(343,1,'2011-10-05 07:39:24','2011-10-05 14:39:24','','spiritual','','inherit','open','open','','spiritual','','','2011-10-05 07:39:24','2011-10-05 14:39:24','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/spiritual.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(1026,1,'2011-10-23 16:18:49','2011-10-23 23:18:49','These are Sudan Refugees escaping from their country.  It\'s interesting what we will do when freedom is on the line.\r\n\r\n[Click on the image to see the full image.]\r\n\r\n<em>Photo Credit:design-dautore.com</em>','The Cost of Freedom','','publish','open','open','','the-cost-of-freedom','','','2011-10-23 16:18:49','2011-10-23 23:18:49','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=1026',0,'post','',0),(1027,0,'2011-10-23 16:13:43','2011-10-23 23:13:43','Family, Technology, Spirituality, Questions, Politics, Books, Poetry and Interviews\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Kaitlin Allen\nAUTHOR EMAIL: sfcc.kaitlin.allen@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://kaitmonster.wordpress.comandhttp://kaitlinallen24.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 67.5.118.73\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Kaitlin Allen\n    [Email] =&gt; sfcc.kaitlin.allen@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://kaitmonster.wordpress.com and http://kaitlinallen24.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Family, Technology, Spirituality, Questions, Politics, Books, Poetry and Interviews\r\n\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; puzzlingparadox\n)\n','Kaitlin Allen - 2011-10-23 16:13:43','','publish','open','open','','836641cf32a37d20af78f2a329faabeb','','','2011-10-23 16:13:43','2011-10-23 23:13:43','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=1027',0,'feedback','',0),(1028,1,'2011-10-23 16:15:21','2011-10-23 23:15:21','','Sudan_Refugee_Truck','','inherit','open','open','','sudan_refugee_truck','','','2011-10-23 16:15:21','2011-10-23 23:15:21','',1026,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sudan_Refugee_Truck.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(1029,1,'2011-10-23 16:17:25','2011-10-23 23:17:25','ThsIt\'s interesting what we will do when freedom is on the line.\n\n[Click on the image to see the full image.]\n\nPhoto Credit:design-dautore.com','The Cost of Freedom','','inherit','open','open','','1026-revision','','','2011-10-23 16:17:25','2011-10-23 23:17:25','',1026,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1026-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(1030,1,'2011-10-23 16:18:11','2011-10-23 23:18:11','These are Sudan Refugees escaping from their country.  It\'s interesting what we will do when freedom is on the line.\r\n\r\n[Click on the image to see the full image.]\r\n\r\nPhoto Credit:design-dautore.com','The Cost of Freedom','','inherit','open','open','','1026-revision-2','','','2011-10-23 16:18:11','2011-10-23 23:18:11','',1026,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1026-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1031,1,'2011-10-23 16:18:16','2011-10-23 23:18:16','These are Sudan Refugees escaping from their country.  It\'s interesting what we will do when freedom is on the line.\r\n\r\n[Click on the image to see the full image.]\r\n\r\nPhoto Credit:design-dautore.com','The Cost of Freedom','','inherit','open','open','','1026-revision-3','','','2011-10-23 16:18:16','2011-10-23 23:18:16','',1026,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1026-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1032,1,'2011-10-23 16:19:55','2011-10-23 23:19:55','These are Sudan Refugees escaping from their country.  It\'s interesting what we will do when freedom is on the line.\n\n[Click on the image to see the full image.]\n\n<em>Photo Credit:design-dautore.com</em>','The Cost of Freedom','','inherit','open','open','','1026-autosave','','','2011-10-23 16:19:55','2011-10-23 23:19:55','',1026,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1026-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(345,1,'2011-10-05 07:41:05','2011-10-05 14:41:05',' ','','','publish','open','open','','345','','','2012-01-19 11:08:28','2012-01-19 19:08:28','',9,'http://provoketive.com/?p=345',9,'nav_menu_item','',0),(346,1,'2011-10-05 07:41:05','2011-10-05 14:41:05',' ','','','publish','open','open','','346','','','2012-01-19 11:08:28','2012-01-19 19:08:28','',9,'http://provoketive.com/?p=346',10,'nav_menu_item','',0),(1999,24,'2011-11-09 16:19:28','2011-11-10 00:19:28','Those of you who were raised in any sort of religion were usually told what to believe and why. Many heard that the bible is infallible and the absolute source of God\'s authority. The messages on Sunday were directed at what to believe and the consequences for not doing so.\n\nHow do we know if anything is true? Can our thoughts and perceptions be trusted? I could use a passage of scripture in the bible to rationalize and justify pretty much anything.\n\nLets take a look at perception so we can then reexamine our experience with religion.\n\n<strong>\"Man is intrinsically innocent because he can only choose what he perceives to be good.\" - Socrates</strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/YoungOldWoman.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1976\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/YoungOldWoman-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" /></a>Is this your wife or mother-in-law?\nWhich perception is real?\nDoes one negate the other?\nDo both exist simultaneously?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI John 2: 9-11 Anyone who claims to live in God\'s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It\'s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God\'s light and doesn\'t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn\'t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.','Perception is Deception','','inherit','open','open','','1975-revision-4','','','2011-11-09 16:19:28','2011-11-10 00:19:28','',1975,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/09/1975-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2000,24,'2011-11-09 16:20:37','2011-11-10 00:20:37','Those of you who were raised in any sort of religion were usually told what to believe and why. Many heard that the bible is infallible and the absolute source of God\'s authority. The messages on Sunday were directed at what to believe and the consequences for not doing so.\n\nHow do we know if anything is true? Can our thoughts and perceptions be trusted? I could use a passage of scripture in the bible to rationalize and justify pretty much anything.\n\nLets take a look at perception so we can then reexamine our experience with religion.\n\n<strong>\"Man is intrinsically innocent because he can only choose what he perceives to be good.\" - Socrates</strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/YoungOldWoman.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1976\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/YoungOldWoman-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" /></a>Is this your wife or mother-in-law?\nWhich perception is real?\nDoes one negate the other?\nDo both exist simultaneously?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI John 2: 9-11 Anyone who claims to live in God\'s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It\'s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God\'s light and doesn\'t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn\'t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.','Perception is Deception','','inherit','open','open','','1975-revision-5','','','2011-11-09 16:20:37','2011-11-10 00:20:37','',1975,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/09/1975-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2390,101,'2011-11-25 12:51:47','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I hid for a long time - having run from a blissful childhood faith into a closet of religious fear.\r\n\r\nUp until my late teens I had known God as love, tenderness and grace - personified by Jesus whose spirit lived in me as a friend. Life was good because God was always with me. I could talk to Him. I trusted Him. I asked him questions all the time. I didn\'t always get an answer, but I knew I could ask.\r\n\r\nMaybe it was legalistic friends, or one too many Jack Chick Tracts had taken root deep inside. Perhaps I\'d become lured by the seeming safety of  black/white, good/bad thinking. Whatever the culprit, I began allowing others to tell me who God was and who I was supposed to be in order to really have Him.\r\n\r\nMy closet, over the years, became decorated with proof-text Bible verses and well-worn answers to complex questions.  I wrapped my dwelling in caution tape that said \'un-orthodox viewpoints beware - I am a warrior of The Truth.\' I was truly confident in many aspects but fearful of my own doubts in many others.  I was like Professor Marvel, working knobs and buttons behind a curtain to give the illusion of  unwavering confidence. I was anxious daily that a little dog might pull away my covering, exposing me as being that young girl who loved Jesus and enjoyed life, secular music and rated-R movies.\r\n\r\nThe belief that I had to keep those things separate created a toxic dichotomy in my mind and spirit. Already prone to anxiety and depression, it wasn\'t surprising that eventually I found myself feeling trapped. I began to manifest outwardly the lack of control I felt inside. I flirted with anorexia for a while. In an attempt to shut out one half of the split, I dug further into piety to show how saved I was. To outsiders I probably came off as a strong, healthy Christian. Inside, tough, I was in constant turmoil.\r\n\r\nIt was through therapy (there is a name for what I was dealing with - Google \'\'scrupulosity\'), followed by emotional healing prayer in the hands of healthy Christians that I slowly began to emerge from the closet.\r\n\r\nA startling encounter with God sealed the fate of my religious strong-hold.\r\n\r\nAt work one day, early on in my recovery, I was fretting especially hard about something. In my spirit I was on my knees pleading whatever my case was (perhaps why I liked the music I did or why I was working so hard on my screenplay instead of praying or reading my Bible).  In mid plea I felt like God grabbed me by the shoulders and gave me a shake.\r\n\r\n\'Stand up, child,\" He said.\r\n\r\nI blinked.\r\n\r\n\'Huh?\' I stammered.\r\n\r\n\"I\'m not mad at you for anything at all, Helen\"\r\n\r\n\'You\'re not?\'\r\n\r\n\'Of course not. You are making war where there is peace...I can\'t do anything with you in this state\'.\r\n\r\n\'But we\'re supposed to be on our knees worshiping you.\'\r\n\r\n\'I don\'t want worship like this - like Wormtail, groveling and begging for fear of retribution. Don\'t you know who I am?\'\r\n\r\nI was  simultaneously shocked that apparently God read \'Harry Potter\' (one of my sinful favorites) and offended that he had compared me to the sniveling, cowardly servant of the Dark Lord in the story. But He had hit the nail on the head. That is exactly how I behaved in His presence most of the time. In effect, I realized, this betrayed how I must really see Him - as a power-hungry, hateful Lord.\r\n\r\nMy heart broke.\r\n\r\nAt one point, early on in childhood, I did know who He was. I knew Him as love, tenderness and grace. Maybe it was legalistic friends, maybe it was one too many Jack Chick Tracts.  Whatever the culprit, I had allowed others to tell me who God was and who I was supposed to be in order to have Him. I\'d hidden away where I thought I was safe, working, working for a grace that was free.\r\n\r\nThe beautiful thing was that God\'s confrontation did not produce guilt. Instead it gave me the confidence to step out of my fear.  It confirmed what deep down I had always known was true. God was in my questions and doubts. He\r\n\r\nJesus is True. That\'s the one thing I know for sure. Because I\'ve met Him. Beyond that, it\'s all just commentary (props to Rob Bell).\r\n\r\nSome random thoughts on life, love and faith from a girl who\'s just calling it like she sees it and who is done apologizing and hyper-spiritualizing her way through the journey.\r\n\r\nThere are beautiful Christians who aren\'t Conservative Republicans.\r\n\r\nMy daily struggles and questions and processing do not preclude me from being a good prayer minister.\r\n\r\nI can be a Charismatic without subscribing carte blanche to Pentecostal traditions.\r\n\r\nIt\'s OK to enjoy the love I have been given.\r\n\r\nEveryone is a hypocrite about something.\r\n\r\nChances are I am more annoyed at myself than God is.\r\n\r\nThe Bible is not an object to be worshiped.\r\n\r\nThe One whose life and breath flow through the Biblical canon is the source of all life and worthy of worship.\r\n\r\nI love being a woman.\r\n\r\nI love my ta-tas. They are small but cute.\r\n\r\nIt\'s OK to feel sexy even if I\'m not married.\r\n\r\nIt is impossible to shackle someone to rules and still call them free.\r\n\r\nI believe in having a personal relationship with each member of the God-head -Papa, Jesus and Holy Spirit. This is where wisdom grows.\r\n\r\nThe Holy Spirit is feminine.\r\n\r\nGod is masculine\r\n\r\nJesus was a male human being who carried both masculine and feminine traits in perfect balance.\r\n\r\nNeither male nor female is more important than the other. They were created equally in the image of God.\r\n\r\nI have learned that everyone at any given time is probably doing or thinking something that is forbidden in the Bible. It is like trying to plug up a broken dam with your finger. Best plan: Give up and let Jesus\' work on the cross be enough.\r\n\r\nI wonder if we sometimes can\'t see Jesus past the \'word\'.\r\n\r\nI love football.\r\n\r\nFundamentalism can be in error.\r\n\r\nStripping Scripture of all mystical notion and completely \'humanizing\' it can also be in error.\r\n\r\nFinding The \"Radical Middle\" is my quest.\r\n\r\nI think homosexuals are treated like lepers and Samaritans by many evangelicals. I think this is dishonoring and ignorant. I repent for my former stances on this issue.\r\n\r\nI think I can learn from anyone.\r\n\r\n\"Spirit-filled\" people sometimes scare me and make me wonder just what spirit they are filled with. I have scared myself.\r\n\r\nThe cake is a lie.\r\n\r\nDiscernment is best used to discern the presence of God, not the presence of demons.\r\n\r\nTangling with demons has become an arrogant sport in some deliverance ministries.\r\n\r\nI choose not to focus on demons. They\'ve already lost. Jesus gave me the keys.\r\n\r\nGod will always be more tender, merciful and graceful than humans.\r\n\r\nI have been a joker and a smoker but never a midnight toker.\r\n\r\nThe F word is my favorite.\r\n\r\nI greatly respect but don\'t always agree with the Apostle Paul. And I don\'t think that is blasphemous. I think he had issues just like the rest of us.\r\n\r\nSpeaking in tongues is cool.\r\n\r\nAnimals have souls and they go to heaven.\r\n\r\nThe post-flood covenant was made with the people and the animals (Genesis 9:10 - check it).\r\n\r\nEnd-Times stuff annoys me. I think it is by and large a distraction.\r\n\r\nLamborghinis are sexy cars.\r\n\r\nThe idea of \'crucifying my flesh\' is abhorrent to me. To try and do what was already done for me dishonors Christ and steals His joy.\r\n\r\nYou could destroy all the Bibles on the planet and still not destroy the Word of God.\r\n\r\nTo live in freedom with my focus on receiving and sharing the humanly impossible love of God is what Jesus asks of me. All other ground is sinking sand.\r\n\r\nIf everyone loved the way Jesus did the \'second coming\' (or is it the third?) would be upon us.\r\n\r\nTo live that way is hard. I don\'t know how to do it. And that is what makes religion so tempting. It makes me feel in control.\r\n\r\nEven still, Jesus take the wheel.','Religion, Professor Marvel and Wormtail.','','draft','open','open','','','','','2011-11-25 12:51:47','2011-11-25 20:51:47','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2390',0,'post','',0),(2371,100,'2011-11-18 06:45:22','2011-11-18 14:45:22','This week we talk with Joshua Hanson, one of the founders of Nomad’s Land in Alabama. Nomad’s Land is a 40-acre property that’s becoming a place of rest for weary travelers built around sustainable building and agriculture.\n\nJoshua talks about his “rock-n-roll” lifestyle following the grateful dead and other bands around the country, ending up meeting with a shaman who bathed him in cow manure and how a group of ex-hippies showed him a love he hadn’t experienced anywhere else.\n\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111811.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Joshua Hanson','','inherit','open','open','','2370-revision','','','2011-11-18 06:45:22','2011-11-18 14:45:22','',2370,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/18/2370-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3370,0,'2011-12-26 10:13:28','2011-12-26 18:13:28','I think Chris would make a good contributor to Provoketive as he is a skilled and beautiful word artist, and writes openly and honestly on issues of faith and justice and life.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Michaela Goan\nAUTHOR EMAIL: michaela.goan@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://thisfragiletent.wordpress.com/\nSUBJECT: Nominating A Writer For Provoketive\nIP: 95.145.206.171\nArray\n(\n    [Your Name] =&gt; Michaela Goan\n    [Your Email] =&gt; michaela.goan@gmail.com\n    [The Writer\'s Name] =&gt; Chris Goan\n    [The Writer\'s Website or Post] =&gt; http://thisfragiletent.wordpress.com/\n    [Why You Think They Should Write For Provoketive?] =&gt; I think Chris would make a good contributor to Provoketive as he is a skilled and beautiful word artist, and writes openly and honestly on issues of faith and justice and life.\n)\n','Michaela Goan - 2011-12-26 10:13:28','','publish','open','open','','60ccf158017e2c69b58a6cde3e5675d2','','','2011-12-26 10:13:28','2011-12-26 18:13:28','',1537,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3370',0,'feedback','',0),(2373,100,'2011-11-18 06:46:50','2011-11-18 14:46:50','','Joshua Hanson','Joshua Hanson','inherit','open','open','','joshua-hanson','','','2011-11-18 06:46:50','2011-11-18 14:46:50','',2370,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2374,100,'2011-11-18 06:48:18','2011-11-18 14:48:18','[caption id=\"attachment_2373\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Joshua Hanson\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2373\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThis week we talk with Joshua Hanson, one of the founders of Nomad’s Land in Alabama. Nomad’s Land is a 40-acre property that’s becoming a place of rest for weary travelers built around sustainable building and agriculture.\n\nJoshua talks about his “rock-n-roll” lifestyle following the grateful dead and other bands around the country, ending up meeting with a shaman who bathed him in cow manure and how a group of ex-hippies showed him a love he hadn’t experienced anywhere else.\n\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111811.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Joshua Hanson','','inherit','open','open','','2370-revision-2','','','2011-11-18 06:48:18','2011-11-18 14:48:18','',2370,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/18/2370-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2375,100,'2011-11-18 06:48:19','2011-11-18 14:48:19','[caption id=\"attachment_2373\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Joshua Hanson\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2373\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThis week we talk with Joshua Hanson, one of the founders of Nomad’s Land in Alabama. Nomad’s Land is a 40-acre property that’s becoming a place of rest for weary travelers built around sustainable building and agriculture.\r\n\r\nJoshua talks about his “rock-n-roll” lifestyle following the grateful dead and other bands around the country, ending up meeting with a shaman who bathed him in cow manure and how a group of ex-hippies showed him a love he hadn’t experienced anywhere else.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111811.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Joshua Hanson','','inherit','open','open','','2370-revision-3','','','2011-11-18 06:48:19','2011-11-18 14:48:19','',2370,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/18/2370-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2376,80,'2011-12-02 10:12:03','2011-12-02 18:12:03','I\'m talking about Black Friday, of course; that orgy of greed that follows the one day out the year we\'re supposed to stop and give thanks for all the good things we\'ve experienced.  Each year, it seems to get worse, with stores opening earlier and earlier, forcing employees to to work on one of the few days set aside to spend with family.\r\n\r\nIf that\'s not bad enough, violence always seems to break out while  people  prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.  It doesn\'t make sense.  But, every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the stores are filled with shoppers buying crap that they don’t need and really can’t afford.\r\n\r\nSadly, we pass our greed on to our children.  Don\'t think so?  One Christmas afternoon, when my nephew was about 2 or 3, his father (my brother) wanted to look at one of his toys.  This normally sweet, good-natured kid pulled all the things he’d gotten that day into a pile, lay on it and yelled “MINE, MINE, MINE!!!”\r\n\r\nContrast that story with one my grandmother used to tell about her favorite Christmas memory.  Grandma was born in 1905 in Volunteer, a little community in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains.  She lived on a small tobacco farm and like most mountain farm families in those days, money was scarce.  Since there really weren\'t any government assistance programs, any help that folks got came from church groups and private citizens.\r\n\r\nThe Christmas I’m talking about, one of those groups gathered some resources so the children in those poor families would get something for Christmas.  Grandma and her brothers and sisters didn’t know anything about that.  All they knew was that they heard sleigh bells coming up the road on Christmas Eve.  The bells stopped in front of their house and they heard a hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho”.  When Grandpa Chandler opened the door, who stood there but Santa Claus himself.  The jolly old elf came in, partook of what hospitality the family could offer (to do otherwise would’ve been an insult) and, finally, started passing out presents.  Grandma got an apple, an orange, a little bucket full of hard candy and baby doll.  And, she was elated.  She remembered that Christmas Eve until the day she died, 95 years later.\r\n\r\nA lot of Christians go around this time of year, saying to anyone that will listen “Jesus is the reason for the season”; then, they get in a fist fight over HDTV for 200 bucks.  If Jesus is the reason for the season, why don’t we act like it?  Instead of spending all night standing in line to buy more crap we don\'t need, why don’t we do the things Jesus did, like help the needy, the poor, and the marginalized?  Why don\'t we find someone who’s trying to do that and give them a hand?   Better yet, find a family in need and throw them a lifeline.  Hell, just quit thinking the guy panhandling is lazy and give him a dollar.  Better yet, give him that dollar and treat him like an actual human being.  That would be a helluva lot better way to celebrate Jesus’ birth than busting out your pepper spray so you get those X boxes you <em>need </em>so bad.','Our Newest Holiday','','publish','open','open','','our-newest-holiday','','','2011-12-01 10:14:10','2011-12-01 18:14:10','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2376',0,'post','',0),(2655,0,'2011-11-28 07:01:14','2011-11-28 15:01:14','jonathan,\r\n\r\nin four years of blogging, i don\'t think i\'ve ever gotten into such a fiery online disagreement, and i wanted to extend an olive branch. i can tell that i was interpreting your women and the church piece differently than you intended it. i do think my criticisms were valid, but please know that i didn\'t mean to insult you.  it is certainly hard to disagree in print around ideas that are so personal and deeply held, and in my passion, i don\'t think i went about it the best way and apologize.\r\n\r\npeace and joy,\r\nsuzannah\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: suzannah\nAUTHOR EMAIL: shoutlaughlove@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 72.77.123.148\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; suzannah\n    [Email] =&gt; shoutlaughlove@gmail.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; jonathan,\r\n\r\nin four years of blogging, i don\'t think i\'ve ever gotten into such a fiery online disagreement, and i wanted to extend an olive branch. i can tell that i was interpreting your women and the church piece differently than you intended it. i do think my criticisms were valid, but please know that i didn\'t mean to insult you.  it is certainly hard to disagree in print around ideas that are so personal and deeply held, and in my passion, i don\'t think i went about it the best way and apologize.\r\n\r\npeace and joy,\r\nsuzannah\n)\n','suzannah - 2011-11-28 07:01:14','','publish','open','open','','5a0c20546bad7db8e1782997b17168ff','','','2011-11-28 07:01:14','2011-11-28 15:01:14','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2655',0,'feedback','',0),(2415,80,'2011-11-21 07:28:50','2011-11-21 15:28:50','Conversation on Outlaw Preachers FB.','Is Occupy Wall Street a Christian Movement?','','inherit','open','open','','2376-revision-4','','','2011-11-21 07:28:50','2011-11-21 15:28:50','',2376,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/21/2376-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2416,0,'2011-11-21 07:33:37','2011-11-21 15:33:37','Geez, that\'s unbeleivbale. Kudos and such.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Reggie\nAUTHOR EMAIL: u.qoyages@nic.be\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.bing.com/\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] The Alabaster Jar - A Parable\nIP: 109.230.216.225\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Reggie\n    [Email] =&gt; u.qoyages@nic.be\n    [Website] =&gt; http://www.bing.com/\n    [Message] =&gt; Geez, that\'s unbeleivbale. Kudos and such.\n)\n','Reggie - 2011-11-21 07:33:37','','publish','open','open','','9bf05d94d84d78ecf12d2d573796d198','','','2011-11-21 07:33:37','2011-11-21 15:33:37','',55,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2416',0,'feedback','',0),(2377,80,'2011-11-18 08:10:32','2011-11-18 16:10:32','Dear Occupiers;\n\nFirst of all, I want to say what you guys have done is absolutely amazing.   In two months, you accomplished what groups like Sojourners and the more liberal mainstream churches have been working on for years: turning the conversation away from greed and consumerism and toward fairness and justice for everyone.  You grabbed us by the shirt and yelled \"THIS ISN\'T THE WAY IT\'S SUPPOSED TO BE!\"  Through non-violent protest and civil disobedience, you wouldn\'t let us look away and you exposed just how disfunctional the current system is for most Americans','An Open Letter to Occupy Wall Street','','inherit','open','open','','2376-revision','','','2011-11-18 08:10:32','2011-11-18 16:10:32','',2376,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/18/2376-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2378,1,'2011-11-18 06:48:38','2011-11-18 14:48:38','[caption id=\"attachment_2373\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Joshua Hanson\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/joshua-hanson-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2373\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThis week we talk with Joshua Hanson, one of the founders of Nomad’s Land in Alabama. Nomad’s Land is a 40-acre property that’s becoming a place of rest for weary travelers built around sustainable building and agriculture.\r\n\r\nJoshua talks about his “rock-n-roll” lifestyle following the grateful dead and other bands around the country, ending up meeting with a shaman who bathed him in cow manure and how a group of ex-hippies showed him a love he hadn’t experienced anywhere else.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111811.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Joshua Hanson','','inherit','open','open','','2370-revision-4','','','2011-11-18 06:48:38','2011-11-18 14:48:38','',2370,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/18/2370-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2845,1,'2011-11-29 06:44:31','2011-11-29 14:44:31','I\'m talking about Black Friday, of course; that orgy of greed that follows the one day out the year we\'re supposed to stop and give thanks for all the good things we\'ve experienced.  Each year, it seems to get worse, with stores opening earlier and earlier, forcing employees to to work on one of the few days set aside to spend with family. If that\'s not bad enough, violence always seems to break out while  people  prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.  It doesn\'t make sense.  But, every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the stores are filled with shoppers buying crap that they don’t need and really can’t afford.  Sadly, we pass our greed on to our children.  Don\'t think so?  One Christmas afternoon, when my nephew was about 2 or 3, his father (my brother) wanted to look at one of his toys.  This normally sweet, good-natured kid pulled all the things he’d gotten that day into a pile, lay on it and yelled “MINE, MINE, MINE!!!”  Contrast that story with one my grandmother used to tell about her favorite Christmas memory.  Grandma was born in 1905 in Volunteer, a little community in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains.  She lived on a small tobacco farm and like most mountain farm families in those days, money was scarce.  Since there really weren\'t any government assistance programs, any help that folks got came from church groups and private citizens.  The Christmas I’m talking about, one of those groups gathered some resources so the children in those poor families would get something for Christmas.  Grandma and her brothers and sisters didn’t know anything about that.  All they knew was that they heard sleigh bells coming up the road on Christmas Eve.  The bells stopped in front of their house and they heard a hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho”.  When Grandpa Chandler opened the door, who stood there but Santa Claus himself.  The jolly old elf came in, partook of what hospitality the family could offer (to do otherwise would’ve been an insult) and, finally, started passing out presents.  Grandma got an apple, an orange, a little bucket full of hard candy and baby doll.  And, she was elated.  She remembered that Christmas Eve until the day she died, 95 years later.\r\n\r\nA lot of Christians go around this time of year, saying to anyone that will listen “Jesus is the reason for the season”; then, they get in a fist fight over HDTV for 200 bucks.  If Jesus is the reason for the season, why don’t we act like it?  Instead of spending all night standing in line to buy more crap we don\'t need, why don’t we do the things Jesus did, like help the needy, the poor, and the marginalized?  Why don\'t we find someone who’s trying to do that and give them a hand?   Better yet, find a family in need and throw them a lifeline.  Hell, just quit thinking the guy panhandling is lazy and give him a dollar.  Better yet, give him that dollar and treat him like an actual human being.  That would be a helluva lot better way to celebrate Jesus’ birth than busting out your pepper spray so you get those X boxes you <em>need </em>so bad.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Our Newest Holiday','','inherit','open','open','','2376-revision-17','','','2011-11-29 06:44:31','2011-11-29 14:44:31','',2376,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/29/2376-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(2382,0,'2011-11-18 11:32:00','2011-11-18 19:32:00','Social Justice\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Nichole Jaworski\nAUTHOR EMAIL: nichole@steelecreekoutreach.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.shoutitcharlotte.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 75.176.94.3\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Nichole Jaworski\n    [Email] =&gt; nichole@steelecreekoutreach.org\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.shoutitcharlotte.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Social Justice\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; nichole@serveourhomeless.org\n)\n','Nichole Jaworski - 2011-11-18 11:32:00','','publish','open','open','','4e05de8340ed518e6cfd8af5bb5a47ca','','','2011-11-18 11:32:00','2011-11-18 19:32:00','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2382',0,'feedback','',0),(1039,38,'2011-10-23 19:10:35','2011-10-24 02:10:35','<p>Growing up in youth group, we were always lectured about how awful it was that kids would go off to college and then leave church. At the time I thought it was ridiculous that anyone would leave, but within three years I found myself standing on the stage in the sanctuary at my church graduation ceremony relieved that I wouldn’t have to enter those church doors for a long time.</p>\n\n<p>How did that happened? Why did I have such a drastic change in heart? I’ve spent a long time trying to articulate what precisely pushed me away, so when the article “<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>” by the Barna Group showed up in my RSS feed, it immediately identified with it because I lived their research.</p>\n\n<p>This is the first of three posts breaking down each reason given by the Barna Group and talk about how my own experience reflected each of them.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Reason #1: “Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.”</strong></p>\n\n<p>I was born into a very Christian family, so from the moment I left the womb I was in church. Flannel graphs, Sunday School, Big Church, the whole nine yards. From the church nursery all the way up through most of high school I was at church every time the doors were open. (Towards the end of high school I was there six times a week.) They learned me well. By the time I was in early middle school I could give a full dissertation on any issue and perfectly repeat the canned answers about my faith that I had been fed from the moment I had been born. So, when I got to youth group (grades 9-12) and the lessons didn’t go any deeper than “stay in church,” “don’t listen to secular music,” “don’t do drugs” and “don’t have sex,” I had a difficult time staying connected. I had learned all of that back in elementary school. Why are we still talking about this?</p>\n\n<p>I really needed leaders who would help me work through the questions that come with adolescence. I was wrestling with reality, mortality, myself, my body, my parents, and faith, and all they could talk about was how I needed to do my \"devos\". All the questions that are a part of being a teenager went unanswered. <em>Why am I here? (“Because Jesus created us.”  Yeah, thanks. That doesn’t help me. Why am I actually here? Why do I matter at all? Why should I even bother living?) Why does what I do even matter? Why should I believe any of this? Why can’t I just go be a monk?</p>\n\n<p>Anyone who remembers being a teenager understands that you go through a huge shift in how you understand life. Everything becomes much more important, serious, and you start to question everything. When no one addressed those kinds of questions or made room for us to at least dialogue about them, I started feeling discontent because no one cared about the questions, which caused me to believe that none of them really cared about what state of mind I was in.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Reason #2: “Churches come across as antagonistic to science.”</strong></p>\n\n<p>This, of the six reasons I\'ll be talking about, was the least influential for me, but it was still was important. The place this problem showed up the most was how incredibly dogmatic my church was about creation.\n\n<p>One of the reasons why I broke up with one of my ex-boyfriends was because of our differing views on creation. He believed in creation evolution, which is where views of evolution and creation can intersect. It was completely incompatible with my views on creation at the time, so I blocked him out. I realize now how silly that was.\n\n<p>I was not alone though because there was absolutely no room for that in the church I used to go to for other theories. There was zero discussion about them. If you didn’t believe in a literal 24-hour seven-day creation you may as well have said you weren’t Christian.\n\n<p>This extended into the rest of the science realm. For example, my church leaders were completely dismissive of things like global warming because they didn’t think \"God would allow us to do that to ourselves\". And don\'t even talk about the green movement because was all hogwash by those tree-hugging environmentalists who had anti-god agendas. The blogger over from <a href=\"http://bigwhiteogre.blogspot.com/2010/09/christianitys-anti-science-conditioning.html\" target=\"_blank\">Prove Me Wrong</a> captured this perfectly:\n\n<p>\"Climate change? Of course that was bunk. Just like evolutionists have some sort of God hating agenda and the scientific method is not capable of correcting for such biases, in the same way global warming types basically want to run our lives like Stalinist commissars. I will resist their encroachments on my liberty. [...] The lesson I\'ve learned from my past is that rejecting the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community is unlikely to lead to truth. Sure, it\'s possible that they can all be wrong, but is it likely? And what method of knowing truth is more reliable than following scientific consensus? They\'ll be wrong sometimes. But who won\'t be wrong sometimes?\"\n\n<p>The way I was taught displayed an unwillingness to listen to scientific advancements that make people slightly uncomfortable. They would simply brush them off and deny the need to protect our resources and respect the earth we live on. (It\'s not easy being green!) I mean, because God wouldn’t <em>actually </em>let us be our own demise, so on with bulldozing the rainforests!\n\n<p>It is one more area where the Christians I knew were aggressive and unwilling to have an intellectual conversation. This is well known in secular circles as one of The Hot Button Topics that you shouldn’t bring up under any circumstances. There is something very wrong with that. When I started college I didn\'t understand why people thought fundamentalists were close minded. This is a reason among many others.\n\n<p>Can\'t we be adults about this? Can\'t we sit down and hear each other out without attacking each other or immediately trying to shut down everyone else\'s arguments? Can\'t we engage and share our viewpoints and listen to each other? Can\'t we try to learn about other people\'s perspective and use that to understand other people better?\n\n<p>Contrary to the popular phrase, I promise your brain won\'t fall out of your head if you dare to talk to someone honestly about a different view of how we all got here.\n\n<p><em>Next I’ll be covering the next two reasons: the unhealthy views toward sexuality and the difficulty of the exclusive nature of Christianity.</em>','','','inherit','open','open','','1037-revision','','','2011-10-23 19:10:35','2011-10-24 02:10:35','',1037,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1037-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(355,1,'2011-10-05 11:21:02','2011-10-05 18:21:02',' ','','','publish','open','open','','355','','','2012-01-19 11:08:28','2012-01-19 19:08:28','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=355',6,'nav_menu_item','',0),(358,1,'2011-10-05 12:53:03','2011-10-05 19:53:03','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Humorous, Health, Relationships, Sports, Technology, Work and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Philosophy, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Poetry and Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer [<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/nominate-a-writer/\">or you would like to nominate a writer</a>] and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\" to=\"jb@civitaspress.com\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Provoketive','','publish','closed','closed','','writing-for-provoketive','','','2012-01-07 09:54:40','2012-01-07 17:54:40','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?page_id=358',0,'page','',0),(359,1,'2011-10-05 12:52:36','2011-10-05 19:52:36','','Login','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision','','','2011-10-05 12:52:36','2011-10-05 19:52:36','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(360,1,'2011-10-05 12:53:03','2011-10-05 19:53:03','instructions','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-2','','','2011-10-05 12:53:03','2011-10-05 19:53:03','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(361,1,'2012-01-19 10:41:22','2012-01-19 18:41:22','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\n\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\n<ul>\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Humorous, Health, Relationships, Sports, Technology, Work and World</li>\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Philosophy, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Poetry and Interviews</li>\n</ul>\nIf you are a writer [<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/nominate-a-writer/\">or you would like to nominate a writer</a>] and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\n\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\" to=\"jb@civitaspress.com\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Provoketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-autosave','','','2012-01-19 10:41:22','2012-01-19 18:41:22','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(362,1,'2011-10-05 12:55:48','2011-10-05 19:55:48','instructions','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-3','','','2011-10-05 12:55:48','2011-10-05 19:55:48','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(363,1,'2011-10-05 12:57:03','2011-10-05 19:57:03','instructions','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-4','','','2011-10-05 12:57:03','2011-10-05 19:57:03','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(364,1,'2011-10-05 13:01:03','2011-10-05 20:01:03','instructions','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-5','','','2011-10-05 13:01:03','2011-10-05 20:01:03','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(365,1,'2011-10-05 13:05:01','2011-10-05 20:05:01','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people engaged in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation.','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-6','','','2011-10-05 13:05:01','2011-10-05 20:05:01','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(367,1,'2011-10-05 14:12:03','2011-10-05 21:12:03','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people engaged in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation.\r\n\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Simply use the loing','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-8','','','2011-10-05 14:12:03','2011-10-05 21:12:03','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(366,1,'2011-10-05 14:04:10','2011-10-05 21:04:10','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people engaged in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation. If this is the space you desire to participate in, join us.\r\n\r\nBecoming A Provoketive Writers: You have a voice and you want to engage people conversation about topics you are passionate about. If this is you, we\'d like to talk.  We\'re currently looking for writers in all categories of the magazine. If you are interested please follow these simple instructions.\r\n<ol></ol>','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-7','','','2011-10-05 14:04:10','2011-10-05 21:04:10','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(371,1,'2011-10-05 14:51:09','2011-10-05 21:51:09','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people engaged in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation.\r\n\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-11','','','2011-10-05 14:51:09','2011-10-05 21:51:09','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(372,1,'2011-10-05 14:52:13','2011-10-05 21:52:13','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-12','','','2011-10-05 14:52:13','2011-10-05 21:52:13','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(373,1,'2011-10-05 14:52:31','2011-10-05 21:52:31','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-13','','','2011-10-05 14:52:31','2011-10-05 21:52:31','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(374,1,'2011-10-05 14:58:29','2011-10-05 21:58:29','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\nCurrent Categories\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Healthy, Technology,  and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-14','','','2011-10-05 14:58:29','2011-10-05 21:58:29','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(368,1,'2011-10-05 14:20:20','2011-10-05 21:20:20','About Provoketive Magazine: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people engaged in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation.\r\n\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will get back to you in 1-3 days.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-9','','','2011-10-05 14:20:20','2011-10-05 21:20:20','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(369,1,'2011-10-05 14:38:47','2011-10-05 21:38:47','testing info\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jonathan Brink\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jb@thriven.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://jonathanbrink.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 75.31.90.198\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jonathan Brink\n    [Email] =&gt; jb@thriven.org\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://jonathanbrink.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; testing info\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; jonathanbrink\n)\n','Jonathan Brink - 2011-10-05 14:38:47','','publish','open','open','','9fc20bc9fdce377fa699a361dbdad1dc','','','2011-10-05 14:38:47','2011-10-05 21:38:47','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=369',0,'feedback','',0),(375,1,'2011-10-05 14:59:33','2011-10-05 21:59:33','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Healthy, Technology,  and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-15','','','2011-10-05 14:59:33','2011-10-05 21:59:33','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(376,1,'2011-10-05 15:00:02','2011-10-05 22:00:02','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Healthy, Technology,  and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-16','','','2011-10-05 15:00:02','2011-10-05 22:00:02','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(377,1,'2011-10-05 15:04:34','2011-10-05 22:04:34','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Health, Technology, and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer, and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-17','','','2011-10-05 15:04:34','2011-10-05 22:04:34','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(378,1,'2011-10-05 15:04:51','2011-10-05 22:04:51','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Health, Technology, and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-18','','','2011-10-05 15:04:51','2011-10-05 22:04:51','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(379,0,'2011-10-05 15:15:30','2011-10-05 22:15:30','I write about spirituality and spiritual practices.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Annie Bullock\nAUTHOR EMAIL: avbullock@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://anniebullock.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 66.68.67.186\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Annie Bullock\n    [Email] =&gt; avbullock@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://anniebullock.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I write about spirituality and spiritual practices.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; avbullock\n)\n','Annie Bullock - 2011-10-05 15:15:30','','publish','open','open','','fc82cca0e9f89acad666c49867e77394','','','2011-10-05 15:15:30','2011-10-05 22:15:30','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=379',0,'feedback','',0),(380,0,'2011-10-05 15:17:33','2011-10-05 22:17:33','women\'s issues (not the recipe sort, the equality sort)\r\nspiritual practices\r\ncommunity\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: jennifer luitwieler\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jennifer@jenniferluitwieler.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://jenniferluitwieler.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 99.58.245.174\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; jennifer luitwieler\n    [Email] =&gt; jennifer@jenniferluitwieler.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://jenniferluitwieler.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; women\'s issues (not the recipe sort, the equality sort)\r\nspiritual practices\r\ncommunity\r\n\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; hollyhousestudio\n)\n','jennifer luitwieler - 2011-10-05 15:17:33','','publish','open','open','','d9c80e5216aa56b3630e53dd548d6684','','','2011-10-05 15:17:33','2011-10-05 22:17:33','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=380',0,'feedback','',0),(381,1,'2011-10-05 15:12:19','2011-10-05 22:12:19','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Health, Technology, and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, and Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-19','','','2011-10-05 15:12:19','2011-10-05 22:12:19','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(382,1,'2011-10-05 15:22:08','2011-10-05 22:22:08','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Humorous, Health, Technology, and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, and Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-20','','','2011-10-05 15:22:08','2011-10-05 22:22:08','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(383,0,'2011-10-05 15:30:22','2011-10-05 22:30:22','Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jonathan Crouch\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jmcrouch@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 99.27.134.190\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jonathan Crouch\n    [Email] =&gt; jmcrouch@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Jonathancrouch\n)\n','Jonathan Crouch - 2011-10-05 15:30:22','','publish','open','open','','5fb5b75093f9b13db29e9abb4edbdcea','','','2011-10-05 15:30:22','2011-10-05 22:30:22','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=383',0,'feedback','',0),(384,0,'2011-10-05 15:35:33','2011-10-05 22:35:33','Family\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Misty Chaffins\nAUTHOR EMAIL: MistyDC29@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://thechaffins.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 98.236.77.25\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Misty Chaffins\n    [Email] =&gt; MistyDC29@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; thechaffins.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Family\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; MistyDC29\n)\n','Misty Chaffins - 2011-10-05 15:35:33','','publish','open','open','','6c66b8574a442491b6aade6f6e97c285','','','2011-10-05 15:35:33','2011-10-05 22:35:33','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=384',0,'feedback','',0),(385,0,'2011-10-05 15:43:00','2011-10-05 22:43:00','Culture: The American Sitcom as Church Critic\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Gabriel Stoutimore\nAUTHOR EMAIL: gabe.stoutimore@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 24.227.93.117\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Gabriel Stoutimore\n    [Email] =&gt; gabe.stoutimore@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Culture: The American Sitcom as Church Critic\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; gabestouti\n)\n','Gabriel Stoutimore - 2011-10-05 15:43:00','','publish','open','open','','456c7719cc159f0ae40b8a85f4c9d193','','','2011-10-05 15:43:00','2011-10-05 22:43:00','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=385',0,'feedback','',0),(386,0,'2011-10-05 15:50:52','2011-10-05 22:50:52','Human rights, gender equality, grace, etc. The basic theme in my life is all about wanting everyone to have grace, acceptance and a reason to try and make the world a better place.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: joel\nAUTHOR EMAIL: joel@filmsgeek.me\nAUTHOR URL: http://filmsgeek.me\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 24.14.0.173\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; joel\n    [Email] =&gt; joel@filmsgeek.me\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://filmsgeek.me\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Human rights, gender equality, grace, etc. The basic theme in my life is all about wanting everyone to have grace, acceptance and a reason to try and make the world a better place. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Filmsgeek\n)\n','joel - 2011-10-05 15:50:52','','publish','open','open','','1a7c9c37b144e3e44da55509b6def40d','','','2011-10-05 15:50:52','2011-10-05 22:50:52','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=386',0,'feedback','',0),(387,0,'2011-10-05 16:00:25','2011-10-05 23:00:25','mostly - faith and creativity in the church\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: john o\'keefe\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jxpxus@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.johncokeefe.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 75.45.7.97\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; john o\'keefe\n    [Email] =&gt; jxpxus@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.johncokeefe.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; mostly - faith and creativity in the church\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; ginkworld\n)\n','john o\'keefe - 2011-10-05 16:00:25','','publish','open','open','','d637083b4f34c066ad6efc68bc4c72f3','','','2011-10-05 16:00:25','2011-10-05 23:00:25','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=387',0,'feedback','',0),(388,0,'2011-10-05 16:21:08','2011-10-05 23:21:08','You know me pretty well by now, and I\'m open to giving anything a shot. In general, the \"Faith\" category.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Melissa Cooper\nAUTHOR EMAIL: macooper09@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://revcooper.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 68.62.234.182\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Melissa Cooper\n    [Email] =&gt; macooper09@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; revcooper.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; You know me pretty well by now, and I\'m open to giving anything a shot. In general, the \"Faith\" category. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; macooper09\n)\n','Melissa Cooper - 2011-10-05 16:21:08','','publish','open','open','','dfa554e8ba5544522b03cbcb8508f129','','','2011-10-05 16:21:08','2011-10-05 23:21:08','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=388',0,'feedback','',0),(389,0,'2011-10-05 16:23:25','2011-10-05 23:23:25','Faith, music\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Alise Wright\nAUTHOR EMAIL: alise.d.wright@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.alise-write.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 76.92.77.220\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Alise Wright\n    [Email] =&gt; alise.d.wright@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.alise-write.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith, music\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; AliseWrite\n)\n','Alise Wright - 2011-10-05 16:23:25','','publish','open','open','','272221278c7f61925de12966e673c344','','','2011-10-05 16:23:25','2011-10-05 23:23:25','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=389',0,'feedback','',0),(390,0,'2011-10-05 16:23:54','2011-10-05 23:23:54','Everything but \"Life.\" Because I don\'t have one. :)\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: David Henson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: bluegrassrambling@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://davidrhenson.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 64.139.67.229\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; David Henson\n    [Email] =&gt; bluegrassrambling@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; davidrhenson.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Everything but \"Life.\" Because I don\'t have one. :)\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; davidrhenson\n)\n','David Henson - 2011-10-05 16:23:54','','publish','open','open','','11220d4a25457b59c2dbcfb22ccf0e62','','','2011-10-05 16:23:54','2011-10-05 23:23:54','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=390',0,'feedback','',0),(391,0,'2011-10-05 16:58:06','2011-10-05 23:58:06','Life, especially family &amp; health.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Robin Farr\nAUTHOR EMAIL: mamarobinj@farewellstranger.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://farewellstranger.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 24.68.10.44\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Robin Farr\n    [Email] =&gt; mamarobinj@farewellstranger.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://farewellstranger.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Life, especially family &amp; health. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; mamarobinj\n)\n','Robin Farr - 2011-10-05 16:58:06','','publish','open','open','','e2d3310b7e470e18b694c606fea3fddb','','','2011-10-05 16:58:06','2011-10-05 23:58:06','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=391',0,'feedback','',0),(392,0,'2011-10-05 17:11:05','2011-10-06 00:11:05','Faith\r\nSpirituality\r\nFaith and Vocation and Calling\r\nSpirituality of Change\r\nFaith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Daryl Thomson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: daryl.thomson@shaw.ca\nAUTHOR URL: http://namethefear.wordpress.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 24.68.112.15\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Daryl Thomson\n    [Email] =&gt; daryl.thomson@shaw.ca\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://namethefear.wordpress.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\r\nSpirituality\r\nFaith and Vocation and Calling\r\nSpirituality of Change\r\nFaith\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; DarylJ\n)\n','Daryl Thomson - 2011-10-05 17:11:05','','publish','open','open','','0df414b2db1cbb4478b6c54cad34afb4','','','2011-10-05 17:11:05','2011-10-06 00:11:05','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=392',0,'feedback','',0),(393,0,'2011-10-05 17:23:18','2011-10-06 00:23:18','Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Spiritual Practices, Questions,\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jeremy Myers\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jmyers@tillhecomes.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.tillhecomes.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 69.115.143.25\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jeremy Myers\n    [Email] =&gt; jmyers@tillhecomes.org\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.tillhecomes.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Spiritual Practices, Questions, \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; jeremyers1\n)\n','Jeremy Myers - 2011-10-05 17:23:18','','publish','open','open','','891f4151b76045085dd028176c51352d','','','2011-10-05 17:23:18','2011-10-06 00:23:18','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=393',0,'feedback','',0),(394,0,'2011-10-05 17:37:19','2011-10-06 00:37:19','Faith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Joy Wilson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: joyleewilson@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://joyleewilson.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 65.13.98.197\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Joy Wilson\n    [Email] =&gt; joyleewilson@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; joyleewilson.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; solacetree\n)\n','Joy Wilson - 2011-10-05 17:37:19','','publish','open','open','','38dab9b363fbef5ba5a6694f5ef85529','','','2011-10-05 17:37:19','2011-10-06 00:37:19','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=394',0,'feedback','',0),(395,0,'2011-10-05 18:33:24','2011-10-06 01:33:24','Family, Faith, Homeschooling, Living with a Chronic Illness. \r\nI have two other blogs a multi-author faith blog http://unconventionalchristian-t-bear.blogspot.com/ and my original blog at blogger teribear68.blogspot.com  \r\nI also write for Examiner.com on Homeschooling. http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-66-in-memphis/terri-weaver\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Terri Weaver\nAUTHOR EMAIL: terriweaver@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://livingwithsyndromex.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 75.64.2.184\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Terri Weaver \n    [Email] =&gt; terriweaver@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://livingwithsyndromex.blogspot.com \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Family, Faith, Homeschooling, Living with a Chronic Illness. \r\nI have two other blogs a multi-author faith blog http://unconventionalchristian-t-bear.blogspot.com/ and my original blog at blogger teribear68.blogspot.com  \r\nI also write for Examiner.com on Homeschooling. http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-66-in-memphis/terri-weaver\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Teribear68\n)\n','Terri Weaver - 2011-10-05 18:33:24','','publish','open','open','','870847cfdde0c5c31f5a3de85a111b38','','','2011-10-05 18:33:24','2011-10-06 01:33:24','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=395',0,'feedback','',0),(396,0,'2011-10-05 20:22:02','2011-10-06 03:22:02','theology\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: David Owen-O\'Quill\nAUTHOR EMAIL: therevd4@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.dare2seek.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 108.73.96.207\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; David Owen-O\'Quill\n    [Email] =&gt; therevd4@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.dare2seek.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; theology\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; therevd4\n)\n','David Owen-O\'Quill - 2011-10-05 20:22:02','','publish','open','open','','30c516a176014ec82491789030d4ba38','','','2011-10-05 20:22:02','2011-10-06 03:22:02','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=396',0,'feedback','',0),(397,0,'2011-10-05 21:20:31','2011-10-06 04:20:31','Questions, Interfaith Dialogue, Growth, Spirituality, Books\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Deanna Ogle\nAUTHOR EMAIL: outofcomatose@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.soullikeaspider.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 68.43.109.102\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Deanna Ogle\n    [Email] =&gt; outofcomatose@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.soullikeaspider.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Questions, Interfaith Dialogue, Growth, Spirituality, Books\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; deannaogle\n)\n','Deanna Ogle - 2011-10-05 21:20:31','','publish','open','open','','66b765cc4fe97a5a8f8f3cee2f42ea4a','','','2011-10-05 21:20:31','2011-10-06 04:20:31','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=397',0,'feedback','',0),(398,0,'2011-10-05 22:09:49','2011-10-06 05:09:49','Faith and spirituality from a progressive yet traditional Christian perspective. I\'m a gay man with a two year old married to my husband of 22 years.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Rev. Burton Bagby-Grose\nAUTHOR EMAIL: burton.bagby-grose@att.net\nAUTHOR URL: http://noneotherthanfacebook\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 70.138.145.58\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Rev. Burton Bagby-Grose\n    [Email] =&gt; burton.bagby-grose@att.net\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; none other than facebook\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith and spirituality from a progressive yet traditional Christian perspective. I\'m a gay man with a two year old married to my husband of 22 years.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; RevBurtonBagbyGrose\n)\n','Rev. Burton Bagby-Grose - 2011-10-05 22:09:49','','publish','open','open','','f144df600b1b7e41c3b81f7b9eca09c4','','','2011-10-05 22:09:49','2011-10-06 05:09:49','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=398',0,'feedback','',0),(399,0,'2011-10-05 22:13:05','2011-10-06 05:13:05','Faith and Justice\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Ryan Collins\nAUTHOR EMAIL: rpollins1@hotmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 50.43.151.124\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Ryan Collins\n    [Email] =&gt; rpollins1@hotmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith and Justice\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; RPatrickCollins\n)\n','Ryan Collins - 2011-10-05 22:13:05','','publish','open','open','','108002cb258a0df3cf33cd2d8d80b2b9','','','2011-10-05 22:13:05','2011-10-06 05:13:05','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=399',0,'feedback','',0),(400,1,'2011-10-05 15:22:28','2011-10-05 22:22:28','<strong>About Provoketive Magazine</strong>: In a world saturated with people shouting at each other, it\'s rare to find a place where people can engage in conversation with each other.  Provoketive Magazine hopes to change that.  We\'re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment.  Our desire is to provoke the reader\'s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.\r\n\r\n<strong>Current Categories</strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Life: Business, Family, Growth, Humorous, Health, Sports, Technology, and World</li>\r\n	<li>Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions</li>\r\n	<li>Justice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics</li>\r\n	<li>Culture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, and Interviews</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are a writer and want to participate with us in creating this rich space of conversation, we invite you to sign up today.  Use the form below to provide the following information.  We will respond to you in 1-3 days with instructions for participation.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\" to=\"jb@thriven.org\"] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Existing Blog or Website\" type=\"url\" /] [contact-field label=\"List the topic you are interested writing about\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Current or New Wordpress Login Name (We\\\'ll send you a password.)\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Writing For Proketive','','inherit','open','open','','358-revision-21','','','2011-10-05 15:22:28','2011-10-05 22:22:28','',358,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/05/358-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(401,1,'2011-10-05 22:14:58','2011-10-06 05:14:58',' ','','','publish','open','open','','401','','','2012-01-19 11:08:30','2012-01-19 19:08:30','',12,'http://provoketive.com/?p=401',36,'nav_menu_item','',0),(402,0,'2011-10-05 22:50:40','2011-10-06 05:50:40','Theology: especially regarding gender and sexuality.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Caedmon Michael\nAUTHOR EMAIL: facedown@mac.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://caedmonmichael.net\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 24.20.76.209\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Caedmon Michael\n    [Email] =&gt; facedown@mac.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://caedmonmichael.net\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Theology: especially regarding gender and sexuality.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; caedmonmichael\n)\n','Caedmon Michael - 2011-10-05 22:50:40','','publish','open','open','','1fcc5e4a8eb0db37907e1f3bc4dec1c4','','','2011-10-05 22:50:40','2011-10-06 05:50:40','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=402',0,'feedback','',0),(403,0,'2011-10-05 23:31:46','2011-10-06 06:31:46','Faith, social justice, ethics, the plight of the Palestinians. I am a grad student at The Iliff School of Theology.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Joshua Dembicki\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Jdembicki@Iliff.edu\nAUTHOR URL: http://Facebook.com/joshuadembicki\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 76.120.126.45\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Joshua Dembicki\n    [Email] =&gt; Jdembicki@Iliff.edu\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; Facebook.com/joshuadembicki\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith, social justice, ethics, the plight of the Palestinians. I am a grad student at The Iliff School of Theology. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; JDembicki\n)\n','Joshua Dembicki - 2011-10-05 23:31:46','','publish','open','open','','17c563024ea25fa186b6b22f73978c5e','','','2011-10-05 23:31:46','2011-10-06 06:31:46','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=403',0,'feedback','',0),(404,0,'2011-10-05 23:56:54','2011-10-06 06:56:54','Faith, Justice, Culture\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Cody Stauffer\nAUTHOR EMAIL: staucody72@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://wearebecoming.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 75.167.155.63\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Cody Stauffer\n    [Email] =&gt; staucody72@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://wearebecoming.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith, Justice, Culture\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; cwstauffer\n)\n','Cody Stauffer - 2011-10-05 23:56:54','','publish','open','open','','a57c2bec611d2c9d37ec37b417ddfd8a','','','2011-10-05 23:56:54','2011-10-06 06:56:54','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=404',0,'feedback','',0),(405,0,'2011-10-06 04:33:17','2011-10-06 11:33:17','Spirituality, gender equality\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Amy Mitchell\nAUTHOR EMAIL: royalfamily12@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.unchainedfaith.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 67.246.235.44\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Amy Mitchell\n    [Email] =&gt; royalfamily12@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.unchainedfaith.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Spirituality, gender equality\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; wifie29\n)\n','Amy Mitchell - 2011-10-06 04:33:17','','publish','open','open','','7c2fe8008355aac42c7164500d887ec8','','','2011-10-06 04:33:17','2011-10-06 11:33:17','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=405',0,'feedback','',0),(406,0,'2011-10-06 05:07:35','2011-10-06 12:07:35','Theology, gender equality\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Amy Mitchell\nAUTHOR EMAIL: royalfamily12@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.unchainedfaith.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 67.246.235.44\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Amy Mitchell\n    [Email] =&gt; royalfamily12@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.unchainedfaith.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Theology, gender equality\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Wifie29\n)\n','Amy Mitchell - 2011-10-06 05:07:35','','publish','open','open','','ecdd79753554a4ede7cd45c1cb3dce05','','','2011-10-06 05:07:35','2011-10-06 12:07:35','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=406',0,'feedback','',0),(407,0,'2011-10-06 07:19:08','2011-10-06 14:19:08','Spirituality, Theology, Questions\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Daniel Mckee\nAUTHOR EMAIL: djmckee1@hotmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://Jasonmkey.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 76.127.112.122\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Daniel Mckee\n    [Email] =&gt; djmckee1@hotmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; Jasonmkey.com \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Spirituality, Theology, Questions \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; DanJMckee\n)\n','Daniel Mckee - 2011-10-06 07:19:08','','publish','open','open','','b6077a80c4130999c99758dc4389a851','','','2011-10-06 07:19:08','2011-10-06 14:19:08','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=407',0,'feedback','',0),(408,0,'2011-10-06 08:48:54','2011-10-06 15:48:54','A Different Way of Seeing\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Mary Ann Parker\nAUTHOR EMAIL: greatwood1@aol.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.stonesandfeathers.wordpress.com,www.kitchenkeepers.wordpress.com,www.mappingsforthismorning.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 76.231.159.157\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Mary Ann Parker\n    [Email] =&gt; greatwood1@aol.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.stonesandfeathers.wordpress.com,   www.kitchenkeepers.wordpress.com, www.mappingsforthismorning.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; A Different Way of Seeing\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Granmary4\n)\n','Mary Ann Parker - 2011-10-06 08:48:54','','publish','open','open','','8e6adc26f1dfce122687294ba82bcbd0','','','2011-10-06 08:48:54','2011-10-06 15:48:54','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=408',0,'feedback','',0),(409,0,'2011-10-06 09:47:11','2011-10-06 16:47:11','Faith, Culture\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Travis Mamone\nAUTHOR EMAIL: travismamone83@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.travismamone.net\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 64.26.72.143\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Travis Mamone\n    [Email] =&gt; travismamone83@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.travismamone.net\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith, Culture\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; tmamone (I think)\n)\n','Travis Mamone - 2011-10-06 09:47:11','','publish','open','open','','416ceed14c7b8a21ca24edb4289a6509','','','2011-10-06 09:47:11','2011-10-06 16:47:11','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=409',0,'feedback','',0),(410,0,'2011-10-06 09:55:22','2011-10-06 16:55:22','Faith and Justice\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Christian Salafia\nAUTHOR EMAIL: christian@homebrewedtheology.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://homebrewedtheology.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 65.114.230.33\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Christian Salafia\n    [Email] =&gt; christian@homebrewedtheology.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://homebrewedtheology.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith and Justice\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; csalafia\n)\n','Christian Salafia - 2011-10-06 09:55:22','','publish','open','open','','05ca018d49c234dde63d7c2fef88e3e3','','','2011-10-06 09:55:22','2011-10-06 16:55:22','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=410',0,'feedback','',0),(411,0,'2011-10-06 09:56:02','2011-10-06 16:56:02','I am pretty eclectic in my interests. I\'d be happy to write about Family (I\'m married, SAHM of two kids), Humor, Health &amp; Fitness, Spirituality, Music, and Psychology (not listed in your current categories, but I\'d be interested in writing on it if you decide to add it.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Brooke Eikenberry\nAUTHOR EMAIL: brooke.eikenberry@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://30somethingcrisis.tumblr.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 65.190.93.23\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Brooke Eikenberry\n    [Email] =&gt; brooke.eikenberry@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://30somethingcrisis.tumblr.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I am pretty eclectic in my interests. I\'d be happy to write about Family (I\'m married, SAHM of two kids), Humor, Health &amp; Fitness, Spirituality, Music, and Psychology (not listed in your current categories, but I\'d be interested in writing on it if you decide to add it.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; AliasTheVault\n)\n','Brooke Eikenberry - 2011-10-06 09:56:02','','publish','open','open','','46b7c9d12dadfe3dd85154c20d124382','','','2011-10-06 09:56:02','2011-10-06 16:56:02','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=411',0,'feedback','',0),(412,0,'2011-10-06 10:25:12','2011-10-06 17:25:12','[I just created a new blog at http://apaintersperspective.wordpress.com --still feeling out which content I want to pursue, the style to use, etc...but it\'s there, should you wish to browse it.]\r\n\r\nWould it be untoward to discuss the use of art as an alternative method or addition to spiritual worship? For me, art serves as a gateway to connect to people, worship, and therapy during duress. \r\n\r\nIf any of this is considered applicable to the purpose of Provoketive, I\'d like to contribute. Either way, I think this is a brilliant idea.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Heather Kidd\nAUTHOR EMAIL: heatherkidd84@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://eucatastrophebeginshere.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 65.201.94.26\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Heather Kidd\n    [Email] =&gt; heatherkidd84@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://eucatastrophebeginshere.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; [I just created a new blog at http://apaintersperspective.wordpress.com --still feeling out which content I want to pursue, the style to use, etc...but it\'s there, should you wish to browse it.]\r\n\r\nWould it be untoward to discuss the use of art as an alternative method or addition to spiritual worship? For me, art serves as a gateway to connect to people, worship, and therapy during duress. \r\n\r\nIf any of this is considered applicable to the purpose of Provoketive, I\'d like to contribute. Either way, I think this is a brilliant idea. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; apaintersperspective\n)\n','Heather Kidd - 2011-10-06 10:25:12','','publish','open','open','','bb0cbb7f8a191d24b12e081e7b0663ea','','','2011-10-06 10:25:12','2011-10-06 17:25:12','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=412',0,'feedback','',0),(857,1,'2011-10-20 20:21:54','2011-10-21 03:21:54','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jzs2SlRIvHk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"284\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nGuns and Roses is arguably one of the best bands of the 90\'s music scene.  I remember the first time I heard <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appetite_for_destruction\" target=\"_blank\">Appetite for Destruction</a>.  My world was changed much the way I imagine people felt when the Beatles released the White Album.\r\n\r\nDuff McKagan, the original bassist for the band has a new book out called <a href=\"http://www.duff-itssoeasy.com/\" target=\"_blank\">It\'s So Easy, And Other Lies</a>. Rock Star biographies are a dime a dozen, but this looks good.\r\n\r\nFrom his site:\r\n<blockquote><strong>“It certainly wasn’t a given that my story would amount to anything more than a lurid cautionary tale. It had all the elements: sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and fame, fortune and a fall. But instead, the story became —well, it became something else.” —DUFF McKAGAN</strong>\r\n\r\nA founding member of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver shares the story of his rise to the pinnacle of fame and fortune, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his personal crash and burn, and his phoenix-like transformation via a unique path to sobriety.\r\n\r\nIn 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene.  In L.A. only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in the world was born. Guns N’ Roses went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.\r\n\r\n[<a href=\"http://www.duff-itssoeasy.com/\" target=\"_blank\">more</a>]</blockquote>\r\nThe book came out October 4th and is available everywhere.','Duff McKagan On Addiction','','publish','open','open','','duff-mckagan-on-addiction','','','2011-11-08 09:23:40','2011-11-08 17:23:40','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=857',0,'post','',0),(415,0,'2011-10-06 11:10:37','2011-10-06 18:10:37','Art, Beauty, Creativity &amp; the Imagination, Sacredness of Place, Apophatic Spirituality i.e. spirituality of unknowing, Men\'s Issues,\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: David Bunker\nAUTHOR EMAIL: dmbunker@aol.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://thepracticeofbeauty.blogspot.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 206.173.110.194\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; David Bunker\n    [Email] =&gt; dmbunker@aol.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://thepracticeofbeauty.blogspot.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Art, Beauty, Creativity &amp; the Imagination, Sacredness of Place, Apophatic Spirituality i.e. spirituality of unknowing, Men\'s Issues, \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; DavidBunker\n)\n','David Bunker - 2011-10-06 11:10:37','','publish','open','open','','463f6d7df78719e38184e725a4886dfa','','','2011-10-06 11:10:37','2011-10-06 18:10:37','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=415',0,'feedback','',0),(416,0,'2011-10-06 13:42:01','2011-10-06 20:42:01','Gender equality, arts, books, and poetry\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Sarah Bost-Askins\nAUTHOR EMAIL: sarahjaskins@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://sarahaskins.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 71.55.87.29\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Sarah Bost-Askins\n    [Email] =&gt; sarahjaskins@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://sarahaskins.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Gender equality, arts, books, and poetry\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; sarahaskins\n)\n','Sarah Bost-Askins - 2011-10-06 13:42:01','','publish','open','open','','dc1bb26f2750bc3174722da92f9b6a08','','','2011-10-06 13:42:01','2011-10-06 20:42:01','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=416',0,'feedback','',0),(417,0,'2011-10-06 13:54:49','2011-10-06 20:54:49','Faith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Katarina Davidovic Marotto\nAUTHOR EMAIL: katarinadavidovicmarotto@ymail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 93.86.220.223\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Katarina Davidovic Marotto\n    [Email] =&gt; katarinadavidovicmarotto@ymail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; katarinadm\n)\n','Katarina Davidovic Marotto - 2011-10-06 13:54:49','','publish','open','open','','8638edd2fc63409e22a1e940cd283f31','','','2011-10-06 13:54:49','2011-10-06 20:54:49','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=417',0,'feedback','',0),(424,0,'2011-10-06 15:11:12','2011-10-06 22:11:12','I\'m a United Methodist pastor in a politically and theologically diverse congregation who contributes frequently to Red Letter Christians, the Ooze, and Ministry Matters. I write about faith from a progressive Wesleyan evangelical perspective. I weigh in on justice issues trying to avoid a partisan perspective. I review books and movies. I blog about everyday life.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Morgan Guyton\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Maguyton@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 198.228.193.191\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Morgan Guyton\n    [Email] =&gt; Maguyton@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; Http://morganguyton.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I\'m a United Methodist pastor in a politically and theologically diverse congregation who contributes frequently to Red Letter Christians, the Ooze, and Ministry Matters. I write about faith from a progressive Wesleyan evangelical perspective. I weigh in on justice issues trying to avoid a partisan perspective. I review books and movies. I blog about everyday life.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Morganguyton\n)\n','Morgan Guyton - 2011-10-06 15:11:12','','publish','open','open','','f278e0d57dcfb80d9d1457c015682f79','','','2011-10-06 15:11:12','2011-10-06 22:11:12','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=424',0,'feedback','',0),(428,0,'2011-10-06 16:34:22','2011-10-06 23:34:22','Life: Business, Sports\r\nFaith: all\r\nJustice: Social Justice, Politics and Economics\r\nCulture: Movies, Books\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: William Walker\nAUTHOR EMAIL: williamawalkeriii@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://billwalker.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 134.173.229.1\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; William Walker\n    [Email] =&gt; williamawalkeriii@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; billwalker.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Life: Business, Sports\r\nFaith: all\r\nJustice: Social Justice, Politics and Economics\r\nCulture: Movies, Books \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; billwalker\n)\n','William Walker - 2011-10-06 16:34:22','','publish','open','open','','df78d5f81c6ae8ec719d56d35dffe1ae','','','2011-10-06 16:34:22','2011-10-06 23:34:22','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=428',0,'feedback','',0),(430,0,'2011-10-06 16:56:09','2011-10-06 23:56:09','edit\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Katherine Anderson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: katherand@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 173.189.3.88\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Katherine Anderson\n    [Email] =&gt; katherand@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; edit \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; katherand\n)\n','Katherine Anderson - 2011-10-06 16:56:09','','publish','open','open','','02f29cb406391d772e7916f432dc0827','','','2011-10-06 16:56:09','2011-10-06 23:56:09','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=430',0,'feedback','',0),(514,4,'2011-05-17 00:24:44','2011-05-17 07:24:44','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him. They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nThey sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty. Flash forward a few days to Bethany. Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper. His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room with an alabaster jar. As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was. <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents. However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to work its way into the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would move away so quickly from her. </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is she doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing? You know that <strong>your sin is not the kind that the Master can look at or even be in the same room with. </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy, or just marry a man like the other women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your doting. Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nPeter shoved the young woman towards the street and she fell sharply on the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before. With this last round of rejection in mind she began to weep from some place deep within to the sounds of guffawing laughter that penetrated the alleyway from Simon’s house. Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers, the Pharisees for standing up for what was right. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death.</strong> Although he loved the sinner, it had to be a tough kind of love or she could never be expected to change her lifestyle.\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision','','','2011-05-17 00:24:44','2011-05-17 07:24:44','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/05/17/55-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(432,0,'2011-10-06 18:04:43','2011-10-07 01:04:43','Faith:  Spirituality, Spiritual Practices and Questions...\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: John Martinez\nAUTHOR EMAIL: john@thedistillerychurch.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://indiefaith.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 74.67.52.50\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; John Martinez\n    [Email] =&gt; john@thedistillerychurch.org\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://indiefaith.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith:  Spirituality, Spiritual Practices and Questions...\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Jaymarzian\n)\n','John Martinez - 2011-10-06 18:04:43','','publish','open','open','','a26eca41a55832b2306b4f17e324d054','','','2011-10-06 18:04:43','2011-10-07 01:04:43','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=432',0,'feedback','',0),(434,0,'2011-10-06 21:50:14','2011-10-07 04:50:14','Faith particularly theology and that of course will impact all of the other issues, in my opinion.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Patrick Landers\nAUTHOR EMAIL: patrickl@telusplanet.net\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 50.99.191.157\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Patrick Landers\n    [Email] =&gt; patrickl@telusplanet.net\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith particularly theology and that of course will impact all of the other issues, in my opinion.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Now Where Was I?\n)\n','Patrick Landers - 2011-10-06 21:50:14','','publish','open','open','','4815a97421503001c4ab812afe78d059','','','2011-10-06 21:50:14','2011-10-07 04:50:14','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=434',0,'feedback','',0),(435,1,'2011-05-13 15:03:54','2011-05-13 15:03:54','','Commenting Policy','','inherit','open','open','','74-revision','','','2011-05-13 15:03:54','2011-05-13 15:03:54','',74,'http://provoketive.com/2011/05/13/74-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(436,1,'2011-10-06 23:46:55','2011-10-07 06:46:55','<strong>Your responsibility as a reader and a commenter.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>If you come looking for something in my writing and I don’t say it, It doesn’t mean that I haven’t said it.  It means that I haven’t said it in that post.  My posts are to express my thoughts and grapple with its meaning, not answer all your questions.  Look deeper that simply your first conclusion about something.</li>\r\n	<li>Take responsibility for your words as you comment.  Think before you write them and consider how they sound, not just what you are saying. Be gracious in your questions and comments.  We all have feelings.  Nobody hears what you say if you first make them feel like crap.</li>\r\n	<li>If what I write makes you mad, FIRST ask why it makes you mad.  Chances are its not only what I said but that I have come to a conclusion that is different than yours.  This often creates tension that is hard to deal with.  This is a place for me to expose my questions and conclusions.  But don’t get mad at me for coming to my blog.</li>\r\n	<li>If you don’t understand, ask clarifying questions that help you understand what I am saying.</li>\r\n</ul>','Commenting Policy','','inherit','open','open','','74-revision-2','','','2011-10-06 23:46:55','2011-10-07 06:46:55','',74,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/06/74-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(440,34,'2012-01-06 11:29:35','2012-01-06 19:29:35','A few years ago, Jose Saramago, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for literature, said this:\r\n<blockquote>The Bible is a manual of bad morals [which] has a powerful influence on our culture and even our way of life. Without the Bible, we would be different and probably better people.</blockquote>\r\nHe want on to describe the Bible as \"a catalog of cruelty and of what\'s worst in human nature.\" Though I am a life-long follower of Jesus, there are many days when I think Jose may be right.\r\n<h2>If We Didn\'t Have the Bible</h2>\r\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, I wouldn’t have to try to reconcile the nightly news about rape, child molestation, earthquakes killing thousands, and war devastating entire countries with the Scriptural promise that God cares for us more than the birds of the air and flowers of the field.\r\n\r\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, I wouldn’t have to try to question, along with the Psalmist, why wicked people get rich and stay healthy, while God’s servants lose their homes, their children, their jobs, and their lives.\r\n\r\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, there might be fewer arguments about homosexuality, hell, and how to get to heaven. Sure, some of us still would argue, because we all want to be right. But if we didn’t have Bible verses to throw at each other, most of us would probably spend less time arguing and more time loving.\r\n\r\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, maybe there would be fewer sermons and Bible studies and more service of others and caring for one another.\r\n\r\nPeople say we need the Bible to get our questions answered, solve our problems in life, and provide direction on how to live. I just don\'t see that the Bible does this very well. It seems to create more questions and problems than it solves. It generates arguments, provides justification for war, and helps us condemn and hate others who do not believe or behave like us.\r\n\r\nYes, sometimes I think that life would be better without the Bible.\r\n<h2>I\'m Glad We Have the Bible</h2>\r\nBut then, if I didn’t have the Bible, I might know about Jesus. It is he that keeps me returning to Scripture. It is he who provides the lens through which I view life. It is he who shows me what love for others really looks like, and how service can be done in a way that both dignifies and provides help to others.\r\n\r\nAnd despite my discomfort with a lot of what is said in Scripture, and especially with the ways Scripture is sometimes used, Scripture seems to have been a source of comfort and guidance for Jesus. This tells me that there must be a way to accept Scripture, but still  live and love like Jesus, rather than like many who claim to be his followers.\r\n\r\nSo although I sometimes think life would be better without the Bible, what I probably mean is that life would be better without the way some people use the Bible. Maybe if I can learn to read the Bible like Jesus, as an inspiration for love, mercy, and forgiveness, rather than as a way to justify hate and war, I can once again be thankful for the Bible.','Better without the Bible','','publish','open','open','','better-without-the-bible','','','2012-01-02 08:37:45','2012-01-02 16:37:45','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=440',0,'post','',6),(441,34,'2011-10-07 11:23:53','2011-10-07 18:23:53','A few years ago, Jose Saramago, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for literature, said this:\n<blockquote>The Bible is a manual of bad morals [which] has a powerful influence on our culture and even our way of life. Without the Bible, we would be different and probably better people.</blockquote>\nHe want on to describe the Bible as \"a catalog of cruelty and of what\'s worst in human nature.\" Though I am a life-long follower of Jesus, there are many days when I think Jose may be right.\n<h2>If We Didn\'t Have the Bible</h2>\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, I wouldn’t have to try to reconcile the nightly news about rape, child molestation, earthquakes killing thousands, and war devastating entire countries with the Scriptural promise that God cares for us more than the birds of the air and flowers of the field.\n\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, I wouldn’t have to try to question, along with the Psalmist, why wicked people get rich and stay healthy, while God’s servants lose their homes, their children, their jobs, and their lives.\n\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, there might be fewer arguments about homosexuality, hell, and how to get to heaven. Sure, some of us still would argue, because we all want to be right. But if we didn’t have Bible verses to throw at each other, most of us would probably spend less time arguing and more time loving.\n\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, maybe there would be fewer sermons and Bible studies and more service of others and caring for one another.\n\nPeople say we need the Bible to get our questions answered, solve our problems in life, and provide direction on how to live. I just don\'t see that the Bible does this very well. It seems to create more questions and problems than it solves. It generates arguments, provides justification for war, and helps us condemn and hate others who do not believe or behave like us.\n\nYes, sometimes I think that life would be better without the Bible.\n\nBut I\'m Glad w\n\nBut then, if I didn’t have the Bible, I might know about Jesus. It is he that keeps me returning to Scripture. It is he who provides the lens through which I view life. It is he who shows me what love for others really looks like, and how service can be done in a way that both dignifies and provides help to others.\n\nAnd despite my discomfort with a lot of what is said in Scripture, and especially with the ways Scripture is sometimes used, Scripture seems to have been a source of comfort and guidance for Jesus. This tells me that there must be a way to accept Scripture, but still  live and love like Jesus, rather than like many who claim to be his followers.\n\nSo although I sometimes think life would be better without the Bible, what I probably mean is that life would be better without the way some people use the Bible. Maybe if I can learn to read the Bible like Jesus, as an inspiration for love, mercy, and forgiveness, rather than as a way to justify hate and war, I can once again be thankful for the Bible.','Better without the Bible','','inherit','open','open','','440-revision','','','2011-10-07 11:23:53','2011-10-07 18:23:53','',440,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/07/440-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(442,34,'2011-10-07 11:25:46','2011-10-07 18:25:46','A few years ago, Jose Saramago, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for literature, said this:\n<blockquote>The Bible is a manual of bad morals [which] has a powerful influence on our culture and even our way of life. Without the Bible, we would be different and probably better people.</blockquote>\nHe want on to describe the Bible as \"a catalog of cruelty and of what\'s worst in human nature.\" Though I am a life-long follower of Jesus, there are many days when I think Jose may be right.\n<h2>If We Didn\'t Have the Bible</h2>\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, I wouldn’t have to try to reconcile the nightly news about rape, child molestation, earthquakes killing thousands, and war devastating entire countries with the Scriptural promise that God cares for us more than the birds of the air and flowers of the field.\n\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, I wouldn’t have to try to question, along with the Psalmist, why wicked people get rich and stay healthy, while God’s servants lose their homes, their children, their jobs, and their lives.\n\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, there might be fewer arguments about homosexuality, hell, and how to get to heaven. Sure, some of us still would argue, because we all want to be right. But if we didn’t have Bible verses to throw at each other, most of us would probably spend less time arguing and more time loving.\n\nIf we didn’t have the Bible, maybe there would be fewer sermons and Bible studies and more service of others and caring for one another.\n\nPeople say we need the Bible to get our questions answered, solve our problems in life, and provide direction on how to live. I just don\'t see that the Bible does this very well. It seems to create more questions and problems than it solves. It generates arguments, provides justification for war, and helps us condemn and hate others who do not believe or behave like us.\n\nYes, sometimes I think that life would be better without the Bible.\n<h2>I\'m Glad We Have the Bible</h2>\nBut then, if I didn’t have the Bible, I might know about Jesus. It is he that keeps me returning to Scripture. It is he who provides the lens through which I view life. It is he who shows me what love for others really looks like, and how service can be done in a way that both dignifies and provides help to others.\n\nAnd despite my discomfort with a lot of what is said in Scripture, and especially with the ways Scripture is sometimes used, Scripture seems to have been a source of comfort and guidance for Jesus. This tells me that there must be a way to accept Scripture, but still  live and love like Jesus, rather than like many who claim to be his followers.\n\nSo although I sometimes think life would be better without the Bible, what I probably mean is that life would be better without the way some people use the Bible. Maybe if I can learn to read the Bible like Jesus, as an inspiration for love, mercy, and forgiveness, rather than as a way to justify hate and war, I can once again be thankful for the Bible.','Better without the Bible','','inherit','open','open','','440-revision-2','','','2011-10-07 11:25:46','2011-10-07 18:25:46','',440,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/07/440-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(444,0,'2011-10-07 15:54:21','2011-10-07 22:54:21','Under LIFE: family\r\nUnder FAITh: well, pretty much all of it...  :)\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Sonny Lemmons\nAUTHOR EMAIL: sonnylemmons@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.lookthrough.net\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 98.251.50.248\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Sonny Lemmons\n    [Email] =&gt; sonnylemmons@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.lookthrough.net\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Under LIFE: family\r\nUnder FAITh: well, pretty much all of it...  :)\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; sonnylemmons\n)\n','Sonny Lemmons - 2011-10-07 15:54:21','','publish','open','open','','4eca4f9935402c1908c654610c3dae96','','','2011-10-07 15:54:21','2011-10-07 22:54:21','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=444',0,'feedback','',0),(535,43,'2011-10-16 18:40:58','2011-10-17 01:40:58','In response to Occupy Wall Street, there is a photo going around on social media sites.  It\'s a college student holding a sign which reads,\r\n<blockquote><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Not-the-99.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-578\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Not-the-99-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" /></a>I am a college senior about to graduate debt free.  I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hrs a week making barely above minimum wage.  I chose a moderately priced in-state public university &amp; started saving $ for school at age 17.  I got decent grades in high school &amp; received 2 scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition.  I currently have a 3.8 GPA.  I live comfortably in a cheap apt., knowing I can\'t have everything I want.  I don\'t eat out every day, or even once a month.  I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone--and I\'m perfectly OK with that.  If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions.  I live below my means to continue saving for the future.  I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my @$$ off for everything I have.  That\'s how it\'s supposed to work.  I am NOT the 99%, and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.</blockquote>\r\nI could point out the obvious flaws in this piece.  For example, even if this college student is working hard and going to school, he or she is, in fact, part of the 99% of Americans who are not at the top of the financial food chain.  This person appears to have put far more energy into writing what he or she thinks is a witty reply than into finding out what \"the 99%\" and \"the 1%\" mean in context.\r\n\r\nI could argue that not everyone qualifies for scholarships, and not everyone\'s scholarships pay nearly all tuition expenses.  Or that 30 hours a week at minimum wage is fine for a single college student, but not for a family of four.  Or that while a 3.8 GPA is impressive, not everyone is that smart.  Or that lots of people don\'t have new cars, fancy apartments, or iPads, even when receiving government benefits.  Or that being poor is not always a \"choice.\"\r\n\r\nBut in the end, that doesn\'t really matter.  People who believe poor people ended up that way because of laziness will continue to think that way regardless of the arguments made against that line of thinking.\r\n\r\nInstead, I will appeal to Jesus\' own words.  Jesus tells a parable about separating sheep and goats.  To sum up, Jesus tells the sheep that they fed, clothed, and visited him when he was hungry, naked, sick and in prison.  The sheep, surprised, ask when they did these things.  Jesus tells them when they did it for \"the least of these,\" they were really doing it to him.  Similarly, the goats get an earful of what they failed to do.\r\n\r\nWhat I want to point out here is that at no point did Jesus ever say, \"You fed the hungry people you deemed worthy.\"  We are not told that we may, under any circumstances, evaluate whether someone is deserving of help.  We are not given the freedom to decide which people we should feed, clothe, and visit.  We don\'t get to decide whether someone is in need because of his or her own actions or because of external forces.  There is no form to fill out wherein a person has to prove he or she is poor for the \"right\" reasons.  And in no way, shape, or form are we to hold ourselves superior to anyone else by virtue of being \"not poor.\"\r\n\r\nIt is our job to reach out to people, not just as followers of Jesus, not just as churches, and not even as the Church collectively.  We, as an entire nation, are responsible for our citizens.  If even one child goes to bed hungry tonight, we are all accountable.  We live in a country of plenty.  There is absolutely no reason that any person should not have a roof over his or her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.\r\n\r\nCan we look ourselves in the mirror each night and say, \"Today I made someone\'s life better\"?','Poor By Choice','','publish','open','open','','poor-by-choice','','','2011-10-18 10:07:35','2011-10-18 17:07:35','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=535',0,'post','',10),(1827,38,'2011-11-05 13:42:10','2011-11-05 20:42:10','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','1826-revision','','','2011-11-05 13:42:10','2011-11-05 20:42:10','',1826,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/05/1826-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(447,0,'2011-10-08 07:56:26','2011-10-08 14:56:26','Faith\r\nQuestions\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Ricky Maye\nAUTHOR EMAIL: ricky@rickymaye.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.rickymaye.comcrzylifecrzydreams.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Proketive\nIP: 72.49.199.203\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Ricky Maye\n    [Email] =&gt; ricky@rickymaye.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.rickymaye.com     crzylifecrzydreams.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\r\nQuestions\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; crzylifecrzydreams\n)\n','Ricky Maye - 2011-10-08 07:56:26','','publish','open','open','','4b8c2114f87da37035678f6c0bcdc0b9','','','2011-10-08 07:56:26','2011-10-08 14:56:26','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=447',0,'feedback','',0),(448,1,'2011-10-08 12:37:16','2011-10-08 19:37:16','','POL220x125','','inherit','open','open','','pol220x125','','','2011-10-08 12:37:16','2011-10-08 19:37:16','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/POL220x125.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(449,1,'2011-10-08 12:44:20','2011-10-08 19:44:20','','Down220x125','','inherit','open','open','','down220x125','','','2011-10-08 12:44:20','2011-10-08 19:44:20','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Down220x125.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(450,1,'2011-10-08 13:36:23','2011-10-08 20:36:23','','White_bg','','inherit','open','open','','white_bg','','','2011-10-08 13:36:23','2011-10-08 20:36:23','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/White_bg.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(451,1,'2011-10-08 14:47:22','2011-10-08 21:47:22','','Discover630x125','','inherit','open','open','','discover630x125','','','2011-10-08 14:47:22','2011-10-08 21:47:22','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Discover630x125.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(460,1,'2011-10-08 15:12:37','2011-10-08 22:12:37','','Jonathan Brink','','publish','open','open','','jonathan-brink','','','2012-05-01 09:05:33','2012-05-01 16:05:33','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=460',1,'nav_menu_item','',0),(453,1,'2011-10-08 15:01:27','2011-10-08 22:01:27','','Deanna Ogle','','publish','open','open','','chad-holtz-2','','','2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=453',3,'nav_menu_item','',0),(454,1,'2011-10-08 15:01:27','2011-10-08 22:01:27','','Ray Carroll','','publish','open','open','','ray-carroll-2','','','2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=454',1,'nav_menu_item','',0),(455,1,'2011-10-08 15:02:51','2011-10-08 22:02:51','','Kathy Escobar','','publish','open','open','','kathy-escobar','','','2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=455',2,'nav_menu_item','',0),(458,1,'2011-10-08 15:04:46','2011-10-08 22:04:46','','Alise Wright','','publish','open','open','','alise-wright','','','2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=458',5,'nav_menu_item','',0),(459,1,'2011-10-08 15:06:30','2011-10-08 22:06:30','','Joy Wilson','','publish','open','open','','joy-wilson','','','2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=459',4,'nav_menu_item','',0),(464,1,'2011-05-17 16:50:21','2011-05-17 16:50:21','Below you will find helpful resources in your journey of faith.','Resources','','inherit','open','open','','146-revision','','','2011-05-17 16:50:21','2011-05-17 16:50:21','',146,'http://provoketive.com/2011/05/17/146-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(465,1,'2011-10-08 16:52:01','2011-10-08 23:52:01','<a href=\"http://civitaspress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Civitas Press</a> - Civitas was started to leverage a unique gap between traditional publishing and vanity press publishing. We partner with inspiring writers who want to develop their voice, create a compelling presentation, and get the word out. We are also creating a close-knit family network of writers that are working together to help each other develop a powerful platform.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://inspired.civitaspress.com\" target=\"_blank\">Inspired</a> - You have a dream of finally publishing your manuscript. Inspired can help you realize that dream.  Publishing a book is also a complex journey, and we can help you navigate the process.  Inspired is a unique publishing label for authors wanting a expert partner in the process of publishing. We combine our book market expertise with your energy and writing talent to help you realize your publishing dream.','Resources','','inherit','open','open','','146-revision-2','','','2011-10-08 16:52:01','2011-10-08 23:52:01','',146,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/08/146-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(466,1,'2011-10-08 16:52:39','2011-10-08 23:52:39','','Civitas_Logo','','inherit','open','open','','civitas_logo','','','2011-10-08 16:52:39','2011-10-08 23:52:39','',146,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Civitas_Logo.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(467,1,'2011-10-08 16:53:25','2011-10-08 23:53:25','','Inspired_logo','','inherit','open','open','','inspired_logo','','','2011-10-08 16:53:25','2011-10-08 23:53:25','',146,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Inspired_logo.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(468,1,'2011-10-08 16:52:17','2011-10-08 23:52:17','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://civitaspress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Civitas Press</a> - Civitas was started to leverage a unique gap between traditional publishing and vanity press publishing. We partner with inspiring writers who want to develop their voice, create a compelling presentation, and get the word out. We are also creating a close-knit family network of writers that are working together to help each other develop a powerful platform.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://inspired.civitaspress.com\" target=\"_blank\">Inspired</a> - You have a dream of finally publishing your manuscript. Inspired can help you realize that dream.  Publishing a book is also a complex journey, and we can help you navigate the process.  Inspired is a unique publishing label for authors wanting a expert partner in the process of publishing. We combine our book market expertise with your energy and writing talent to help you realize your publishing dream.','Resources','','inherit','open','open','','146-revision-3','','','2011-10-08 16:52:17','2011-10-08 23:52:17','',146,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/08/146-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(470,1,'2011-10-08 16:53:43','2011-10-08 23:53:43','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Civitas_Logo.png\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-466\" title=\"Civitas_Logo\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Civitas_Logo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"247\" height=\"94\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://civitaspress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Civitas Press</a> - Civitas was started to leverage a unique gap between traditional publishing and vanity press publishing. We partner with inspiring writers who want to develop their voice, create a compelling presentation, and get the word out. We are also creating a close-knit family network of writers that are working together to help each other develop a powerful platform.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Inspired_logo.png\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-467\" title=\"Inspired_logo\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Inspired_logo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"107\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://inspired.civitaspress.com\" target=\"_blank\">Inspired</a> - You have a dream of finally publishing your manuscript. Inspired can help you realize that dream.  Publishing a book is also a complex journey, and we can help you navigate the process.  Inspired is a unique publishing label for authors wanting a expert partner in the process of publishing. We combine our book market expertise with your energy and writing talent to help you realize your publishing dream.','Resources','','inherit','open','open','','146-revision-4','','','2011-10-08 16:53:43','2011-10-08 23:53:43','',146,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/08/146-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(473,1,'2011-05-14 00:11:32','2011-05-14 00:11:32','Jonathan Brink - Senior Editor at Emergent Village | Profile | Facebook | Twitter','Writers','','inherit','open','open','','107-revision','','','2011-05-14 00:11:32','2011-05-14 00:11:32','',107,'http://provoketive.com/2011/05/14/107-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(474,1,'2011-10-08 17:11:33','2011-10-09 00:11:33','Jonathan Brink - Senior Editor at Provoketive | <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/author/jonathanbrink/\">Profile</a> | <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/jonathanbrink\">Facebook</a> | <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/jonathanbrink\">Twitter</a>','Writers','','inherit','open','open','','107-revision-2','','','2011-10-08 17:11:33','2011-10-09 00:11:33','',107,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/08/107-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(475,1,'2011-10-08 17:17:18','2011-10-09 00:17:18','Below is a list of editors and writer who contribute to the Provoketive conversation.  Contact information can be found in the profile.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nJonathan Brink - Senior Editor at Provoketive | <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/author/jonathanbrink/\">Profile</a> | <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/jonathanbrink\">Facebook</a> | <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/jonathanbrink\">Twitter</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Writers','','inherit','open','open','','107-revision-3','','','2011-10-08 17:17:18','2011-10-09 00:17:18','',107,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/08/107-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(482,55,'2011-10-10 14:02:30','2011-10-10 21:02:30','','Featured_image','','inherit','open','open','','featured_image','','','2011-10-10 14:02:30','2011-10-10 21:02:30','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Featured_image.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1054,1,'2011-10-24 09:31:30','2011-10-24 16:31:30','<em>This is post number two in my series about the six reasons why I left the church based off of the article \"<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>\" by the Barna Group.</em>\n\n<strong>Reason #3: “They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.”</strong>\n<blockquote>\"I came to the point that I realized my theology condemns 92% of the world’s population. There\'s something wrong with that.\"</blockquote>\nThis is a quote by <a href=\"http://crystalstmarielewis.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Crystal St. Lewis</a>, who I had a chance to hear speak at <a href=\"http://www.outlawpreachers.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Outlaw Preachers</a> (re)Union 2011. With my strict Baptist upbringing it was more like 99% because anyone outside of our church was probably going to the bad place downstairs.\n\nFor me, the exclusive nature of the church did not come into conflict with reality in relation to the path of salvation (at least not really, more about this later); it showed up in the willful perpetuation of ignorance in regards to other religions, the denial of other denominations being in the family, and the indignation that flares up when you talk about finding beauty in other religions. Here is just a small slice of how other denominations and religions were <strong>stereotyped </strong>and <strong>viewed incorrectly </strong>by my particular sect:\n\n<strong>Presbyterians </strong>– Liturgy? Pfffft. They’re doing it wrong. All that repetition means empty hearts and empty prayers.\n\n<strong>Lutherans </strong>– They don’t drink coffee. It may as well be a different religion.\n\n<strong>Methodists </strong>– No one really talked about them, but we’re sure they’re weird too.\n\n<strong>Church of God</strong> – Female pastors!\n\n<strong>Episcopal </strong>– They like the gays. (This denomination was particularly deemed dangerous, though no one was ever any more specific than “They’re into some weird stuff.”)\n\n<strong>Pentecostal </strong>– They speak in tongues and like to dance. Do you need any more evidence?\n\n<strong>Non-denomination churches</strong> – They can’t pick sides so they try to make everyone happy.\n\n<strong>Catholics </strong>– “You do know they worship Mary, right?” And all they want to do is buy indulgences so they can sin. (Barely considered to be part of the Protestant branch. Get thee out of my Christian tree!)\n\n<strong>Seventh Day Adventists</strong> – Something about a Watchtower and they think they all can become god or something.\n\n<strong>Mormons </strong>– Salt Lake City, baby! They like to marry multiple women and the guy who wrote The Book or Mormon was a crazy.\n\n<strong>Anglicans </strong>– Something to do with the old church. And they’re more or less Catholics.\n\n<strong>Jews </strong>– We only like the Messianic ones. All the others only live by a bunch of rules and don’t love God, because you can’t love God through rules. (Please, let us all take a moment to guffaw or belly laugh at the incredible irony here!)\n\n<strong>Muslims </strong>– They worship Muhammad and are against everything you know and love.\n\n<strong>Wiccans </strong>– WITCHCRAFT.\n\n<strong>Buddhists </strong>– They worship the jolly fat guy statues in restaurants. Maybe something about reincarnation? The Dalai Lama is offensive anyway.\n\n<strong>Hindus </strong>– Reincarnation. Need I say more? Also all the weird, thousands of gods thing. Jesus doesn’t like that.\n\n<strong>Agnostics </strong>– Are in denial. They have that God-shaped hole but don’t want to commit.\n\n<strong>Atheists </strong>– Are angry people who just refuse to see the logic in our beliefs and don\'t want to give up control.\n\nSo even though there is a huge group of self-identifying group of Christians in the world, and even though most of the Protestant denominations are nearly identical in doctrine and differ only in a few preferences, we can safely knock about 80% of them out of the running for Heaven because they aren’t Baptists? There is something desperately wrong when we are knocking out members of our own group to feel more secure in our own salvation. (Survivor, anyone?)\n\nThe ignorance of other cultures and belief systems around me did a lot of damage. Not only had I condensed the Holy World down to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the people on this planet, but I unfairly discriminated against people of other religions because of my ignorance. Once I left the church I stopped being <em>afraid </em>of humanity and I started to see how absolutely colorful, diverse, and beautiful it is.\n\nPerhaps you can identify with this. Maybe when you read one of the names of the groups above your stomach turns just a little bit. What you need to remember is their beliefs are as sacred to them as yours are to you. When it comes down to it, they are human and they want the same basic things you want out of life. You might be surprised if you take the opportunity to learn a little bit about one of the groups you have presuppositions about.\n\nIt\'s easy: go rent/buy a book by someone who is of a different faith. “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Next-Door-Quran-Media/dp/0974524565/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318469568&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0\" target=\"_blank\">The Muslim Next Door: The Qur\'an, the Media, and That Veil Thing</a>” by Sumbul Ali-Karamali, is a great example.  Maybe find <a href=\"http://ramblingtaoist.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">a blogger</a> and read what they have to say from personal experience about their faith. If you\'re really courageous, send them an email and talk with them about it! Watch <a href=\"http://www.netflix.com/Movie/A-Life-Apart-Hasidism-in-America/70018988?strkid=1451695563_0_0&amp;lnkctr=srchrd-sr&amp;strackid=73420d99b57c05b6_0_srl&amp;trkid=222336\" target=\"_blank\">a documentary</a>. You don’t have to believe it, you don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to condone it. But hearing other people’s stories might help you understand someone else’s true heart and help you find nuggets of truth in other people, other denominations, and other faiths.\n\nOpen your heart and start to see people how Jesus sees them: incredible, intricate, amazing people with beautiful hearts. Fall in love with humanity.\n\n<em>Next I\'ll be talking about my church experience left me with a warped, simplistic and judgmental view of sexuality.</em>','Where the Church Lost Me: Part II','','inherit','open','open','','1045-autosave','','','2011-10-24 09:31:30','2011-10-24 16:31:30','',1045,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1045-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2001,82,'2011-11-14 08:00:07','2011-11-14 16:00:07','Earlier this year, I divulged to my husband, and a few people in my life, that I’m absolutely terrified of delving deep into the writing of my first book;  one that involves much digging deep within me. Putting the images in black and white for so many to see in their own minds and hearts for themselves learning about the emotional turmoil I experienced growing up, and the healing I’ve been experiencing this past year through addressing this turmoil.\r\n\r\nIt’s not easy to dig deep and expose all of my heart. Blogging sure offers a great avenue for keeping my heart exposed “just enough” – but God is calling me to expose every portion of my heart.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>All of it.</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>All</em> the dark spots that still remain.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>All</em> the scars from the many battles that have been waged on it by so many people in my life (men and women alike).</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>All</em> the tender spots that are ever so slowly healing.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>All</em> along with the healthy and strong parts.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2002\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"216\" caption=\"Guarded by Lori Jackson\"]<a href=\"http://blog.lorijacksonphotography.com\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2002     \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/guarded-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"216\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIn a closed, confined space with people I have developed a deep trust with over the past handful of years – such as in counseling sessions, over coffee with a dear friend, or even in a Celebrate Recovery group, this is easy – but to expose every part of my heart to <em>everyone</em> out there? Now this is painfully frightening; and the fear is not of all of you. The fear is of the potential shame this book may bring to others in my life that I love deeply and dearly. It has me absolutely petrified and stuck in my own skin.\r\n\r\nYet, when I read what God is calling out of me through <a title=\"How Christians May Create by Ann Voskamp {http://aholyexperience.com}\" href=\"http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/03/how-christians-create-art-she-speaks-scholarship/\" target=\"_blank\">a post</a> Ann Voskamp put out many months ago, I must admit – I heard God loud and clear, <em>“Marni, start now!”</em>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">I immediately cried out, <em>“Oh my gosh!”</em>, took my glasses off and rubbed my face to help the tears stay back inside my eyes – but it did no good, they came, and I let them pour.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">My husband looked at me and said, <em>“What’s wrong?”</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">I told him in a hesitant-breathed voice, <em>“I know what I have to do, and this is going to be hard.”</em></p>\r\nSo here, I\'ve been for many months – little by little –pouring my heart out.\r\n\r\nFor so long, my heart has been encased in a very hard shell of shame due to the unspoken messages of disappointment I received from my own parents growing up. Though we are all in a healing stage of our relationship lately, I still have memories cropping up reminding me of the tones of voice, the anger, the frustration, the distancing themselves from me they would exude  whenever I chose to do something that didn’t seem to measure up to what they  agreed with in their lives (for my life). All these things have screamed volumes to me that I who I truly am, is not worth much – though I doubt this was their intention and motive.\r\n\r\nMy parents have always been very careful with their word choices – as they never spoke a demeaning word to me, ever – but the unsaid things spoke volumes more than any of the words that were uttered. And thankfully, they have begun to address that this is something that has been passed down throughout the generations…and it needs to stop (primarily my mother).\r\n\r\nConcerning my growing through the pain of the past, let me clear, <em>my parents weren’t the only ones who ever did this in my life – many more people have as well – but this is the root of my shame unfortunately.</em> However, God is transforming it into quite the fortunate thing – because I’ve started the journey of healing in the steps toward change as I look on Him despite the fear and pain I’ve been experiencing deep in my belly for quite some time now.\r\n\r\nHe’s also transforming it through the reconnection of my parents and myself working through our relationship together in a healthy manner.\r\n\r\nNow, let me very, very clear – <em>I don’t blame my parents for one thing</em> that I’ve chosen to do in response to them in the past. I absolutely harbor no resentment toward them. What has been done has been done. What <em>I</em> have embraced for so long, <em>I</em> have embraced. This is my responsibility, and in turn I take full responsibility for fully choosing to release it – because the shame is too painful to hold onto.\r\n\r\nHowever, through all this shame, God has revealed a drive – a passion – that I’ve never been lead to before.  To help other women out there realize they are absolutely beautiful creations in Him, and that God didn’t call the woman’s heart to live in shame – He called it to live in freedom.\r\n\r\nA woman’s pains can be used as the very medium to reveal His magnificent masterpiece in within them; in turn, He’ll shine so brightly, that it’ll happen [almost by default] that they’ll help other women experience the same thing.\r\n\r\nHealing is possible for any woman who has experienced any level, and avenue, of shame in their lives. In order to experience this though, a woman must embrace the shame, recognize it for what it is, take responsibility for the choices one has made to do with it, and then unabashedly hand it over to God without reservation.\r\n\r\nLadies, don’t go one more day living in shame. Let your healing begin today, breaking the bonds of shame in Christ’s beautiful, and precious name.','Breaking the Bonds of Shame','','publish','open','open','','breaking-the-bonds-of-shame','','\nhttp://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/03/how-christians-create-art-she-speaks-scholarship/','2011-11-10 09:30:46','2011-11-10 17:30:46','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2001',0,'post','',4),(2002,82,'2011-11-09 17:42:17','2011-11-10 01:42:17','Photograph by Lori Jackson in Charlotte, NC http://blog.lorijacksonphotography.com/','guardedylorijackson','Guarded by Lori Jackson','inherit','open','open','','guarded','','','2011-11-09 17:42:17','2011-11-10 01:42:17','',2001,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/guarded.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(489,24,'2011-10-11 09:38:25','2011-10-11 16:38:25','In the movie Happy Gilmore, the main character  Happy is playing some golf with his amazing wind up drive. He reaches the green were his putting skill set are less then par, he is given some advice by his paired partner. \" The ball itself has its own life force or energy if you will.\" \"Its natural environment is in the hole.\" \"So why don\'t you send him home.\" \"His bags are packed, he\'s got his airplane tickets, bring him to the airport.\" \"Send him home.\" Happy seems to heed this advice and takes his put. The ball rolls short of the hole and Happy\'s anger erupts. \" Why didn\'t you just go to your home ball, that\'s your home!\"\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/happy-gilmore.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-490\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/happy-gilmore-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhether you are returning from a business trip, a long day at work or even a vacation, getting home seems to bring such  peace and contentment. What is it about being home that allows us to feel so comfortable? Maybe being home for you is  not comfortable, but you have discovered that place, the hill overlooking your town, or the creek in the woods, maybe  even Nordstroms for you is somewhere you feel you belong.\r\n\r\nIs that not what every one seems to be looking for? A place to be long. A place to connect with others who value the  same  things we do. Our childhood experiences have seemed to set us on a path, a searching for something, “out there,”  that  will complete us. I know in my journey I have gone high and low searching for that belonging, for those  connections that  will give me what I believe I really need. A place to be me, a place where the “me” I present is allowed,  accepted and  even loved. The truth is no such place has been found, \"out there,\"  it always turns into a performance,  doing, trying to please others.\r\n\r\nWord of Jesus: \"I\'ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you\'ll remain intimately at home in my love. That\'s what I\'ve done—kept my Father\'s commands and made myself at home in his love.” John 15: 9-10\r\n\r\nIt seems that Jesus invited us to look somewhere else. Somewhere that would require courage and even a type of aloneness that can be uncomfortable. He says we can make ourselves “home” in His love. Jesus seems to be inviting us to end our search, to give up trying to belong. He says, “Make yourselves at home.” He does not say I will make you at home, no make yourselves at home. This invitation seems to draws up in awareness what I believe to be true about God, about myself and others. If I don’t believe I am lovable, how could I every make myself at home in love.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this requires an inward search. A plunge into the darkness of my own soul. Allowing fear, shame, guilt, depression, anger and pride to show themselves. Letting memories and experiences of pain surface, feeling alone, lost and broken. Jesus is inviting me to face these fears, turn into my pain allow Love to make itself at home in me. Let these painful experiences know that they are welcome here, they are acceptable. This home is a safe place to love ourselves no matter what we find within.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Going Home','','publish','open','open','','going-home','','','2011-10-18 08:38:44','2011-10-18 15:38:44','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=489',0,'post','',0),(490,24,'2011-10-11 09:04:56','2011-10-11 16:04:56','','\"Go in your home!\"','','inherit','open','open','','happy-gilmore','','','2011-10-11 09:04:56','2011-10-11 16:04:56','',489,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/happy-gilmore.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(492,24,'2011-10-11 09:33:33','2011-10-11 16:33:33','','broccolitree-600x436','','inherit','open','open','','broccolitree-600x436','','','2011-10-11 09:33:33','2011-10-11 16:33:33','',489,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccolitree-600x436.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(493,24,'2011-10-11 09:36:48','2011-10-11 16:36:48','','broccolitree-600x436','','inherit','open','open','','broccolitree-600x436-2','','','2011-10-11 09:36:48','2011-10-11 16:36:48','',489,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccolitree-600x4361.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(666,1,'2011-10-18 10:09:59','2011-10-18 17:09:59','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\n\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that led a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\n\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\n\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\n\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\n\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\n\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and that night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\n\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\n\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\n\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-autosave','','','2011-10-18 10:09:59','2011-10-18 17:09:59','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/541-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(495,24,'2011-10-11 09:38:22','2011-10-11 16:38:22','In the movie Happy Gilmore, the main character  Happy is playing some golf with his amazing wind up drive. He reaches the green were his putting skill set are less then par, he is given some advice by his paired partner. \" The ball itself has its own life force or energy if you will.\" \"Its natural environment is in the hole.\" \"So why don\'t you send him home.\" \"His bags are packed, he\'s got his airplane tickets, bring him to the airport.\" \"Send him home.\" Happy seems to heed this advice and takes his put. The ball rolls short of the hole and Happy\'s anger erupts. \" Why didn\'t you just go to your home ball, that\'s your home!\"\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/happy-gilmore.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-490\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/happy-gilmore-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWhether you are returning from a business trip, a long day at work or even a vacation, getting home seems to bring such  peace and contentment. What is it about being home that allows us to feel so comfortable? Maybe being home for you is  not comfortable, but you have discovered that place, the hill overlooking your town, or the creek in the woods, maybe  even Nordstroms for you is somewhere you feel you belong.\n\nIs that not what every one seems to be looking for? A place to be long. A place to connect with others who value the  same  things we do. Our childhood experiences have seemed to set us on a path, a searching for something, “out there,”  that  will complete us. I know in my journey I have gone high and low searching for that belonging, for those  connections that  will give me what I believe I really need. A place to be me, a place where the “me” I present is allowed,  accepted and  even loved. The truth is no such place has been found, \"out there,\"  it always turns into a performance,  doing, trying to please others.\n\nWord of Jesus: \"I\'ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you\'ll remain intimately at home in my love. That\'s what I\'ve done—kept my Father\'s commands and made myself at home in his love.” John 15: 9-10\n\nIt seems that Jesus invited us to look somewhere else. Somewhere that would require courage and even a type of aloneness that can be uncomfortable. He says we can make ourselves “home” in His love. Jesus seems to be inviting us to end our search, to give up trying to belong. He says, “Make yourselves at home.” He does not say I will make you at home, no make yourselves at home. This invitation seems to draws up in awareness what I believe to be true about God, about myself and others. If I don’t believe I am lovable, how could I every make myself at home in love.\n\nPerhaps this requires an inward search. A plunge into the darkness of my own soul. Allowing fear, shame, guilt, depression, anger and pride to show themselves. Letting memories and experiences of pain surface, feeling alone, lost and broken. Jesus is inviting me to face these fears, turn into my pain allow Love to make itself at home in me. Let these painful experiences know that they are welcome here, they are acceptable. This home is a safe place to love ourselves no matter what we find within.\n\n&nbsp;','Going Home','','inherit','open','open','','489-revision','','','2011-10-11 09:38:22','2011-10-11 16:38:22','',489,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/489-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(497,24,'2011-10-22 11:36:56','2011-10-22 18:36:56','<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"339\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zpssk85XTQQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n\r\nSo as you watch this clip, who do &nbsp;you associate yourself with? Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong, maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported. &nbsp;Many times, I feel like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification not knowing what to do.\r\n\r\nThis scene had a profound unexpected effect on me. I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters. Instead of relating to the ‘main’ characters, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion and empathy I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\r\n\r\nIn the scene you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. This brings up some questions.\r\nIs he someones pet?\r\nWhat was he like as a little cave troll?\r\nWhat did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent monster?\r\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\r\n\r\nThe real question for me was who or what is my enemy? I was told my entire life about a Devil who was out to destroy my life. I was told that he uses music, movies, seductive women, drugs and temptations of all kinds to seduce me into darkness. I needed to defend the faith, to battle the devil and his kingdom of darkness through prayer, scripture declarations and even fasting.\r\n\r\nJesus seemed at ease around these supposed enemies. Even during &nbsp;his great temptation in the desert the enemy could find \"no place in him.\" He did not defend himself or argue doctrines or beliefs with this enemy. Jesus\' lack of defense revealed a supreme security.\r\n\r\nPersonally I have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden and defended my pain, projected my judgements and fears on all sorts of people. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for some lost freedom.\r\n\r\nMatthew 11:12 - From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\r\n\r\nI don’t think Jesus in the above passage was approving of violence. Perhaps he was illuminating the struggle we are engaged in, one we have created. If I perceive you are keeping me from what I want, you then become my enemy. If Heaven has what I want then I will go in and take it.\r\n\r\nLetting go of the need to have enemies “out there” I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying. I use this anger toward my enemies to justify the violence I use on them.\r\n\r\nPerhaps my cry was for something I had never lost. I was taught to seek love and to withhold it from those I feared. This process had lead me to a world of chaos, blinded by need, lost in what is unacceptable. &nbsp;I found myself incapable of accepting love and kindness. I was invested in my story of pain.\r\n\r\nIf you can relate to this story, I pray that you may find comfort and rest in the willingness to surrender all to God as you know him. Realizing your life is out of control, accepting you are being run by your feelings and thoughts is the first step in true spiritual growth.\r\n\r\nMay whatever you feel you need to defend find peace in giving up the need to have enemies. For if I love my enemies, I suddenly do not have any.\r\n\r\n\"Love is what we are born with.\r\nFear is what we learn.\r\nThe spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices\r\nand the acceptance of love back in our hearts.\r\nLove is the essential reality and our purpose on earth.\r\nTo be consciously aware of it,\r\nto experience love in ourselves and others,\r\nis the meaning of life.\r\nMeaning does not lie in things.\r\nMeaning lies in us.\"\r\n-Marianne Williamson\r\n\r\nNothing Real can be threatened.\r\nNothing unreal exists.\r\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\r\n- A Course in Miracles\r\n\r\n</div>','Defense is the first act of War','','publish','open','open','','defense-is-the-first-act-of-war','','','2011-10-22 11:41:04','2011-10-22 18:41:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=497',0,'post','',0),(498,24,'2011-10-11 09:44:06','2011-10-11 16:44:06','','Defense is the first act of war','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision','','','2011-10-11 09:44:06','2011-10-11 16:44:06','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(499,24,'2011-10-11 09:56:14','2011-10-11 16:56:14','Ever been in one of those\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of war','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-2','','','2011-10-11 09:56:14','2011-10-11 16:56:14','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(500,24,'2011-10-11 10:22:57','2011-10-11 17:22:57','&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEver been in one of those situations or conversations were someone comes at you with all guns blazing. Their accusations and judgement\'s seem to cut you to the core.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of war','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-3','','','2011-10-11 10:22:57','2011-10-11 17:22:57','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(502,24,'2011-10-11 10:54:35','2011-10-11 17:54:35','[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpssk85XTQQ]\n\nSo as you watch this clip who to you associate your self with, I ask myself. Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported.  I have and do feel many times like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification not knowing what to do.\n\nThis scene really got to me. With my present state of mind I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters, I lost focus on the hero\'s, their companions, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\n\nIf you watch you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. Is he someones pet? What was he like as a little cave troll? What did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent, controlled monster? Now he has become an object that is used to break through, inflict damage, bring violence to a whole new level. But he ends up dead, just another victim of the fellowship of the ring onslaught.\n\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\n\nI have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden my pain, projected my stuff on all sorts of people. I have judged so many things by its cover or appearance. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for freedom.\n\nMatthew 11:12\nFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\n\nReality sets in and I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying.\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of war','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-5','','','2011-10-11 10:54:35','2011-10-11 17:54:35','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(501,24,'2011-10-11 10:50:07','2011-10-11 17:50:07','[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpssk85XTQQ]\n\nSo as you watch this clip who to you associate your self with, I ask myself. Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported.  I have and do feel many times like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification and not knowing what to do.\n\nI watched this movie actually the trilogy a few weeks ago when I had the swine flu. This scene really got to me. With my present state of mind I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters, I lost focus on the hero\'s, their companions, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\n\nIf you watch you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. Is he someones pet? What was he like as a little cave troll? What did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent, controlled monster? Now he has become an object that is used to break through, inflict damage, bring violence to a whole new level. But he ends up dead, just another victim of the fellowship of the ring onslaught.\n\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\n\nI have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden my pain, projected my stuff on all sorts of people. I have judged so many things by its cover or appearance. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for freedom.\n\nMatthew 11:12\nFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\n\nReality sets in and I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEver been in one of those situations or conversations were someone comes at you with all guns blazing. Their accusations and judgement\'s seem to cut you to the core.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of war','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-4','','','2011-10-11 10:50:07','2011-10-11 17:50:07','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(504,24,'2011-10-11 11:15:34','2011-10-11 18:15:34','[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpssk85XTQQ]\n\nSo as you watch this clip who to you associate your self with? Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported.  I have and do feel many times like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification not knowing what to do.\n\nThis scene had a profound unexpected effect on me. I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters, I lost focus on the hero\'s, their companions, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion and empanthy I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\n\nIn the scene you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. This brings up some questions.\nIs he someones pet?\nWhat was he like as a little cave troll?\nWhat did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent monster?\n\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\n\nThe real question for me is who or what is my enemy? I was told my entire life about a Devil who was out to destroy my life. I was told that he uses music, movies, seductive women, drugs and temptations of all kinds to seduce me into darkness. I needed to defend the faith, to battle the devil and his kingdom of darkness through prayer, scripture declarations and even fasting.\n\nJesus seemed at ease around these supposed enemies. Even during  his great temptation in the dessert the enemy could find \"no place in him.\" He did not defend himself or argue doctrines or beliefs with this enemy. Jesus\' lack of defense revealed a supreme security.\n\nPersonally I have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden and defended my pain, projected my judgement\'s and fear on all sorts of people. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for some lost freedom.\n\nMatthew 11:12\nFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\n\nReality sets in and I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying.\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of War','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-7','','','2011-10-11 11:15:34','2011-10-11 18:15:34','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(503,24,'2011-10-11 11:11:20','2011-10-11 18:11:20','[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpssk85XTQQ]\n\nSo as you watch this clip who to you associate your self with, I ask myself. Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported.  I have and do feel many times like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification not knowing what to do.\n\nThis scene had a profound unexpected effect on me. I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters, I lost focus on the hero\'s, their companions, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion and empanthy I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\n\nIn the scene you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. This brings up some questions.\nIs he someones pet?\nWhat was he like as a little cave troll?\nWhat did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent monster?\n\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\n\nThe real question for me is who or what is my enemy? I was told my entire life about a Devil who was out to destroy my life. I was told that he uses music, movies, seductive women, drugs and temptations of all kinds to seduce me into darkness. I needed to defend the faith, to battle the devil and his kingdom of darkness through prayer, scripture declarations and even fasting.\n\nJesus seemed at ease around these supposed enemies. Even during  his great temptation in the dessert the enemy could find \"no place in him.\" He did not defend himself or argue doctrines or beliefs with this enemy. Jesus\' lack of defense revealed a supreme security.\n\nPersonally I have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden and defended my pain, projected my judgement\'s and fear on all sorts of people. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for some lost freedom.\n\nMatthew 11:12\nFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\n\nReality sets in and I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying.\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of war','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-6','','','2011-10-11 11:11:20','2011-10-11 18:11:20','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(505,24,'2011-10-11 11:16:41','2011-10-11 18:16:41','[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpssk85XTQQ]\n\nSo as you watch this clip who to you associate your self with? Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported.  I have and do feel many times like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification not knowing what to do.\n\nThis scene had a profound unexpected effect on me. I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters, I lost focus on the hero\'s, their companions, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion and empanthy I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\n\nIn the scene you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. This brings up some questions.\nIs he someones pet?\nWhat was he like as a little cave troll?\nWhat did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent monster?\n\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\n\nThe real question for me is who or what is my enemy? I was told my entire life about a Devil who was out to destroy my life. I was told that he uses music, movies, seductive women, drugs and temptations of all kinds to seduce me into darkness. I needed to defend the faith, to battle the devil and his kingdom of darkness through prayer, scripture declarations and even fasting.\n\nJesus seemed at ease around these supposed enemies. Even during  his great temptation in the dessert the enemy could find \"no place in him.\" He did not defend himself or argue doctrines or beliefs with this enemy. Jesus\' lack of defense revealed a supreme security.\n\nPersonally I have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden and defended my pain, projected my judgement\'s and fear on all sorts of people. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for some lost freedom.\n\nMatthew 11:12\nFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\n\nReality sets in and I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying.\n\nMay whatever you feel you\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of War','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-8','','','2011-10-11 11:16:41','2011-10-11 18:16:41','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(750,1,'2011-10-19 10:18:43','2011-10-19 17:18:43','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/LyePCRkq620\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"254\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nHow do you feel when he says the US Economy is owned by China?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The World Economy In 3 Minutes','','publish','open','open','','the-world-economy-in-3-minutes','','','2011-10-19 10:31:25','2011-10-19 17:31:25','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=750',0,'post','',6),(515,4,'2011-10-14 08:36:13','2011-10-14 15:36:13','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him. They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty. Flash forward a few days to Bethany. Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper. His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room with an alabaster jar. As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was. <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents. However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nPeter shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to fell sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  With this last round of rejection in mind, she began to weep from some place deep within to the sounds of guffawing laughter that penetrated the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for standing up for what was right.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong> Although he loved the sinner, it had to be a tough kind of love or she could never be expected to change -- she was beyond His help.\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-2','','','2011-10-14 08:36:13','2011-10-14 15:36:13','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(516,4,'2011-10-14 08:40:09','2011-10-14 15:40:09','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him. They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty. Flash forward a few days to Bethany. Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper. His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room with an alabaster jar. As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was. <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents. However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nPeter shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to fell sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  With this last round of rejection in mind, she began to weep from some place deep within to the sounds of guffawing laughter that penetrated the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-3','','','2011-10-14 08:40:09','2011-10-14 15:40:09','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(517,4,'2011-10-14 08:55:20','2011-10-14 15:55:20','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nThrough heaving sobs the woman managed to say, \"but Simon is a Leper...\"\n\n\"At least he\';s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\n\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the girl began to weep from some place deep within to the sounds of guffawing laughter that echoed throughout the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-4','','','2011-10-14 08:55:20','2011-10-14 15:55:20','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(518,4,'2011-10-14 09:02:43','2011-10-14 16:02:43','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\n\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\n\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, her hands clasped tightly against the sides of her head covering her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-5','','','2011-10-14 09:02:43','2011-10-14 16:02:43','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(520,4,'2011-10-14 09:05:10','2011-10-14 16:05:10','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\n\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\n\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-7','','','2011-10-14 09:05:10','2011-10-14 16:05:10','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(519,4,'2011-10-14 09:03:40','2011-10-14 16:03:40','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\n\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\n\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, her hands clasped tightly against the sides of her head covering her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-6','','','2011-10-14 09:03:40','2011-10-14 16:03:40','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(523,4,'2011-10-24 06:12:59','2011-10-24 13:12:59','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\n\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\n\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\n\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\n\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\n\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\n\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\n\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-571\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9-300x248.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"248\" /></a>\n\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-autosave','','','2011-10-24 06:12:59','2011-10-24 13:12:59','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(521,4,'2011-10-14 09:05:28','2011-10-14 16:05:28','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-8','','','2011-10-14 09:05:28','2011-10-14 16:05:28','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(522,4,'2011-10-14 09:05:37','2011-10-14 16:05:37','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-9','','','2011-10-14 09:05:37','2011-10-14 16:05:37','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(524,4,'2011-10-14 09:07:14','2011-10-14 16:07:14','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-10','','','2011-10-14 09:07:14','2011-10-14 16:07:14','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(525,4,'2011-10-14 09:10:05','2011-10-14 16:10:05','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-11','','','2011-10-14 09:10:05','2011-10-14 16:10:05','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(526,4,'2011-10-14 09:22:07','2011-10-14 16:22:07','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-12','','','2011-10-14 09:22:07','2011-10-14 16:22:07','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(527,4,'2011-10-14 14:10:54','2011-10-14 21:10:54','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-13','','','2011-10-14 14:10:54','2011-10-14 21:10:54','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(529,4,'2011-10-14 14:14:05','2011-10-14 21:14:05','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-15','','','2011-10-14 14:14:05','2011-10-14 21:14:05','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(528,4,'2011-10-14 14:11:48','2011-10-14 21:11:48','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]\r\n','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-14','','','2011-10-14 14:11:48','2011-10-14 21:11:48','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(530,4,'2011-10-14 14:15:27','2011-10-14 21:15:27','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day.  <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n[youtube http://youtu.be/aAHq9byLyyI]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-16','','','2011-10-14 14:15:27','2011-10-14 21:15:27','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(531,4,'2011-10-14 14:17:29','2011-10-14 21:17:29','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://youtu.be/aAHq9byLyyI]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-17','','','2011-10-14 14:17:29','2011-10-14 21:17:29','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(532,4,'2011-10-14 14:19:31','2011-10-14 21:19:31','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube aAHq9byLyyI]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-18','','','2011-10-14 14:19:31','2011-10-14 21:19:31','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(533,24,'2011-10-11 11:18:42','2011-10-11 18:18:42','[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpssk85XTQQ]\n\nSo as you watch this clip who to you associate your self with? Is it Aragorn and his strength, Legolas and his skill, Gandalf with his power, Frodo with a mission or Gimli with his ferocity? Maybe I feel a little less noble and strong maybe I can really relate to Boromir and his attempts to be noble, but his lust for power gets to him, or I feel like Sam the good friend of someone with a mission and I want to make sure they feel supported.  I have and do feel many times like Merry and &amp; Pippin lost in self-gratification not knowing what to do.\n\nThis scene had a profound unexpected effect on me. I was shocked to see how my heart reacted to the characters, I lost focus on the hero\'s, their companions, I was caught off guard by the profound amount of emotion and empanthy I felt for the \"Cave Troll.\"\n\nIn the scene you can see that this \"Troll\" has a chain around his neck. This brings up some questions.\nIs he someones pet?\nWhat was he like as a little cave troll?\nWhat did they do to him to shape him into this angry, violent monster?\n\nWhat if one of our \"heroes\" knew the troll language, or had some troll food. Could this enemy have been tamed, befriended or at least set free?\n\nThe real question for me is who or what is my enemy? I was told my entire life about a Devil who was out to destroy my life. I was told that he uses music, movies, seductive women, drugs and temptations of all kinds to seduce me into darkness. I needed to defend the faith, to battle the devil and his kingdom of darkness through prayer, scripture declarations and even fasting.\n\nJesus seemed at ease around these supposed enemies. Even during  his great temptation in the dessert the enemy could find \"no place in him.\" He did not defend himself or argue doctrines or beliefs with this enemy. Jesus\' lack of defense revealed a supreme security.\n\nPersonally I have spent so much time in my life polarizing people, groups, beliefs into some sort of enemy. That way I know who I can criticize, judge, inflict punishment on. At the same time I have hidden and defended my pain, projected my judgement\'s and fear on all sorts of people. Always imagining that I am Aragorn fighting for some lost freedom.\n\nMatthew 11:12\nFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.\n\nReality sets in and I realize, \"I\'m the Troll.\" I am the real enemy. My fear and pain have been my shelter, I have allowed myself to be used and abused to hopefully find somewhere to belong. I have a big chain around my neck, I\'m tired, hungry and dying.\n\nMay whatever you feel you need to defend find peace in giving up the need to have enemies. For if I love my enemies, I suddenly do not have any.\n\nNothing Real can be threatened.\nNothing unreal exists.\nHerein lies the Peace of God.\n- A Course in Miracles','Defense is the first act of War','','inherit','open','open','','497-revision-9','','','2011-10-11 11:18:42','2011-10-11 18:18:42','',497,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/11/497-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(536,43,'2011-10-14 20:18:30','2011-10-15 03:18:30','','Not the 99 small','','inherit','open','open','','not-the-99-small','','','2011-10-14 20:18:30','2011-10-15 03:18:30','',535,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Not-the-99-small.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(537,43,'2011-10-14 20:25:35','2011-10-15 03:25:35','In response to Occupy Wall Street, there is a photo going around on social media sites.  It\'s a college student holding a sign which reads,\n<blockquote>I am a college senior about to graduate debt free.  I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hrs a week making barely above minimum wage.  I chose a moderately priced in-state public university &amp; started saving $ for school at age 17.  I got decent grades in high school &amp; received 2 scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition.  I currently have a 3.8 GPA.  I live comfortably in a cheap apt., knowing I can\'t have everything I want.  I don\'t eat out every day, or even once a month.  I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone--and I\'m perfectly OK with that.  If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions.  I live below my means to continue saving for the future.  I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my @$$ off for everything I have.  That\'s how it\'s supposed to work.  I am NOT the 99%, and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.</blockquote>\nI could point out the obvious flaws in this piece.  For example, even if this college student is working hard and going to school, he or she is, in fact, part of the 99% of Americans who are not at the top of the financial food chain.  This person appears to have put far more energy into writing what he or she thinks is a witty reply than into finding out what \"the 99%\" and \"the 1%\" mean in context.\n\nI could argue that not everyone qualifies for scholarships, and not everyone\'s scholarships pay nearly all tuition expenses.  Or that 30 hours a week at minimum wage is fine for a single college student, but not for a family of four.  Or that while a 3.8 GPA is impressive, not everyone is that smart.  Or that lots of people don\'t have new cars, fancy apartments, or iPads, even when receiving government benefits.  Or that being poor is not always a \"choice.\"\n\nBut in the end, that doesn\'t really matter.  People who believe poor people ended up that way because of laziness will continue to think that way regardless of the arguments made against that line of thinking.\n\nInstead, I will appeal to Jesus\' own words.  Jesus tells a parable about separating sheep and goats.  To sum up, Jesus tells the sheep that they fed, clothed, and visited him when he was hungry, naked, sick and in prison.  The sheep, surprised, ask when they did these things.  Jesus tells them when they did it for \"the least of these,\" they were really doing it to him.  Similarly, the goats get an earful of what they failed to do.\n\nWhat I want to point out here is that at no point did Jesus ever say, \"You fed the hungry people you deemed worthy.\"  We are not told that we may, under any circumstances, evaluate whether someone is deserving of help.  We are not given the freedom to decide which people we should feed, clothe, and visit.  We don\'t get to decide whether someone is in need because of his or her own actions or because of external forces.  There is no form to fill out wherein a person has to prove he or she is poor for the \"right\" reasons.  And in no way, shape, or form are we to hold ourselves superior to anyone else by virtue of being \"not poor.\"\n\nIt is our job to reach out to people, not just as followers of Jesus, not just as churches, and not even as the Church collectively.  We, as an entire nation, are responsible for our citizens.  If even one child goes to bed hungry tonight, we are all accountable.  We live in a country of plenty.  There is absolutely no reason that any person should not have a roof over his or her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.\n\nCan we look ourselves in the mirror each night and say, \"Today I made someone\'s life better\"?','Poor By Choice','','inherit','open','open','','535-revision','','','2011-10-14 20:25:35','2011-10-15 03:25:35','',535,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/535-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(538,43,'2011-10-16 18:40:40','2011-10-17 01:40:40','In response to Occupy Wall Street, there is a photo going around on social media sites.  It\'s a college student holding a sign which reads,\r\n<blockquote><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Not-the-99.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-578\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Not-the-99-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" /></a>I am a college senior about to graduate debt free.  I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hrs a week making barely above minimum wage.  I chose a moderately priced in-state public university &amp; started saving $ for school at age 17.  I got decent grades in high school &amp; received 2 scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition.  I currently have a 3.8 GPA.  I live comfortably in a cheap apt., knowing I can\'t have everything I want.  I don\'t eat out every day, or even once a month.  I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone--and I\'m perfectly OK with that.  If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions.  I live below my means to continue saving for the future.  I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my @$$ off for everything I have.  That\'s how it\'s supposed to work.  I am NOT the 99%, and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.</blockquote>\r\nI could point out the obvious flaws in this piece.  For example, even if this college student is working hard and going to school, he or she is, in fact, part of the 99% of Americans who are not at the top of the financial food chain.  This person appears to have put far more energy into writing what he or she thinks is a witty reply than into finding out what \"the 99%\" and \"the 1%\" mean in context.\r\n\r\nI could argue that not everyone qualifies for scholarships, and not everyone\'s scholarships pay nearly all tuition expenses.  Or that 30 hours a week at minimum wage is fine for a single college student, but not for a family of four.  Or that while a 3.8 GPA is impressive, not everyone is that smart.  Or that lots of people don\'t have new cars, fancy apartments, or iPads, even when receiving government benefits.  Or that being poor is not always a \"choice.\"\r\n\r\nBut in the end, that doesn\'t really matter.  People who believe poor people ended up that way because of laziness will continue to think that way regardless of the arguments made against that line of thinking.\r\n\r\nInstead, I will appeal to Jesus\' own words.  Jesus tells a parable about separating sheep and goats.  To sum up, Jesus tells the sheep that they fed, clothed, and visited him when he was hungry, naked, sick and in prison.  The sheep, surprised, ask when they did these things.  Jesus tells them when they did it for \"the least of these,\" they were really doing it to him.  Similarly, the goats get an earful of what they failed to do.\r\n\r\nWhat I want to point out here is that at no point did Jesus ever say, \"You fed the hungry people you deemed worthy.\"  We are not told that we may, under any circumstances, evaluate whether someone is deserving of help.  We are not given the freedom to decide which people we should feed, clothe, and visit.  We don\'t get to decide whether someone is in need because of his or her own actions or because of external forces.  There is no form to fill out wherein a person has to prove he or she is poor for the \"right\" reasons.  And in no way, shape, or form are we to hold ourselves superior to anyone else by virtue of being \"not poor.\"\r\n\r\nIt is our job to reach out to people, not just as followers of Jesus, not just as churches, and not even as the Church collectively.  We, as an entire nation, are responsible for our citizens.  If even one child goes to bed hungry tonight, we are all accountable.  We live in a country of plenty.  There is absolutely no reason that any person should not have a roof over his or her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.\r\n\r\nCan we look ourselves in the mirror each night and say, \"Today I made someone\'s life better\"?','Poor By Choice','','inherit','open','open','','535-autosave','','','2011-10-16 18:40:40','2011-10-17 01:40:40','',535,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/535-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(539,1,'2011-10-14 20:26:28','2011-10-15 03:26:28','In response to Occupy Wall Street, there is a photo going around on social media sites.  It\'s a college student holding a sign which reads,\r\n<blockquote>I am a college senior about to graduate debt free.  I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hrs a week making barely above minimum wage.  I chose a moderately priced in-state public university &amp; started saving $ for school at age 17.  I got decent grades in high school &amp; received 2 scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition.  I currently have a 3.8 GPA.  I live comfortably in a cheap apt., knowing I can\'t have everything I want.  I don\'t eat out every day, or even once a month.  I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone--and I\'m perfectly OK with that.  If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions.  I live below my means to continue saving for the future.  I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my @$$ off for everything I have.  That\'s how it\'s supposed to work.  I am NOT the 99%, and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.</blockquote>\r\nI could point out the obvious flaws in this piece.  For example, even if this college student is working hard and going to school, he or she is, in fact, part of the 99% of Americans who are not at the top of the financial food chain.  This person appears to have put far more energy into writing what he or she thinks is a witty reply than into finding out what \"the 99%\" and \"the 1%\" mean in context.\r\n\r\nI could argue that not everyone qualifies for scholarships, and not everyone\'s scholarships pay nearly all tuition expenses.  Or that 30 hours a week at minimum wage is fine for a single college student, but not for a family of four.  Or that while a 3.8 GPA is impressive, not everyone is that smart.  Or that lots of people don\'t have new cars, fancy apartments, or iPads, even when receiving government benefits.  Or that being poor is not always a \"choice.\"\r\n\r\nBut in the end, that doesn\'t really matter.  People who believe poor people ended up that way because of laziness will continue to think that way regardless of the arguments made against that line of thinking.\r\n\r\nInstead, I will appeal to Jesus\' own words.  Jesus tells a parable about separating sheep and goats.  To sum up, Jesus tells the sheep that they fed, clothed, and visited him when he was hungry, naked, sick and in prison.  The sheep, surprised, ask when they did these things.  Jesus tells them when they did it for \"the least of these,\" they were really doing it to him.  Similarly, the goats get an earful of what they failed to do.\r\n\r\nWhat I want to point out here is that at no point did Jesus ever say, \"You fed the hungry people you deemed worthy.\"  We are not told that we may, under any circumstances, evaluate whether someone is deserving of help.  We are not given the freedom to decide which people we should feed, clothe, and visit.  We don\'t get to decide whether someone is in need because of his or her own actions or because of external forces.  There is no form to fill out wherein a person has to prove he or she is poor for the \"right\" reasons.  And in no way, shape, or form are we to hold ourselves superior to anyone else by virtue of being \"not poor.\"\r\n\r\nIt is our job to reach out to people, not just as followers of Jesus, not just as churches, and not even as the Church collectively.  We, as an entire nation, are responsible for our citizens.  If even one child goes to bed hungry tonight, we are all accountable.  We live in a country of plenty.  There is absolutely no reason that any person should not have a roof over his or her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.\r\n\r\nCan we look ourselves in the mirror each night and say, \"Today I made someone\'s life better\"?','Poor By Choice','','inherit','open','open','','535-revision-2','','','2011-10-14 20:26:28','2011-10-15 03:26:28','',535,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/535-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(1826,38,'2011-11-10 07:29:34','2011-11-10 15:29:34','Flannel graphs were the height of fun for me growing up in church. For those of you who aren’t from a church that used them relentlessly in Sunday School, they are basically large boards with panels of felt-like material covering them that are used to tell Bible stories. The flannel graph has a base scene of the sky and water, and then has various landscapes you could put over top of it for the appropriate story like a shoreline, golden streets, and a generic grassy knoll. There were cut-out felt pieces of Bible characters that the teacher would smooth onto the board once they were introduced into the story.\r\n\r\nI was born into a Christian family; everyone from my immediate family all the way up into two of my living sets of great-grandparents and all the way out into second cousins are members of the faith. I remember seeing home videos of my prune-y little newborn self in my father’s arms all ready to go to my first day of church when I was only a few days old. So almost from day one I started learning about Flannel Graph Robot Jesus in church.\r\n\r\nNow, since moving into adulthood I’ve realized that there are <a href=\"http://www.revolutionnyc.com/this-unknown-god/\">different Jesus’</a>, but I’ll tell you about the one I knew growing up. He’s got long, dark wavy locks of hair whose beauty rivals that of Fabio. His eyes are even gentler than <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001029/\">Jim Caviezel’s</a>, and he is always wearing impeccably white robes that make him look like he might be friends with <a href=\"http://www.meijer.com/s/dionysus-mens-plus-costume/_/R-136222;jsessionid=3701FC431A596FDCFA94290446D86120.instance04?CAWELAID=895421131&amp;cmpid=goobase\">Dionysus</a> or <a href=\"http://www.meijer.com/s/caesar-mens-plus-costume/_/R-116666\">Julius Caesar</a>.\r\n\r\nThe reason I call him “Flannel Graph Robot Jesus” is because until college I didn’t really regard him as human. Of course, everyone says he was fully human and fully God, but I mostly stuck to the God part. The way I always read passages from Bible, it seemed like Jesus would just stand around and monologue to his disciples in his best “Thank you for shopping at Home Depot, we hope you enjoyed your stay” manly robot voice.  For example, in Luke 11 a little while after Jesus casts out a demon that was making a man mute, he says this:\r\n\r\n\"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.\" (Luke 11:33-35,ESV)\r\n\r\nIf someone asked me what this means I would tell them that what we choose to look at goes into our minds and informs not only our bodies but our character. Things we see don’t usually leave us; you can’t “un-see” something. So Jesus here is warning us to be cautious about looking at things that might not be wholesome because you can’t really remove that image once it’s in your mind.\r\n\r\nI can say that, having internalized the message and paraphrasing it, but I can’t quite picture Jesus saying in a human way, like someone like my Dad would. I can imagine my Dad telling me this, using his hands when he talked, his hazel eyes engaged in the conversation, and chuckling slightly as he says “You can’t ‘un-see’ something.” In my mind, Jesus has a robot voice, occasionally extends his hand like a Ken doll to illustrate his point, and then is done. I don’t see him chuckling, or see a glint in his eye or any emotion attached to the verse.\r\n\r\nPeter, @Muslimerican on Twitter, <a href=\"As a child I never read the Bible much. Whenever I tried, the text felt remote, arcane, and impenetrable.\" target=\"_blank\">tweeted recently</a>:\r\n<blockquote>As a child I never read the Bible much. Whenever I tried, the text felt remote, arcane, and impenetrable.</blockquote>\r\nI strongly relate to what Peter is saying. I don\'t think this is anyone\'s fault—it’s just a product of the language structure in the verses—but it does become a barrier to having a “relationship” with Jesus. I think this is why The Message translation of the Bible was so revolutionary to people when it came out. It was full of the emotion and regular English we could all relate to that we struggled to find in mainstream translations.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t until after I came home from a mission trip and started hanging out in an informal Bible study with some of my team members that I realized that Jesus was full of emotion and expression just like I am.  For example, when Salome, the mother of James and John comes to Jesus and asks that her sons be placed either side of Jesus in his kingdom, Robot Jesus says: \"You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink […]You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.\" (Matthew 20:20-23, ESV)\r\n\r\nHuman Jesus might have been a bit flabbergasted, maybe laughed nervously and then said “Well… You have no idea what you just asked for. Do you think they can handle the journey that I’m meant to take? Well, in that case, you’ll come with me on this path, but I can’t guarantee anyone seats and my right and left hand because those are reserved for my Dad to pick.”\r\n\r\nDo you see how much more human that is? When the language is brought into forms that you and I can relate to, we suddenly can hear the emotions that he might have expressed. We see countless other examples of situations like this where Jesus is frustrated, sarcastic, cryptic, sweet, protective, and angry. If I don’t remember to do this mental translation on a regular basis I forget the part about Jesus being fully human.  Now, this doesn’t mean that Robot Jesus is bad or that the Bible is written improperly because it’s not. I only bring this up because this kind of robot-to-human translation was really critical for me to move from seeing Jesus as a 2D flannel character to seeing him as a real man who understands the human experience.\r\n\r\nIf Jesus didn’t experience a wide range of feelings just like the rest of us do, he becomes a cold actor just going through the motions on our stage. I think the author of “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Flunking-Sainthood-Breaking-Forgetting-Neighbor/dp/1557256608/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1320525173&amp;sr=8-1\">Flunking Sainthood</a>”, Jana Reiss, said it best when <a href=\"http://blog.beliefnet.com/flunkingsainthood/2011/11/jesus-and-superman-do-we-really-need-the-backstory.html#ixzz1cqYthmuM\">she said</a> “I like my Jesus like I like my Superman: socially conscious, tough, and super-powered, sure, but still relatable, still someone who suffers the same heartache we all do, simultaneously completely super and completely human.”\r\n\r\n<em>Photo credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike52ad/3007681001/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael 1952</a></em>','Flannel Graph Robot Jesus','','publish','open','open','','flannel-graph-robot-jesus','','http://www.revolutionnyc.com/this-unknown-god/\nhttp://blog.beliefnet.com/flunkingsainthood/2011/11/jesus-and-superman-do-we-really-need-the-backstory.html#ixzz1cqYthmuM','2011-11-07 07:30:19','2011-11-07 15:30:19','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=1826',0,'post','',4),(541,38,'2011-10-18 10:08:54','2011-10-18 17:08:54','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that led a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and that night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','publish','open','open','','god%e2%80%99s-will-coincidence-beethoven','','','2011-10-18 10:08:54','2011-10-18 17:08:54','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=541',0,'post','',4),(542,38,'2011-10-15 00:26:55','2011-10-15 07:26:55','<pre>In May of 2008 I was walking the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about ten people from a small church in the heart of the city run by a group of 20-somethings. We were all headed to a pub for some late dinner. As we crossed the bridges and made our way through town I was talking with a guy from Egypt talking about God\'s will.</pre>\n<pre>\n\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\" He asked me.</pre>\n<pre>\nI was feeling blissful walking through the warm summer evening. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by soft white lamps. The light rushed around us to create an unclouded night. Just before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.</pre>\n<pre>\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"</pre>\n<pre>\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over,  or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving. Joel Rieves describes it on his blog \"But Not Yet\" as “It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with.  It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</pre>\n<pre>\nWith another big decision on my horizon, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and “messages” are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Is this “feeling” a report returned after my brain runs analytics on the decision ahead? Is it just a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?</pre>\n<pre>\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book The Unbearable Lightness of Being the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.</pre>\n<pre>\n\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</pre>\n<pre>\nSome people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.”</pre>\n<pre>\nThat was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.</pre>\n<pre>\nHow do you personally decipher “God’s will”? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.</pre>','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision','','','2011-10-15 00:26:55','2011-10-15 07:26:55','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(543,38,'2011-10-15 00:27:00','2011-10-15 07:27:00','<pre>In May of 2008 I was walking the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about ten people from a small church in the heart of the city run by a group of 20-somethings. We were all headed to a pub for some late dinner. As we crossed the bridges and made our way through town I was talking with a guy from Egypt talking about God\'s will.</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\n\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\" He asked me.</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nI was feeling blissful walking through the warm summer evening. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by soft white lamps. The light rushed around us to create an unclouded night. Just before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over,  or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving. Joel Rieves describes it on his blog \"But Not Yet\" as “It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with.  It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and “messages” are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Is this “feeling” a report returned after my brain runs analytics on the decision ahead? Is it just a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book The Unbearable Lightness of Being the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\n\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.”</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nThat was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nHow do you personally decipher “God’s will”? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?</pre>\r\n<pre>\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.</pre>','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-2','','','2011-10-15 00:27:00','2011-10-15 07:27:00','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(544,38,'2011-10-15 00:27:06','2011-10-15 07:27:06','<pre>In May of 2008 I was walking the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about ten people from a small church in the heart of the city run by a group of 20-somethings. We were all headed to a pub for some late dinner. As we crossed the bridges and made our way through town I was talking with a guy from Egypt talking about God\'s will.</pre>\r\n<pre>\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\" He asked me.</pre>\r\n<pre>I was feeling blissful walking through the warm summer evening. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by soft white lamps. The light rushed around us to create an unclouded night. Just before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.</pre>\r\n<pre>\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"</pre>\r\n<pre>This method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over,  or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving. Joel Rieves describes it on his blog \"But Not Yet\" as “It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with.  It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</pre>\r\n<pre>With another big decision on my horizon, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and “messages” are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Is this “feeling” a report returned after my brain runs analytics on the decision ahead? Is it just a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?</pre>\r\n<pre>Milan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book The Unbearable Lightness of Being the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.</pre>\r\n<pre>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</pre>\r\n<pre>Some people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.”</pre>\r\n<pre>That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.</pre>\r\n<pre>How do you personally decipher “God’s will”? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?</pre>\r\n<pre>On one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.</pre>','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-3','','','2011-10-15 00:27:06','2011-10-15 07:27:06','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(545,38,'2011-10-15 00:34:51','2011-10-15 07:34:51','In May of 2008 I was walking the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about ten people from a small church in the heart of the city run by a group of 20-somethings. We were all headed to a pub for some late dinner. As we crossed the bridges and made our way through town I was talking with a guy from Egypt talking about God\'s will.\r\n\r\n\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\" He asked me.\r\n\r\nI was feeling blissful walking through the warm summer evening. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by soft white lamps. The light rushed around us to create an unclouded night. Just before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving. Joel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and “messages” are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Is this “feeling” a report returned after my brain runs analytics on the decision ahead? Is it just a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-4','','','2011-10-15 00:34:51','2011-10-15 07:34:51','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(546,38,'2011-10-15 00:35:00','2011-10-15 07:35:00','In May of 2008 I was walking the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about ten people from a small church in the heart of the city run by a group of 20-somethings. We were all headed to a pub for some late dinner. As we crossed the bridges and made our way through town I was talking with a guy from Egypt talking about God\'s will.\r\n\r\n\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\" He asked me.\r\n\r\nI was feeling blissful walking through the warm summer evening. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by soft white lamps. The light rushed around us to create an unclouded night. Just before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving. Joel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and “messages” are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Is this “feeling” a report returned after my brain runs analytics on the decision ahead? Is it just a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-5','','','2011-10-15 00:35:00','2011-10-15 07:35:00','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(547,38,'2011-10-15 00:35:08','2011-10-15 07:35:08','In May of 2008 I was walking the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about ten people from a small church in the heart of the city run by a group of 20-somethings. We were all headed to a pub for some late dinner. As we crossed the bridges and made our way through town I was talking with a guy from Egypt talking about God\'s will.\r\n\r\n\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\" He asked me.\r\n\r\nI was feeling blissful walking through the warm summer evening. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by soft white lamps. The light rushed around us to create an unclouded night. Just before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving. Joel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and “messages” are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Is this “feeling” a report returned after my brain runs analytics on the decision ahead? Is it just a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-6','','','2011-10-15 00:35:08','2011-10-15 07:35:08','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(548,38,'2011-10-15 00:46:08','2011-10-15 07:46:08','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall Egyptian guy with dark curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we walked through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with our group of about ten headed to a pub for a late dinner. We were a conglomerate of a small team visiting from the United States and a group of 20-somethings who run a small church in the heart of the city. This particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations had orchestrated themselves right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the decision ahead? Is it a product of all the little decisions I make towards the things that I love that result in these coincidences? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song playing on the radio.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being this very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands and I was feeling left out. I wanted to play music as well. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-7','','','2011-10-15 00:46:08','2011-10-15 07:46:08','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(549,38,'2011-10-15 00:57:30','2011-10-15 07:57:30','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\n\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\n\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally knew some of the answers.\n\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\n\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\n\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\n\nJoel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\n\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\n\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\n\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hethe right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-8','','','2011-10-15 00:57:30','2011-10-15 07:57:30','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(550,38,'2011-10-15 00:57:51','2011-10-15 07:57:51','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally knew some of the answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-9','','','2011-10-15 00:57:51','2011-10-15 07:57:51','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(551,38,'2011-10-15 00:57:57','2011-10-15 07:57:57','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally knew some of the answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-10','','','2011-10-15 00:57:57','2011-10-15 07:57:57','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(552,38,'2011-10-15 00:59:28','2011-10-15 07:59:28','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-11','','','2011-10-15 00:59:28','2011-10-15 07:59:28','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(553,38,'2011-10-15 00:59:33','2011-10-15 07:59:33','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes it on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-12','','','2011-10-15 00:59:33','2011-10-15 07:59:33','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(554,38,'2011-10-15 01:00:15','2011-10-15 08:00:15','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-13','','','2011-10-15 01:00:15','2011-10-15 08:00:15','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(555,38,'2011-10-15 01:00:20','2011-10-15 08:00:20','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this on his blog \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">But Not Yet</a>\":\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-14','','','2011-10-15 01:00:20','2011-10-15 08:00:20','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(567,38,'2011-10-15 01:19:18','2011-10-15 08:19:18','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\n\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that led a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\n\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\n\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\n\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\n\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\n\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and that night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\n\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\n\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\n\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-25','','','2011-10-15 01:19:18','2011-10-15 08:19:18','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(556,38,'2011-10-15 01:04:31','2011-10-15 08:04:31','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this in his post \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-15','','','2011-10-15 01:04:31','2011-10-15 08:04:31','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(557,38,'2011-10-15 01:04:39','2011-10-15 08:04:39','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this in his post \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-16','','','2011-10-15 01:04:39','2011-10-15 08:04:39','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(564,38,'2011-10-15 01:16:34','2011-10-15 08:16:34','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\n\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that led a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\n\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\n\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\n\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\n\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\n\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and that night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\n\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\n\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\n\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-22','','','2011-10-15 01:16:34','2011-10-15 08:16:34','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(558,38,'2011-10-15 01:05:01','2011-10-15 08:05:01','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-17','','','2011-10-15 01:05:01','2011-10-15 08:05:01','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(559,38,'2011-10-15 01:05:06','2011-10-15 08:05:06','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a></em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-18','','','2011-10-15 01:05:06','2011-10-15 08:05:06','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(560,38,'2011-10-15 01:06:19','2011-10-15 08:06:19','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-19','','','2011-10-15 01:06:19','2011-10-15 08:06:19','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(561,38,'2011-10-15 01:12:01','2011-10-15 08:12:01','','amsterdam-1','Amsterdam\'s canals at night','inherit','open','open','','amsterdam-1','','','2011-10-15 01:12:01','2011-10-15 08:12:01','',541,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/amsterdam-1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(562,38,'2011-10-15 01:06:23','2011-10-15 08:06:23','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-20','','','2011-10-15 01:06:23','2011-10-15 08:06:23','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(563,38,'2011-10-15 01:13:21','2011-10-15 08:13:21','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that lead a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and than night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-21','','','2011-10-15 01:13:21','2011-10-15 08:13:21','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(565,38,'2011-10-15 01:16:55','2011-10-15 08:16:55','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that led a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and that night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-23','','','2011-10-15 01:16:55','2011-10-15 08:16:55','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(566,38,'2011-10-15 01:17:04','2011-10-15 08:17:04','\"How do you know what God\'s will is?\"\r\n\r\nA tall, Egyptian guy with black curly hair and eyes the color of raisins asked me this question while we were walking through the streets of downtown Amsterdam with about six other people. Our group, a conglomerate of a small group visiting from the United States and a team that led a church in the heart of the city, was headed to a pub for a late dinner.\r\n\r\nThis particular evening in late May was blissful. All of Amsterdam was dark, the canals lit by tiny white lights lining the brick. The streets were emptier than earlier in the day but were by no means lonelier. I was light on my feet and I felt like I finally had some answers.\r\n\r\nJust before leaving for Amsterdam I had to make a couple of decisions about the direction of my education and career. Both situations orchestrated themselves out perfectly right in front of me, so I answered with what I knew.\r\n\r\n\"Well, for me at least, it\'s through the little things. A conversation, a song, books that I read... They all point to something. It seems to keep coming up.\"\r\n\r\nThis method has been true in most of my life. Someone accidentally speaks straight into my situation without having any knowledge of what I’m going through, the book I’m reading just happens to be covering the topic I’m agonizing over, or a sermon is taught on just the right Sunday. When I collect enough of these mini-experiences I usually take it as a sign and keep moving.\r\n\r\nJoel Rieves describes this a post titled \"<a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com/god-told-you-what/\" target=\"_blank\">God Told You What?</a>\" on <a href=\"http://www.butnotyet.com\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"It’s not even a voice at all, to begin with. It will start as an idea or an urge that just won’t go away.\"</blockquote>\r\nWith another big decision on my horizon and many years between me and that night in Amsterdam, I’ve been wondering how much of these mini-experiences and messages are actually divine and how much of them are just my mind. Are these “feelings” simply my brain running reports on the upcoming decision? Are they simply of product of all the little decisions and choices I make everyday towards that slowly over time move me in the right direction? Are all these tiny things orchestrated on purpose?\r\n\r\nMilan Kundera refers to this situation as “the birds of fortuity”. In his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0060932139/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header\" target=\"_blank\">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>,</em> the main character, Tereza, mistakenly takes a set of chance happenings as a sign and gets herself into something that originally had no significance or orchestration whatsoever outside of her favorite Beethoven song being on the radio at that particular moment.\r\n<blockquote>\"How was it possible that at the very moment she was taking an order of cognac to a stranger she found attractive, at that very moment she heard Beethoven? Necessity knows no magic formulae--they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi\'s shoulders.\"</blockquote>\r\nSome people speak of God’s will being a very clear voice in their minds. The only time I have ever encountered that personally was after seeing five of my close friends all joining or starting bands. I was feeling left out. That night I went into the bathroom to wash my hands before dinner, and as I raised my eyes up from the sink to look at my own face in the mirror I heard: “You don’t need music. I gave you your art.” That was it. No long drawn out answer, no waterfall voices, and no “laying it on my heart” for weeks on end. All it took was nine simple words.\r\n\r\nHow do you personally decipher God’s will? Do coincidences that seem to fall into place guide you along? Do you wait to hear a voice? Do you go with your gut or intuition? Do you pray every night and wait for your heart to be pregnant with a burden towards one side or the other? Once you get past the self-doubt (“Am I making this up?”), how do you navigate this kind of stuff?\r\n\r\nOn one hand I’d really love to believe that God is out there someplace in space just pulling all the tiny individual strings to make me hear the right words in conversation and hear the right song on shuffle on my MP3 player to push me onward. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that while He is present, He also might not be running each and every minute thing that happens and that there is a natural order to the world that maintains itself. Maybe it’s divine, or maybe it’s just Beethoven playing at the right moment. I’m not sure I know just yet.','God’s Will, Coincidence &amp; Beethoven','','inherit','open','open','','541-revision-24','','','2011-10-15 01:17:04','2011-10-15 08:17:04','',541,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/541-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(571,4,'2011-10-15 10:57:39','2011-10-15 17:57:39','','woman_9','','inherit','open','open','','woman_9','','','2011-10-15 10:57:39','2011-10-15 17:57:39','',55,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(570,4,'2011-10-14 14:20:56','2011-10-14 21:20:56','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n<p>[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]</p>','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-19','','','2011-10-14 14:20:56','2011-10-14 21:20:56','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/55-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(572,4,'2011-10-15 10:50:55','2011-10-15 17:50:55','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n<p>[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]</p>','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-20','','','2011-10-15 10:50:55','2011-10-15 17:50:55','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/55-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(573,4,'2011-10-15 10:58:24','2011-10-15 17:58:24','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n<p>[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]</p>','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-21','','','2011-10-15 10:58:24','2011-10-15 17:58:24','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/55-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(574,4,'2011-10-15 11:05:16','2011-10-15 18:05:16','','photo (7)','','inherit','open','open','','photo-7','','','2011-10-15 11:05:16','2011-10-15 18:05:16','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/photo-7.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(575,4,'2011-10-15 11:03:07','2011-10-15 18:03:07','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-22','','','2011-10-15 11:03:07','2011-10-15 18:03:07','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/55-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(576,4,'2011-10-15 11:06:22','2011-10-15 18:06:22','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377.jpg\"><img src=\"http://thedistillerychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/379367_7377-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-23','','','2011-10-15 11:06:22','2011-10-15 18:06:22','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/55-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(577,4,'2011-10-15 11:10:40','2011-10-15 18:10:40','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-571\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9-300x248.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"248\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-24','','','2011-10-15 11:10:40','2011-10-15 18:10:40','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/15/55-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(865,4,'2011-10-18 12:02:45','2011-10-18 19:02:45','Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were just two days away, and the Pharisees — the chief priests and teachers of the law were trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus and kill him.  They decided to wait until after the celebrations for fear that others would riot against the established church.\r\n\r\nSo they sent spies to watch the heretic in action in order to gather some hard evidence to justify the death penalty.  Flash forward a few days to Bethany.  Jesus is reclining in the main living area of a house owned by a man named Simon who happens to be a leper.  His disciples are with him and so are the spies.\r\n\r\nSuddenly a beautiful and distraught woman came into the room holding an alabaster jar in her arms.  As her eyes wildly searched each face, Jesus realized who she was.  <strong>The jar contained perfume made of pure nard and cost the woman a year’s wages.</strong>\r\n\r\nLocking eyes onto him she smiled, bent down low and broke the jar, and began to move towards Jesus so that she might anoint him with the contents.  However, knowing her intentions, Jesus quickly moved to the side avoiding the woman with her expensive perfume as he motioned to his disciple Peter with a single glance.\r\n\r\nThe perfume spilled recklessly on the floor near him and began to expand rapidly into a pool of aromatic liquid onto the surface of the floor as the woman fell to one knee <strong>astonished that Jesus would seem so repulsed by her doting gesture.  </strong>Disgusted with the woman’s sin Jesus turned to his Disciples and the Pharisees in attendance and said “She should not have wasted that expensive perfume. It could have been sold and used to help the poor, the widows and orphans. What is <em>she</em> doing with it anyway?”\r\n\r\nIn the alleyway Peter held the woman roughly by the arm and without looking at her said “what did you think you were doing?  You know that your <strong>chosen lifestyle is not the kind that the Master agrees with.  Why, He can not even look at or be in the same room with you.  </strong>Once you turn from your evil ways and choose to live either a life of celibacy as an unworthy woman, or just marry a man like the rest of the women here, you can come back and the Rabbi will accept your gifts.  Until then, stay away. The Master will have nothing more to do with you.”\r\n\r\nThrough heaving sobs the woman looked up at Peter and managed to say, \"B-but Simon is a Leper...\"\r\n\r\n\"...At least he\'s a man.  But you...   What are you anyway?\" Peter said as he shoved the young woman towards the street harshly causing her to trip and fall sharply onto the ground, broken, and even more distraught then before.  Peter smiled smugly, then went back inside.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-571\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/woman_9-300x248.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"248\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWith this last round of rejection in mind, the young girl lay silently on her side in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, both hands clasped tightly over her ears, tears streaming down the side of her face while sounds of guffawing laughter echoed loudly into the alleyway from Simon’s house.  Jesus had finally obtained acceptance by his peers -- the Pharisees, for making clear his stance against at least one of the established religious rejects of the day. <strong>There would no longer be a need for his death. </strong>\r\n\r\n[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHq9byLyyI&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]','The Alabaster Jar - A Parable','','inherit','open','open','','55-revision-27','','','2011-10-18 12:02:45','2011-10-18 19:02:45','',55,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/55-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(578,43,'2011-10-16 18:39:48','2011-10-17 01:39:48','','Not the 99','','inherit','open','open','','not-the-99','','','2011-10-16 18:39:48','2011-10-17 01:39:48','',535,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Not-the-99.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(579,43,'2011-10-14 20:34:29','2011-10-15 03:34:29','In response to Occupy Wall Street, there is a photo going around on social media sites.  It\'s a college student holding a sign which reads,\r\n<blockquote>I am a college senior about to graduate debt free.  I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hrs a week making barely above minimum wage.  I chose a moderately priced in-state public university &amp; started saving $ for school at age 17.  I got decent grades in high school &amp; received 2 scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition.  I currently have a 3.8 GPA.  I live comfortably in a cheap apt., knowing I can\'t have everything I want.  I don\'t eat out every day, or even once a month.  I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone--and I\'m perfectly OK with that.  If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions.  I live below my means to continue saving for the future.  I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my @$$ off for everything I have.  That\'s how it\'s supposed to work.  I am NOT the 99%, and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.</blockquote>\r\nI could point out the obvious flaws in this piece.  For example, even if this college student is working hard and going to school, he or she is, in fact, part of the 99% of Americans who are not at the top of the financial food chain.  This person appears to have put far more energy into writing what he or she thinks is a witty reply than into finding out what \"the 99%\" and \"the 1%\" mean in context.\r\n\r\nI could argue that not everyone qualifies for scholarships, and not everyone\'s scholarships pay nearly all tuition expenses.  Or that 30 hours a week at minimum wage is fine for a single college student, but not for a family of four.  Or that while a 3.8 GPA is impressive, not everyone is that smart.  Or that lots of people don\'t have new cars, fancy apartments, or iPads, even when receiving government benefits.  Or that being poor is not always a \"choice.\"\r\n\r\nBut in the end, that doesn\'t really matter.  People who believe poor people ended up that way because of laziness will continue to think that way regardless of the arguments made against that line of thinking.\r\n\r\nInstead, I will appeal to Jesus\' own words.  Jesus tells a parable about separating sheep and goats.  To sum up, Jesus tells the sheep that they fed, clothed, and visited him when he was hungry, naked, sick and in prison.  The sheep, surprised, ask when they did these things.  Jesus tells them when they did it for \"the least of these,\" they were really doing it to him.  Similarly, the goats get an earful of what they failed to do.\r\n\r\nWhat I want to point out here is that at no point did Jesus ever say, \"You fed the hungry people you deemed worthy.\"  We are not told that we may, under any circumstances, evaluate whether someone is deserving of help.  We are not given the freedom to decide which people we should feed, clothe, and visit.  We don\'t get to decide whether someone is in need because of his or her own actions or because of external forces.  There is no form to fill out wherein a person has to prove he or she is poor for the \"right\" reasons.  And in no way, shape, or form are we to hold ourselves superior to anyone else by virtue of being \"not poor.\"\r\n\r\nIt is our job to reach out to people, not just as followers of Jesus, not just as churches, and not even as the Church collectively.  We, as an entire nation, are responsible for our citizens.  If even one child goes to bed hungry tonight, we are all accountable.  We live in a country of plenty.  There is absolutely no reason that any person should not have a roof over his or her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.\r\n\r\nCan we look ourselves in the mirror each night and say, \"Today I made someone\'s life better\"?','Poor By Choice','','inherit','open','open','','535-revision-3','','','2011-10-14 20:34:29','2011-10-15 03:34:29','',535,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/14/535-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(582,35,'2011-10-18 09:23:58','2011-10-18 16:23:58','I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:\r\n\r\n“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”\r\n\r\nSo why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?\r\n\r\nThe day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.\r\n<h3>Partial Faith</h3>\r\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\r\npay their all and achieve success,\r\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\r\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\r\n\r\nBut what of those who give their best\r\nand are never renowned except with pity,\r\nfame for shame of failure again,\r\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\r\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\r\nHow many times can you miss the mark\r\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\r\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\r\nsalvation for others, not me?\r\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\r\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\r\n\r\nDoes God shrug and say,\r\nLet me know when you’re ready,\r\nwhen your will no longer works for you?\r\n\r\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\r\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\r\n\r\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\r\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\r\nWhere do we go except back out\r\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\r\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\r\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\r\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\r\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\r\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\r\n\r\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\r\nbut I see defection in your design.\r\nI believe and don’t,\r\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\r\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\r\n\r\n<em>Image by Miguel Vera</em>','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','publish','open','open','','is-partial-faith-enough-for-god','','','2011-10-18 10:58:03','2011-10-18 17:58:03','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=582',0,'post','',7),(1056,38,'2011-10-23 19:45:45','2011-10-24 02:45:45','<em>This is post number two in my series about the six reasons why I left the church based off of the article \"<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>\" by the Barna Group.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Reason #3: “They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.”</strong>\r\n<blockquote>\"I came to the point that I realized my theology condemns 92% of the world’s population. There\'s something wrong with that.\"</blockquote>\r\nThis is a quote by <a href=\"http://crystalstmarielewis.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Crystal St. Lewis</a>, who I had a chance to hear speak at <a href=\"http://www.outlawpreachers.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Outlaw Preachers</a> (re)Union 2011. With my strict Baptist upbringing it was more like 99% because anyone outside of our church was probably going to the bad place downstairs.\r\n\r\nFor me, the exclusive nature of the church did not come into conflict with reality in relation to the path of salvation (at least not really, more about this later); it showed up in the willful perpetuation of ignorance in regards to other religions, the denial of other denominations being in the family, and the indignation that flares up when you talk about finding beauty in other religions. Here is just a small slice of how other denominations and religions were <strong>stereotyped </strong>and <strong>viewed incorrectly </strong>by my particular sect:\r\n\r\n<strong>Presbyterians </strong>– Liturgy? Pfffft. They’re doing it wrong. All that repetition means empty hearts and empty prayers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Lutherans </strong>– They don’t drink coffee. It may as well be a different religion.\r\n\r\n<strong>Methodists </strong>– No one really talked about them, but we’re sure they’re weird too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Church of God</strong> – Female pastors!\r\n\r\n<strong>Episcopal </strong>– They like the gays. (This denomination was particularly deemed dangerous, though no one was ever any more specific than “They’re into some weird stuff.”)\r\n\r\n<strong>Pentecostal </strong>– They speak in tongues and like to dance. Do you need any more evidence?\r\n\r\n<strong>Non-denomination churches</strong> – They can’t pick sides so they try to make everyone happy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Catholics </strong>– “You do know they worship Mary, right?” And all they want to do is buy indulgences so they can sin. (Barely considered to be part of the Protestant branch. Get thee out of my Christian tree!)\r\n\r\n<strong>Seventh Day Adventists</strong> – Something about a Watchtower and they think they all can become god or something.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mormons </strong>– Salt Lake City, baby! They like to marry multiple women and the guy who wrote The Book or Mormon was a crazy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Anglicans </strong>– Something to do with the old church. And they’re more or less Catholics.\r\n\r\n<strong>Jews </strong>– We only like the Messianic ones. All the others only live by a bunch of rules and don’t love God, because you can’t love God through rules. (Please, let us all take a moment to guffaw or belly laugh at the incredible irony here!)\r\n\r\n<strong>Muslims </strong>– They worship Muhammad and are against everything you know and love.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wiccans </strong>– WITCHCRAFT.\r\n\r\n<strong>Buddhists </strong>– They worship the jolly fat guy statues in restaurants. Maybe something about reincarnation? The Dalai Lama is offensive anyway.\r\n\r\n<strong>Hindus </strong>– Reincarnation. Need I say more? Also all the weird, thousands of gods thing. Jesus doesn’t like that.\r\n\r\n<strong>Agnostics </strong>– Are in denial. They have that God-shaped hole but don’t want to commit.\r\n\r\n<strong>Atheists </strong>– Are angry people who just refuse to see the logic in our beliefs and don\'t want to give up control.\r\n\r\nSo even though there is a huge group of self-identifying group of Christians in the world, and even though most of the Protestant denominations are nearly identical in doctrine and differ only in a few preferences, we can safely knock about 80% of them out of the running for Heaven because they aren’t Baptists? There is something desperately wrong when we are knocking out members of our own group to feel more secure in our own salvation. (Survivor, anyone?)\r\n\r\nThe ignorance of other cultures and belief systems around me did a lot of damage. Not only had I condensed the Holy World down to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the people on this planet, but I unfairly discriminated against people of other religions because of my ignorance. Once I left the church I stopped being <em>afraid </em>of humanity and I started to see how absolutely colorful, diverse, and beautiful it is.\r\n\r\nPerhaps you can identify with this. Maybe when you read one of the names of the groups above your stomach turns just a little bit. What you need to remember is their beliefs are as sacred to them as yours are to you. When it comes down to it, they are human and they want the same basic things you want out of life. You might be surprised if you take the opportunity to learn a little bit about one of the groups you have presuppositions about.\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy: go rent/buy a book by someone who is of a different faith. “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Next-Door-Quran-Media/dp/0974524565/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318469568&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0\" target=\"_blank\">The Muslim Next Door: The Qur\'an, the Media, and That Veil Thing</a>” by Sumbul Ali-Karamali, is a great example.  Maybe find <a href=\"http://ramblingtaoist.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">a blogger</a> and read what they have to say from personal experience about their faith. If you\'re really courageous, send them an email and talk with them about it! Watch <a href=\"http://www.netflix.com/Movie/A-Life-Apart-Hasidism-in-America/70018988?strkid=1451695563_0_0&amp;lnkctr=srchrd-sr&amp;strackid=73420d99b57c05b6_0_srl&amp;trkid=222336\" target=\"_blank\">a documentary</a>. You don’t have to believe it, you don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to condone it. But hearing other people’s stories might help you understand someone else’s true heart and help you find nuggets of truth in other people, other denominations, and other faiths.\r\n\r\nOpen your heart and start to see people how Jesus sees them: incredible, intricate, amazing people with beautiful hearts. Fall in love with humanity.\r\n\r\n<em>Next I\'ll be talking about my church experience left me with a warped, simplistic and judgmental view of sexuality.</em>','Where the Church Lost Me: Part II','','inherit','open','open','','1045-revision-8','','','2011-10-23 19:45:45','2011-10-24 02:45:45','',1045,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1045-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(646,1,'2011-10-18 09:13:41','2011-10-18 16:13:41','There are two opportunities to advertise on Provoketive: Events and Banner Advertising.\r\n<h3>Events Listings</h3>\r\nProvoketive lists conferences and events under the main heading of Events.  To advertise your event is a $25 dollar listing fee.  That\'s it.\r\n<h3>Banner Advertising</h3>\r\nProvoketive Magazine attracts educated adults with an interest in life, culture, justice, spirituality, and current events. Banner advertising runs for 1 month as is available on a space availability basis.  There are two positions in the magazine: front page and all sub-pages.  Sub-page ads run in one of four main categories: life, faith, justice, culture.\r\n<h4>Large Advertisements: 630x125</h4>\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/630-Ad-Sample.png\"><img title=\"630 Ad Sample\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/630-Ad-Sample.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"125\" /></a>\r\n\r\nLarge Advertisement Front Page Top: 630x125 = $150\r\n\r\nLarge Advertisement Front Page Bottom: 630x125 = $125\r\n\r\nLarge Advertisement Sub Page: 630x125 = $100\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h4>Small Advertisements: 220x125</h4>\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/220-Sample-Ad.png\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-641\" title=\"220 Sample Ad\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/220-Sample-Ad.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"125\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSmall Advertisement Front Page Top: 220x125 = $75\r\n\r\nSmall Advertisement Front Page Middle: 220x125 = $60\r\n\r\nSmall Advertisement Sub Page: 220x125 = $25\r\n<h4></h4>\r\n<h4>Buying Ads</h4>\r\nTo purchase advertising, please contact using the form below.  Someone will contact you within one business day.\r\n\r\n[contact-form] [contact-field label=\"Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Ad Space You Want To Buy\" type=\"url\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Comment\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Advertise on Provoketive','','inherit','open','open','','29-revision-5','','','2011-10-18 09:13:41','2011-10-18 16:13:41','',29,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/29-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(585,35,'2011-10-17 13:57:22','2011-10-17 20:57:22','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">So why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Partial Faith</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\n\npay their all and achieve success,\n\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\n\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut what of those who give their best\n\nand are never renowned except with pity,\n\nfame for shame of failure again,\n\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\n\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\n\nHow many times can you miss the mark\n\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\n\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\n\nsalvation for others, not me?\n\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\n\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDoes God shrug and say,\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Let me know when you’re ready,</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">when your will no longer works for you?</span></span></em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\n\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\n\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\n\nWhere do we go except back out\n\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\n\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\n\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\n\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\n\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\n\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\n\nbut I see defection in your design.\n\nI believe and don’t,\n\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\n\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n&nbsp;','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-revision','','','2011-10-17 13:57:22','2011-10-17 20:57:22','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/17/582-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(587,35,'2011-10-17 14:01:41','2011-10-17 21:01:41','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">So why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Partial Faith</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\n\npay their all and achieve success,\n\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\n\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut what of those who give their best\n\nand are never renowned except with pity,\n\nfame for shame of failure again,\n\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\n\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\n\nHow many times can you miss the mark\n\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\n\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\n\nsalvation for others, not me?\n\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\n\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDoes God shrug and say,\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Let me know when you’re ready,</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">when your will no longer works for you?</span></span></em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\n\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\n\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\n\nWhere do we go except back out\n\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\n\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\n\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\n\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\n\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\n\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\n\nbut I see defection in your design.\n\nI believe and don’t,\n\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\n\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n&nbsp;','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-revision-3','','','2011-10-17 14:01:41','2011-10-17 21:01:41','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/17/582-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(586,35,'2011-10-17 13:57:49','2011-10-17 20:57:49','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">So why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Partial Faith</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\r\n\r\npay their all and achieve success,\r\n\r\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\r\n\r\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut what of those who give their best\r\n\r\nand are never renowned except with pity,\r\n\r\nfame for shame of failure again,\r\n\r\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\r\n\r\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\r\n\r\nHow many times can you miss the mark\r\n\r\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\r\n\r\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\r\n\r\nsalvation for others, not me?\r\n\r\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\r\n\r\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDoes God shrug and say,\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Let me know when you’re ready,</em>\r\n\r\n<em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">when your will no longer works for you?</span></span></em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\r\n\r\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\r\n\r\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\r\n\r\nWhere do we go except back out\r\n\r\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\r\n\r\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\r\n\r\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\r\n\r\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\r\n\r\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\r\n\r\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\r\n\r\nbut I see defection in your design.\r\n\r\nI believe and don’t,\r\n\r\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\r\n\r\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-revision-2','','','2011-10-17 13:57:49','2011-10-17 20:57:49','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/17/582-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(588,1,'2011-10-23 16:51:43','2011-10-23 23:51:43','I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:\n\n“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”\n\nSo why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?\n\nThe day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.\n<h3>Partial Faith</h3>\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\npay their all and achieve success,\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\n\nBut what of those who give their best\nand are never renowned except with pity,\nfame for shame of failure again,\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\nHow many times can you miss the mark\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\nsalvation for others, not me?\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\n\nDoes God shrug and say,\nLet me know when you’re ready,\nwhen your will no longer works for you?\n\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\n\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\nWhere do we go except back out\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\n\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\nbut I see defection in your design.\nI believe and don’t,\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\n\n<em>Image by Miguel Vera</em>','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-autosave','','','2011-10-23 16:51:43','2011-10-23 23:51:43','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/17/582-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(673,1,'2011-10-18 09:23:58','2011-10-18 16:23:58','I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:\r\n\r\n“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”\r\n\r\nSo why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?\r\n\r\nThe day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.\r\n<h3>Partial Faith</h3>\r\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\r\npay their all and achieve success,\r\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\r\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\r\n\r\nBut what of those who give their best\r\nand are never renowned except with pity,\r\nfame for shame of failure again,\r\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\r\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\r\nHow many times can you miss the mark\r\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\r\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\r\nsalvation for others, not me?\r\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\r\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\r\n\r\nDoes God shrug and say,\r\nLet me know when you’re ready,\r\nwhen your will no longer works for you?\r\n\r\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\r\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\r\n\r\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\r\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\r\nWhere do we go except back out\r\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\r\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\r\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\r\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\r\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\r\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\r\n\r\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\r\nbut I see defection in your design.\r\nI believe and don’t,\r\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\r\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-revision-8','','','2011-10-18 09:23:58','2011-10-18 16:23:58','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/582-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(645,1,'2011-10-18 09:20:50','2011-10-18 16:20:50','I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:\r\n\r\n“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”\r\n\r\nSo why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?\r\n\r\nThe day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.\r\n<h4>Partial Faith</h4>\r\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\r\n\r\npay their all and achieve success,\r\n\r\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\r\n\r\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut what of those who give their best\r\n\r\nand are never renowned except with pity,\r\n\r\nfame for shame of failure again,\r\n\r\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\r\n\r\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\r\n\r\nHow many times can you miss the mark\r\n\r\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\r\n\r\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\r\n\r\nsalvation for others, not me?\r\n\r\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\r\n\r\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDoes God shrug and say,\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Let me know when you’re ready,</em>\r\n\r\n<em><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">when your will no longer works for you?</span></span></em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\r\n\r\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\r\n\r\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\r\n\r\nWhere do we go except back out\r\n\r\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\r\n\r\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\r\n\r\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\r\n\r\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\r\n\r\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\r\n\r\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\r\n\r\nbut I see defection in your design.\r\n\r\nI believe and don’t,\r\n\r\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\r\n\r\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-revision-7','','','2011-10-18 09:20:50','2011-10-18 16:20:50','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/582-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(589,35,'2011-10-17 15:28:12','2011-10-17 22:28:12','','green trees','','inherit','open','open','','green-trees','','','2011-10-17 15:28:12','2011-10-17 22:28:12','',582,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/green-trees.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(590,35,'2011-10-17 14:02:51','2011-10-17 21:02:51','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">I was raised to believe that you might as well not ask God anything if you don’t believe 100%.  I was threatened with these verses in James 1:</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">“But it any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">So why bother praying?  I didn’t need God to tell me I was rejected.  I knew I had partial faith, and many times none at all.  I’d had enough rejection in life already, especially from people I wanted to love and accept me as I was.  Why bother seeking a God already angry at me?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The day came when I had so much compressed pain and anger, I exploded at God, wanting to hurt Him or Her as badly as I hurt.  I had nothing to lose.  I screamed at God, raging, cussing, lashing out at an unseen deity who had it out for me.  But I didn’t get what I expected.  God screamed back…love.  I fought dirty and God fought back, not to annihilate me, but to let me know it was OK to wrestle with Him/Her, bring all my doubt, pain, and partial faith to the mat.  I was unconditionally loved and accepted that way.  I didn’t know, and sometimes I still don’t know.  But I still keep coming back to that God who doesn’t mind a good fight.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Partial Faith</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\nHooray for the victors who win the acclaim,\r\n\r\npay their all and achieve success,\r\n\r\napplause and medals, affirmation and praise.\r\n\r\nI mean it – they deserve recognition.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut what of those who give their best\r\n\r\nand are never renowned except with pity,\r\n\r\nfame for shame of failure again,\r\n\r\nwho earn crumbs for not quitting this time\r\n\r\nuntil perhaps they reach the bottom of the well.\r\n\r\nHow many times can you miss the mark\r\n\r\nwithout facing this isn’t your gift from God?\r\n\r\nWhy cry and try for what you can’t have –\r\n\r\nsalvation for others, not me?\r\n\r\nWe’re exempt for failure to trust\r\n\r\nand let go 100% like them who fit in.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDoes God shrug and say,\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Let me know when you’re ready,</em>\r\n\r\n<em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">when your will no longer works for you?</span></span></em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat if partial faith is the best we have,\r\n\r\nwith no trust in people who martyr those with less success?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDo they really think we’ll volunteer\r\n\r\nfor pity, slander, and being ignored?\r\n\r\nWhere do we go except back out\r\n\r\nwhere at least we can succeed at being professional failures?\r\n\r\nWe don’t see God’s promises coming true.\r\n\r\nWhat’s the use of longing for what you can’t have?\r\n\r\nWe crave, like addicts, to be winners like them.\r\n\r\nAnd those that do, continue to try – at least, many do –\r\n\r\nwhile some die inside or altogether, alone.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGod, you said you made me unique and precious,\r\n\r\nbut I see defection in your design.\r\n\r\nI believe and don’t,\r\n\r\ntry hard and won’t let go of you,\r\n\r\nfor the alternative is my own personal hell.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is Partial Faith Enough For God?','','inherit','open','open','','582-revision-4','','','2011-10-17 14:02:51','2011-10-17 21:02:51','',582,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/17/582-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(1041,38,'2011-10-23 19:14:25','2011-10-24 02:14:25','Growing up in youth group, we were always lectured about how awful it was that kids would go off to college and then leave church. At the time I thought it was ridiculous that anyone would leave, but within three years I found myself standing on the stage in the sanctuary at my church graduation ceremony relieved that I wouldn’t have to enter those church doors for a long time.\n\nHow did that happened? Why did I have such a drastic change in heart? I’ve spent a long time trying to articulate what precisely pushed me away, so when the article “<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>” by the Barna Group showed up in my RSS feed, it immediately identified with it because I lived their research.\n\nThis is the first of three posts breaking down each reason given by the Barna Group and talk about how my own experience reflected each of them.\n\n<strong>Reason #1: “Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.”</strong>\n\nI was born into a very Christian family, so from the moment I left the womb I was in church. Flannel graphs, Sunday School, Big Church, the whole nine yards. From the church nursery all the way up through most of high school I was at church every time the doors were open. (Towards the end of high school I was there six times a week.) They learned me well. By the time I was in early middle school I could give a full dissertation on any issue and perfectly repeat the canned answers about my faith that I had been fed from the moment I had been born. So, when I got to youth group (grades 9-12) and the lessons didn’t go any deeper than “stay in church,” “don’t listen to secular music,” “don’t do drugs” and “don’t have sex,” I had a difficult time staying connected. I had learned all of that back in elementary school. Why are we still talking about this?\n\nI really needed leaders who would help me work through the questions that come with adolescence. I was wrestling with reality, mortality, myself, my body, my parents, and faith, and all they could talk about was how I needed to do my \"devos\". All the questions that are a part of being a teenager went unanswered. <em>Why am I here? (“Because Jesus created us.”  Yeah, thanks. That doesn’t help me. Why am I actually here? Why do I matter at all? Why should I even bother living?) Why does what I do even matter? Why should I believe any of this? Why can’t I just go be a monk?</em>\n\nAnyone who remembers being a teenager understands that you go through a huge shift in how you understand life. Everything becomes much more important, serious, and you start to question everything. When no one addressed those kinds of questions or made room for us to at least dialogue about them, I started feeling discontent because no one cared about the questions, which caused me to believe that none of them really cared about what state of mind I was in.\n\n<strong>Reason #2: “Churches come across as antagonistic to science.”</strong>\n\nThis, of the six reasons I\'ll be talking about, was the least influential for me, but it was still was important. The place this problem showed up the most was how incredibly dogmatic my church was about creation.\n\nOne of the reasons why I broke up with one of my ex-boyfriends was because of our differing views on creation. He believed in creation evolution, which is where views of evolution and creation can intersect. It was completely incompatible with my views on creation at the time, so I blocked him out. I realize now how silly that was.\n\nI was not alone though because there was absolutely no room for that in the church I used to go to for other theories. There was zero discussion about them. If you didn’t believe in a literal 24-hour seven-day creation you may as well have said you weren’t Christian.\n\nThis extended into the rest of the science realm. For example, my church leaders were completely dismissive of things like global warming because they didn’t think \"God would allow us to do that to ourselves\". And don\'t even talk about the green movement because was all hogwash by those tree-hugging environmentalists who had anti-god agendas. The blogger over from <a href=\"http://bigwhiteogre.blogspot.com/2010/09/christianitys-anti-science-conditioning.html\" target=\"_blank\">Prove Me Wrong</a> captured this perfectly:\n\n\"Climate change? Of course that was bunk. Just like evolutionists have some sort of God hating agenda and the scientific method is not capable of correcting for such biases, in the same way global warming types basically want to run our lives like Stalinist commissars. I will resist their encroachments on my liberty. [...] The lesson I\'ve learned from my past is that rejecting the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community is unlikely to lead to truth. Sure, it\'s possible that they can all be wrong, but is it likely? And what method of knowing truth is more reliable than following scientific consensus? They\'ll be wrong sometimes. But who won\'t be wrong sometimes?\"\n\nThe way I was taught displayed an unwillingness to listen to scientific advancements that make people slightly uncomfortable. They would simply brush them off and deny the need to protect our resources and respect the earth we live on. (It\'s not easy being green!) I mean, because God wouldn’t <em>actually </em>let us be our own demise, so on with bulldozing the rainforests!\n\nIt is one more area where the Christians I knew were aggressive and unwilling to have an intellectual conversation. This is well known in secular circles as one of The Hot Button Topics that you shouldn’t bring up under any circumstances. There is something very wrong with that. When I started college I didn\'t understand why people thought fundamentalists were close minded. This is a reason among many others.\n\nCan\'t we be adults about this? Can\'t we sit down and hear each other out without attacking each other or immediately trying to shut down everyone else\'s arguments? Can\'t we engage and share our viewpoints and listen to each other? Can\'t we try to learn about other people\'s perspective and use that to understand other people better?\n\nContrary to the popular phrase, I promise your brain won\'t fall out of your head if you dare to talk to someone honestly about a different view of how we all got here.\n\n<em>Next I’ll be covering the next two reasons: the unhealthy views toward sexuality and the difficulty of the exclusive nature of Christianity.</em>','Where the Church Lost Me: Part I','','inherit','open','open','','1037-revision-3','','','2011-10-23 19:14:25','2011-10-24 02:14:25','',1037,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1037-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(1052,38,'2011-10-28 08:00:31','2011-10-28 15:00:31','<em>This is part three in my series about the six reasons why I left the church based off of the article \"<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Why Young Christians Leave Church</a>\" by the Barna Group. Now, I realize that there are vast differences between when and how guys and girls first experience sexuality, so this by no means is to be a blanket generalization for anyone.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Miss the first two parts of this series? Read <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/where-the-church-lost-me-i/\" target=\"_blank\">part one</a> and <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/where-the-church-lost-me-ii/\" target=\"_blank\">part two</a>.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Reason #4: “Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental.”</strong>\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite bloggers, Christian Piatt, wrote about this recently on <a href=\"http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christianpiatt/2011/10/sex-is-dirty-save-it-for-marriage/\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>:\r\n<blockquote>\"Amy and I speak to youth and young adults pretty often about something we call embodied spirituality. The idea is that, contrary to what you may have learned in the past, you do not have to de-sexualize yourself to be a good person – even at church. We’re told in some ways that sex is a dirty thing, and that our bodies are something to be ashamed of. But then we also get the message that sex is something special to save for marriage. Something about these two values doesn’t match up.\"</blockquote>\r\n<a href=\"http://behappyhealthywhole.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">My sister</a> and I were talking about this recently and she said:\r\n<blockquote>“There’s a difference between protecting and isolating.”</blockquote>\r\nUp until I was about 18 I was almost unaware that I was not simply a brain walking around. I don’t mean that literally, but things like lust and sexual thoughts were just theoretical issues. While my ex-boyfriend and I were in our long-distance relationship, he sent me a picture of him wearing a new outfit. I don’t remember what it was exactly, but I think it was a new suit coat or something. I said he looked “snazzy”. He was immediately offended because he was looking for a word with a little bit more heat. He asked me one night why it wasn’t natural for me to use words like “sexy” and “hot”. I explained that I had essentially turned all that off because growing up in church I was always told that anything to do with the body was sinful.\r\n\r\nOnce a year, there was a three week long purity series where the Sunday school class was split up by guys and girls. (Funnily enough, nothing made me want the guys back together with us more than this annual series. <em>Just make it stop!</em>) This Sunday school course was the most awkward thing in church since clapping. (What is this \"rhythm\" you speak of?)\r\n\r\nFirstly, the female leaders who ran the series couldn’t say the word “sex”. For a while they said “ex” and then eventually avoided it all together by referring to it as “it”. This does not setup a good precedence for an honest conversation. I get it: it’s awkward to talk about that post-movie hotness you had with your spouse the other night with teenage girls that seem like little bright-eyed deer that shouldn\'t have to deal with this messy, acutely intimate thing called sex. And while church may not be the place to teach about sex, the youth sponsors talked as if they were not just taking on the role of our mentor in the church place but also in the rest of our lives. So, unfortunately, sex questions fall under that category. Aside from my parents, you are the set of adults I see the most. Lead with honesty and frankness.\r\n\r\nNext was the “modest clothing demonstration”. The girl they used to model the outfit was built just like me (six feet tall, thin frame). They bought a full outfit for her that was a size small. It fit her well; the outfit wasn’t too tight and it fit her frame nicely. But explained then the leaders demonstrated how this outfit was indecent because if you reach your shoulders and arms as high as you can with zero regard to your shirt it <em>may</em> show a tiny bit of skin. Or how if you bend in half with your legs straight (which no girl I know does this anyway) you<em>might</em> see a bit of her back. So then the model left the room and changed into the same outfit but with all the items one size up. This time the outfit clearly didn’t work. You could tell neither piece was the right size because it didn’t lay correctly or fit in the right places, but this outfit was praised as modest, beautiful, and how all good young women should dress.\r\n\r\nThe message was clear: the second, less fitting, one size too large outfit was much godlier. God doesn’t want your clothes to fit. Loose clothing, like cleanliness, is next to godliness! If you look and feel good in your own clothing you’re making the boys stumble. Cut it out.\r\n\r\nNot only were there messages of de-sexualization (women, your bodies are the manifestation of temptation so to be really godly you need to wear parkas), but there were very blatant mistakes in the material of the lessons. There was The List. The List detailed all the physical steps through to actual intercourse. It was a list of eight items starting at “hand holding”. It was designed to show that if you get to step number four with guy A, you are going to want to jump to step four with guy B. That makes sense. What didn’t make sense was that “heavy petting” was number six and the last physical step that two people commit before inserting tab A into slot B was “hugging”. HUGGING. (I wish I was joking.) If hugging is the last step before sexin’, then I have definitely been around (<a href=\"http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljj7z5fHsr1qdf6w8o1_250.gif\">if you know what I mean</a>).\r\n\r\nOutside of the purity series, this fear of anything sexual showed up in places like our non-dancing prom (because dancing requires you use your hips, and hips are sinful): Senior Banquet. We were endlessly told we were not allowed to wear strapless dresses. Reason being? “The boys will wonder where your bra is.” I told this to my friend <a href=\"http://theawesomeproject.net/\" target=\"_blank\">Drew</a> and he responded, “Well yeah, but that’s purely academic!” Plunging necklines? Fine. Dresses so tight they may as well have been air brushed? Fine. But don\'t you <em>dare</em> let those boys think that there are such things as strapless bras in this country or have a modest neckline by not showing cleavage!\r\n\r\nThe message was reinforced in literature as well. I specifically remember reading several sob stories about sex in the Christian girl’s magazine Brio (by Focus on the Family). The stories always included the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The phrase “all the way.” Example: “I never thought that I would go all the way with a guy.”</li>\r\n	<li>The <em>girl</em> must be uncomfortable or unsure and the <em>guy</em> must be pressuring her. Example: “I knew it was wrong, but he kept unbuttoning my shirt and told me to relax.”</li>\r\n	<li>The phrase “it just happened”. They are sure to insinuate that if you kiss someone, even just a little, your body will go into a frenzied auto-pilot and you will have manic sex against your will. Example: “I never thought I would get pregnant and I never thought I would have premarital sex, but it just happened…” Cue mournful voice. Like <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425210/\" target=\"_blank\">Slevin</a> said after his girlfriend claimed that her infidelity was an accident: “What like… He tripped, you fell?” (Maybe he Kansas City Shuffled his way into her pants. You never know with that movie.)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf these had all be isolated incidents it might not have been so bad, but altogether these things told me that my body was something to be ashamed of. Anything that made me feel confident or beautiful was me bringing my brother down. The only thing I knew to do was be afraid and suppress anything corporeal.\r\n\r\nNow, for all intents and purposes, this works to the leaders’ advantage. It did keep me from promiscuity through high school (and I am trying to learn to be thankful for that) but it did for all the wrong reasons. It wasn’t because I had been informed and was making smart decisions; it was because I was operating solely out of fear and ignorance. It’s fine when you’re 15 and you don\'t instinctively describe something as \"steamy\". What’s not okay is when you’re not far from getting married and you have to suddenly have to turn all of those signals back on that you spent the first 18-20 years of your life ignoring. After being told that your body is sinful over and over, how do you transition to wild, mind-blowing sex? Talk about major signal confusion. Through age 18: sex is sinful, God hates sex! By the time you get married: sex is great, have lots of it! This is a common problem for newlywed Christians. They have no healthy respect or understanding of their bodies and suddenly they are supposed to know what they like in bed and how to fulfill their partner’s desires too? (Some friends of mine started <a href=\"http://couplingforcouples.blogspot.com/?zx=3bbe204db1a81e96\" target=\"_blank\">a blog</a> about this very subject to help unprepared people work through this.)\r\n\r\nIf you have a kid in your life that’s approaching the age where you need to start talking about stuff like this, consider finding ways to express to them the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The body is an amazing thing. There are reasons why people create nude statues out of marble. It’s not because they love porn. It’s because the human body is an incredibly beautiful, intricate, glorious thing. Don’t be afraid of it.</li>\r\n	<li>Sex is biological. Like hunger and thirst, the need to be sexual and to have sexual encounters with another person is part of what you are made to do. This is absolutely normal.</li>\r\n	<li>Just because sex is biological doesn’t mean you need to exploit it or doing anything before you are ready to handle the consequences and how your life will be changed by it.</li>\r\n	<li>You are not just a body. While sexual thoughts and impulses are completely normal, you have the ability to control what you choose to do with them. Despite popular belief, the opposite sex can control all those things too.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThis is just for starters, and I have no idea how I’ll handle this conversation with my kids, but I know I’ll start there because I don’t want them to get on the other side of this issue and feel unprepared. I want them to have healthy attitudes towards their own bodies and other peoples’.\r\n\r\n<em>Next I\'ll be talking about how the church is unfriendly towards those who doubt.</em>','Where the Church Lost Me: Part III','','publish','open','open','','where-the-church-lost-me-part-iii','','','2011-10-28 11:32:10','2011-10-28 18:32:10','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=1052',0,'post','',1),(1051,38,'2011-10-23 19:43:07','2011-10-24 02:43:07','<em>This is post number two in my series about the six reasons why I left the church based off of the article \"<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>\" by the Barna Group.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Reason #3: “They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.”</strong>\r\n<blockquote>\"I came to the point that I realized my theology condemns 92% of the world’s population. There\'s something wrong with that.\"</blockquote>\r\nThis is a quote by <a href=\"http://crystalstmarielewis.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Crystal St. Lewis</a>, who I had a chance to hear speak at <a href=\"http://www.outlawpreachers.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Outlaw Preachers</a> (re)Union 2011. With my strict Baptist upbringing it was more like 99% because anyone outside of our church was probably going to the bad place downstairs.\r\n\r\nFor me, the exclusive nature of the church did not come into conflict with reality in relation to the path of salvation (at least not really, more about this later); it showed up in the willful perpetuation of ignorance in regards to other religions, the denial of other denominations being in the family, and the indignation that flares up when you talk about finding beauty in other religions. Here is just a small slice of how other denominations and religions were <strong>stereotyped </strong>and <strong>viewed incorrectly </strong>by my particular sect:\r\n\r\n<strong>Presbyterians </strong>– Liturgy? Pfffft. They’re doing it wrong. All that repetition means empty hearts and empty prayers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Lutherans </strong>– They don’t drink coffee. It may as well be a different religion.\r\n\r\n<strong>Methodists </strong>– No one really talked about them, but we’re sure they’re weird too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Church of God</strong> – Female pastors!\r\n\r\n<strong>Episcopal </strong>– They like the gays. (This denomination was particularly deemed dangerous, though no one was ever any more specific than “They’re into some weird stuff.”)\r\n\r\n<strong>Pentecostal </strong>– They speak in tongues and like to dance. Do you need any more evidence?\r\n\r\n<strong>Non-denomination churches</strong> – They can’t pick sides so they try to make everyone happy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Catholics </strong>– “You do know they worship Mary, right?” And all they want to do is buy indulgences so they can sin. (Barely considered to be part of the Protestant branch. Get thee out of my Christian tree!)\r\n\r\n<strong>Seventh Day Adventists</strong> – Something about a Watchtower and they think they all can become god or something.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mormons </strong>– Salt Lake City, baby! They like to marry multiple women and the guy who wrote The Book or Mormon was a crazy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Anglicans </strong>– Something to do with the old church. And they’re more or less Catholics.\r\n\r\n<strong>Jews </strong>– We only like the Messianic ones. All the others only live by a bunch of rules and don’t love God, because you can’t love God through rules. (Please, let us all take a moment to guffaw or belly laugh at the incredible irony here!)\r\n\r\n<strong>Muslims </strong>– They worship Muhammad and are against everything you know and love.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wiccans </strong>– WITCHCRAFT.\r\n\r\n<strong>Buddhists </strong>– They worship the jolly fat guy statues in restaurants. Maybe something about reincarnation? The Dalai Lama is offensive anyway.\r\n\r\n<strong>Hindus </strong>– Reincarnation. Need I say more? Also all the weird, thousands of gods thing. Jesus doesn’t like that.\r\n\r\n<strong>Agnostics </strong>– Are in denial. They have that God-shaped hole but don’t want to commit.\r\n\r\n<strong>Atheists </strong>– Are angry people who just refuse to see the logic in our beliefs and don\'t want to give up control.\r\n\r\nSo even though there is a huge group of self-identifying group of Christians in the world, and even though most of the Protestant denominations are nearly identical in doctrine and differ only in a few preferences, we can safely knock about 80% of them out of the running for Heaven because they aren’t Baptists? There is something desperately wrong when we are knocking out members of our own group to feel more secure in our own salvation. (Survivor, anyone?)\r\n\r\nThe ignorance of other cultures and belief systems around me did a lot of damage. Not only had I condensed the Holy World down to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the people on this planet, but I unfairly discriminated against people of other religions because of my ignorance. Once I left the church I stopped being <em>afraid </em>of humanity and I started to see how absolutely colorful, diverse, and beautiful it is.\r\n\r\nPerhaps you can identify with this. Maybe when you read one of the names of the groups above your stomach turns just a little bit. What you need to remember is their beliefs are as sacred to them as yours are to you. When it comes down to it, they are human and they want the same basic things you want out of life. You might be surprised if you take the opportunity to learn a little bit about one of the groups you have presuppositions about.\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy: go rent/buy a book by someone who is of a different faith. “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Next-Door-Quran-Media/dp/0974524565/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318469568&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0\" target=\"_blank\">The Muslim Next Door: The Qur\'an, the Media, and That Veil Thing</a>” by Sumbul Ali-Karamali, is a great example.  Maybe find <a href=\"http://ramblingtaoist.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">a blogger</a> and read what they have to say from personal experience about their faith. If you\'re really courageous, send them an email and talk with them about it! Watch <a href=\"http://www.netflix.com/Movie/A-Life-Apart-Hasidism-in-America/70018988?strkid=1451695563_0_0&amp;lnkctr=srchrd-sr&amp;strackid=73420d99b57c05b6_0_srl&amp;trkid=222336\" target=\"_blank\">a documentary</a>. You don’t have to believe it, you don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to condone it. But hearing other people’s stories might help you understand someone else’s true heart and help you find nuggets of truth in other people, other denominations, and other faiths.\r\n\r\nOpen your heart and start to see people how Jesus sees them: incredible, intricate, amazing people with beautiful hearts. Fall in love with humanity.','Where the Church Lost Me: Part II','','inherit','open','open','','1045-revision-6','','','2011-10-23 19:43:07','2011-10-24 02:43:07','',1045,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1045-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(1050,38,'2011-10-23 19:43:02','2011-10-24 02:43:02','<em>This is post number two in my series about the six reasons why I left the church based off of \"<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>\" by the Barna Group.</em>\n\n<strong>Reason #3: “They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.”</strong>\n<blockquote>\"I came to the point that I realized my theology condemns 92% of the world’s population. There\'s something wrong with that.\"</blockquote>\nThis is a quote by <a href=\"http://crystalstmarielewis.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Crystal St. Lewis</a>, who I had a chance to hear speak at <a href=\"http://www.outlawpreachers.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Outlaw Preachers</a> (re)Union 2011. With my strict Baptist upbringing it was more like 99% because anyone outside of our church was probably going to the bad place downstairs.\n\nFor me, the exclusive nature of the church did not come into conflict with reality in relation to the path of salvation (at least not really, more about this later); it showed up in the willful perpetuation of ignorance in regards to other religions, the denial of other denominations being in the family, and the indignation that flares up when you talk about finding beauty in other religions. Here is just a small slice of how other denominations and religions were <strong>stereotyped </strong>and <strong>viewed incorrectly </strong>by my particular sect:\n\n<strong>Presbyterians </strong>– Liturgy? Pfffft. They’re doing it wrong. All that repetition means empty hearts and empty prayers.\n\n<strong>Lutherans </strong>– They don’t drink coffee. It may as well be a different religion.\n\n<strong>Methodists </strong>– No one really talked about them, but we’re sure they’re weird too.\n\n<strong>Church of God</strong> – Female pastors!\n\n<strong>Episcopal </strong>– They like the gays. (This denomination was particularly deemed dangerous, though no one was ever any more specific than “They’re into some weird stuff.”)\n\n<strong>Pentecostal </strong>– They speak in tongues and like to dance. Do you need any more evidence?\n\n<strong>Non-denomination churches</strong> – They can’t pick sides so they try to make everyone happy.\n\n<strong>Catholics </strong>– “You do know they worship Mary, right?” And all they want to do is buy indulgences so they can sin. (Barely considered to be part of the Protestant branch. Get thee out of my Christian tree!)\n\n<strong>Seventh Day Adventists</strong> – Something about a Watchtower and they think they all can become god or something.\n\n<strong>Mormons </strong>– Salt Lake City, baby! They like to marry multiple women and the guy who wrote The Book or Mormon was a crazy.\n\n<strong>Anglicans </strong>– Something to do with the old church. And they’re more or less Catholics.\n\n<strong>Jews </strong>– We only like the Messianic ones. All the others only live by a bunch of rules and don’t love God, because you can’t love God through rules. (Please, let us all take a moment to guffaw or belly laugh at the incredible irony here!)\n\n<strong>Muslims </strong>– They worship Muhammad and are against everything you know and love.\n\n<strong>Wiccans </strong>– WITCHCRAFT.\n\n<strong>Buddhists </strong>– They worship the jolly fat guy statues in restaurants. Maybe something about reincarnation? The Dalai Lama is offensive anyway.\n\n<strong>Hindus </strong>– Reincarnation. Need I say more? Also all the weird, thousands of gods thing. Jesus doesn’t like that.\n\n<strong>Agnostics </strong>– Are in denial. They have that God-shaped hole but don’t want to commit.\n\n<strong>Atheists </strong>– Are angry people who just refuse to see the logic in our beliefs and don\'t want to give up control.\n\nSo even though there is a huge group of self-identifying group of Christians in the world, and even though most of the Protestant denominations are nearly identical in doctrine and differ only in a few preferences, we can safely knock about 80% of them out of the running for Heaven because they aren’t Baptists? There is something desperately wrong when we are knocking out members of our own group to feel more secure in our own salvation. (Survivor, anyone?)\n\nThe ignorance of other cultures and belief systems around me did a lot of damage. Not only had I condensed the Holy World down to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the people on this planet, but I unfairly discriminated against people of other religions because of my ignorance. Once I left the church I stopped being <em>afraid </em>of humanity and I started to see how absolutely colorful, diverse, and beautiful it is.\n\nPerhaps you can identify with this. Maybe when you read one of the names of the groups above your stomach turns just a little bit. What you need to remember is their beliefs are as sacred to them as yours are to you. When it comes down to it, they are human and they want the same basic things you want out of life. You might be surprised if you take the opportunity to learn a little bit about one of the groups you have presuppositions about.\n\nIt\'s easy: go rent/buy a book by someone who is of a different faith. “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Next-Door-Quran-Media/dp/0974524565/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318469568&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0\" target=\"_blank\">The Muslim Next Door: The Qur\'an, the Media, and That Veil Thing</a>” by Sumbul Ali-Karamali, is a great example.  Maybe find <a href=\"http://ramblingtaoist.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">a blogger</a> and read what they have to say from personal experience about their faith. If you\'re really courageous, send them an email and talk with them about it! Watch <a href=\"http://www.netflix.com/Movie/A-Life-Apart-Hasidism-in-America/70018988?strkid=1451695563_0_0&amp;lnkctr=srchrd-sr&amp;strackid=73420d99b57c05b6_0_srl&amp;trkid=222336\" target=\"_blank\">a documentary</a>. You don’t have to believe it, you don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to condone it. But hearing other people’s stories might help you understand someone else’s true heart and help you find nuggets of truth in other people, other denominations, and other faiths.\n\nOpen your heart and start to see people how Jesus sees them: incredible, intricate, amazing people with beautiful hearts. Fall in love with humanity.','Where the Church Lost Me: Part II','','inherit','open','open','','1045-revision-5','','','2011-10-23 19:43:02','2011-10-24 02:43:02','',1045,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1045-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1043,38,'2011-10-23 19:25:06','2011-10-24 02:25:06','Growing up in youth group, we were always lectured about how awful it was that kids would go off to college and then leave church. At the time I thought it was ridiculous that anyone would leave, but within three years I found myself standing on the stage in the sanctuary at my church graduation ceremony relieved that I wouldn’t have to enter those church doors for a long time.\n\nHow did that happened? Why did I have such a drastic change in heart? I’ve spent a long time trying to articulate what precisely pushed me away, so when the article “<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>” by the Barna Group showed up in my RSS feed, it immediately identified with it because I lived their research.\n\nThis is the first of six posts breaking down the reasons given by the Barna Group talking about how my own experience reflected each of them.\n\n<strong>Reason #1: “Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.”</strong>\n\nI was born into a very Christian family, so from the moment I left the womb I was in church. Flannel graphs, Sunday School, Big Church, the whole nine yards. From the church nursery all the way up through most of high school I was at church every time the doors were open. (Towards the end of high school I was there six times a week.) As my father-in-law would say, \"They learned you well.\" By the time I was in early middle school I could give a full dissertation on any issue and perfectly repeat the canned answers about my faith that I had been fed from the moment I had been born. So, when I got to youth group (grades 9-12) and the lessons didn’t go any deeper than “stay in church,” “don’t listen to secular music,” “don’t do drugs” and “don’t have sex,” I had a difficult time staying connected. I had learned all of that back in elementary school. Why were we still talking about this?\n\nI really needed leaders who would help me work through the questions that come with adolescence. I was wrestling with reality, mortality, myself, my body, my parents, and faith, and all they could talk about was how I needed to do my \"devos\". All the questions that are a part of being a teenager went unanswered. Why am I here? (“Because Jesus created us.”  Yeah, thanks. That doesn’t help me. Why am I actually here? Why do I matter at all? Why should I even bother living?) Why does what I do even matter? Why should I believe any of this? Why can’t I just go be a monk?\n\nAnyone who remembers being a teenager understands that you go through a huge shift in how you understand life. Everything becomes much more important, serious, and you start to question everything. When no one addressed those kinds of questions or made room for us to at least dialogue about them, I started feeling discontent because no one cared about the questions, which caused me to believe that none of them really cared about what state of mind I was in.\n\n<strong>Reason #2: “Churches come across as antagonistic to science.”</strong>\n\nThis, of the six reasons I\'ll be talking about, was the least influential for me, but it was still was important. The place this problem showed up the most was how incredibly dogmatic my church was about creation.\n\nOne of the reasons why I broke up with one of my ex-boyfriends was because of our differing views on creation. He believed in creation evolution, which is where views of evolution and creation can intersect. It was completely incompatible with my views on creation (a literal seven-day creation) at the time, so I blocked him out. I realize now how silly that was.\n\nI was not alone though because there was absolutely no room for that in the church I used to go to for other theories. There was zero discussion about them. If you didn’t believe in a literal 24-hour seven-day creation you may as well have said you weren’t Christian.\n\nThis extended into the rest of the science realm. For example, my church leaders were completely dismissive of things like global warming because they didn’t think \"God would allow us to do that to ourselves\". And don\'t even talk about the green movement because that was all hogwash by those tree-hugging environmentalists who had anti-god agendas. The blogger over from <a href=\"http://bigwhiteogre.blogspot.com/2010/09/christianitys-anti-science-conditioning.html\" target=\"_blank\">Prove Me Wrong</a> captured this perfectly:\n<blockquote>\"Climate change? Of course that was bunk. Just like evolutionists have some sort of God hating agenda and the scientific method is not capable of correcting for such biases, in the same way global warming types basically want to run our lives like Stalinist commissars. I will resist their encroachments on my liberty. [...] The lesson I\'ve learned from my past is that rejecting the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community is unlikely to lead to truth. Sure, it\'s possible that they can all be wrong, but is it likely? And what method of knowing truth is more reliable than following scientific consensus? They\'ll be wrong sometimes. But who won\'t be wrong sometimes?\"</blockquote>\nThe way I was taught displayed an unwillingness to listen to scientific advancements that make people slightly uncomfortable. They would simply brush them off and deny the need to protect our resources and respect the earth we live on. (It\'s not easy being green!) I mean, because God wouldn’t <em>actually </em>let us be our own demise, so on with bulldozing the rainforests!\n\nIt is one more area where the Christians I knew were aggressive and unwilling to have an intellectual conversation. This is well known in secular circles as one of The Hot Button Topics that you shouldn’t bring up under any circumstances. There is something very wrong with that. When I started college I didn\'t understand why people thought fundamentalists were close minded. This is a reason among many others.\n\nCan\'t we be adults about this? Can\'t we sit down and hear each other out without attacking each other or immediately trying to shut down everyone else\'s arguments? Can\'t we engage and share our viewpoints and listen to each other? Can\'t we try to learn about other people\'s perspective and use that to understand other people better?\n\nContrary to the popular phrase, I promise your brain won\'t fall out of your head if you dare to talk to someone honestly about a different view of how we all got here.\n\n<em>Check back in for part II where I’ll be covering the difficulty of the exclusive nature of Christianity.</em>','Where the Church Lost Me: Part I','','inherit','open','open','','1037-revision-5','','','2011-10-23 19:25:06','2011-10-24 02:25:06','',1037,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1037-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(1042,38,'2011-10-23 19:22:59','2011-10-24 02:22:59','Growing up in youth group, we were always lectured about how awful it was that kids would go off to college and then leave church. At the time I thought it was ridiculous that anyone would leave, but within three years I found myself standing on the stage in the sanctuary at my church graduation ceremony relieved that I wouldn’t have to enter those church doors for a long time.\r\n\r\nHow did that happened? Why did I have such a drastic change in heart? I’ve spent a long time trying to articulate what precisely pushed me away, so when the article “<a href=\"http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church\" target=\"_blank\">Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church</a>” by the Barna Group showed up in my RSS feed, it immediately identified with it because I lived their research.\r\n\r\nThis is the first of six posts breaking down the reasons given by the Barna Group talking about how my own experience reflected each of them.\r\n\r\n<strong>Reason #1: “Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.”</strong>\r\n\r\nI was born into a very Christian family, so from the moment I left the womb I was in church. Flannel graphs, Sunday School, Big Church, the whole nine yards. From the church nursery all the way up through most of high school I was at church every time the doors were open. (Towards the end of high school I was there six times a week.) As my father-in-law would say, \"They learned you well.\" By the time I was in early middle school I could give a full dissertation on any issue and perfectly repeat the canned answers about my faith that I had been fed from the moment I had been born. So, when I got to youth group (grades 9-12) and the lessons didn’t go any deeper than “stay in church,” “don’t listen to secular music,” “don’t do drugs” and “don’t have sex,” I had a difficult time staying connected. I had learned all of that back in elementary school. Why were we still talking about this?\r\n\r\nI really needed leaders who would help me work through the questions that come with adolescence. I was wrestling with reality, mortality, myself, my body, my parents, and faith, and all they could talk about was how I needed to do my \"devos\". All the questions that are a part of being a teenager went unanswered. <em>Why am I here? (“Because Jesus created us.”  Yeah, thanks. That doesn’t help me. Why am I actually here? Why do I matter at all? Why should I even bother living?) Why does what I do even matter? Why should I believe any of this? Why can’t I just go be a monk?</em>\r\n\r\nAnyone who remembers being a teenager understands that you go through a huge shift in how you understand life. Everything becomes much more important, serious, and you start to question everything. When no one addressed those kinds of questions or made room for us to at least dialogue about them, I started feeling discontent because no one cared about the questions, which caused me to believe that none of them really cared about what state of mind I was in.\r\n\r\n<strong>Reason #2: “Churches come across as antagonistic to science.”</strong>\r\n\r\nThis, of the six reasons I\'ll be talking about, was the least influential for me, but it was still was important. The place this problem showed up the most was how incredibly dogmatic my church was about creation.\r\n\r\nOne of the reasons why I broke up with one of my ex-boyfriends was because of our differing views on creation. He believed in creation evolution, which is where views of evolution and creation can intersect. It was completely incompatible with my views on creation (a literal seven-day creation) at the time, so I blocked him out. I realize now how silly that was.\r\n\r\nI was not alone though because there was absolutely no room for that in the church I used to go to for other theories. There was zero discussion about them. If you didn’t believe in a literal 24-hour seven-day creation you may as well have said you weren’t Christian.\r\n\r\nThis extended into the rest of the science realm. For example, my church leaders were completely dismissive of things like global warming because they didn’t think \"God would allow us to do that to ourselves\". And don\'t even talk about the green movement because that was all hogwash by those tree-hugging environmentalists who had anti-god agendas. The blogger over from <a href=\"http://bigwhiteogre.blogspot.com/2010/09/christianitys-anti-science-conditioning.html\" target=\"_blank\">Prove Me Wrong</a> captured this perfectly:\r\n<blockquote>\"Climate change? Of course that was bunk. Just like evolutionists have some sort of God hating agenda and the scientific method is not capable of correcting for such biases, in the same way global warming types basically want to run our lives like Stalinist commissars. I will resist their encroachments on my liberty. [...] The lesson I\'ve learned from my past is that rejecting the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community is unlikely to lead to truth. Sure, it\'s possible that they can all be wrong, but is it likely? And what method of knowing truth is more reliable than following scientific consensus? They\'ll be wrong sometimes. But who won\'t be wrong sometimes?\"</blockquote>\r\nThe way I was taught displayed an unwillingness to listen to scientific advancements that make people slightly uncomfortable. They would simply brush them off and deny the need to protect our resources and respect the earth we live on. (It\'s not easy being green!) I mean, because God wouldn’t <em>actually </em>let us be our own demise, so on with bulldozing the rainforests!\r\n\r\nIt is one more area where the Christians I knew were aggressive and unwilling to have an intellectual conversation. This is well known in secular circles as one of The Hot Button Topics that you shouldn’t bring up under any circumstances. There is something very wrong with that. When I started college I didn\'t understand why people thought fundamentalists were close minded. This is a reason among many others.\r\n\r\nCan\'t we be adults about this? Can\'t we sit down and hear each other out without attacking each other or immediately trying to shut down everyone else\'s arguments? Can\'t we engage and share our viewpoints and listen to each other? Can\'t we try to learn about other people\'s perspective and use that to understand other people better?\r\n\r\nContrary to the popular phrase, I promise your brain won\'t fall out of your head if you dare to talk to someone honestly about a different view of how we all got here.\r\n\r\n<em>Next I’ll be covering the next two reasons: the unhealthy views toward sexuality and the difficulty of the exclusive nature of Christianity.</em>','Where the Church Lost Me: Part I','','inherit','open','open','','1037-revision-4','','','2011-10-23 19:22:59','2011-10-24 02:22:59','',1037,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/1037-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2442,0,'2011-11-21 12:19:59','2011-11-21 20:19:59','Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions \r\n\r\nand \r\n\r\nLife: Business, Family, Growth, Humorous, Health, Relationships, Sports, Technology, Work and World\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Ryan Tate\nAUTHOR EMAIL: taterhouse@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://compellingparade.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 12.230.168.66\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Ryan Tate\n    [Email] =&gt; taterhouse@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://compellingparade.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Spiritual Practices, and Questions \r\n\r\nand \r\n\r\nLife: Business, Family, Growth, Humorous, Health, Relationships, Sports, Technology, Work and World \r\n\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; RyanTate\n)\n','Ryan Tate - 2011-11-21 12:19:59','','publish','open','open','','5c4480fd01ee450f92848d9782dd65b7','','','2011-11-21 12:19:59','2011-11-21 20:19:59','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2442',0,'feedback','',0),