot the fatigue. I forgot I was shushing a three-year-old. For a moment I wasn’t worried about the trash the five-year-old put on the church floor. Or the fact that the eight-year-old sat down one song earlier than I told him he could. 

I forgot about the toddler strapped to my chest, which hopefully makes the bag of goldfish make sense now. Because for one line of the song. For one short refrain. For five heavenly seconds. I felt the Lord move. I felt blessed. I was thankful to be in the church. So I raised both hands because, in a rare moment, they didn’t have kids in them. 

The toddler in my carrier noticed my inadvertent cheese-dust covered offering, and squealed. And the moment came to an end. You see this season of life doesn’t afford me long talks with Jesus. I don’t get to worship free of worrying over what my kids are doing.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but some people come into a church empty. While others come with their hands full. God says to the empty and the full, “Bring what you have and come.” 

If your heart feels empty because life has gone wonky…come. If you’re empty because relationships have fallen away...bring your emptiness. If you’re bursting at the seams with apprehensions, regret, or indifference … bring all of it and just come.

So, during this season I’m toting hands full of goldfish. Why? Because by the time I walk through the front doors I’m already tired. Just to get there I’ve spent the morning finding everyone’s masks and reminding them to pack a snack. 

By the time we pull into the parking lot I’ve been explaining to my three-year-old that kid church is not open. And, no, we can’t go to Chick-fil-A after service. “How often do I have to repeat this?” I think for the seventh time in a minute. Or maybe that was seven times seven. Either way, it’s a good reminder to forgive myself.

I don’t have to lean on the expectations of a “normal” or “calm” service. The pastor gets it too. These are his kids making a mess on the front row. Literally. 

More importantly God understands my season. God meets me where I am—goldfish and all. Amidst the minutes of mania. Blissfully stalled in the seconds of serenity. Or somewhere in between. He is still God. And He says, “Bring what you have and come.”

If you’re empty, show up and leave with something you need. If you’re full—leave a few things at the threshold. Heaven’s here for you. Our stuff isn’t about to surprise anyone on the other side of eternity. 

When God says, “Bring me wat’cha got.” Do it. Every time. Any time. Do it at the baseball park, and the grocery store. Do it when you’re second hand shopping and pushing a stroller. Do it any day you can. Especially days that end in y. And if you find yourself close to a church on a Sunday, please do it there. Hear it when heaven extends this simple invitation, “Bring what you have and come.”

So I do. I did. And I will again. And when the song hits a lull and you hear a baby crying just look over. You’ll probably see me raise my goldfish to the Lord.

Carried In

Today was a pretty special day all around. I got a little older today. For thirty eight years now I’ve been breathing the clean air of the Arkansas River Valley under its bright blue sky.

This morning we started meeting in our new location with our faith family New Life Church. I grabbed this pic of my dad with my youngest son.

There are so many cool things happening here. I don’t think my dad knew I was taking it. This is just him. Loving my son. Carrying him to church.

My dad always carried me to church. I know not everyone’s father does that. Mine did. Sometimes, like when I was little, it was in his arms. But my dad always took me to church. Because his dad always took him to church.

Faith, and love, and family will get us to where we belong. We belong together. We belong in the places and the spaces where we can be loved better than anywhere else.

I wouldn’t pretend to assume that our church is perfect. We make mistakes. We aren’t the best. But we try. We want to love well, live well, and learn how to do it better the next time. I learned that from a dad who always took me to church.

Not Even A Little Bit

 How much does God want to see you suffer? Not even a little bit.

He is for, beside, around, inside you. A lot. It's his peace that carries you past the point of understanding the incomprehensible. His joy that flexes in the face of the frailty of our fear.

How much does God want to see you fail? Not even a little bit.

His Word is the way that lights up our every possible step. It shines into our every season. His Spirit is the still the small voice that pierces uncertainty and calms the raging of tumultuous emotion. 

How much does God want to see you quit? Not even a little bit.

His hope is our help. His Son is our sure thing. His favor our final word. His Church is our cheerleader. His mission is our motivation.

God wants every bit of who you are to love and lean into him. How much is he willing to leave to you for yourself? Not even a little bit.

Braille In The Mirror

Maybe it is a very common practice among businesses. Perhaps it happens all of the time and has so far gone entirely unnoticed by your's truly. Even so, I have never before saw a Braille sign in the top corner of the mirror in a bathroom. But just the other day I saw exactly that while my family and I were out for evening meal. Why!? Why would anyone put a braille sign in the top corner of the bathroom mirror? Sure beats me.

I don't want to sound insensitive or anything. Maybe it's completely entirely a common practice to put Braille signs in places that seem strange to the non-vision impaired. Or maybe proprietors of this establishment put the sign up because it was a sign they are required by law or health code or something to display. I feel that this is probably the case.

Sometimes in our society we seem to do a great many things like this. We take things that have a purpose and we use them in ways that make no sense simply to fulfill some obligation. In our rush feel some requisite obligation we missed the point of the thing itself.

Haven't you seen things like this? Have you done things like this? If I were to speak for you, and I would—if only for a moment, I would say yes. Yes, you have done this too. I most certainly have.

The government does it all the time. People in a mad rush to finish whatever they've begun do it as well. And oh man! Does the Church ever do it.

We never stop to think if the thing we're doing that makes so much sense to us is in fact completely nonsensical. No we have requisite obligations to fulfill. We have behavior to police. We have culture to overwatch. We have morality to guard. We have judgment to pass?

How about we just stop right there. I've said enough. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.

grati--W--O--W--tude

What an EPIC week! Weeks like this are rare indeed.

We had the Grand Opening for the church we have been so privileged to help start here in our hometown. It was crazy. Like awesome crazy. The only way I have been able to describe it to people is that it was "happy chaos".  It wasn't chaotic because we weren't prepared. It wasn't chaotic because anything bad happened. It was chaos because over 910 people showed up...in an ice storm...in Arkansas.  That might not seem like a big deal to you, but in our little River Valley paradise nestled between mountains and the Arkansas River, people just don't get out in the snow and ice.

And last night we launched our student ministries with an incredible night. It was so good. 

So now I'm sitting here in my "mancave" enjoying the breather. I'm looking forward to my weekend (Friday & Saturday) and getting ready to start it all over again in less than 72 hours. Life is so stinking good right now. I feel blessed beyond my capacity to handle it. It pushes me in the best possible ways. And before I head upstairs to get some sleep I am just trying to share this inexplicable sense of gratitude I am feeling.

It's always good to be one of God's kids--but it doesn't always feel this good. 

December 17 - Who Are You?

Acts 19:11-20

But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15 ESV)

The powers of darkness might know your name. They knew Jesus, they were with him in eternity past before being tossed out of heaven during their attempted coup. They recognized Paul. He had made such an impact for the Kingdom that they had taken notice. Word had spread throughout the demon ranks about the preacher Paul.

Are you on their radar? When your life takes you into contact with a new group of people do the spirits of darkness there get nervous? I think they should.

Jesus told Peter that his church would be an advancing church. We don't just sit back and wait for people to come to us, that's fool hardy and pointless. No, we need to step up, step out, and step into enemy territory.

Maybe the enemy will know your name. Maybe not. But when you step into the role that God has for you you will wear the adopted identity of the name above all other names, Jesus. Who are you? You are his!

December 10 - Gentiles & Jesus

Read: Acts 10:34-48

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. (Acts 10:45 ESV)

If you're reading this then chances are pretty good that you can be classified as a gentile. No, not gentle—well maybe, but a gentile. A person of non-Jewish heritage.

Christianity began with Jews. Jesus was Jewish. He came from a Jewish family, as a descendant of a Jewish King, as an answer to a promise given to the Jewish patriarch Abraham. However, his penultimate charge to his followers was to spread the Gospel to the world. The plan was always that Jesus would redeem all of humanity! All people groups! Not just the Jews.

God does not discriminate. He loves all people, in all places, in all circumstances. He longs for them to return to Him. Instead of being surprised by the differences of the people who come to Him, we should enthusiastically embrace the opportunities for diversity that the Kingdom of God affords our church family.

July 17 - What She Could

Mark 14:3-9 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. (Mark 14:8 ESV)

As Mary anointed Jesus with the costly perfume people grumbled at the apparent waste of such an action. Jesus chastised them, declaring her sacrifice to be a beautiful and selfless act of worship. She had done what she could with what she had. It was her way of offering all that she had to God.

What does God ask from us? Better yet, what has God already done for you, or given to you, that He might be asking for you to use for His Kingdom? Mary did what she could, whatever she was able to do she did for Jesus. Furthermore, her faithful act of worship had a part to play in God's work of salvation.

What can you do? I think it's high time that we in the American Church stop showing up to sponge off of the insight and experiences of the few. God still speaks to us, He still reveals Himself to our hearts, He still challenges us to take up His cause. What are we going to do about it? When will we cross the line and stop merely being consumers?

Mary did what she could. I don't know what we can do, but I think it's time we found out.

Venezuela 2013: Shirt Off My Back

We've all heard it. "I'd give you the shirt off of my back." Tonight that really happened. It would be impossible for me to adequately articulate just how special the people at Iglesias Filadelfia made our team feel this week, and especially tonight. They celebrated us and the work we have done together to the glory of God in a remarkable way.

Tonight as we concluded our time with them the church threw us a special going away party. There were so many people at the church that it was impossible for everyone to fit into the alleyway where we were hosted. Dozens of people waited for pictures with various members of the team as email addresses, mementos, and social media info were swapped.

During this time a young man about twenty years old approached me with his friend who translated. He had been especially blessed by the nightly services we were able to take part in. He wanted to offer me a token of his appreciation. And so, he literally gave me the shirt off of his back because it says "Venezuela" on it.

I was touched. Admittedly, I feel as though my contributions have been small this week. I am mostly here to encourage and document. I offer pastoral input when the opportunities present themselves, but in the grand scheme of this adventure I am a behind-the-curtain kind of guy. Still, he insisted on giving me his shirt. It was an incredibly humbling gesture.

What it taught me is that what I may see as small others see as magnificent. What I might see as routine could be something that is life-changing for another. The next time someone tells me, "I'd give you the shirt off of my back" I'll have to tell them about this dear fellow I met at a place called Filadelfia in Venezuela.

April 13 - Unknown

Read: Matthew 6:1-4

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (Matthew 6:3 ESV)

Have you ever known someone that did something incredibly generous, but then completely soiled on it by making a big deal out of it? Generosity was never meant to become a spectacle. It's like those TV shows that take some genuinely deserving person in need of an upgraded home and make this huge ordeal out of building them a newer bigger one. Perhaps, they do actually want to help people, but at the end of the day they are after ratings and advertising dollars. True generosity is accomplished in secret.

Jesus was pretty clear about this. The Pharisees and other religious folk accompanied their generous actions with much pomp and fanfare. Jesus said that a pure heart will give without recognition. Obviously you can not give and keep it a secret from your own body, that wasn't his point. Jesus' point was to give, authentically, and more so, purely.

To give with sincere motives means to give while expecting nothing in return. Generosity in its highest form takes place when there is neither recognition nor reward to be gained. No horns. No parades. No pats on the back. Perhaps not even a "Thank you." And maybe even resentment, hostility, and/or hatred.

April 12 - What Reward

Read: Matthew 5:43-48

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (Matthew 5:46 ESV)

I used to really love getting a box of CrackerJacks. Not because of the snack. But because of the prize. That little red box came with a guarantee—some reward waited inside.

In many ways that mindset never left me. Even as I stepped into ministry I found myself only investing where I was sure to get a return. I rarely poured into people that couldn't do something for me. I rarely invested in a church that wasn't capable of sowing into my ministry. I'm glad that about me eventually changed.

Jesus had to work on me a lot. I was, and still am, stubborn. However, over time he lead me to see the value of giving love without a secret agenda. It's how he did it. It's how he still does it. Jesus simply loves people. All people.

Too often we make the mistake of trying to think we can screen people before extending the love of Christ in their direction. Shame on us. There is no filtration system for the love of God. We do not have the right to make a choice for someone where love is concerned.

Keep Your Steak

If I ever caught someone trying to feed my son steak they would be in a lot of trouble. Like a drop kick to the chinny-chin-chin kind of trouble. It's not because he can't eat steak, he can, he just needs really tiny bites. He's just not ready for the fully unleashed awesomeness of a 20 ounce New York Strip. In the mean time he exists on milk, and soft fruits and veggies. In fact, most of his food is made by his mommy.

I am really and truly perplexed when I find Christians trying to feed baby believers spiritual steak. It makes me mad. I am even more annoyed when I see believers taking the weight of the Word and trying to force it on people who have yet to even embrace Jesus. When we throw our buffet of perceived fundamentals at them and they reject them why are we so surprised?

Why do we in the Church get it so WRONG so OFTEN?

It's because we're so messed up ourselves. I am messed up, you are messed up, your pastor is messed up, and so is the habitual sex addict that lives two houses over. We wander into grievous folly when we fight to force feed someone that does not even recognize their hunger.

When my son sees me eating, he wants to eat. When he sees me get a drink he wants some. When he sees me enjoy something, he wants to partake. What our friends, family, and neighbors need is someone who will show them that Christ is enjoyable.

Life lived for Jesus is not a pity party, a political party, or a social party. It is a life. It is full. It is wonderful. It is digestible. It is palatable.

I am convinced, truly convinced, that many people (not all) are so much more interested in Jesus than we often give them credit for. When an unbeliever witnesses the winsome life-giving love of Christ at work within the life of a believer it is hard not to pay attention. In fact, it forces them to make an internal decision to investigate further, or to reject wholesale. However, when we're busy peddling opinionated agendas and wrestling with unnecessary internal foibles it all but makes the decision for those looking on.

April 11 - Give

Read: Matthew 5:38-42

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42 ESV)

My bank account is not overflowing with staggering financial figures. My wife and I do not own our home. We don't drive new vehicles. We love to give. We especially love to give to people who have no idea we are doing it. That's the best. I'm not trying to put us up on some kind of religious pedestal. I simply want to point out a principle Jesus taught that we are embracing.

Giving is powerful. It creates in you a condition of surrender that says to God, "Ok, Lord, everything I have is in reality Yours. It can be used by You, for You, and through You. Distribute it as You please." There is an indescribable amount of freedom that comes with a lack of attachment to your stuff.

Jesus gave EVERYTHING. To those who hated, accused, slandered, mocked, abused, and murdered him he in turn poured out his blood, sweat, tears, mercy, healing, grace, and life. Jesus gave EVERYTHING.

The overwhelming pattern of the Gospel is this. GIVE. Give your money, your time, your desires, your finances, and your life to God and to others. He will use it in better ways than you could ever hope to. If you try to keep it, you will lose it. If you let it go you will actually find that the power of the truth was hiding from you all along.

April 10 - Yes or No

Read: Matthew 5:33-37

Let what you say be simply "Yes" or "No"; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:37 ESV)

"I swear" used to be a regularly heard phrase. Probably because of the popularity of a hit song by the same name. It spoke of the depth of the love a man had for a woman, and how he was swearing an oath based on all of these wondrous astrological things. It's a beautiful thought, but its deceptive.

Jesus taught his followers that their words were empty when there were too many of them. People did not need to accompany all of their promises to God, or each other, with all of the wordy oaths that had become so commonplace. "Yes" or "No" was enough.

I can readily identify with this idea. It's so easy to want to make grand proclamations in accompaniment with our promises. Still, its easy to want to make our promises more about the fact that we are making them in the first place, and less about what we are actually committing ourselves to do.

How many weddings have you been to that were absolutely breathtaking ceremonies either aesthetically or ritually? How many of them ended in disaster? None I hope, but the evidence is all around us. Hundreds and thousands of wonderfully worded weddings end abruptly every year. Forgotten are the word-filled vows to love and cherish until departure by death. What if the commitment to being together, the "Yes" was more important than the way it's displayed for the world?

Weddings are an easy to spot example, but this principle carries over into every day life. When someone asks us to pray for their need, we don't need to just quote them a scripture and agree to remember them later in prayer. We need to pray for them. Regularly. Right on the spot if possible. And there are many more examples we could discuss. The simple idea is that when you make an oath, when you promise, when you vow—"Yes" or "No" is enough.

April 9 - Divorce

Read: Matthew 5:31-32

"It was also said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce." (Matthew 5:31 ESV)

Divorce is such a terribly tragic thing. It is the unravelling, the death, of something brought together under a covenant, blessing, and vows. When a married couple divorces it is the death of not only the present state of that marriage, but also the death of all of their future together.

It seems like we see a lot of this today. Think about it for a second. How many people do you know that are divorced? How many people even in your own family have experienced its affects? Perhaps you yourself have experienced divorce first hand.

The church is not an exception, which is a terrible indictment upon our call to reflect Christ. Jesus loved the church so much that he died so it would come into being. And the bible tells us that one day he will return for his bride. What if he changed his mind? What if he decided he would rather divorce the church rather than put up with it for the rest of eternity? Thankfully he has already told us that he would never leave nor forsake us.

We live in a culture where it is too easy to walk out on stuff. Covenants and commitments mean very little. People give up on each other at home, socially, and in the church. I believe God made it possible to live a better way. A way full of commitment, covenant, and communal attachment. All we have to do to experience it is divorce our own selfishness and continually walk into his awaiting merciful grace.

10 Things the Church Must Not Forget

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. This week's Ten was written by lovely wife Jamie. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1. When everything is going well, pray and praise! Don't wait for the downtimes. People are watching you in the good times to see who gets the glory.

2. You can not tell other people their convictions. You must pray God convicts them through His Spirit.

3. If you can't love them while they are in the church there is no way you can love them outside it.

4. Christians have been Supernaturally sustained and provided for in historical periods, under terrible government, in wicked countries, and endured persecution that is far worse than anything you are probably dealing with.

5. Yes if God brings you to it he will bring you through it, but you must be fully armored for the spiritual warfare. Eph 6:13

6. There is no biblical commandment to hoard. The command continuously is to give and go.

7. When you have done everything stand firm. Eph 6:13 Firm. Not back on your heels in fear. Not on your toes trying to do too much.

8. The biggest lie Satan convinces people of is that they simply don't have the time for Christ. Christian and non-Christian.

9. To covet someone else's blessing is to tell God, He doesn't know what's best.

10. The heartbeat of Christ can be summed in three words: Love, Give, and Go. [He LEFT heaven cause He LOVED you and GAVE everything].

Merica's gods: Football, Athletes, & Idolatry

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. I was reading an article this morning about the new football stadium in Allen, TX. The pricetag for this new pigskin palace? $60 million. Oh, and did I mention that it's a high school stadium? The same school laid off 44 teachers last year. Wha.....?

We all know Texas loves their football, but lest we forget about the plank in our own eyes, so does pretty much everywhere else in this country. And if it's not football it's something else; basketball, baseball, soccer, this list could get really long if I kept going.

We idolize sports. American arenas are the modern version of their Greco-Roman counterparts, places where athletes competed in violent rites of competition. The spirit of competition is a large part of the problem. We don't know how to compete without making an idol out of it. We don't know how to recognize the incredible athleticism of someone without trying to promote them above who and what they are. We don't know how to watch without worshipping. Any time we attribute more value to something than it actually deserves we have turned it into an idol. Shame on us.

This latest monument to idolatry in Allen, TX is only one small part of a much larger issue. Those of us who call ourselves Christians need to openly repent, and then we need to ask God to help us change our behavior. We can start by detaching some of the passion we have for sports and redirecting in a way that brings God glory. There's nothing inherently sinful in turning on our TV and watching our favorite team, but there is something deeply sinful going on when we become overly passionate about it.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

The Missing: Sacrifice

What have I done lately for someone that actually put me out in some significant way? Nothing. I like to think of myself as a servant. I mean my chief responsibility is serving college students right? Yes, it is; and I'm fairly sure that there are several that are benefiting from my influence in their life. But when was the last time I really had to sacrifice to make a difference? Those times are rare. My life is pretty much amazing. I face almost no conflict or adversity. Hmmmmmm. (Read that like Yoda says it. Go ahead go back and try it. No, not the whole paragraph, just that last word before this nearly pointless parenthetical derailment.) For a group of people who rally behind the sacrifice of someone (Jesus) as a historical, miraculous, cosmically, and eternally influential event; we do precious little sacrificing of our own. Going to church is not a sacrifice, no matter how boring your pastor is, that's not what I'm talking about. When is the last time following after Christ actually cost you something? Apathy, ignorance, and indifference are the norms today because we are a generation of spoiled and lazy infants who expect people to fight our battles, pay our way, and make us feel good about it; while we moan about how terrible everything is from the safety of our smartphone. I'm convinced that Christianity was meant to be different than this. I feel as though we have sorely missed the mark, and are now so confused about where the mark is that we have traded the pursuit of truth for the calloused whispers of the devil's deceptive mirage.

Writing this has cost me nothing. My prayer tonight is that our hearts would become fertile ground for the seeds of selfless sacrifice to take root--that the Church of Jesus Christ would again become selfless. That I would be both willing and able to love bigger, and try harder to shine the Light of Christ on those who need it most, even if it costs me everything.

He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot

The Missing: Questions

I've worked through some intensely personal faith questions in the last year. Some questions were earnest inquiries brought to me by the passionate students I am so blessed to be able to interact with. Many were thoughts formed or posed during times of personal prayer, study, fellowship, or church attendance. I take notes endlessly; at the grocery store, laying in bed, and even in the middle of worship services-- pretty much anytime I have a legitimate question involving my faith. For regular readers of nathanology, you have been privy to some of these questions--but not all. For those who do not know me, you should know that I proccess knowledge through questions. I approach my faith in much the same way, but where a fact (such as multiplication tables or important historical dates) can be memorized in order to add the information to your repertoire of knowledge; faith is a kind of knowledge that is only ever truly gained through experience.

I experiece God in many ways. I find that I think most often about Him while engaging in the arts, outdoors, in the company of loved ones and close friends, through reading and study, and through stories, but my most intensely personal experiences with God always come during times of prayerfully inquisitive contemplation.

For a thirty-one year old man, I have read the bible very consistently for the majority of my life. Above all other things in my life, this is a practice of spiritual discipline that I never waver in, except for late in the summer last year when I had surgery on my mouth and missed a few days. I read it Christologically; meaning that I believe pretty much the entire collective work points to the Christ and that Jesus embodies the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (not their abolishment) and that He is our only means of reconciliation to God.

For the last few weeks I've been reading and studying the Gospels, but before that I spent several months--actually most of the last year, studying Old Testament Law and Prophecy. I don't write these things as some kind of badge of honor or in a shallow attempt to elevate or promote myself, but as a sort of foundation to support the heart of what I want to begin to address with these next few entrees on this site.

The more I read and study the Bible, the more I realize that much of the stuff I have experienced, and continue to experience within the confines of a physical church property are sorely out of touch with God. We live in an age where Christian religion has become a sort of polarizing spiritual taboo, even among Christians. You have one camp that likes to quote James 4 and talk about how terrible religion is as a permissive sort of smoke screen so that they might live as some kind of spiritually empowered free spirit. On the other hand you have another group that is nearly hopelessly consumed by the traditions of what has gone before or the assumptions that they derive from those blind traditions. I believe that God's truth lies somewhere in the middle, and I'm going to spend the next month or so trying to unpack my thoughts about it here for all to see.

It starts with this question: What is missing?