To End The Drought

Sitting down in front of the keys, a thousand thoughts go through my head. I think of ISIS, of little girls with books, of insane people conflating Christianity with "God on America's Side," of chocolate bunnies, of frightening droughts, of lying billionaires moving suited pawns across legislatures...

I think of my bank account, of my aching foot, of the fact that my computer is on its last leg, of the fact that capitalism doesn't work well for people with my kind of motivation and values...

I think of all the flaws and the fears of the world in the span of a moment. They flash before my mind's eye. It is a dizzying, horrifying, freak show, and I really don't recommend it. It's vomit inducing.

I could write about any single one of these things, and while they each could be twisted into a faith post, the reality is together, they mean so much more.

The world is scary. It is dark. It is full of awful, terrible, no good things. People use the same ideology and evidence to support their views, often with selfish aims, and with complete disregard for the consequences if they win their arguments.

In this season of Lent, I have to remind myself, and you, that it is darkest just before the dawn. All of these things are true...are present...and they must be addressed. You must decide what to do with the chocolate bunny, and how to re-landscape your lawn because grass is not going to work any more. These are bitter pills for the average Californian (and the rest of the US). You must decide how to address your faith - and work, or not, with others across the world to bring about Shalom - that yearned state of the Divine.

And for us Christians, yes, these things weigh on us, and it is hard and scary and we want to hide our faces under our pillows and stay in our cozy beds. But Jesus still died a horrible death...and returned.

As my father likes to quote, in his best imitation of a whooping preacher...

"It's Good Friday...BUT EASTER'S COMIN'!"

One more time...

"It's Good Friday...BUT EASTER IS COMIN'!"

We are not alone. In the midst of the faithful, is a large bubbling, untapped wellspring of love and light. It is time to end the drought.

Rush forth my brothers and sisters - come forward - your time in now.

Going Through the Motions is Good

In the last 10 years I've had more than a few moments of doubt. Each crisis of faith has been intense, difficult, and often downright painful.

In one particular crisis of faith, I remember that I started writing my godfather with questions. I was really struggling and I wanted to talk to someone other than my parents (who have, for the majority of my life, served as both my parents and pastors...which is more than a little awkward). My godfather told me something that has stuck with me.

Sometimes you just have to fake it til you make it.

In other words, everyone has doubts. Everyone has difficult times. Yet if you are disciplined and work through the struggle, the questions, and whatever thoughts and feelings running through your mind, then you'll come out the other side with a strong faith.

Faith requires discipline. It isn't easy. It isn't for the weak. It is for the strong. It is for the determined - the persistent. And yes, sometimes this means going through the motions without really feeling the faith. It's kind of like marriage.

Sometimes in marriage you want to strangle your partner. Sometimes you want to run away, or play the field. But here's the thing - you don't. You stick with it. You deal with whatever issues have come up and you keep going. And then when you come out the other side, your relationship is stronger than ever.

This is the way of things.

Unfortunately it's a path that is frequently forgotten and despised by society at large. But I'm here to say it's worth pursuing. It's worth going through the motions to maintain faith until it is restored - because trust me, it will be. I've been through this enough times to know. You won't regret your decision.

The Church Fault

What's really wrong with the Church? I'll tell ya...