(3317,1,'2011-12-22 11:04:39','2011-12-22 19:04:39','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII6-IyaT3o[/youtube]\n\nI love satire for its capacity to speak some remarkable truths in really funny ways.  Mr Diety is definitely satire and it often takes on the philosophical and apparent humorous tensions within Christianity.  It\'s not always fair, and often it borders on mean, but sometimes it really calls out the issues.\n\nIn this absurd take on the relationship of the Trinity, Mr. Diety explores the relationship of Jesus to God. You can hear the influence of Abbot and Costello\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOXdpO36Ojw\" target=\"_blank\">Who\'s On First</a>, and they even reference it during the skit.\n\nAt 2:50 the skit turns to the meaning of the set up.\n<blockquote>Jesus: What\'s the point of this?\n\nMr. Diety: The point is to save the human\'s from the original sin and to show, you know, my love.\n\nJesus: To show <em>your</em> love?\n\nMr. Diety: Yeah, by sacrificing myself, in the person of you, to myself.  That\'s loving.\n\nJesus: Wait, don\'t you mean sacrificing me to you?\n\nMr. Diety: Look this is a beautiful thing I\'m doing to satisfy my own sense of unyielding justice.</blockquote>\nThis skit strays at this point from the traditional evangelical story, suggesting Adam didn\'t really exist, but at this point it doesn\'t matter.  The skit has shown the tension.  Is God demanding the death of his own son to appease his own sense of divine justice.\n\nAs strange as it may sound, this is the tension of our Western understanding of the Gospel.  The meaning of the Gospel is found in our understanding of the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_in_Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">atonement</a>, or why did Jesus die on the cross? It describes how humanity is reconciled with God.  Although there are many theories of atonement in history, this theory (also called subsitutionary and later penal substitutionary atonement) underlines the historical basis for much of our Western theology, especially within the Evangelical community.  It\'s the story of the Gospel and provides a basis for our belief systems.\n\nAnd in a postmodern age, people are calling out a big \"Fail\" to the idea. The theory of justice doesn\'t seem all that loving.  Some would even suggest that it makes God a child killer. And if so, what kind of God would do that?  How does this understanding of justice reconcile with love?  All Mr. Diety is doing is giving voice to that tension.  And when we don\'t like reflecting on our own understanding of the Gospel, one that holds profound implications for our understanding of God\'s character and the framework for justice, someone else will.  If we want to be honest about our own faith, it requires wrestling with these tensions.\n\nWhat if there was a different way of understanding the cross, one that reconciles with our understanding of love and justice and the event that unfold?  What if God is not satisfying a divine sense of cosmic justice (or even paying a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_theory_of_atonement\" target=\"_blank\">Ransom to Satan</a>), but instead God is meeting our warped demands for proof that we are worth it, that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">we are still good</a>.  In other words, the cross is saying, \"This is how far I will go to show you that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">you are good</a>. I will meet your demands for sacrifice and give you my son.\" Because if we listen to the actual story, it is WE who are making the demands at the cross for justice.  It is WE who need someone to pay the price for us.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Catalogue_Discovering.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2988\" title=\"Catalogue_Discovering\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Catalogue_Discovering-208x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"108\" height=\"156\" /></a>When I tell people this idea, there first thought is to say, \"Let me think about that so I can understand it.\" It\'s so simple but it doesn\'t let humanity off the hook for sin.  Sin is actually the process of getting the original question in the Tree of Knowledge wrong, which asks, are you good or evil? Justice is then God revealing the extent of sin (our demand for a substitute) and satisfying that demand through love (by offering life).  But it is us who are making the demands.\n\nFor a detailed walk through of this idea you can read, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-God-Imagination-Jonathan-Brink/dp/0615513956\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole New Christianity</em></a> (Civitas Press, July 2011).','The Tension Of The Gospel','','inherit','open','open','','2980-revision-7','','','2011-12-22 11:04:39','2011-12-22 19:04:39','',2980,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/2980-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3318,1,'2011-12-22 11:10:41','2011-12-22 19:10:41','<p>[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII6-IyaT3o[/youtube]</p>\r\n<p>I love satire for its capacity to speak some remarkable truths in really funny ways.  Mr Diety is definitely satire and it often takes on the philosophical and apparent humorous tensions within Christianity.  It\'s not always fair, and often it borders on mean, but sometimes it really calls out the issues.</p>\r\n<p>In this absurd take on the relationship of the Trinity, Mr. Diety explores the relationship of Jesus to God. You can hear the influence of Abbot and Costello\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOXdpO36Ojw\" target=\"_blank\">Who\'s On First</a>, and they even reference it during the skit.</p>\r\n<p>At 2:50 the skit turns to the meaning of the set up.</p>\r\n<blockquote><p>Jesus: What\'s the point of this?</p>\r\n<p>Mr. Diety: The point is to save the human\'s from the original sin and to show, you know, my love.</p>\r\n<p>Jesus: To show <em>your</em> love?</p>\r\n<p>Mr. Diety: Yeah, by sacrificing myself, in the person of you, to myself.  That\'s loving.</p>\r\n<p>Jesus: Wait, don\'t you mean sacrificing me to you?</p>\r\n<p>Mr. Diety: Look this is a beautiful thing I\'m doing to satisfy my own sense of unyielding justice.</p></blockquote>\r\n<p>This skit strays at this point from the traditional evangelical story, suggesting Adam didn\'t really exist, but at this point it doesn\'t matter.  The skit has shown the tension.  Is God demanding the death of his own son to appease his own sense of divine justice.</p>\r\n<p>As strange as it may sound, this is the tension of our Western understanding of the Gospel.  The meaning of the Gospel is found in our understanding of the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_in_Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">atonement</a>, or why did Jesus die on the cross? It describes how humanity is reconciled with God.  Although there are many theories of atonement in history, this theory (also called subsitutionary and later penal substitutionary atonement) underlines the historical basis for much of our Western theology, especially within the Evangelical community.  It\'s the story of the Gospel and provides a basis for our belief systems.</p>\r\n<p>And in a postmodern age, people are calling out a big \"Fail\" to the idea. The theory of justice doesn\'t seem all that loving.  Some would even suggest that it makes God a child killer. And if so, what kind of God would do that?  How does this understanding of justice reconcile with love?  All Mr. Diety is doing is giving voice to that tension.  And when we don\'t like reflecting on our own understanding of the Gospel, one that holds profound implications for our understanding of God\'s character and the framework for justice, someone else will.  If we want to be honest about our own faith, it requires wrestling with these tensions.</p>\r\n<p>What if there was a different way of understanding the cross, one that reconciles with our understanding of love and justice and the event that unfold?  What if God is not satisfying a divine sense of cosmic justice (or even paying a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_theory_of_atonement\" target=\"_blank\">Ransom to Satan</a>), but instead God is meeting our warped demands for proof that we are worth it, that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">we are still good</a>.  In other words, the cross is saying, \"This is how far I will go to show you that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">you are good</a>. I will meet your demands for sacrifice and give you my son.\" Because if we listen to the actual story, it is WE who are making the demands at the cross for justice.  It is WE who need someone to pay the price for us.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Catalogue_Discovering.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2988\" title=\"Catalogue_Discovering\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Catalogue_Discovering-208x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"108\" height=\"156\" /></a>When I tell people this idea, there first thought is to say, \"Let me think about that so I can understand it.\" It\'s so simple but it doesn\'t let humanity off the hook for sin.  Sin is actually the process of getting the original question in the Tree of Knowledge wrong, which asks, are you good or evil? Justice is then God revealing the extent of sin (our demand for a substitute) and satisfying that demand through love (by offering life).  But it is us who are making the demands.</p>\r\n<p>For a detailed walk through of this idea you can read, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-God-Imagination-Jonathan-Brink/dp/0615513956\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole New Christianity</em></a> (Civitas Press, July 2011).</p>\r\n','The Tension Of The Gospel','','inherit','open','open','','2980-autosave','','','2011-12-22 11:10:41','2011-12-22 19:10:41','',2980,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/2980-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3319,31,'2011-12-23 09:33:23','2011-12-23 17:33:23','(Read <a href=\"../2011/12/22/2011/12/20/christmas-undocumented-annunciation-part-i/\">Part I here</a>)\r\n\r\n(Read <a href=\"../2011/12/21/christmas-undocumented-anunciation-part-ii/\">Part II here</a>)\r\n\r\n(Read <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/christmas-undocumented-nochebuena-part-i/\">Part III here</a>)\r\n\r\nThe detainees file into the detention center in a single column. When the door closes behind them, shutting out the sunlight, the detainees stare dumbly at empty walls. Everything in the room is drained of life, sterilized from color with stark white paint and buzzing fluorescent lights.\r\n\r\nAve and the other women are marched into an enclosed room and ordered to remove their clothes to be searched. Ave kicks off her shoes, unwilling to bend over to do it with her hands. She then peels off the oversized elastic waistband covering her belly and takes off her jeans, followed by her billowy shirt. Her protruding belly cannot be missed, its navel inverted and skin stretched by the pregnancy.\r\n\r\nThe room is cold. Ave and the other women shiver in bras and panties, unwilling to remove the last bit of dignity until forced to do so.\r\n\r\n“Remove all your clothes,” barks the scrawny-haired officer.\r\n\r\n“But we didn’t commit any crimes, ma’am,” one lady ventures from the back. “We just work here in America and eat here. None of us are drug dealers or gang members. I mean, look at her. She’s pregnant. Does she really have to take off her clothes? The only thing she’s hiding is a baby and not very well at that.”\r\n\r\n“No exceptions, spic,” the prison guard shouts. “Strip! It’s how we do it here in the Stable. Everyone strips and gets searched. You wetbacks are wily ones. Never know where you might be hiding something.”\r\n\r\nAve draws a deep breath of air, hoping the filtered, recycled air will calm her nerves as she removes the rest of her clothes and stands naked in the cold room.\r\n\r\n“Against the wall,” the guard says. “Arms and legs out.”\r\n\r\nThe guard’s hands are cold and invasive on Ave’s body. She jerks instinctively as the guard’s hands travel up her legs. She tries to hold the image of her cousin Isabella in her mind, and then when that fails to keep her mind from the guard’s hands, she ponders her baby, wondering what he will look like, what his laugh will sound like. Her stomach cramps when the search is finished.\r\n\r\nAfter all the guard finishes with all the women, the detainees are issued identical prison uniforms to wear, but Ave’s belly makes it difficult to cinch the tie on the pants. So, as Ave walks down a long hall of cells, she waddles, using both hands to keep her new pants from slipping to her ankles.\r\n\r\nShe is led to a cramped cell like every other she has passed.  Her bed, like the rest, is made up with a gray blanket and a stiff white pillow. She shuffles to the open bunk and lies down on her side. She stuffs the pillow between her knees for comfort and uses the crook of her elbow tucked under her head as a pillow.\r\n\r\n“Here,” a tired voice says from across the cell. “Take mine.”\r\n\r\nAve opens her eyes to see an elderly woman standing over her, tucking an extra pillow under Ave’s head. “You’ll need it more than I will.”\r\n\r\n“Gracias,” Ave says. “Como se llama?”\r\n\r\nThe old lady smiles. “I’m sorry child. I don’t speak your language. I’m from a different world. My name is Hakima and I come from Iran.”\r\n\r\n“I’m sorry. I just assumed. My name is Ave and I come from Mexico.”\r\n\r\n“It is nice to meet you,” Hakima replies. “I don’t think you’ll be in here long, though. You are in early labor, as far as I can tell. And I can always tell.”\r\n\r\nHakima winks and touches the side of her face where her graying hair meets her forehead.\r\n\r\n“I’m eight months, though,” Ave replies.\r\n\r\n“I imagine you had a stressful day?” Hakima inquires, and Ave nods. “From the bruise on your head, you fell, probably from fainting. You were stripped and then cavity searched? And now, I’m guessing from the hand on your belly and the way you were grimacing when you walked in, you’re getting some cramping?” Ave nods in response to each question. “As I thought, then. You are going to have that baby sooner rather than later.”\r\n\r\nHakima’s prediction proves true. The next day, Ave’s labor begins, and Hakima shouts for the guards.\r\n\r\n“This woman needs to be in a hospital,” Hakima says when the two guards finally appear. “She is having contractions and is going to have this baby tonight.”\r\n\r\nThe guards peer into the cell. “What her? The girl lying on the bed? She doesn’t look like she’s in labor. She looks like she’s sleeping.”\r\n\r\nHakima huffs. “She is between contractions and resting, saving her strength for when she will need it.”\r\n\r\nAs Hakima is speaking, a contraction grips Ave, who grunts and breathes through it as best she can.\r\n\r\n“She’s faking,” one of the guards says. “I’ve had a baby and it wasn’t like that. She just wants out of here.”\r\n\r\nThe guards leave, unperturbed. As Ave’s contractions grow closer together and more powerful, Hakima summons the guards again. This time, there is no doubt Ave is in labor.\r\n\r\n“Let’s get her to the hospital,” the guard says, no longer skeptical. “And fast.”\r\n\r\nHakima shakes her head. “It’s too late for that. She will have this baby within the hour. She is dilated at 8 centimeters and her contractions are only 3 minutes apart. Take her to the infirmary. And quick.”\r\n\r\nThe guard stutters. “But the doctor has gone home for the day.”\r\n\r\nHakima disregards her protests. “Take me with you. I was a midwife in my country. I have delivered more babies than you could count.”\r\n\r\nAfter a moment of hesitation, the guard acquiesces and takes both women to the guard outside the holding cells. “Take them to the infirmary,” she tells him. Without a word, the guard yanks his pants over his paunch and beckons the two women to follow him. They walk to a small building separated from the main center by a small concrete courtyard. When they enter, Hakima notices that meager medical supplies and decides she might need more help than she bargained for if Ave’s labor grows difficult.\r\n\r\n“Call an ambulance and get the paramedics here as soon as possible. We’ll need them for the afterbirth,” Hakima says, but the guard does not move. “Did you hear me? Go call the paramedics!”\r\n\r\nUnaccustomed to being bossed around by an elderly prisoner, the guard’s demeanor darkens. “I cannot leave the detainee unattended or unsecured,” he says. “I’ll have to remain in the room. I’ll radio for someone else to call them.”\r\n\r\nWithout a word, the guard shoves Hakima aside and secures Ave to the bed with <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/undocumented-pregnant-woman-gives-birth-in-shackles_n_971955.html\">wrist cuffs</a>.\r\n\r\n“What are you doing to her? She is about to give birth. She will need to move around, stand up if she likes. It is the natural way for women to birth their babies,” Hakima protests.\r\n\r\n“Security protocol. This detainee is considered criminal, in possession of forged papers, so she has to be restrained,” the guard replies flatly, moving toward Ave’s feet. “She can give birth on her back and without her hands.\r\n\r\n“If you are going to force her to lie down, then you cannot strap her legs down, too. The baby will not be able to come out if you do,” Hakima says, exasperated.\r\n\r\n“Fine,” the guard retorts, pulling a pair of ankle shackles from his belt. He <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/undocumented-pregnant-woman-gives-birth-in-shackles_n_971955.html\">shackles</a> her feet together, the long chain drooping below the infirmary bed.\r\n\r\n“Are you quite finished?” Hakima asks, sneering. “She’s in labor. It’s not like she is a flight risk right now.”\r\n\r\nAve’s labors quickens. The new contractions begin almost as soon as the previous one ends, and Ave struggles to catch her breath as she begins to push new life into the world. The guard standing at the head of Ave’s bed places a hand on her forehead, as a lover would, leans his head toward her ear and whispers to her.\r\n\r\n“Come on, push, push, push this baby out,” the guard says. “Push the baby out. The sooner the baby comes the sooner you can go back home to your family in Mexico.”\r\n\r\nAve’s face darkens and she hisses between gasping breaths, “Don’t touch me. You are not my husband. Step away from me.”\r\n\r\nThe guard raises his hands in a gesture of an accused innocent. “Just trying to help.”\r\n\r\nBefore an hour in the infirmary building is up, Ave births a son, and for just a moment, there is nothing but mother and son. Hakima gently places the baby boy on her mother’s chest, as the child cries softly and roots for food. Ave laughs.\r\n\r\n“Can we remove her restraints at least, to let her hold her son unfettered?” Hakima whispers to the guard, who obliges.\r\n\r\n“Congratulations,” the guard says, unbuckling the restraints. “You have given birth to a healthy American citizen. You’ll have 36 hours with him, and then child services will take him to a relative of your choosing.”\r\n\r\nThe silent night cracks, and all that is calm and bright fractures. “I’m sorry?”\r\n\r\n“After 36 hours, we’ll take your child to one of your relatives while you await deportation,” the guard says. “We can’t accommodate an infant in this facility.”\r\n\r\nA pain unlike any she has ever felt grips her chest, as if her heart is exploding in a searing fire, like seven daggers are piercing her. She gasps, unable to catch her breath. At last, a wail erupts from Ave, a deep mournful blast announcing the end of faith, hope, love, of everything good she has dreamed of in this promised land of America. Tears stream from her eyes, mixing with her labor’s sweat, dripping onto her chest, falling onto her infant son’s fluffy black hair. She holds him closely to her lips, kissing his head over and over again, weeping. In a moment’s time, she has gone from a pregnant girl to the mother of all sorrows, her cries joining with countless others who have experienced a similar crushing end to the birth of new life.\r\n\r\nAve tries to avoid sleep for the next 36 hours. The time is too precious to let it unravel in a dream. She breathes in her son’s smell, tries to memorize each feature on his tiny face, features she knows will be gone the next time she sees him. The roll of fat that creases his shoulder. The way his drowsy almond eyes close, clasped with long lashes, after she feeds him. The snuffling sound he makes when he eats. The cry of need for comfort from Ave, for food from her body. She tries to burn the image of him into her mind with tears, with love, with anger.\r\n\r\nAn hour before her time is up, Ave begins to hum to her child, softly at first. As she gazes adoringly at the tiny boy, scarcely a day old, her voice grows stronger, more alive, rhythmed with passion. A pulsing warmth fills her aching chest and emanates throughout the room. A curious glow fills the room and, to her astonishment, she finds herself singing, in a loud, clarion soprano.\r\n\r\nHer voice carries through the infirmary and the detention center. It penetrates the gray cinderblock walls, perforates the Stable with a stinging, visionary indictment, piercing the hearts of inmate and guard alike to share in her sorrow.\r\n\r\nShe sings,\r\n\r\n“Look at the lowliness of this handmaiden, and find reason for favor, to call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, but the mighty ones have stolen them from me. Show then the strength of your arm and scatter these proud in the thoughts of their haughty hearts, bring down the powerful from their thrones and offices and lift up the lowly, the trampled and the oppressed. Fill the hungry with good things and send away the rich empty. Help this handmaiden remember the mercy of God.”\r\n\r\nA curious thrumming lingers in the room after Ave finishes her song.\r\n\r\nA moment later, it disappears when there is a knock at the door. The infirmary janitor, a Latino woman, pokes her head into Ave’s room.\r\n\r\n“I’m sorry to intrude on your last hour, <em>señora</em>, but I heard you singing. Magnificent. Just magnificent. You have said what we all feel,” she says. “I know it’s not much, but I thought you might like a picture.”\r\n\r\nThe woman holds up a Polaroid instant camera. Ave nods, afraid that if she speaks she will lose control and begin to weep again.\r\n\r\nThe woman motions for them to snuggle together and snaps the picture. The camera whirs and spits out an image that slowly begins to materialize as the air hits it.\r\n\r\n“Thank you,” Ave manages to say. “It’s the perfect gift. What’s your name so that I can repay you one day, if I can.”\r\n\r\n“I’m Sofia,” the janitor says. “Sofia Reyes, but you don’t need to repay me. It’s enough to see you light up. You have a very special boy there with a very special mother. Anyone can see you love him very much.”\r\n\r\nAve holds back a cry. “I have to love him enough now forever, in case I don’t see him again.”\r\n\r\nSofia brushes Ave’s hair back. “You’ll see him again. I know you will.”\r\n\r\nLooking back, Ave cannot remember them taking her son away. She remembers telling them his name was Jesus, son of José Mann, and she can recall asking that he be given to her cousin Isabella in San Antonio. But she cannot remember the moment they took him from her. All she can remember is two strong hands helping her walk through the concrete courtyard back to the main building, the Stable. But really, she can barely remember that either. All she recall with any certainty is that it was raining and that the bright fluorescent spotlight shining down on her looked like the brightest star she’d ever seen.\r\n\r\nHakima greets her in the cell with a long embrace and helps Ave to bed.\r\n\r\n“Some of the others heard what happened,” Hakima says. “One of the women, Farzenah, came by and brought you all she had, a phone card and 30 American dollars, as a gift for you. She said she hoped you would be able to use it to call your cousin to check on the baby while you are here.”\r\n\r\n“And how long will I be here?” Ave asks, exhausted. “How long, Hakima?”\r\n\r\n“Only God knows, and I’m not even sure God knows,” Hakima responds, her voice firm but compassionate. “It could be two months or two years.”\r\n\r\n“How long have you been here, Hakima?”\r\n\r\n“Three years.”\r\n\r\nAve begins to weep again, sobs wracking her body.\r\n\r\n“Here, child, and this is my gift to you,” Hakima says, pulling a small pill from underneath the mattress. “It will help you sleep, and sleep, I think, is the only thing that can console you right now.”\r\n\r\nHakima places the pill in Ave’s mouth and helps her sip it down with water. “Now, what is it they say in your language? <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nochebuena\">Noche buena</a>?”\r\n\r\nAve shakes her head and says weakly, “Buenas noches.”\r\n\r\nHakima waves her hands dismissively. “Yes, that. Buenas noches, then my dear Ave, buenas noches.”\r\n\r\nThe sedative takes Ave away into the succor of sleep. Hakima holds the young mother’s head in her lap, stroking Ave’s long black hair, deep into the good night.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****</p>\r\nConnect with David on <a href=\"http://facebook.com/unorthodoxology\">Facebook</a> and share your thoughts on <em>Christmas, Undocumented</em>. If there is enough interest, this project will be expanded to <em>Christ, Undocumented</em> and re-imagine the Gospel stories within this context.','Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part 2','','publish','open','open','','christmas-undocumented-nochebuena-part-2','','','2011-12-23 09:33:23','2011-12-23 17:33:23','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3319',0,'post','',0),(3320,31,'2011-12-22 12:35:35','2011-12-22 20:35:35','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','3319-revision','','','2011-12-22 12:35:35','2011-12-22 20:35:35','',3319,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/3319-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3323,17,'2011-12-23 13:00:16','2011-12-23 21:00:16','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place; in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, atheist, agnostic, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might make war on it.','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','publish','open','open','','yes-virginia-there-is-a-war-on-christmas','','','2011-12-23 10:09:06','2011-12-23 18:09:06','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3323',0,'post','',2),(3324,17,'2011-12-23 01:22:11','2011-12-23 09:22:11','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVirginia Namaak\n\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place- in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\n\n‘though he was in the form of God,\n\ndid not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,\n\nbut emptied himself,\n\ntaking the form of a slave,\n\nbeing born in human likeness\n\nAnd being found in human form,\n\nhe humbled himself\n\nand became obedient to the point of\n\ndeath—\n\neven death on a cross.\n\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision','','','2011-12-23 01:22:11','2011-12-23 09:22:11','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3325,17,'2011-12-23 01:23:10','2011-12-23 09:23:10','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVirginia Namaak\n\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place- in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\n\n‘though he was in the form of God,\n\ndid not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,\n\nbut emptied himself,\n\ntaking the form of a slave,\n\nbeing born in human likeness\n\nAnd being found in human form,\n\nhe humbled himself\n\nand became obedient to the point of\n\ndeath—\n\neven death on a cross.\'\n\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-2','','','2011-12-23 01:23:10','2011-12-23 09:23:10','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3327,17,'2011-12-23 01:26:30','2011-12-23 09:26:30','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place- in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>‘though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.\'</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-4','','','2011-12-23 01:26:30','2011-12-23 09:26:30','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3326,17,'2011-12-23 01:24:06','2011-12-23 09:24:06','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place- in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>                ‘though he was in the form of God,\r\n\r\ndid not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,\r\n\r\nbut emptied himself,\r\n\r\ntaking the form of a slave,\r\n\r\nbeing born in human likeness\r\n\r\nAnd being found in human form,\r\n\r\nhe humbled himself\r\n\r\nand became obedient to the point of\r\n\r\ndeath—\r\n\r\neven death on a cross.\'</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-3','','','2011-12-23 01:24:06','2011-12-23 09:24:06','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3328,17,'2011-12-23 01:26:56','2011-12-23 09:26:56','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place- in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-5','','','2011-12-23 01:26:56','2011-12-23 09:26:56','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3329,17,'2011-12-23 01:32:59','2011-12-23 09:32:59','','2310167ahSzyZTV','','inherit','open','open','','2310167ahszyztv','','','2011-12-23 01:32:59','2011-12-23 09:32:59','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2310167ahSzyZTV.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3330,17,'2011-12-23 01:27:15','2011-12-23 09:27:15','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place- in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-6','','','2011-12-23 01:27:15','2011-12-23 09:27:15','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3331,17,'2011-12-23 01:35:00','2011-12-23 09:35:00','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place; in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, atheist, agnostic, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on it.','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-7','','','2011-12-23 01:35:00','2011-12-23 09:35:00','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3332,1,'2011-12-23 09:53:20','2011-12-23 17:53:20','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\n\nVirginia Namaak\n\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\n\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place; in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\n\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\n\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, atheist, agnostic, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might make war on it.','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-autosave','','','2011-12-23 09:53:20','2011-12-23 17:53:20','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3333,17,'2011-12-23 01:35:16','2011-12-23 09:35:16','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place; in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, atheist, agnostic, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might we might make war on it.','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-8','','','2011-12-23 01:35:16','2011-12-23 09:35:16','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3334,123,'2011-12-29 08:00:45','2011-12-29 16:00:45','What I believe isn’t important.\r\n\r\nThe fact that I can put order to my thoughts, sort them into opinions and fan them into beliefs is hardly impressive.  In fact, such thinking is unavoidable.  It’s what our highly evolved human brains do.  They compare and contrast and judge in an endless attempt to make sense of the world around us.  Believing is as automatic as walking or talking or sneezing, and about as noteworthy.\r\n\r\nThere was a time when I considered my beliefs to be something more than just an assemblage of thoughts.  I mistook them for something much more important.  I thought they were me.\r\n\r\nAt various times in my life I believed I was a Catholic, a Unitarian, an agnostic and a secular humanist.  I was a liberal, a feminist, an environmentalist and a pacifist.  I took on new identities in search of a higher self and, down deep, I think, to distance myself from certain vulgarities that characterize the human condition - qualities like greed and aggression.  By connecting certain thoughts, by cobbling together new identities, I convinced myself and others that those unwholesome human traits couldn’t possibly define me.  They defined thieves and rapists and murderers.  I was above all that, and had a portfolio of beliefs to prove it.\r\n\r\nI was not alone in my quest adopt a new identity.  Everyone in the world was doing it right along with me.  Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.  Socialists, Communists and Greens.  Progressive Unionists, Christian Democrats – some crafting identities the way college freshmen craft double majors.  We were all attempting to rise above our inherited animal nature, but rising above it didn’t make it go away.  We were still greedy and aggressive despite our deeply held beliefs.  We were walking contradictions, projecting our inner conflicts onto the world; in fact, we were the world, and that’s why it was such a bloody mess.\r\n\r\nHaving wandered from one belief system to another, I thought I had explored life’s biggest questions, but I was only asking questions for which my beliefs had provided me pat answers.  I had yet to ask myself the most radical questions, the ones that would eventually smash my beliefs to bits.  They were questions no one seemed to be asking, questions like:\r\n\r\nIf a clash of beliefs can be found at the root of all the violence in the world, then shouldn’t we question their validity – not the validity of any particular belief, but belief itself?\r\n\r\nSeparated from our beliefs, would we lose our moral bearing?  Would we fall prey to our baser instincts and rock the world with depraved acts of violence?  Or is this precisely the behavior we exhibit under the hypnotic spell our beliefs?\r\n\r\nImagine a city whose buildings have been leveled by an earthquake.  That’s the image I had of my mind after my beliefs had been toppled.  I felt like I could see forever in every direction.  The towering thought structures that stood as my beliefs no longer blocked my view of the world.  I felt a disorienting sense of freedom.  Liberated from the beliefs that had conferred my identity, I felt blissfully anonymous.  I was a person without a suffix, without an –ist to affirm my existence.  I had unwittingly joined the only club that matters.  It numbers in the billions, doesn’t charge dues and welcomes career criminals.  It’s called the human race.\r\n\r\nIt’s been years since I disposed of my beliefs, and I have yet to turn into a sociopathic killer. On the contrary, I’ve developed a deep affection for my planet mates now that I’m not measuring them by the yardstick of my beliefs.  Gone are the walls of thought that prevented me from seeing who they really are.  Gone are the lectures I’d give in an attempt to raise their consciousness.  And gone, mercifully, is my compulsion to cast them as evil so that I can appear virtuous\r\n\r\nHowever sacred or profound, a belief is nothing more than a thought, and thought is never the thing it describes.  It can only hint at the wonders it attempts to touch.  Sermons about love garble love’s ineffable beauty.  Speeches about unity clank after the first syllable.  Courting belief is a prescription for a virtual, not a virtuous life.','The Futility of Belief','','publish','open','open','','the-futility-of-belief','','','2011-12-23 10:19:46','2011-12-23 18:19:46','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3334',0,'post','',2),(3335,123,'2011-12-23 03:38:55','2011-12-23 11:38:55','What I believe isn’t important. \n\nThe fact that I can put order to my thoughts, sort them into opinions and fan them into beliefs is hardly impressive.  In fact, such thinking is unavoidable.  It’s what our highly evolved human brains do.  They compare and contrast and judge in an endless attempt to make sense of the world around us.  Believing is as automatic as walking or talking or sneezing, and about as noteworthy.\n\nThere was a time when I considered my beliefs to be something more than just an assemblage of thoughts.  I mistook them for something much more important.  I thought they were me.\n\nAt various times in my life I believed I was a Catholic, a Unitarian, an agnostic and a secular humanist.  I was a liberal, a feminist, an environmentalist and a pacifist.  I took on new identities in search of a higher self and, down deep, I think, to distance myself from certain vulgarities that characterize the human condition - qualities like greed and aggression.  By connecting certain thoughts, by cobbling together new identities, I convinced myself and others that those unwholesome human traits couldn’t possibly define me.  They defined thieves and rapists and murderers.  I was above all that, and had a portfolio of beliefs to prove it.\n\nI was not alone in my quest adopt a new identity.  Everyone in the world was doing it right along with me.  Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.  Socialists, Communists and Greens.  Progressive Unionists, Christian Democrats – some crafting identities the way college freshmen craft double majors.  We were all attempting to rise above our inherited animal nature, but rising above it didn’t make it go away.  We were still greedy and aggressive despite our deeply held beliefs.  We were walking contradictions, projecting our inner conflicts onto the world; in fact, we were the world, and that’s why it was such a bloody mess.\n\nHaving wandered from one belief system to another, I thought I had explored life’s biggest questions, but I was only asking questions for which my beliefs had provided me pat answers.  I had yet to ask myself the most radical questions, the ones that would eventually smash my beliefs to bits.  They were questions no one seemed to be asking, questions like:\n\nIf a clash of beliefs can be found at the root of all the violence in the world, then shouldn’t we question their validity – not the validity of any particular belief, but belief itself? \n\nSeparated from our beliefs, would we lose our moral bearing?  Would we fall prey to our baser instincts and rock the world with depraved acts of violence?  Or is this precisely the behavior we exhibit under the hypnotic spell our beliefs? \n\nImagine a city whose buildings have been leveled by an earthquake.  That’s the image I had of my mind after my beliefs had been toppled.  I felt like I could see forever in every direction.  The towering thought structures that stood as my beliefs no longer blocked my view of the world.  I felt a disorienting sense of freedom.  Liberated from the beliefs that had conferred my identity, I felt blissfully anonymous.  I was a person without a suffix, without an –ist to affirm my existence.  I had unwittingly joined the only club that matters.  It numbers in the billions, doesn’t charge dues and welcomes career criminals.  It’s called the human race. \n\nIt’s been years since I disposed of my beliefs, and I have yet to turn into a sociopathic killer. On the contrary, I’ve developed a deep affection for my planet mates now that I’m not measuring them by the yardstick of my beliefs.  Gone are the walls of thought that prevented me from seeing who they really are.  Gone are the lectures I’d give in an attempt to raise their consciousness.  And gone, mercifully, is my compulsion to cast them as evil so that I can appear virtuous\n\nHowever sacred or profound, a belief is nothing more than a thought, and thought is never the thing it describes.  It can only hint at the wonders it attempts to touch.  Sermons about love garble love’s ineffable beauty.  Speeches about unity clank after the first syllable.  Courting belief is a prescription for a virtual, not a virtuous life.','The Futility of Belief','','inherit','open','open','','3334-revision','','','2011-12-23 03:38:55','2011-12-23 11:38:55','',3334,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3334-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3336,123,'2011-12-23 03:39:45','2011-12-23 11:39:45','What I believe isn’t important. \r\n\r\nThe fact that I can put order to my thoughts, sort them into opinions and fan them into beliefs is hardly impressive.  In fact, such thinking is unavoidable.  It’s what our highly evolved human brains do.  They compare and contrast and judge in an endless attempt to make sense of the world around us.  Believing is as automatic as walking or talking or sneezing, and about as noteworthy.\r\n\r\nThere was a time when I considered my beliefs to be something more than just an assemblage of thoughts.  I mistook them for something much more important.  I thought they were me.\r\n\r\nAt various times in my life I believed I was a Catholic, a Unitarian, an agnostic and a secular humanist.  I was a liberal, a feminist, an environmentalist and a pacifist.  I took on new identities in search of a higher self and, down deep, I think, to distance myself from certain vulgarities that characterize the human condition - qualities like greed and aggression.  By connecting certain thoughts, by cobbling together new identities, I convinced myself and others that those unwholesome human traits couldn’t possibly define me.  They defined thieves and rapists and murderers.  I was above all that, and had a portfolio of beliefs to prove it.\r\n\r\nI was not alone in my quest adopt a new identity.  Everyone in the world was doing it right along with me.  Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.  Socialists, Communists and Greens.  Progressive Unionists, Christian Democrats – some crafting identities the way college freshmen craft double majors.  We were all attempting to rise above our inherited animal nature, but rising above it didn’t make it go away.  We were still greedy and aggressive despite our deeply held beliefs.  We were walking contradictions, projecting our inner conflicts onto the world; in fact, we were the world, and that’s why it was such a bloody mess.\r\n\r\nHaving wandered from one belief system to another, I thought I had explored life’s biggest questions, but I was only asking questions for which my beliefs had provided me pat answers.  I had yet to ask myself the most radical questions, the ones that would eventually smash my beliefs to bits.  They were questions no one seemed to be asking, questions like:\r\n\r\nIf a clash of beliefs can be found at the root of all the violence in the world, then shouldn’t we question their validity – not the validity of any particular belief, but belief itself? \r\n\r\nSeparated from our beliefs, would we lose our moral bearing?  Would we fall prey to our baser instincts and rock the world with depraved acts of violence?  Or is this precisely the behavior we exhibit under the hypnotic spell our beliefs? \r\n\r\nImagine a city whose buildings have been leveled by an earthquake.  That’s the image I had of my mind after my beliefs had been toppled.  I felt like I could see forever in every direction.  The towering thought structures that stood as my beliefs no longer blocked my view of the world.  I felt a disorienting sense of freedom.  Liberated from the beliefs that had conferred my identity, I felt blissfully anonymous.  I was a person without a suffix, without an –ist to affirm my existence.  I had unwittingly joined the only club that matters.  It numbers in the billions, doesn’t charge dues and welcomes career criminals.  It’s called the human race. \r\n\r\nIt’s been years since I disposed of my beliefs, and I have yet to turn into a sociopathic killer. On the contrary, I’ve developed a deep affection for my planet mates now that I’m not measuring them by the yardstick of my beliefs.  Gone are the walls of thought that prevented me from seeing who they really are.  Gone are the lectures I’d give in an attempt to raise their consciousness.  And gone, mercifully, is my compulsion to cast them as evil so that I can appear virtuous\r\n\r\nHowever sacred or profound, a belief is nothing more than a thought, and thought is never the thing it describes.  It can only hint at the wonders it attempts to touch.  Sermons about love garble love’s ineffable beauty.  Speeches about unity clank after the first syllable.  Courting belief is a prescription for a virtual, not a virtuous life.','The Futility of Belief','','inherit','open','open','','3334-revision-2','','','2011-12-23 03:39:45','2011-12-23 11:39:45','',3334,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3334-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3337,1,'2011-12-23 10:20:52','2011-12-23 18:20:52','What I believe isn’t important.\n\nThe fact that I can put order to my thoughts, sort them into opinions and fan them into beliefs is hardly impressive.  In fact, such thinking is unavoidable.  It’s what our highly evolved human brains do.  They compare and contrast and judge in an endless attempt to make sense of the world around us.  Believing is as automatic as walking or talking or sneezing, and about as noteworthy.\n\nThere was a time when I considered my beliefs to be something more than just an assemblage of thoughts.  I mistook them for something much more important.  I thought they were me.\n\nAt various times in my life I believed I was a Catholic, a Unitarian, an agnostic and a secular humanist.  I was a liberal, a feminist, an environmentalist and a pacifist.  I took on new identities in search of a higher self and, down deep, I think, to distance myself from certain vulgarities that characterize the human condition - qualities like greed and aggression.  By connecting certain thoughts, by cobbling together new identities, I convinced myself and others that those unwholesome human traits couldn’t possibly define me.  They defined thieves and rapists and murderers.  I was above all that, and had a portfolio of beliefs to prove it.\n\nI was not alone in my quest adopt a new identity.  Everyone in the world was doing it right along with me.  Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.  Socialists, Communists and Greens.  Progressive Unionists, Christian Democrats – some crafting identities the way college freshmen craft double majors.  We were all attempting to rise above our inherited animal nature, but rising above it didn’t make it go away.  We were still greedy and aggressive despite our deeply held beliefs.  We were walking contradictions, projecting our inner conflicts onto the world; in fact, we were the world, and that’s why it was such a bloody mess.\n\nHaving wandered from one belief system to another, I thought I had explored life’s biggest questions, but I was only asking questions for which my beliefs had provided me pat answers.  I had yet to ask myself the most radical questions, the ones that would eventually smash my beliefs to bits.  They were questions no one seemed to be asking, questions like:\n\nIf a clash of beliefs can be found at the root of all the violence in the world, then shouldn’t we question their validity – not the validity of any particular belief, but belief itself?\n\nSeparated from our beliefs, would we lose our moral bearing?  Would we fall prey to our baser instincts and rock the world with depraved acts of violence?  Or is this precisely the behavior we exhibit under the hypnotic spell our beliefs?\n\nImagine a city whose buildings have been leveled by an earthquake.  That’s the image I had of my mind after my beliefs had been toppled.  I felt like I could see forever in every direction.  The towering thought structures that stood as my beliefs no longer blocked my view of the world.  I felt a disorienting sense of freedom.  Liberated from the beliefs that had conferred my identity, I felt blissfully anonymous.  I was a person without a suffix, without an –ist to affirm my existence.  I had unwittingly joined the only club that matters.  It numbers in the billions, doesn’t charge dues and welcomes career criminals.  It’s called the human race.\n\nIt’s been years since I disposed of my beliefs, and I have yet to turn into a sociopathic killer. On the contrary, I’ve developed a deep affection for my planet mates now that I’m not measuring them by the yardstick of my beliefs.  Gone are the walls of thought that prevented me from seeing who they really are.  Gone are the lectures I’d give in an attempt to raise their consciousness.  And gone, mercifully, is my compulsion to cast them as evil so that I can appear virtuous\n\nHowever sacred or profound, a belief is nothing more than a thought, and thought is never the thing it describes.  It can only hint at the wonders it attempts to touch.  Sermons about love garble love’s ineffable beauty.  Speeches about unity clank after the first syllable.  Courting belief is a prescription for a virtual, not a virtuous life.','The Futility of Belief','','inherit','open','open','','3334-autosave','','','2011-12-23 10:20:52','2011-12-23 18:20:52','',3334,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3334-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3451,125,'2012-01-12 08:00:26','2012-01-12 16:00:26','A universe containing trillions of stars, clustered into countless galaxies like sand on an beach you could never reach the end of. Each star an angry mixture of gases that are constantly erupting in violent nuclear reactions, catapulting electromagnetic radiation into the darkness of space around it. A universe so delicately governed by its forces that it would have collapsed long ago, except something seems to be holding it together.\r\n\r\nA planet with a perfect symmetry of water and carbon, liquid and gas, so desperately needed to sustain life. Enough carbon, just the right size and shape to master forming compounds, to combine itself with all vital elements and provide an endoskeleton for biologically-active molecules. Enough water to provide a space for most of the chemical reactions needed to form living matter and to absorb and retain heat, making it our handmade blanket, our forged shield against the tumult of temperature change.\r\n\r\nA 27-year-old woman raised in an emotionally abusive house, who runs away at age 15, is pregnant by age 18, and is now addicted to cocaine. A woman so desperate for any sign of affection or empathy that she prostitutes herself while her 9-year-old son raises himself at home alone.\r\n\r\nA God existing outside the restraints of a universe functioning within space and time. A God who, with the very exhalation of a single word could bring to life a universe so finely-tuned. A universe that has such precision that more than two dozen parameters must have values falling within narrowly defined ranges for life of any kind to exist.\r\n\r\nA God that, with the same hands used to guide the stars and galaxies into their perfect locations, created a framework of 3.1 billion base pairs of DNA from which each human being has been created. A God so beautifully guiding His creation that, were the decay rate of protons greater, then life would be exterminated by the release of radiation and, were it smaller, His universe would contain insufficient matter for life.\r\n\r\nA God that formed a universe of perfect suitability so that He could use those same hands to create His most wonderful masterpiece: humanity. A God so completely and furiously dedicated to us that, with the same voice that commands galaxies to exist, can whisper in a 27-year-old woman’s ear, in a still and small voice, that she can know what love is truly supposed to feel like. That her 9-year-old son, in his lowest moments of abandonment and loneliness, is one of His very children.\r\n\r\nOur God is relentless.\r\nOur God is overwhelming.\r\nOur God is devoted.\r\nOur God embodies love as a noun and fulfills love as a verb.\r\nOur God knows the names of all the stars, and counts the hairs on all our heads.\r\nOur God formed us out of the dirt in His wisdom, spent a life walking through our dirt in His empathy, let sacrificial blood fall to the dirt in His grace, and picks us up off of the dirt in His love.\r\n\r\nA universe with such an exact mix of elements, forces, and distances could not exist without a Creator that crafted it for the specific and merciful purpose of allowing us to live and worship in His presence.\r\n\r\nThat is the love of God.','The Love Of God','','publish','open','open','','the-love-of-god','','','2011-12-31 13:27:46','2011-12-31 21:27:46','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3451',0,'post','',0),(3339,80,'2011-12-24 09:00:37','2011-12-24 17:00:37','Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the very nature of Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"Joel Rieves\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>If you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told her she would bear the Son of God, she got excited and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).  In that hymn, she says\r\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\r\nfrom one generation to the next,\r\nwho honors him as God.\r\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\r\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\r\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\r\nand lifted up the lowly.\r\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\r\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"\r\n\r\nFrom the Common English Bible</blockquote>\r\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t that good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck against the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','The Original Occupiers','','publish','open','open','','the-original-occupiers','','','2011-12-23 10:13:29','2011-12-23 18:13:29','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3339',0,'post','',0),(3340,80,'2011-12-23 08:12:10','2011-12-23 16:12:10','','DSCF0005','','inherit','open','open','','dscf0005','','','2011-12-23 08:12:10','2011-12-23 16:12:10','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF0005.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3341,80,'2011-12-23 08:08:25','2011-12-23 16:08:25','Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people  close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of th\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThey didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> of the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\n\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she got excited visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat\" target=\"_blank\">the Magnificat</a>.  In that hymn, she says\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\nfrom one generation to the next,\nwho honors him as God.\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\nand lifted up the lowly.\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"</blockquote>\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck agaisnt the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision','','','2011-12-23 08:08:25','2011-12-23 16:08:25','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3342,80,'2011-12-23 08:13:34','2011-12-23 16:13:34','','DSCF0005','','inherit','open','open','','dscf0005-2','','','2011-12-23 08:13:34','2011-12-23 16:13:34','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3343,80,'2011-12-23 08:12:44','2011-12-23 16:12:44','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF0005.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3340\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF0005-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"90\" /></a>Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people  close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> of the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\r\n\r\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she got excited visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat\" target=\"_blank\">the Magnificat</a>.  In that hymn, she says\r\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\r\nfrom one generation to the next,\r\nwho honors him as God.\r\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\r\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\r\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\r\nand lifted up the lowly.\r\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\r\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"</blockquote>\r\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck agaisnt the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision-2','','','2011-12-23 08:12:44','2011-12-23 16:12:44','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3344,80,'2011-12-23 08:14:24','2011-12-23 16:14:24','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3342\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> of the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\n\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she got excited visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat\" target=\"_blank\">the Magnificat</a>.  In that hymn, she says\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\nfrom one generation to the next,\nwho honors him as God.\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\nand lifted up the lowly.\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"</blockquote>\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck agaisnt the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision-3','','','2011-12-23 08:14:24','2011-12-23 16:14:24','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3345,80,'2011-12-23 08:14:57','2011-12-23 16:14:57','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3342\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> of the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\r\n\r\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she got excited visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat\" target=\"_blank\">the Magnificat</a>.  In that hymn, she says\r\n\r\n\"He shows mercy to everyone,\r\nfrom one generation to the next,\r\nwho honors him as God.\r\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\r\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\r\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\r\nand lifted up the lowly.\r\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\r\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"\r\n\r\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck against the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision-4','','','2011-12-23 08:14:57','2011-12-23 16:14:57','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3346,80,'2011-12-23 08:15:14','2011-12-23 16:15:14','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3342\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> of the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\r\n\r\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she got excited visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat\" target=\"_blank\">the Magnificat</a>.  In that hymn, she says\r\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\r\nfrom one generation to the next,\r\nwho honors him as God.\r\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\r\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\r\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\r\nand lifted up the lowly.\r\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\r\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"</blockquote>\r\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck against the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision-5','','','2011-12-23 08:15:14','2011-12-23 16:15:14','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3347,80,'2011-12-23 08:16:08','2011-12-23 16:16:08','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3342\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the very nature of Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> of the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\r\n\r\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she got excited visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificat\" target=\"_blank\">the Magnificat</a>.  In that hymn, she says\r\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\r\nfrom one generation to the next,\r\nwho honors him as God.\r\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\r\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\r\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\r\nand lifted up the lowly.\r\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\r\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"</blockquote>\r\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck against the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision-6','','','2011-12-23 08:16:08','2011-12-23 16:16:08','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3348,1,'2011-12-23 10:10:41','2011-12-23 18:10:41','Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the very nature of Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"Joel Rieves\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>If you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told her she would bear the Son of God, she got excited and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).  In that hymn, she says\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\nfrom one generation to the next,\nwho honors him as God.\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\nand lifted up the lowly.\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"\n\nFrom the Common English Bible</blockquote>\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t that good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck against the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','The Original Occupiers','','inherit','open','open','','3339-autosave','','','2011-12-23 10:10:41','2011-12-23 18:10:41','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3364,1,'2011-12-23 10:12:55','2011-12-23 18:12:55','','mary_occupy','','inherit','open','open','','mary_occupy','','','2011-12-23 10:12:55','2011-12-23 18:12:55','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mary_occupy.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(3952,64,'2012-01-11 13:16:48','2012-01-11 21:16:48','<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is a thoughtful experiment, one that challenges men and women of the 21<sup>st</sup> century church to shake off their old ideas about where women fit in the Church. In a charming and disarming style, Jim Henderson challenges the evangelical Church, its pastors and ministry leaders to start listening to the women in their lives, their daughters, wives, mothers and friends, and those women that work tirelessly by their side every day in the service of the Kingdom. (I was tempted to write \"their kingdom.\") Henderson, a spirited advocate for powerless people, has done the work for you. Through the narratives of fifteen women, he threads together themes that he found while listening. <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is a daring challenge to the Church to rethink the issue of women in ministry and issues a gentle threat for what may happen if you choose not to listen.\n\nWhile I do not doubt the sincerity of the author, the irony that lingered with me as I read the hundreds of pages of narrative is something Henderson alluded to himself that <strong><em>those with power</em></strong> don’t understand the necessity of the conversation.  I believe the very same people this book is challenging, made up their minds long ago (in seminary) and are unlikely to be swayed by the singularly sad stories of women, even women in their own church.  Through research done by the Barna Group the author has dug up another mostly silent, ever resilient group of people serving in the church -- <strong><em>the oblivious</em>,</strong> those who “drank the cool aid” long ago and trusted those with authority for their own beliefs.  They feel there is no need for this conversation either.\n\nMy personal experience has been that the more you challenge someone’s core belief the more rigid they become – asking who has the right to challenge long held “biblical” truths, certainly not women.\n\nKnowing the push back, Henderson valiantly reinforces through his stories  the idea that <strong><em>those without power</em></strong> are growing weary, doubtful and even suspicious of the Church.  And that women of faith and conscience who do choose to stay in the Church, are balancing on a tightrope every day; feel the tension between living with their convictions and the lingering thought of just not showing up.  Both options many days are simply untenable.  While <em>it seems that the only ones who do want this conversation are a small minority of mostly women whose theological views make them misfits in the evangelical church today I would encourage the reader to ask why?   </em>\n\n<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is primarily written as a challenge to (male) pastors.  It is a grave warning with the promise or threat that if pastor’s are unwilling to rethink these issues, more and more women will simply leave the community of faith. If pastors are unwilling to listen and think, the threat is that more and more women will walk. Ultimately I don’t think your average pastor believes that, nor does he think this issue is important enough. As he reads <em>The Resignation of Eve</em>, he may be compelled by the stories and even feel genuinely bad for the women described in the book, still <em>for the most part your everyday mainline denominational male leader won’t be swayed by a bunch of stories about women. </em>Because this about more than just “Eve.” And that is a lingering, unanswered question in the book.\n\n<strong><em>We are talking about a culture that defies change. </em></strong>As they defend their point of view, today’s pastor believes they are protecting their church from culture creep. I agree with Tom Wright when he says that the authority of God is embodied in Jesus himself, not in the literal words of the Bible. But most pastors today would hold that the issue of women’s empowerment in the church is a <em>cultural phenomenon stemming from the evil of feminism and therefore must be stopped.</em> By choosing which verses in the Bible are cultural and which are not, they cherry-pick a more patriarchal view that I would contend is culturally inappropriate for the 21<sup>st</sup> century.  Take 1 Timothy for instance. Even if you interpret it <em>literally, </em>these are instructions and restrictions for the behavior of some women in the first century church.  Some churches prohibit women\'s leadership in churches because they use these verses to \"prove\" that God doesn\'t approve.  But they happily ignore the verses right beside them, about how women are adorned and how they should dress, saying that is cultural. When you read it with context, and contrast this text and other texts in the New Testament, I believe it requires the reader to listen to more than one or two voices speaking about the role of women.\n\nHenderson is quick to point to the other examples: Jesus’ treatment of women, women as apostles and teachers, women financing the ministry, women sitting at Jesus\' feet learning from him with the other disciples, a woman being the first to speak to Jesus after his Resurrection, all examples of empowering of women in the early church, which you can see if you don\'t restrict your reading to a few very restrictive sections.\n\nWise pastors must begin to recognize and listen to women’s voices in the church. And women must with discernment do their own homework!  The early church does not need to be prescriptive for how we run churches today, but this idea challenges the essence of how most pastors view scriptures.\n\n<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> acknowledges with compassion the tensions women face but the premise is unfair. We are dared to bolt from our churches and force the church’s hand, in order for them to somehow see how important we are. <em>But you must</em> <em>appreciate the tragic fact that this will be held against us.</em> The very nature of our character will be called into question, women who have faithfully worked, loved, served the Church for generations. This would be a heartbreaking ending to the story.\n\nWomen in the church today are being pulled between being perceived as unfaithfully driven by need for power and by living by our God-given convictions within the faith community.  Reading <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> I found myself utterly exhausted by the trouble the women must exert to be faithful in the church today. The intentions of this book are so good! But I was left with questions hanging.  The same question that I live with every day. Are men and women ready to have a serious conversation about the role of women in the church? Or will it, as I fear, fall on deaf ears because the Church, her pastors and ministry leaders have already made up their minds?\n\nIn the introduction Lynne Hybel’s message was liberating, as she flirts with women challenging us to \"<strong><em>take ourselves seriously.\"</em></strong>  I wanted to say “There are so many of us that do, Lynne, if only it were the same for men.” I do recommend this book to you because it does that most enigmatic and beautiful thing, it listens to women.  Whether you choose to eavesdrop on these stories in <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> or sit down for a cup of tea with an actual breathing woman in your life, I challenge to please, start listening.','The Resignation of Eve: A Review','','inherit','open','open','','3951-revision','','','2012-01-11 13:16:48','2012-01-11 21:16:48','',3951,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/11/3951-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3350,1,'2011-12-23 09:31:44','2011-12-23 17:31:44','(Read <a href=\"../2011/12/22/2011/12/20/christmas-undocumented-annunciation-part-i/\">Part I here</a>)\n\n(Read <a href=\"../2011/12/21/christmas-undocumented-anunciation-part-ii/\">Part II here</a>)\n\nThe detainees file into the detention center in a single column. When the door closes behind them, shutting out the sunlight, the detainees stare dumbly at empty walls. Everything in the room is drained of life, sterilized from color with stark white paint and buzzing fluorescent lights.\n\nAve and the other women are marched into an enclosed room and ordered to remove their clothes to be searched. Ave kicks off her shoes, unwilling to bend over to do it with her hands. She then peels off the oversized elastic waistband covering her belly and takes off her jeans, followed by her billowy shirt. Her protruding belly cannot be missed, its navel inverted and skin stretched by the pregnancy.\n\nThe room is cold. Ave and the other women shiver in bras and panties, unwilling to remove the last bit of dignity until forced to do so.\n\n“Remove all your clothes,” barks the scrawny-haired officer.\n\n“But we didn’t commit any crimes, ma’am,” one lady ventures from the back. “We just work here in America and eat here. None of us are drug dealers or gang members. I mean, look at her. She’s pregnant. Does she really have to take off her clothes? The only thing she’s hiding is a baby and not very well at that.”\n\n“No exceptions, spic,” the prison guard shouts. “Strip! It’s how we do it here in the Stable. Everyone strips and gets searched. You wetbacks are wily ones. Never know where you might be hiding something.”\n\nAve draws a deep breath of air, hoping the filtered, recycled air will calm her nerves as she removes the rest of her clothes and stands naked in the cold room.\n\n“Against the wall,” the guard says. “Arms and legs out.”\n\nThe guard’s hands are cold and invasive on Ave’s body. She jerks instinctively as the guard’s hands travel up her legs. She tries to hold the image of her cousin Isabella in her mind, and then when that fails to keep her mind from the guard’s hands, she ponders her baby, wondering what he will look like, what his laugh will sound like. Her stomach cramps when the search is finished.\n\nAfter all the guard finishes with all the women, the detainees are issued identical prison uniforms to wear, but Ave’s belly makes it difficult to cinch the tie on the pants. So, as Ave walks down a long hall of cells, she waddles, using both hands to keep her new pants from slipping to her ankles.\n\nShe is led to a cramped cell like every other she has passed.  Her bed, like the rest, is made up with a gray blanket and a stiff white pillow. She shuffles to the open bunk and lies down on her side. She stuffs the pillow between her knees for comfort and uses the crook of her elbow tucked under her head as a pillow.\n\n“Here,” a tired voice says from across the cell. “Take mine.”\n\nAve opens her eyes to see an elderly woman standing over her, tucking an extra pillow under Ave’s head. “You’ll need it more than I will.”\n\n“Gracias,” Ave says. “Como se llama?”\n\nThe old lady smiles. “I’m sorry child. I don’t speak your language. I’m from a different world. My name is Hakima and I come from Iran.”\n\n“I’m sorry. I just assumed. My name is Ave and I come from Mexico.”\n\n“It is nice to meet you,” Hakima replies. “I don’t think you’ll be in here long, though. You are in early labor, as far as I can tell. And I can always tell.”\n\nHakima winks and touches the side of her face where her graying hair meets her forehead.\n\n“I’m eight months, though,” Ave replies.\n\n“I imagine you had a stressful day?” Hakima inquires, and Ave nods. “From the bruise on your head, you fell, probably from fainting. You were stripped and then cavity searched? And now, I’m guessing from the hand on your belly and the way you were grimacing when you walked in, you’re getting some cramping?” Ave nods in response to each question. “As I thought, then. You are going to have that baby sooner rather than later.”\n\nHakima’s prediction proves true. The next day, Ave’s labor begins, and Hakima shouts for the guards.\n\n“This woman needs to be in a hospital,” Hakima says when the two guards finally appear. “She is having contractions and is going to have this baby tonight.”\n\nThe guards peer into the cell. “What her? The girl lying on the bed? She doesn’t look like she’s in labor. She looks like she’s sleeping.”\n\nHakima huffs. “She is between contractions and resting, saving her strength for when she will need it.”\n\nAs Hakima is speaking, a contraction grips Ave, who grunts and breathes through it as best she can.\n\n“She’s faking,” one of the guards says. “I’ve had a baby and it wasn’t like that. She just wants out of here.”\n\nThe guards leave, unperturbed. As Ave’s contractions grow closer together and more powerful, Hakima summons the guards again. This time, there is no doubt Ave is in labor.\n\n“Let’s get her to the hospital,” the guard says, no longer skeptical. “And fast.”\n\nHakima shakes her head. “It’s too late for that. She will have this baby within the hour. She is dilated at 8 centimeters and her contractions are only 3 minutes apart. Take her to the infirmary. And quick.”\n\nThe guard stutters. “But the doctor has gone home for the day.”\n\nHakima disregards her protests. “Take me with you. I was a midwife in my country. I have delivered more babies than you could count.”\n\nAfter a moment of hesitation, the guard acquiesces and takes both women to the guard outside the holding cells. “Take them to the infirmary,” she tells him. Without a word, the guard yanks his pants over his paunch and beckons the two women to follow him. They walk to a small building separated from the main center by a small concrete courtyard. When they enter, Hakima notices that meager medical supplies and decides she might need more help than she bargained for if Ave’s labor grows difficult.\n\n“Call an ambulance and get the paramedics here as soon as possible. We’ll need them for the afterbirth,” Hakima says, but the guard does not move. “Did you hear me? Go call the paramedics!”\n\nUnaccustomed to being bossed around by an elderly prisoner, the guard’s demeanor darkens. “I cannot leave the detainee unattended or unsecured,” he says. “I’ll have to remain in the room. I’ll radio for someone else to call them.”\n\nWithout a word, the guard shoves Hakima aside and secures Ave to the bed with <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/undocumented-pregnant-woman-gives-birth-in-shackles_n_971955.html\">wrist cuffs</a>.\n\n“What are you doing to her? She is about to give birth. She will need to move around, stand up if she likes. It is the natural way for women to birth their babies,” Hakima protests.\n\n“Security protocol. This detainee is considered criminal, in possession of forged papers, so she has to be restrained,” the guard replies flatly, moving toward Ave’s feet. “She can give birth on her back and without her hands.\n\n“If you are going to force her to lie down, then you cannot strap her legs down, too. The baby will not be able to come out if you do,” Hakima says, exasperated.\n\n“Fine,” the guard retorts, pulling a pair of ankle shackles from his belt. He <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/undocumented-pregnant-woman-gives-birth-in-shackles_n_971955.html\">shackles</a> her feet together, the long chain drooping below the infirmary bed.\n\n“Are you quite finished?” Hakima asks, sneering. “She’s in labor. It’s not like she is a flight risk right now.”\n\nAve’s labors quickens. The new contractions begin almost as soon as the previous one ends, and Ave struggles to catch her breath as she begins to push new life into the world. The guard standing at the head of Ave’s bed places a hand on her forehead, as a lover would, leans his head toward her ear and whispers to her.\n\n“Come on, push, push, push this baby out,” the guard says. “Push the baby out. The sooner the baby comes the sooner you can go back home to your family in Mexico.”\n\nAve’s face darkens and she hisses between gasping breaths, “Don’t touch me. You are not my husband. Step away from me.”\n\nThe guard raises his hands in a gesture of an accused innocent. “Just trying to help.”\n\nBefore an hour in the infirmary building is up, Ave births a son, and for just a moment, there is nothing but mother and son. Hakima gently places the baby boy on her mother’s chest, as the child cries softly and roots for food. Ave laughs.\n\n“Can we remove her restraints at least, to let her hold her son unfettered?” Hakima whispers to the guard, who obliges.\n\n“Congratulations,” the guard says, unbuckling the restraints. “You have given birth to a healthy American citizen. You’ll have 36 hours with him, and then child services will take him to a relative of your choosing.”\n\nThe silent night cracks, and all that is calm and bright fractures. “I’m sorry?”\n\n“After 36 hours, we’ll take your child to one of your relatives while you await deportation,” the guard says. “We can’t accommodate an infant in this facility.”\n\nA pain unlike any she has ever felt grips her chest, as if her heart is exploding in a searing fire, like seven daggers are piercing her. She gasps, unable to catch her breath. At last, a wail erupts from Ave, a deep mournful blast announcing the end of faith, hope, love, of everything good she has dreamed of in this promised land of America. Tears stream from her eyes, mixing with her labor’s sweat, dripping onto her chest, falling onto her infant son’s fluffy black hair. She holds him closely to her lips, kissing his head over and over again, weeping. In a moment’s time, she has gone from a pregnant girl to the mother of all sorrows, her cries joining with countless others who have experienced a similar crushing end to the birth of new life.\n\nAve tries to avoid sleep for the next 36 hours. The time is too precious to let it unravel in a dream. She breathes in her son’s smell, tries to memorize each feature on his tiny face, features she knows will be gone the next time she sees him. The roll of fat that creases his shoulder. The way his drowsy almond eyes close, clasped with long lashes, after she feeds him. The snuffling sound he makes when he eats. The cry of need for comfort from Ave, for food from her body. She tries to burn the image of him into her mind with tears, with love, with anger.\n\nAn hour before her time is up, Ave begins to hum to her child, softly at first. As she gazes adoringly at the tiny boy, scarcely a day old, her voice grows stronger, more alive, rhythmed with passion. A pulsing warmth fills her aching chest and emanates throughout the room. A curious glow fills the room and, to her astonishment, she finds herself singing, in a loud, clarion soprano.\n\nHer voice carries through the infirmary and the detention center. It penetrates the gray cinderblock walls, perforates the Stable with a stinging, visionary indictment, piercing the hearts of inmate and guard alike to share in her sorrow.\n\nShe sings,\n\n“Look at the lowliness of this handmaiden, and find reason for favor, to call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, but the mighty ones have stolen them from me. Show then the strength of your arm and scatter these proud in the thoughts of their haughty hearts, bring down the powerful from their thrones and offices and lift up the lowly, the trampled and the oppressed. Fill the hungry with good things and send away the rich empty. Help this handmaiden remember the mercy of God.”\n\nA curious thrumming lingers in the room after Ave finishes her song.\n\nA moment later, it disappears when there is a knock at the door. The infirmary janitor, a Latino woman, pokes her head into Ave’s room.\n\n“I’m sorry to intrude on your last hour, <em>señora</em>, but I heard you singing. Magnificent. Just magnificent. You have said what we all feel,” she says. “I know it’s not much, but I thought you might like a picture.”\n\nThe woman holds up a Polaroid instant camera. Ave nods, afraid that if she speaks she will lose control and begin to weep again.\n\nThe woman motions for them to snuggle together and snaps the picture. The camera whirs and spits out an image that slowly begins to materialize as the air hits it.\n\n“Thank you,” Ave manages to say. “It’s the perfect gift. What’s your name so that I can repay you one day, if I can.”\n\n“I’m Sofia,” the janitor says. “Sofia Reyes, but you don’t need to repay me. It’s enough to see you light up. You have a very special boy there with a very special mother. Anyone can see you love him very much.”\n\nAve holds back a cry. “I have to love him enough now forever, in case I don’t see him again.”\n\nSofia brushes Ave’s hair back. “You’ll see him again. I know you will.”\n\nLooking back, Ave cannot remember them taking her son away. She remembers telling them his name was Jesus, son of José Mann, and she can recall asking that he be given to her cousin Isabella in San Antonio. But she cannot remember the moment they took him from her. All she can remember is two strong hands helping her walk through the concrete courtyard back to the main building, the Stable. But really, she can barely remember that either. All she recall with any certainty is that it was raining and that the bright fluorescent spotlight shining down on her looked like the brightest star she’d ever seen.\n\nHakima greets her in the cell with a long embrace and helps Ave to bed.\n\n“Some of the others heard what happened,” Hakima says. “One of the women, Farzenah, came by and brought you all she had, a phone card and 30 American dollars, as a gift for you. She said she hoped you would be able to use it to call your cousin to check on the baby while you are here.”\n\n“And how long will I be here?” Ave asks, exhausted. “How long, Hakima?”\n\n“Only God knows, and I’m not even sure God knows,” Hakima responds, her voice firm but compassionate. “It could be two months or two years.”\n\n“How long have you been here, Hakima?”\n\n“Three years.”\n\nAve begins to weep again, sobs wracking her body.\n\n“Here, child, and this is my gift to you,” Hakima says, pulling a small pill from underneath the mattress. “It will help you sleep, and sleep, I think, is the only thing that can console you right now.”\n\nHakima places the pill in Ave’s mouth and helps her sip it down with water. “Now, what is it they say in your language? <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nochebuena\">Noche buena</a>?”\n\nAve shakes her head and says weakly, “Buenas noches.”\n\nHakima waves her hands dismissively. “Yes, that. Buenas noches, then my dear Ave, buenas noches.”\n\nThe sedative takes Ave away into the succor of sleep. Hakima holds the young mother’s head in her lap, stroking Ave’s long black hair, deep into the good night.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****</p>\nConnect with David on <a href=\"http://facebook.com/unorthodoxology\">Facebook</a> and share your thoughts on <em>Christmas, Undocumented</em>. If there is enough interest, this project will be expanded to <em>Christ, Undocumented</em> and re-imagine the Gospel stories within this context.','Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena','','inherit','open','open','','3319-autosave','','','2011-12-23 09:31:44','2011-12-23 17:31:44','',3319,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3319-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3351,1,'2011-12-23 09:32:49','2011-12-23 17:32:49','','undocumented_christmas_4','','inherit','open','open','','undocumented_christmas_4','','','2011-12-23 09:32:49','2011-12-23 17:32:49','',3319,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/undocumented_christmas_4.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(3352,1,'2011-12-22 12:36:29','2011-12-22 20:36:29','The detainees file into the detention center in a single column. When the door closes behind them, shutting out the sunlight, the detainees stare dumbly at empty walls. Everything in the room is drained of life, sterilized from color with stark white paint and buzzing fluorescent lights.\r\n\r\nAve and the other women are marched into an enclosed room and ordered to remove their clothes to be searched. Ave kicks off her shoes, unwilling to bend over to do it with her hands. She then peels off the oversized elastic waistband covering her belly and takes off her jeans, followed by her billowy shirt. Her protruding belly cannot be missed, its navel inverted and skin stretched by the pregnancy.\r\n\r\nThe room is cold. Ave and the other women shiver in bras and panties, unwilling to remove the last bit of dignity until forced to do so.\r\n\r\n“Remove all your clothes,” barks the scrawny-haired officer.\r\n\r\n“But we didn’t commit any crimes, ma’am,” one lady ventures from the back. “We just work here in America and eat here. None of us are drug dealers or gang members. I mean, look at her. She’s pregnant. Does she really have to take off her clothes? The only thing she’s hiding is a baby and not very well at that.”\r\n\r\n“No exceptions, spic,” the prison guard shouts. “Strip! It’s how we do it here in the Stable. Everyone strips and gets searched. You wetbacks are wily ones. Never know where you might be hiding something.”\r\n\r\nAve draws a deep breath of air, hoping the filtered, recycled air will calm her nerves as she removes the rest of her clothes and stands naked in the cold room.\r\n\r\n“Against the wall,” the guard says. “Arms and legs out.”\r\n\r\nThe guard’s hands are cold and invasive on Ave’s body. She jerks instinctively as the guard’s hands travel up her legs. She tries to hold the image of her cousin Isabella in her mind, and then when that fails to keep her mind from the guard’s hands, she ponders her baby, wondering what he will look like, what his laugh will sound like. Her stomach cramps when the search is finished.\r\n\r\nAfter all the guard finishes with all the women, the detainees are issued identical prison uniforms to wear, but Ave’s belly makes it difficult to cinch the tie on the pants. So, as Ave walks down a long hall of cells, she waddles, using both hands to keep her new pants from slipping to her ankles.\r\n\r\nShe is led to a cramped cell like every other she has passed.  Her bed, like the rest, is made up with a gray blanket and a stiff white pillow. She shuffles to the open bunk and lies down on her side. She stuffs the pillow between her knees for comfort and uses the crook of her elbow tucked under her head as a pillow.\r\n\r\n“Here,” a tired voice says from across the cell. “Take mine.”\r\n\r\nAve opens her eyes to see an elderly woman standing over her, tucking an extra pillow under Ave’s head. “You’ll need it more than I will.”\r\n\r\n“Gracias,” Ave says. “Como se llama?”\r\n\r\nThe old lady smiles. “I’m sorry child. I don’t speak your language. I’m from a different world. My name is Hakima and I come from Iran.”\r\n\r\n“I’m sorry. I just assumed. My name is Ave and I come from Mexico.”\r\n\r\n“It is nice to meet you,” Hakima replies. “I don’t think you’ll be in here long, though. You are in early labor, as far as I can tell. And I can always tell.”\r\n\r\nHakima winks and touches the side of her face where her graying hair meets her forehead.\r\n\r\n“I’m eight months, though,” Ave replies.\r\n\r\n“I imagine you had a stressful day?” Hakima inquires, and Ave nods. “From the bruise on your head, you fell, probably from fainting. You were stripped and then cavity searched? And now, I’m guessing from the hand on your belly and the way you were grimacing when you walked in, you’re getting some cramping?” Ave nods in response to each question. “As I thought, then. You are going to have that baby sooner rather than later.”\r\n\r\nHakima’s prediction proves true. The next day, Ave’s labor begins, and Hakima shouts for the guards.\r\n\r\n“This woman needs to be in a hospital,” Hakima says when the two guards finally appear. “She is having contractions and is going to have this baby tonight.”\r\n\r\nThe guards peer into the cell. “What her? The girl lying on the bed? She doesn’t look like she’s in labor. She looks like she’s sleeping.”\r\n\r\nHakima huffs. “She is between contractions and resting, saving her strength for when she will need it.”\r\n\r\nAs Hakima is speaking, a contraction grips Ave, who grunts and breathes through it as best she can.\r\n\r\n“She’s faking,” one of the guards says. “I’ve had a baby and it wasn’t like that. She just wants out of here.”\r\n\r\nThe guards leave, unperturbed. As Ave’s contractions grow closer together and more powerful, Hakima summons the guards again. This time, there is no doubt Ave is in labor.\r\n\r\n“Let’s get her to the hospital,” the guard says, no longer skeptical. “And fast.”\r\n\r\nHakima shakes her head. “It’s too late for that. She will have this baby within the hour. She is dilated at 8 centimeters and her contractions are only 3 minutes apart. Take her to the infirmary. And quick.”\r\n\r\nThe guard stutters. “But the doctor has gone home for the day.”\r\n\r\nHakima disregards her protests. “Take me with you. I was a midwife in my country. I have delivered more babies than you could count.”\r\n\r\nAfter a moment of hesitation, the guard acquiesces and takes both women to the guard outside the holding cells. “Take them to the infirmary,” she tells him. Without a word, the guard yanks his pants over his paunch and beckons the two women to follow him. They walk to a small building separated from the main center by a small concrete courtyard. When they enter, Hakima notices that meager medical supplies and decides she might need more help than she bargained for if Ave’s labor grows difficult.\r\n\r\n“Call an ambulance and get the paramedics here as soon as possible. We’ll need them for the afterbirth,” Hakima says, but the guard does not move. “Did you hear me? Go call the paramedics!”\r\n\r\nUnaccustomed to being bossed around by an elderly prisoner, the guard’s demeanor darkens. “I cannot leave the detainee unattended or unsecured,” he says. “I’ll have to remain in the room. I’ll radio for someone else to call them.”\r\n\r\nWithout a word, the guard shoves Hakima aside and secures Ave to the bed with <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/undocumented-pregnant-woman-gives-birth-in-shackles_n_971955.html\">wrist cuffs</a>.\r\n\r\n“What are you doing to her? She is about to give birth. She will need to move around, stand up if she likes. It is the natural way for women to birth their babies,” Hakima protests.\r\n\r\n“Security protocol. This detainee is considered criminal, in possession of forged papers, so she has to be restrained,” the guard replies flatly, moving toward Ave’s feet. “She can give birth on her back and without her hands.\r\n\r\n“If you are going to force her to lie down, then you cannot strap her legs down, too. The baby will not be able to come out if you do,” Hakima says, exasperated.\r\n\r\n“Fine,” the guard retorts, pulling a pair of ankle shackles from his belt. He <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/undocumented-pregnant-woman-gives-birth-in-shackles_n_971955.html\">shackles</a> her feet together, the long chain drooping below the infirmary bed.\r\n\r\n“Are you quite finished?” Hakima asks, sneering. “She’s in labor. It’s not like she is a flight risk right now.”\r\n\r\nAve’s labors quickens. The new contractions begin almost as soon as the previous one ends, and Ave struggles to catch her breath as she begins to push new life into the world. The guard standing at the head of Ave’s bed places a hand on her forehead, as a lover would, leans his head toward her ear and whispers to her.\r\n\r\n“Come on, push, push, push this baby out,” the guard says. “Push the baby out. The sooner the baby comes the sooner you can go back home to your family in Mexico.”\r\n\r\nAve’s face darkens and she hisses between gasping breaths, “Don’t touch me. You are not my husband. Step away from me.”\r\n\r\nThe guard raises his hands in a gesture of an accused innocent. “Just trying to help.”\r\n\r\nBefore an hour in the infirmary building is up, Ave births a son, and for just a moment, there is nothing but mother and son. Hakima gently places the baby boy on her mother’s chest, as the child cries softly and roots for food. Ave laughs.\r\n\r\n“Can we remove her restraints at least, to let her hold her son unfettered?” Hakima whispers to the guard, who obliges.\r\n\r\n“Congratulations,” the guard says, unbuckling the restraints. “You have given birth to a healthy American citizen. You’ll have 36 hours with him, and then child services will take him to a relative of your choosing.”\r\n\r\nThe silent night cracks, and all that is calm and bright fractures. “I’m sorry?”\r\n\r\n“After 36 hours, we’ll take your child to one of your relatives while you await deportation,” the guard says. “We can’t accommodate an infant in this facility.”\r\n\r\nA pain unlike any she has ever felt grips her chest, as if her heart is exploding in a searing fire, like seven daggers are piercing her. She gasps, unable to catch her breath. At last, a wail erupts from Ave, a deep mournful blast announcing the end of faith, hope, love, of everything good she has dreamed of in this promised land of America. Tears stream from her eyes, mixing with her labor’s sweat, dripping onto her chest, falling onto her infant son’s fluffy black hair. She holds him closely to her lips, kissing his head over and over again, weeping. In a moment’s time, she has gone from a pregnant girl to the mother of all sorrows, her cries joining with countless others who have experienced a similar crushing end to the birth of new life.\r\n\r\nAve tries to avoid sleep for the next 36 hours. The time is too precious to let it unravel in a dream. She breathes in her son’s smell, tries to memorize each feature on his tiny face, features she knows will be gone the next time she sees him. The roll of fat that creases his shoulder. The way his drowsy almond eyes close, clasped with long lashes, after she feeds him. The snuffling sound he makes when he eats. The cry of need for comfort from Ave, for food from her body. She tries to burn the image of him into her mind with tears, with love, with anger.\r\n\r\nAn hour before her time is up, Ave begins to hum to her child, softly at first. As she gazes adoringly at the tiny boy, scarcely a day old, her voice grows stronger, more alive, rhythmed with passion. A pulsing warmth fills her aching chest and emanates throughout the room. A curious glow fills the room and, to her astonishment, she finds herself singing, in a loud, clarion soprano.\r\n\r\nHer voice carries through the infirmary and the detention center. It penetrates the gray cinderblock walls, perforates the Stable with a stinging, visionary indictment, piercing the hearts of inmate and guard alike to share in her sorrow.\r\n\r\nShe sings,\r\n\r\n“Look at the lowliness of this handmaiden, and find reason for favor, to call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, but the mighty ones have stolen them from me. Show then the strength of your arm and scatter these proud in the thoughts of their haughty hearts, bring down the powerful from their thrones and offices and lift up the lowly, the trampled and the oppressed. Fill the hungry with good things and send away the rich empty. Help this handmaiden remember the mercy of God.”\r\n\r\nA curious thrumming lingers in the room after Ave finishes her song.\r\n\r\nA moment later, it disappears when there is a knock at the door. The infirmary janitor, a Latino woman, pokes her head into Ave’s room.\r\n\r\n“I’m sorry to intrude on your last hour, <em>señora</em>, but I heard you singing. Magnificent. Just magnificent. You have said what we all feel,” she says. “I know it’s not much, but I thought you might like a picture.”\r\n\r\nThe woman holds up a Polaroid instant camera. Ave nods, afraid that if she speaks she will lose control and begin to weep again.\r\n\r\nThe woman motions for them to snuggle together and snaps the picture. The camera whirs and spits out an image that slowly begins to materialize as the air hits it.\r\n\r\n“Thank you,” Ave manages to say. “It’s the perfect gift. What’s your name so that I can repay you one day, if I can.”\r\n\r\n“I’m Sofia,” the janitor says. “Sofia Reyes, but you don’t need to repay me. It’s enough to see you light up. You have a very special boy there with a very special mother. Anyone can see you love him very much.”\r\n\r\nAve holds back a cry. “I have to love him enough now forever, in case I don’t see him again.”\r\n\r\nSofia brushes Ave’s hair back. “You’ll see him again. I know you will.”\r\n\r\nLooking back, Ave cannot remember them taking her son away. She remembers telling them his name was Jesus, son of José Mann, and she can recall asking that he be given to her cousin Isabella in San Antonio. But she cannot remember the moment they took him from her. All she can remember is two strong hands helping her walk through the concrete courtyard back to the main building, the Stable. But really, she can barely remember that either. All she recall with any certainty is that it was raining and that the bright fluorescent spotlight shining down on her looked like the brightest star she’d ever seen.\r\n\r\nHakima greets her in the cell with a long embrace and helps Ave to bed.\r\n\r\n“Some of the others heard what happened,” Hakima says. “One of the women, Farzenah, came by and brought you all she had, a phone card and 30 American dollars, as a gift for you. She said she hoped you would be able to use it to call your cousin to check on the baby while you are here.”\r\n\r\n“And how long will I be here?” Ave asks, exhausted. “How long, Hakima?”\r\n\r\n“Only God knows, and I’m not even sure God knows,” Hakima responds, her voice firm but compassionate. “It could be two months or two years.”\r\n\r\n“How long have you been here, Hakima?”\r\n\r\n“Three years.”\r\n\r\nAve begins to weep again, sobs wracking her body.\r\n\r\n“Here, child, and this is my gift to you,” Hakima says, pulling a small pill from underneath the mattress. “It will help you sleep, and sleep, I think, is the only thing that can console you right now.”\r\n\r\nHakima places the pill in Ave’s mouth and helps her sip it down with water. “Now, what is it they say in your language? <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nochebuena\">Noche buena</a>?”\r\n\r\nAve shakes her head and says weakly, “Buenas noches.”\r\n\r\nHakima waves her hands dismissively. “Yes, that. Buenas noches, then my dear Ave, buenas noches.”\r\n\r\nThe sedative takes Ave away into the succor of sleep. Hakima holds the young mother’s head in her lap, stroking Ave’s long black hair, deep into the good night.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">*****</p>\r\nConnect with David on <a href=\"http://facebook.com/unorthodoxology\">Facebook</a> and share your thoughts on <em>Christmas, Undocumented</em>. If there is enough interest, this project will be expanded to <em>Christ, Undocumented</em> and re-imagine the Gospel stories within this context.','Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena','','inherit','open','open','','3319-revision-2','','','2011-12-22 12:36:29','2011-12-22 20:36:29','',3319,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/3319-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3353,1,'2011-12-23 09:35:11','2011-12-23 17:35:11','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/author/davidrhenson/\">David Henson\'s</a> four-part short story.\n\n<a title=\"Christmas, Undocumented: Annunciation, Part I\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/20/christmas-undocumented-annunciation-part-i/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Christmas, Undocumented: Annunciation, Part I </a>\n\n<a title=\"Christmas, Undocumented: Anunciation, Part II\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/21/christmas-undocumented-anunciation-part-ii/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Christmas, Undocumented: Anunciation, Part II </a>\n\n<a title=\"Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part I\" href=\"../2011/12/22/christmas-undocumented-nochebuena-part-i/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part I </a>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/christmas-undocumented-nochebuena-part-2/\">Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part II</a>','Undocumented Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3304-autosave','','','2011-12-23 09:35:11','2011-12-23 17:35:11','',3304,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3304-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3354,1,'2011-12-22 10:01:26','2011-12-22 18:01:26','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/author/davidrhenson/\">David Henson\'s</a> four-part short story.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Christmas, Undocumented: Annunciation, Part I\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/20/christmas-undocumented-annunciation-part-i/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Christmas, Undocumented: Annunciation, Part I </a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Christmas, Undocumented: Anunciation, Part II\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/21/christmas-undocumented-anunciation-part-ii/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Christmas, Undocumented: Anunciation, Part II </a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part I\" href=\"../2011/12/22/christmas-undocumented-nochebuena-part-i/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Christmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part I </a>\r\n\r\nChristmas, Undocumented: Nochebuena, Part II','Undocumented Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3304-revision-2','','','2011-12-22 10:01:26','2011-12-22 18:01:26','',3304,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/3304-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3355,1,'2011-12-23 09:37:34','2011-12-23 17:37:34','Our American, western culture has become prideful in one aspect that has created a deep unsettling in the mass majority when anything comes to attack it.\n\n<em>Reality</em>.\n\nFor example, reality TV is at an all time high on prime time television…for more and more people are desiring “reality” to be injected into life, all in the name of avoiding hypocrisy.\n\nHowever, reality TV has actually become the most unreliable source of reality our nation has ever seen – yet it’s still highly desired. In fact, it’s so desired that it has become an unhealthy addiction.\n\nWhat really has brought this all to the surface lately in my heart has been the fever pitch surrounding Tim Tebow.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3282\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"193\" caption=\"Knees to the Earth by Juliet Towner\"]<a href=\"http://www.creationswap.com/7ulio\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3282 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/prayingunashamed1-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nNow I’m not a huge football fan – in fact, I’m not the most avid sports fan. I like my fair share of catching a hockey game on the TV now and again (Detroit Redwings, you have my support), and I enjoy the Olympics (USA!) – but beyond that, football, basketball, baseball and soccer…I honestly could live without. Yet, it’s hard to ignore the constant media coverage of Tim Tebow lately as he becomes a prominent target of contention in our American society.\n\n<em>“Don’t mix religion with football – it’s just not realistic.”</em>\n\nSeriously?...<em>Seriously</em>?\n\nCome on folks…let’s get “<em>real</em>” here for a moment. Whether we like it or not, religion (just like politics) is in our face every day we live and breathe. Yet, go figure, these are the very two things we’re “instructed” to avoid discussing because of the huge disagreements they can cause.\n\nThe truth is though, these are the very topics of discussion that need to be addressed in our lives, for these topics actually target reality. They target core heart issues that define our very lives by the beliefs we hold within each of these two areas. They single-handedly go hand in hand with our daily lives.\n\nPerhaps this is the very reason most want to avoid discussion of such topics and just want to focus on mind-numbing nothingness…because it provides an escape from the reality of life. However, this isn’t how Christians are called to live out life.\n\n<em>“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!”</em> -Lamentations 3:40 (ESV)\n\nIt’s right here in scripture, yet so many overlook this vitally important aspect of the Christian life. Most would rather turn a blind eye to the true aspects of life, rather than truly face them head on and examine their own lives against them, along side the very word of God.\n\nIn all honesty folks, this is why Tim Tebow has become the very thorn in most peoples’ sides. His outward expression of His devoted faith in God shines a light on all our sinful lives to the point it mirrors an image back to us that honestly is just hideous. And sincerely, who really wants to look at an ugly reflection?\n\nFriends, I get it. I really don’t like some of the reflections I get shown to me either – but it doesn’t mean the problems that I have within me go away by avoiding them by seeking to demolish anything that comes along to reveal the truth of my own depravity to my blind-shaded eyes.\n\nThe reality is, I am a human, I am sinful, and I need constant correction. And the only way to do this is to constantly keep myself in a realistic check that despite my sin, I am still loved by an almighty God who loves me amidst my failings. Praise Him for His grace! So why shouldn’t I constantly praise Him in all areas of my life…wherever I go…despite the hecklings I will endure? Why shouldn’t we all?\n\nGod will have His way, and reveal who He is through whomever He can in any arena He’s given the ability to shine in. Tim Tebow is merely one person who deeply loves Christ, and it unashamed to live it out boldly. For this, I can only commend him – and in turn, hope I continue to grow in ways that leads me to be just as bold for Christ.\n\nFor the reality is…Christ is everything, and this world is nothing without Him.','What is Reality?','','inherit','open','open','','3281-autosave','','','2011-12-23 09:37:34','2011-12-23 17:37:34','',3281,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3281-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3356,1,'2011-12-23 09:44:22','2011-12-23 17:44:22','','mirror_reflection','','inherit','open','open','','mirror_reflection','','','2011-12-23 09:44:22','2011-12-23 17:44:22','',3281,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mirror_reflection.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(3357,1,'2011-12-21 07:21:48','2011-12-21 15:21:48','[caption id=\"attachment_3282\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"193\" caption=\"Knees to the Earth by Juliet Towner\"]<a href=\"http://www.creationswap.com/7ulio\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3282 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/prayingunashamed1-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOur American, western culture has become prideful in one aspect that has created a deep unsettling in the mass majority when anything comes to attack it.\r\n\r\n<em>Reality</em>.\r\n\r\nFor example, reality TV is at an all time high on prime time television…for more and more people are desiring “reality” to be injected into life, all in the name of avoiding hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nHowever, reality TV has actually become the most unreliable source of reality our nation has ever seen – yet it’s still highly desired. In fact, it’s so desired that it has become an unhealthy addiction.\r\n\r\nWhat really has brought this all to the surface lately in my heart has been the fever pitch surrounding Tim Tebow.\r\n\r\nNow I’m not a huge football fan – in fact, I’m not the most avid sports fan. I like my fair share of catching a hockey game on the TV now and again (Detroit Redwings, you have my support), and I enjoy the Olympics (USA!) – but beyond that, football, basketball, baseball and soccer…I honestly could live without. Yet, it’s hard to ignore the constant media coverage of Tim Tebow lately as he becomes a prominent target of contention in our American society.\r\n\r\n<em>“Don’t mix religion with football – it’s just not realistic.”</em>\r\n\r\nSeriously?...<em>Seriously</em>?\r\n\r\nCome on folks…let’s get “<em>real</em>” here for a moment. Whether we like it or not, religion (just like politics) is in our face every day we live and breathe. Yet, go figure, these are the very two things we’re “instructed” to avoid discussing because of the huge disagreements they can cause.\r\n\r\nThe truth is though, these are the very topics of discussion that need to be addressed in our lives, for these topics actually target reality. They target core heart issues that define our very lives by the beliefs we hold within each of these two areas. They single-handedly go hand in hand with our daily lives.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this is the very reason most want to avoid discussion of such topics and just want to focus on mind-numbing nothingness…because it provides an escape from the reality of life. However, this isn’t how Christians are called to live out life.\r\n\r\n<em>“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!”</em> -Lamentations 3:40 (ESV)\r\n\r\nIt’s right here in scripture, yet so many overlook this vitally important aspect of the Christian life. Most would rather turn a blind eye to the true aspects of life, rather than truly face them head on and examine their own lives against them, along side the very word of God.\r\n\r\nIn all honesty folks, this is why Tim Tebow has become the very thorn in most peoples’ sides. His outward expression of His devoted faith in God shines a light on all our sinful lives to the point it mirrors an image back to us that honestly is just hideous. And sincerely, who really wants to look at an ugly reflection?\r\n\r\nFriends, I get it. I really don’t like some of the reflections I get shown to me either – but it doesn’t mean the problems that I have within me go away by avoiding them by seeking to demolish anything that comes along to reveal the truth of my own depravity to my blind-shaded eyes.\r\n\r\nThe reality is, I am a human, I am sinful, and I need constant correction. And the only way to do this is to constantly keep myself in a realistic check that despite my sin, I am still loved by an almighty God who loves me amidst my failings. Praise Him for His grace! So why shouldn’t I constantly praise Him in all areas of my life…wherever I go…despite the hecklings I will endure? Why shouldn’t we all?\r\n\r\nGod will have His way, and reveal who He is through whomever He can in any arena He’s given the ability to shine in. Tim Tebow is merely one person who deeply loves Christ, and it unashamed to live it out boldly. For this, I can only commend him – and in turn, hope I continue to grow in ways that leads me to be just as bold for Christ.\r\n\r\nFor the reality is…Christ is everything, and this world is nothing without Him.','What is Reality?','','inherit','open','open','','3281-revision-6','','','2011-12-21 07:21:48','2011-12-21 15:21:48','',3281,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/21/3281-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3358,1,'2011-12-23 09:45:34','2011-12-23 17:45:34','Our American, western culture has become prideful in one aspect that has created a deep unsettling in the mass majority when anything comes to attack it.\r\n\r\n<em>Reality</em>.\r\n\r\nFor example, reality TV is at an all time high on prime time television…for more and more people are desiring “reality” to be injected into life, all in the name of avoiding hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nHowever, reality TV has actually become the most unreliable source of reality our nation has ever seen – yet it’s still highly desired. In fact, it’s so desired that it has become an unhealthy addiction.\r\n\r\nWhat really has brought this all to the surface lately in my heart has been the fever pitch surrounding Tim Tebow.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3282\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"193\" caption=\"Knees to the Earth by Juliet Towner\"]<a href=\"http://www.creationswap.com/7ulio\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3282 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/prayingunashamed1-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNow I’m not a huge football fan – in fact, I’m not the most avid sports fan. I like my fair share of catching a hockey game on the TV now and again (Detroit Redwings, you have my support), and I enjoy the Olympics (USA!) – but beyond that, football, basketball, baseball and soccer…I honestly could live without. Yet, it’s hard to ignore the constant media coverage of Tim Tebow lately as he becomes a prominent target of contention in our American society.\r\n\r\n<em>“Don’t mix religion with football – it’s just not realistic.”</em>\r\n\r\nSeriously?...<em>Seriously</em>?\r\n\r\nCome on folks…let’s get “<em>real</em>” here for a moment. Whether we like it or not, religion (just like politics) is in our face every day we live and breathe. Yet, go figure, these are the very two things we’re “instructed” to avoid discussing because of the huge disagreements they can cause.\r\n\r\nThe truth is though, these are the very topics of discussion that need to be addressed in our lives, for these topics actually target reality. They target core heart issues that define our very lives by the beliefs we hold within each of these two areas. They single-handedly go hand in hand with our daily lives.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this is the very reason most want to avoid discussion of such topics and just want to focus on mind-numbing nothingness…because it provides an escape from the reality of life. However, this isn’t how Christians are called to live out life.\r\n\r\n<em>“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!”</em> -Lamentations 3:40 (ESV)\r\n\r\nIt’s right here in scripture, yet so many overlook this vitally important aspect of the Christian life. Most would rather turn a blind eye to the true aspects of life, rather than truly face them head on and examine their own lives against them, along side the very word of God.\r\n\r\nIn all honesty folks, this is why Tim Tebow has become the very thorn in most peoples’ sides. His outward expression of His devoted faith in God shines a light on all our sinful lives to the point it mirrors an image back to us that honestly is just hideous. And sincerely, who really wants to look at an ugly reflection?\r\n\r\nFriends, I get it. I really don’t like some of the reflections I get shown to me either – but it doesn’t mean the problems that I have within me go away by avoiding them by seeking to demolish anything that comes along to reveal the truth of my own depravity to my blind-shaded eyes.\r\n\r\nThe reality is, I am a human, I am sinful, and I need constant correction. And the only way to do this is to constantly keep myself in a realistic check that despite my sin, I am still loved by an almighty God who loves me amidst my failings. Praise Him for His grace! So why shouldn’t I constantly praise Him in all areas of my life…wherever I go…despite the hecklings I will endure? Why shouldn’t we all?\r\n\r\nGod will have His way, and reveal who He is through whomever He can in any arena He’s given the ability to shine in. Tim Tebow is merely one person who deeply loves Christ, and it unashamed to live it out boldly. For this, I can only commend him – and in turn, hope I continue to grow in ways that leads me to be just as bold for Christ.\r\n\r\nFor the reality is…Christ is everything, and this world is nothing without Him.','What is Reality?','','inherit','open','open','','3281-revision-7','','','2011-12-23 09:45:34','2011-12-23 17:45:34','',3281,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3281-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3362,1,'2011-12-23 09:57:48','2011-12-23 17:57:48','','war_on_christmas','','inherit','open','open','','war_on_christmas','','','2011-12-23 09:57:48','2011-12-23 17:57:48','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/war_on_christmas.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(3363,1,'2011-12-23 01:37:39','2011-12-23 09:37:39','“Dear Cody: I am a new believer. Some of my friends tell me that there is a ‘War on Christmas.’ Papa says, ‘If you read it in PROVOKETIVE it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth: is there a war on Christmas?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVirginia Namaak\r\n\r\n115 East 59<sup>th</sup> street\r\n\r\nVIRGINIA, your friends are right. They are not right about the form of the war or about who is waging it, or even when it happens. Your friends believe in a kingdom that has been firmly rooted in the workings of this world. Their minds have fallen captive to the imagination of power perceived through the lens of domination, heard in the phrase ‘might makes right,’ or the inverse ‘right makes might.’ Unfortunately, our minds cannot grasp real power, Virginia, and our imaginations are too small to contain the whole of truth and knowledge. Which is why Christmas came in the first place; in the words of a great Christmas song, Virginia, Jesus “came to shed a little light on this darkening scene.”\r\n\r\nYes, VIRGINIA, there is a war on Christmas. It happens not just during the winter months, but it happens as certainly as love and generosity are set aside and bitterness is picked up instead; whenever absolute certainty is honored above humility, acceptance, and grace. It happens when a friendly holiday greeting is taken, not on face value as a warm gesture, but instead as a provocation. It happens when we who profess to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Messiah, ignore his own example, the one who:\r\n<blockquote>though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.</blockquote>\r\nChristmas, VIRGINIA—the birth of Jesus, the incarnation in human flesh—was not about fighting for any rights. No, VIRIGINIA, Christmas was, IS, about the laying aside of power, the giving up of rights. It’s about vacating a position of power to sleep in a box of hay. The only war on Christmas, VIRGINIA, is the battle against humility. When one looks at the cradle and sees a call to arms, the war against Christmas heats up. When selfless servanthood takes a backseat to power grabs, the clash of armor can be heard.\r\n\r\nBut thank God! Christmas lives and it will live forever. Wherever love and humility, generosity and grace abound, there you will find Christmas. Whenever room is made for another, whatever that looks like and no matter who does it—Muslim, Christian, gay, straight, Jew, Gentile, atheist, agnostic, man, woman, old, young— Christmas is renewed. Jesus takes on flesh again. The light breaks through the darkness once more. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Christmas will be born anew, no matter what ways we might make war on it.','Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Christmas','','inherit','open','open','','3323-revision-9','','','2011-12-23 01:37:39','2011-12-23 09:37:39','',3323,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3323-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3365,1,'2011-12-23 08:23:42','2011-12-23 16:23:42','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3342\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCF00051-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"Joel Rieves\" width=\"300\" height=\"112\" /></a>Lately, I\'ve been catching some flack from people close to me.  Some of them have issues with a bumper sticker on my truck, the one you see in the picture at the beginning of this little ditty.  They didn\'t like it, they said, because I couldn\'t be sure it was the truth.  But, it is very much the truth; a truth that is attested to the very nature of Jesus\' birth, life and death.  He was born to a poor family, lived in an occupied country and was put to death by the state.  He\'s not just <em>with</em> the 99%; He <em>is</em> the 99%. Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the poor, the needy and the oppressed; to bring justice to an unjust system; to show us that love and mercy are far more important that things.  If these aren\'t the hallmarks of the Occupy movement, I\'ll eat my hat.</p>\r\nIf you stop and think about it, the first Occupier was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After Gabriel told her she would bear the Son of God, she got excited and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.  When she walked into Elizabeth\'s presence, Luke tells us that the child who would become John the Baptist leapt within his mother\'s (Elizabeth) womb.  When Elizabeth told Mary what had happened, Mary responded with what has become with the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).  In that hymn, she says\r\n<blockquote>\"He shows mercy to everyone,\r\nfrom one generation to the next,\r\nwho honors him as God.\r\n<sup>51</sup> He has shown strength with his arm.\r\nHe has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.\r\n<sup>52</sup> He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones\r\nand lifted up the lowly.\r\n<sup>53</sup> He has filled the hungry with good things\r\nand sent the rich away empty-handed.\"\r\n\r\nFrom the Common English Bible</blockquote>\r\nThis song, sung by His mother sang even before He was born, speaks of how those on top (the rich and powerful) will be brought low and those on the bottom (the poor, the needy, the oppressed) will be raised up.  These words, spoken to a people suffering under the heel of one the most oppressive regimes the world has ever known, were a sorely needed balm.  They were words of hope; hope that, one day, things would be better.   While things today aren\'t anywhere near as bad as they were in first century Palestine, they aren\'t that good.  The Roman boot isn\'t on our neck any longer; it\'s been replaced by a Gucci loafer.  Much like Palestine in Jesus\' day, we live and work under a system that stacks the deck against the masses and in favor of the rich and powerful.  And, just like in Jesus\'s day, there are people working to change that.  They would do well to remember the original Occupiers and follow their lead.','The Original Occupiers','','inherit','open','open','','3339-revision-7','','','2011-12-23 08:23:42','2011-12-23 16:23:42','',3339,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3339-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3366,1,'2011-12-23 10:19:06','2011-12-23 18:19:06','','hand_wheat','','inherit','open','open','','hand_wheat','','','2011-12-23 10:19:06','2011-12-23 18:19:06','',3334,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/hand_wheat.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(3367,1,'2011-12-23 03:41:33','2011-12-23 11:41:33','What I believe isn’t important. \r\n\r\nThe fact that I can put order to my thoughts, sort them into opinions and fan them into beliefs is hardly impressive.  In fact, such thinking is unavoidable.  It’s what our highly evolved human brains do.  They compare and contrast and judge in an endless attempt to make sense of the world around us.  Believing is as automatic as walking or talking or sneezing, and about as noteworthy.\r\n\r\nThere was a time when I considered my beliefs to be something more than just an assemblage of thoughts.  I mistook them for something much more important.  I thought they were me.\r\n\r\nAt various times in my life I believed I was a Catholic, a Unitarian, an agnostic and a secular humanist.  I was a liberal, a feminist, an environmentalist and a pacifist.  I took on new identities in search of a higher self and, down deep, I think, to distance myself from certain vulgarities that characterize the human condition - qualities like greed and aggression.  By connecting certain thoughts, by cobbling together new identities, I convinced myself and others that those unwholesome human traits couldn’t possibly define me.  They defined thieves and rapists and murderers.  I was above all that, and had a portfolio of beliefs to prove it.\r\n\r\nI was not alone in my quest adopt a new identity.  Everyone in the world was doing it right along with me.  Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.  Socialists, Communists and Greens.  Progressive Unionists, Christian Democrats – some crafting identities the way college freshmen craft double majors.  We were all attempting to rise above our inherited animal nature, but rising above it didn’t make it go away.  We were still greedy and aggressive despite our deeply held beliefs.  We were walking contradictions, projecting our inner conflicts onto the world; in fact, we were the world, and that’s why it was such a bloody mess.\r\n\r\nHaving wandered from one belief system to another, I thought I had explored life’s biggest questions, but I was only asking questions for which my beliefs had provided me pat answers.  I had yet to ask myself the most radical questions, the ones that would eventually smash my beliefs to bits.  They were questions no one seemed to be asking, questions like:\r\n\r\nIf a clash of beliefs can be found at the root of all the violence in the world, then shouldn’t we question their validity – not the validity of any particular belief, but belief itself? \r\n\r\nSeparated from our beliefs, would we lose our moral bearing?  Would we fall prey to our baser instincts and rock the world with depraved acts of violence?  Or is this precisely the behavior we exhibit under the hypnotic spell our beliefs? \r\n\r\nImagine a city whose buildings have been leveled by an earthquake.  That’s the image I had of my mind after my beliefs had been toppled.  I felt like I could see forever in every direction.  The towering thought structures that stood as my beliefs no longer blocked my view of the world.  I felt a disorienting sense of freedom.  Liberated from the beliefs that had conferred my identity, I felt blissfully anonymous.  I was a person without a suffix, without an –ist to affirm my existence.  I had unwittingly joined the only club that matters.  It numbers in the billions, doesn’t charge dues and welcomes career criminals.  It’s called the human race. \r\n\r\nIt’s been years since I disposed of my beliefs, and I have yet to turn into a sociopathic killer. On the contrary, I’ve developed a deep affection for my planet mates now that I’m not measuring them by the yardstick of my beliefs.  Gone are the walls of thought that prevented me from seeing who they really are.  Gone are the lectures I’d give in an attempt to raise their consciousness.  And gone, mercifully, is my compulsion to cast them as evil so that I can appear virtuous\r\n\r\nHowever sacred or profound, a belief is nothing more than a thought, and thought is never the thing it describes.  It can only hint at the wonders it attempts to touch.  Sermons about love garble love’s ineffable beauty.  Speeches about unity clank after the first syllable.  Courting belief is a prescription for a virtual, not a virtuous life.','The Futility of Belief','','inherit','open','open','','3334-revision-3','','','2011-12-23 03:41:33','2011-12-23 11:41:33','',3334,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/23/3334-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (3825,30,'2012-01-09 14:32:43','2012-01-09 22:32:43','Tim Tebow brought the pain to my boys in Black and Gold on Sunday night, beating them in overtime with a huge 80 yard bomb that made it the quickest ending to an NFL overtime in history. When it was over, he knelt down and prayed a prayer of thanks.\r\n\r\nAnd that act probably caused more arguments on Facebook last night than the actual outcome of the game.\r\n\r\nOn one side, you have the folks who point to Tim Tebow\'s success as proof of the sovereignty of God. Who see any criticism of his playing form as a criticism of his faith. Who trot out the \"if he was a Muslim\" argument, while generally being the same people who pair \"radical\" with Muslim far more liberally than necessary.\r\n\r\nOn the other side, you have the critics. The folks who hate that Tebow uses his platform to proselytize. The ones who toss around <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A6&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #990000;\">Matthew 6:6</span></a> ad nauseum. The ones who seem just a little too eager to see him screw up.\r\n\r\nEither way, we end up creating an idol. And idols are good for one thing - to serve as a replacement for the the god they represent.\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to see how the fans do that. His faith has become the stuff of legend. A Saturday Night Live skit becomes an example of religious persecution. Tim Tebow is the picture of all that is good and right and just. All praise Tebow.\r\n\r\nIt\'s the same from the critics. Tebow is every Christian that has ever been kind of an ass. Any praise that he receives is strictly because of his over-the-top Christianity, not because he might actually be pretty good at his job. He represents all that is phony and shallow and annoying. All hate Tebow.\r\n\r\nThe thing is, Tebow is <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Pjlr23CMU\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #990000;\">just this guy</span></a>, you know? He plays a sport well. He wins some games, he loses some games. He goes to church. He uses his money to <a href=\"http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #990000;\">support various causes</span></a>. He probably likes pizza. Some day he\'ll probably do pretty well on Dancing with the Stars. He likely sassed his mom at some point growing up.\r\n\r\nHe\'s not the embodiment of anything, he\'s a dude who plays football. Most of us don\'t know much more about him than that (I tried to find information about the pizza thing, but came up empty. I\'m just guessing, based on pizza\'s extreme popularity, that he likes it.).\r\n\r\nTurning people into idols or caricatures is really easy for us. We do it all the time. We do it with politicians. We do it with writers. We do it with <a href=\"http://rachelheldevans.com/mark-driscoll-real-marriage\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #990000;\">pastors</span></a>. We do it with any group or person that we don\'t know. We elevate them to a position that they never asked for and then we either worship them or knock them down.\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, we don\'t even know if they like pizza. Or <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_(TV_series)\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #990000;\">Community</span></a>. Or cats. Or flannel. Or Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.\r\n\r\nIf we don\'t know that, we certainly can\'t know every nuance of their character. Which makes them a poor representation of God, no matter how virtuous they are or are not.\r\n\r\nGod has provided us with <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202:6-11&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #990000;\">one accurate representation of himself</span></a>. If we want to start kneeling, let\'s bow down to that. I\'ll take a spot right next to Tim on that.\r\n\r\nAs long as he likes pizza.','I Won\'t Tebow to Your Idol','','publish','open','open','','i-wont-tebow-to-your-idol','','','2012-01-09 14:32:43','2012-01-09 22:32:43','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3825',0,'post','',2),(3372,31,'2011-12-28 09:00:49','2011-12-28 17:00:49','<div>Just yesterday, the little boy had taken his first, wobbly steps. Just yesterday, the mother had seen the little boy emerging from the disappearing rounded edges of baby fat, flashes of the man glowing in his tiny eyes.Just yesterday, the little boy had stumbled into his first word with delight.\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, the new mother had felt her exhaustion melt away with the first gummy grin from her baby boy.\r\n\r\nToday, he was dead.\r\n\r\nAnd she had been robbed of life.\r\n\r\nMurdered by a distant king for the sake of a supposed savior. But what kind of savior carries the death of so many innocents in his healing hands? What kind of God is welcomed to earth by the blood of infants running in rivers, by the agonized drum beats of wailing mothers?\r\n\r\nIn the wake of Jesus\' birth, the gospel of Matthew explains that King Herod feared this infant upstart who might one day rival his divine-right rule. So, he does what any brutal megalomaniac might do: he kills every young boy in sight. Yet, Jesus, the boy he sought to exterminate, slips away to Africa, his parents having received some angelic version of an Amber Alert. Most scholars agree that this horrid massacre never happened, but was a hagiographical invention meant to establish Jesus’ birth in the pattern of Moses as well as to bolster Jesus\' credibility as the Christ (further proof, of course, that men -- not women or God -- wrote the Bible).\r\n\r\nYet, so many of us believe it anyway, buying into its violence as proof of the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus, lauding the escape of Jesus while passing over the crumpled bodies of infants whose legs could not yet even support their bodies.\r\n\r\nAnd 12 years later, as Jesus amazes the rabbis in the synagogue, Mary quietly treasures these things in her heart: her remarkable son and her lucky escape from the unending burden of burying a child. While she treasures these things in her heart, thousands of mothers, gulping back ever-present sobs, finger those small socks, that tiny hat, that little blanket, that only memento left from the life that ended all-too-soon so that the world might have a savior.\r\n\r\nI imagine, if Jesus were intelligent enough to teach and ask questions as a preteen, he also probably would have wondered why he had so few male playmates his own age. I imagine he asked his mother why this was, why there were so many girls his age, but no boys. I imagine Mary began by explaining how special he was.\r\n\r\nBut this kind of special was more a curse than a blessing, knowing one\'s life was ransomed by so many others.\r\n\r\nWhy couldn\'t God have truly given Jesus the ignoble birth we celebrate? Why did God have to hang that damned star like some distant father in a waiting room smoking a celebratory cigar oblivious to the actual pain and joy of the birth? That damned star shining brightly in the dark sky signaling the magi of greatness below, notifying Herod of his tiny, helpless rival. That damned star of God that impaled, speared and crushed countless children with its prideful beams of light.\r\n\r\nThe twinkle, twinkle of that little star, in effect, ordered the deaths of the innocents.\r\n\r\nPerhaps God\'s ways are our ways, after all.\r\n\r\nBut doesn\'t it seem somehow a terrible injustice that so many innocents died so that the Innocent One could live only to die, years later, at the very same hands?\r\n\r\nPerhaps, Jesus didn\'t come to die. Maybe instead Jesus, like the rest of us, came to <em><strong>live</strong></em>. Perhaps, he got lucky, in exile, living out his formative years in a diaspora in Africa. Maybe knowing that his was a life lived at the expense of — no, in debt of — the blood of the Innocents made him, in part, the extraordinary person he was.\r\n\r\nMaybe what Jesus did in his three decades on Earth was the least he could do in humble repayment to those that gave their lives that he might live, who gave their lives simply because he lived.\r\n\r\n</div>','The Debt of Jesus: A Meditation on the Massacre of Innocents','','publish','open','open','','the-debt-of-jesus-a-meditation-on-the-massacre-of-innocents','','','2011-12-27 12:13:07','2011-12-27 20:13:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3372',0,'post','',3),(3397,1,'2011-12-22 11:10:34','2011-12-22 19:10:34','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII6-IyaT3o[/youtube]\r\n\r\nI love satire for its capacity to speak some remarkable truths in really funny ways.  Mr Diety is definitely satire and it often takes on the philosophical and apparent humorous tensions within Christianity.  It\'s not always fair, and often it borders on mean, but sometimes it really calls out the issues.\r\n\r\nIn this absurd take on the relationship of the Trinity, Mr. Diety explores the relationship of Jesus to God. You can hear the influence of Abbot and Costello\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOXdpO36Ojw\" target=\"_blank\">Who\'s On First</a>, and they even reference it during the skit.\r\n\r\nAt 2:50 the skit turns to the meaning of the set up.\r\n<blockquote>Jesus: What\'s the point of this?\r\n\r\nMr. Diety: The point is to save the human\'s from the original sin and to show, you know, my love.\r\n\r\nJesus: To show <em>your</em> love?\r\n\r\nMr. Diety: Yeah, by sacrificing myself, in the person of you, to myself.  That\'s loving.\r\n\r\nJesus: Wait, don\'t you mean sacrificing me to you?\r\n\r\nMr. Diety: Look this is a beautiful thing I\'m doing to satisfy my own sense of unyielding justice.</blockquote>\r\nThis skit strays at this point from the traditional evangelical story, suggesting Adam didn\'t really exist, but at this point it doesn\'t matter.  The skit has shown the tension.  Is God demanding the death of his own son to appease his own sense of divine justice.\r\n\r\nAs strange as it may sound, this is the tension of our Western understanding of the Gospel.  The meaning of the Gospel is found in our understanding of the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_in_Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">atonement</a>, or why did Jesus die on the cross? It describes how humanity is reconciled with God.  Although there are many theories of atonement in history, this theory (also called subsitutionary and later penal substitutionary atonement) underlines the historical basis for much of our Western theology, especially within the Evangelical community.  It\'s the story of the Gospel and provides a basis for our belief systems.\r\n\r\nAnd in a postmodern age, people are calling out a big \"Fail\" to the idea. The theory of justice doesn\'t seem all that loving.  Some would even suggest that it makes God a child killer. And if so, what kind of God would do that?  How does this understanding of justice reconcile with love?  All Mr. Diety is doing is giving voice to that tension.  And when we don\'t like reflecting on our own understanding of the Gospel, one that holds profound implications for our understanding of God\'s character and the framework for justice, someone else will.  If we want to be honest about our own faith, it requires wrestling with these tensions.\r\n\r\nWhat if there was a different way of understanding the cross, one that reconciles with our understanding of love and justice and the event that unfold?  What if God is not satisfying a divine sense of cosmic justice (or even paying a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_theory_of_atonement\" target=\"_blank\">Ransom to Satan</a>), but instead God is meeting our warped demands for proof that we are worth it, that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">we are still good</a>.  In other words, the cross is saying, \"This is how far I will go to show you that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:31&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">you are good</a>. I will meet your demands for sacrifice and give you my son.\" Because if we listen to the actual story, it is WE who are making the demands at the cross for justice.  It is WE who need someone to pay the price for us.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Catalogue_Discovering.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2988\" title=\"Catalogue_Discovering\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Catalogue_Discovering-208x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"108\" height=\"156\" /></a>When I tell people this idea, there first thought is to say, \"Let me think about that so I can understand it.\" It\'s so simple but it doesn\'t let humanity off the hook for sin.  Sin is actually the process of getting the original question in the Tree of Knowledge wrong, which asks, are you good or evil? Justice is then God revealing the extent of sin (our demand for a substitute) and satisfying that demand through love (by offering life).  But it is us who are making the demands.\r\n\r\nFor a detailed walk through of this idea you can read, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-God-Imagination-Jonathan-Brink/dp/0615513956\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole New Christianity</em></a> (Civitas Press, July 2011).','The Tension Of The Gospel','','inherit','open','open','','2980-revision-8','','','2011-12-22 11:10:34','2011-12-22 19:10:34','',2980,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/22/2980-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3373,31,'2011-12-26 10:42:58','2011-12-26 18:42:58','<div><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://artandthestory.webs.com/photos/Franois-Joseph-Navez/NAVEZ_Massacre_of_the_Innocents_1824_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"512\" /></div>\n<div></div>\n<div>Just yesterday, the little boy had taken his first, wobbly steps.\n\nJust yesterday, the mother had seen the little boy emerging from the disappearing rounded edges of baby fat, flashes of the man glowing in his tiny eyes.\n\nJust yesterday, the little boy had stumbled into his first word with delight.\n\nJust yesterday, the new mother had felt her exhaustion melt away with the first gummy grin from her baby boy.\n\nToday, he was dead.\n\nAnd she had been robbed of life.\n\nMurdered by a distant king for the sake of a supposed savior. But what kind of savior carries the death of so many innocents in his healing hands? What kind of God is welcomed to earth by the blood of infants running in rivers, by the agonized drumbeats of wailing mothers?\n\nIn the wake of Jesus\' birth, the gospel of Matthew explains that King Herod feared this infant upstart who might one day rival his divine-right rule. So, he does what any brutal megalomaniac might do: he kills every young boy in sight. Yet, Jesus, the boy he sought to exterminate, slips away to Africa, his parents having received some angelic version of an Amber Alert. Most scholars agree that this horrid massacre never happened, but was a hagiographical invention meant to establish Jesus’ birth in the pattern of Moses as well as to bolster Jesus\' credibility as the Christ (further proof, of course, that men -- not women or God -- wrote the Bible).\n\nYet, so many of us believe it anyway, buying into its violence as proof of the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus, lauding the escape of Jesus while passing over the crumpled bodies of infants whose legs could not yet even support their bodies.\n\nAnd 12 years later, as Jesus amazes the rabbis in the synagogue, Mary quietly treasures these things in her heart: her remarkable son and her lucky escape from the unending burden of burying a child. While she treasures these things in her heart, thousands of mothers, gulping back ever-present sobs, finger those small socks, that tiny hat, that little blanket, that only memento left from the life that ended all-too-soon so that the world might have a savior.\n\nI imagine, if Jesus were intelligent enough to teach and ask questions as a preteen, he also probably would have wondered why he had so few male playmates his own age. I imagine he asked his mother why this was, why there were so many girls his age, but no boys. I imagine Mary began by explaining how special he was.\n\nBut this kind of special was more a curse than a blessing, knowing one\'s life was ransomed by so many others.\n\nWhy couldn\'t God have truly given Jesus the ignoble birth we celebrate? Why did God have to hang that damned star like some distant father in a waiting room smoking a celebratory cigar oblivious to the actual pain and joy of the birth? That damned star shining brightly in the dark sky signaling the magi of greatness below, notifying Herod of his tiny, helpless rival. That damned star of God that impaled, speared and crushed countless children with its prideful beams of light.\n\nThe twinkle, twinkle of that little star, in effect, ordered the deaths of the innocents.\n\nPerhaps God\'s ways are our ways, after all.\n\nBut doesn\'t it seem somehow a terrible injustice that so many innocents died so that the Innocent One could live only to die, years later, at the very same hands?\n\nPerhaps, Jesus didn\'t come to die. Maybe instead Jesus, like the rest of us, came to <em><strong>live</strong></em>. Perhaps, he got lucky, in exile, living out his formative years in a diaspora in Africa. Maybe knowing that his was a life lived at the expense of — no, in debt of — the blood of the Innocents made him, in part, the extraordinary person he was.\n\nMaybe what Jesus did in his three decades on Earth was the least he could do in humble repayment to those that gave their lives that he might live, who gave their lives simply because he lived.</div>','The Debt of Jesus: A Meditation on the Massacre of Innocents','','inherit','open','open','','3372-revision','','','2011-12-26 10:42:58','2011-12-26 18:42:58','',3372,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/26/3372-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3374,31,'2011-12-27 18:08:08','2011-12-28 02:08:08','<div>Just yesterday, the little boy had taken his first, wobbly steps. Just yesterday, the mother had seen the little boy emerging from the disappearing rounded edges of baby fat, flashes of the man glowing in his tiny eyes.Just yesterday, the little boy had stumbled into his first word with delight.Just yesterday, the new mother had felt her exhaustion melt away with the first gummy grin from her baby boy.\n\nToday, he was dead.\n\nAnd she had been robbed of life.\n\nMurdered by a distant king for the sake of a supposed savior. But what kind of savior carries the death of so many innocents in his healing hands? What kind of God is welcomed to earth by the blood of infants running in rivers, by the agonized drum beats of wailing mothers?\n\nIn the wake of Jesus\' birth, the gospel of Matthew explains that King Herod feared this infant upstart who might one day rival his divine-right rule. So, he does what any brutal megalomaniac might do: he kills every young boy in sight. Yet, Jesus, the boy he sought to exterminate, slips away to Africa, his parents having received some angelic version of an Amber Alert. Most scholars agree that this horrid massacre never happened, but was a hagiographical invention meant to establish Jesus’ birth in the pattern of Moses as well as to bolster Jesus\' credibility as the Christ (further proof, of course, that men -- not women or God -- wrote the Bible).\n\nYet, so many of us believe it anyway, buying into its violence as proof of the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus, lauding the escape of Jesus while passing over the crumpled bodies of infants whose legs could not yet even support their bodies.\n\nAnd 12 years later, as Jesus amazes the rabbis in the synagogue, Mary quietly treasures these things in her heart: her remarkable son and her lucky escape from the unending burden of burying a child. While she treasures these things in her heart, thousands of mothers, gulping back ever-present sobs, finger those small socks, that tiny hat, that little blanket, that only memento left from the life that ended all-too-soon so that the world might have a savior.\n\nI imagine, if Jesus were intelligent enough to teach and ask questions as a preteen, he also probably would have wondered why he had so few male playmates his own age. I imagine he asked his mother why this was, why there were so many girls his age, but no boys. I imagine Mary began by explaining how special he was.\n\nBut this kind of special was more a curse than a blessing, knowing one\'s life was ransomed by so many others.\n\nWhy couldn\'t God have truly given Jesus the ignoble birth we celebrate? Why did God have to hang that damned star like some distant father in a waiting room smoking a celebratory cigar oblivious to the actual pain and joy of the birth? That damned star shining brightly in the dark sky signaling the magi of greatness below, notifying Herod of his tiny, helpless rival. That damned star of God that impaled, speared and crushed countless children with its prideful beams of light.\n\nThe twinkle, twinkle of that little star, in effect, ordered the deaths of the innocents.\n\nPerhaps God\'s ways are our ways, after all.\n\nBut doesn\'t it seem somehow a terrible injustice that so many innocents died so that the Innocent One could live only to die, years later, at the very same hands?\n\nPerhaps, Jesus didn\'t come to die. Maybe instead Jesus, like the rest of us, came to <em><strong>live</strong></em>. Perhaps, he got lucky, in exile, living out his formative years in a diaspora in Africa. Maybe knowing that his was a life lived at the expense of — no, in debt of — the blood of the Innocents made him, in part, the extraordinary person he was.\n\nMaybe what Jesus did in his three decades on Earth was the least he could do in humble repayment to those that gave their lives that he might live, who gave their lives simply because he lived.\n\n</div>','The Debt of Jesus: A Meditation on the Massacre of Innocents','','inherit','open','open','','3372-autosave','','','2011-12-27 18:08:08','2011-12-28 02:08:08','',3372,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/26/3372-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3395,1,'2011-12-27 12:11:27','2011-12-27 20:11:27','','massacre_of_the_innocents','','inherit','open','open','','massacre_of_the_innocents','','','2011-12-27 12:11:27','2011-12-27 20:11:27','',3372,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/massacre_of_the_innocents.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(3378,1,'2011-12-26 17:59:11','2011-12-27 01:59:11','','Jon Rogers','','publish','open','open','','jon-rogers','','','2012-12-18 12:55:07','2012-12-18 20:55:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3378',52,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3379,1,'2011-12-26 17:59:10','2011-12-27 01:59:10','','Bronwen Henry','','publish','open','open','','bronwen-henry','','','2012-12-18 12:55:05','2012-12-18 20:55:05','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3379',28,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3380,1,'2011-12-26 17:59:11','2011-12-27 01:59:11','','Chris Smith','','publish','open','open','','chris-smith','','','2012-12-18 12:55:08','2012-12-18 20:55:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3380',57,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3382,1,'2011-12-26 18:02:31','2011-12-27 02:02:31','','Travis Mamone','','publish','open','open','','travis-mamone','','','2012-12-18 12:55:06','2012-12-18 20:55:06','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3382',40,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3383,1,'2011-12-26 18:02:32','2011-12-27 02:02:32','','Christian Salafia','','publish','open','open','','christian-salafia','','','2012-12-18 12:55:08','2012-12-18 20:55:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3383',54,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3384,1,'2011-12-26 18:05:56','2011-12-27 02:05:56','','Clark Goble','','publish','open','open','','clark-goble','','','2012-12-18 12:55:04','2012-12-18 20:55:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3384',24,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3385,1,'2011-12-26 18:08:39','2011-12-27 02:08:39','','Amy Moffitt','','publish','open','open','','amy-moffitt','','','2012-12-18 12:55:07','2012-12-18 20:55:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3385',44,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3386,1,'2011-12-26 18:10:16','2011-12-27 02:10:16','','Scott Kiloby','','publish','open','open','','scott-kiloby','','','2012-12-18 12:55:06','2012-12-18 20:55:06','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3386',35,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3387,1,'2011-12-26 18:13:11','2011-12-27 02:13:11','','Marni Arnold','','publish','open','open','','marni-arnold','','','2012-12-18 12:55:03','2012-12-18 20:55:03','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3387',9,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3388,1,'2011-12-26 18:13:11','2011-12-27 02:13:11','','Ashley Bowie','','publish','open','open','','ashley-bowie','','','2012-12-18 12:55:03','2012-12-18 20:55:03','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3388',11,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3389,1,'2011-12-26 18:14:33','2011-12-27 02:14:33','','Lee Fischer','','publish','open','open','','lee-fischer','','','2012-12-18 12:55:04','2012-12-18 20:55:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3389',22,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3390,1,'2011-12-26 18:16:38','2011-12-27 02:16:38','','Writer\'s F-H','','publish','open','open','','writers-f-h','','','2012-12-18 12:55:04','2012-12-18 20:55:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3390',20,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3393,1,'2011-12-27 12:04:18','2011-12-27 20:04:18','','Fallen220x125','','inherit','open','open','','fallen220x125','','','2011-12-27 12:04:18','2011-12-27 20:04:18','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Fallen220x125.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3394,1,'2011-12-26 10:48:02','2011-12-26 18:48:02','<div><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://artandthestory.webs.com/photos/Franois-Joseph-Navez/NAVEZ_Massacre_of_the_Innocents_1824_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"512\" /></div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<div>Just yesterday, the little boy had taken his first, wobbly steps.\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, the mother had seen the little boy emerging from the disappearing rounded edges of baby fat, flashes of the man glowing in his tiny eyes.\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, the little boy had stumbled into his first word with delight.\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, the new mother had felt her exhaustion melt away with the first gummy grin from her baby boy.\r\n\r\nToday, he was dead.\r\n\r\nAnd she had been robbed of life.\r\n\r\nMurdered by a distant king for the sake of a supposed savior. But what kind of savior carries the death of so many innocents in his healing hands? What kind of God is welcomed to earth by the blood of infants running in rivers, by the agonized drumbeats of wailing mothers?\r\n\r\nIn the wake of Jesus\' birth, the gospel of Matthew explains that King Herod feared this infant upstart who might one day rival his divine-right rule. So, he does what any brutal megalomaniac might do: he kills every young boy in sight. Yet, Jesus, the boy he sought to exterminate, slips away to Africa, his parents having received some angelic version of an Amber Alert. Most scholars agree that this horrid massacre never happened, but was a hagiographical invention meant to establish Jesus’ birth in the pattern of Moses as well as to bolster Jesus\' credibility as the Christ (further proof, of course, that men -- not women or God -- wrote the Bible).\r\n\r\nYet, so many of us believe it anyway, buying into its violence as proof of the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus, lauding the escape of Jesus while passing over the crumpled bodies of infants whose legs could not yet even support their bodies.\r\n\r\nAnd 12 years later, as Jesus amazes the rabbis in the synagogue, Mary quietly treasures these things in her heart: her remarkable son and her lucky escape from the unending burden of burying a child. While she treasures these things in her heart, thousands of mothers, gulping back ever-present sobs, finger those small socks, that tiny hat, that little blanket, that only memento left from the life that ended all-too-soon so that the world might have a savior.\r\n\r\nI imagine, if Jesus were intelligent enough to teach and ask questions as a preteen, he also probably would have wondered why he had so few male playmates his own age. I imagine he asked his mother why this was, why there were so many girls his age, but no boys. I imagine Mary began by explaining how special he was.\r\n\r\nBut this kind of special was more a curse than a blessing, knowing one\'s life was ransomed by so many others.\r\n\r\nWhy couldn\'t God have truly given Jesus the ignoble birth we celebrate? Why did God have to hang that damned star like some distant father in a waiting room smoking a celebratory cigar oblivious to the actual pain and joy of the birth? That damned star shining brightly in the dark sky signaling the magi of greatness below, notifying Herod of his tiny, helpless rival. That damned star of God that impaled, speared and crushed countless children with its prideful beams of light.\r\n\r\nThe twinkle, twinkle of that little star, in effect, ordered the deaths of the innocents.\r\n\r\nPerhaps God\'s ways are our ways, after all.\r\n\r\nBut doesn\'t it seem somehow a terrible injustice that so many innocents died so that the Innocent One could live only to die, years later, at the very same hands?\r\n\r\nPerhaps, Jesus didn\'t come to die. Maybe instead Jesus, like the rest of us, came to <em><strong>live</strong></em>. Perhaps, he got lucky, in exile, living out his formative years in a diaspora in Africa. Maybe knowing that his was a life lived at the expense of — no, in debt of — the blood of the Innocents made him, in part, the extraordinary person he was.\r\n\r\nMaybe what Jesus did in his three decades on Earth was the least he could do in humble repayment to those that gave their lives that he might live, who gave their lives simply because he lived.</div>','The Debt of Jesus: A Meditation on the Massacre of Innocents','','inherit','open','open','','3372-revision-2','','','2011-12-26 10:48:02','2011-12-26 18:48:02','',3372,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/26/3372-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3396,1,'2011-12-27 12:08:46','2011-12-27 20:08:46','<div><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://artandthestory.webs.com/photos/Franois-Joseph-Navez/NAVEZ_Massacre_of_the_Innocents_1824_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"512\" /></div>\n<div></div>\n<div>Just yesterday, the little boy had taken his first, wobbly steps.Just yesterday, the mother had seen the little boy emerging from the disappearing rounded edges of baby fat, flashes of the man glowing in his tiny eyes.\n\nJust yesterday, the little boy had stumbled into his first word with delight.\n\nJust yesterday, the new mother had felt her exhaustion melt away with the first gummy grin from her baby boy.\n\nToday, he was dead.\n\nAnd she had been robbed of life.\n\nMurdered by a distant king for the sake of a supposed savior. But what kind of savior carries the death of so many innocents in his healing hands? What kind of God is welcomed to earth by the blood of infants running in rivers, by the agonized drumbeats of wailing mothers?\n\nIn the wake of Jesus\' birth, the gospel of Matthew explains that King Herod feared this infant upstart who might one day rival his divine-right rule. So, he does what any brutal megalomaniac might do: he kills every young boy in sight. Yet, Jesus, the boy he sought to exterminate, slips away to Africa, his parents having received some angelic version of an Amber Alert. Most scholars agree that this horrid massacre never happened, but was a hagiographical invention meant to establish Jesus’ birth in the pattern of Moses as well as to bolster Jesus\' credibility as the Christ (further proof, of course, that men -- not women or God -- wrote the Bible).\n\nYet, so many of us believe it anyway, buying into its violence as proof of the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus, lauding the escape of Jesus while passing over the crumpled bodies of infants whose legs could not yet even support their bodies.\n\nAnd 12 years later, as Jesus amazes the rabbis in the synagogue, Mary quietly treasures these things in her heart: her remarkable son and her lucky escape from the unending burden of burying a child. While she treasures these things in her heart, thousands of mothers, gulping back ever-present sobs, finger those small socks, that tiny hat, that little blanket, that only memento left from the life that ended all-too-soon so that the world might have a savior.\n\nI imagine, if Jesus were intelligent enough to teach and ask questions as a preteen, he also probably would have wondered why he had so few male playmates his own age. I imagine he asked his mother why this was, why there were so many girls his age, but no boys. I imagine Mary began by explaining how special he was.\n\nBut this kind of special was more a curse than a blessing, knowing one\'s life was ransomed by so many others.\n\nWhy couldn\'t God have truly given Jesus the ignoble birth we celebrate? Why did God have to hang that damned star like some distant father in a waiting room smoking a celebratory cigar oblivious to the actual pain and joy of the birth? That damned star shining brightly in the dark sky signaling the magi of greatness below, notifying Herod of his tiny, helpless rival. That damned star of God that impaled, speared and crushed countless children with its prideful beams of light.\n\nThe twinkle, twinkle of that little star, in effect, ordered the deaths of the innocents.\n\nPerhaps God\'s ways are our ways, after all.\n\nBut doesn\'t it seem somehow a terrible injustice that so many innocents died so that the Innocent One could live only to die, years later, at the very same hands?\n\nPerhaps, Jesus didn\'t come to die. Maybe instead Jesus, like the rest of us, came to <em><strong>live</strong></em>. Perhaps, he got lucky, in exile, living out his formative years in a diaspora in Africa. Maybe knowing that his was a life lived at the expense of — no, in debt of — the blood of the Innocents made him, in part, the extraordinary person he was.\n\nMaybe what Jesus did in his three decades on Earth was the least he could do in humble repayment to those that gave their lives that he might live, who gave their lives simply because he lived.\n\n</div>','The Debt of Jesus: A Meditation on the Massacre of Innocents','','inherit','open','open','','3372-revision-3','','','2011-12-27 12:08:46','2011-12-27 20:08:46','',3372,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3372-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3398,1,'2011-12-27 13:10:43','2011-12-27 21:10:43','','Derek Penwell','','publish','open','open','','derek-penwell','','','2012-12-18 12:55:07','2012-12-18 20:55:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3398',48,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3401,35,'2011-12-27 13:50:55','2011-12-27 21:50:55','','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision','','','2011-12-27 13:50:55','2011-12-27 21:50:55','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3411,35,'2011-12-27 16:44:40','2011-12-28 00:44:40','<em>This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.</em>\n\nThe idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.\n\nBut <em>personal conversations</em> with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But <em>me</em>?\n\nThe way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.\n\nThe first thing I did was <strong>ask God to let me for certain I was hearing from Him/Her</strong>.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.\n\nThe good news is <strong>God wants to talk <em>with</em> us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him/Her, if we are willing to listen</strong>.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God</a>:\n\nMy oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.\n\nThe problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.\n\nMy son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.\n\nFor a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”\n\nI don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.\n\nIt was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.\n\nTwo things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.\n\nHow did God make the right choice clear to my son?\n\nHe asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in <em>The Ten Commandments</em>.  We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.\n\nThe day before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life.\n\nHow did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.\n\nHow did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.\n\nGod had replaced conflict with peace.\n\n&nbsp;','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision-5','','','2011-12-27 16:44:40','2011-12-28 00:44:40','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3551,20,'2012-01-15 08:00:25','2012-01-15 16:00:25','We want . . .\r\n\r\nto be a church that weighs deeply the suffering of the world; that mourns it, contemplates it, and takes responsibility for it by contributing in some way and somehow to systemic change – politically, economically, and culturally – both locally and globally.\r\n\r\nto be a church that extends healing and forgiveness by first recognizing our own need for healing and forgiveness.\r\n\r\nto be a church that confesses individual sins and constantly calls for repentance; but in recognition of the costliness of social and structural sin, does not overemphasis or reduce sin to the personal-“private” level.\r\n\r\nto be a church that is constantly journeying on the path of discipleship and transformation while inviting others into the same journey.\r\n\r\nto be a church that honors both the revelation <em>and</em> mystery of God, guarding against the idolatrous distractions of human-centeredness and otherworldliness respectively.\r\n\r\nto be a church that does not hesitate to profess that Jesus is Lord, but that, in faith, humbly prepares a place at the table for the non-Christian and religious other and consistently articulates eschatological hope for everyone.\r\n\r\nto be a church that does not fear – fear the consequences of prophetic action, speaking truth to power, or the risks that come from making real material sacrifices for the cause of God’s justice.\r\n\r\nto be a church that does not take itself too seriously and spends time resting, laughing and enjoying the simple pleasures and gifts of life.\r\n\r\nto be a church that does not worry about money – not because it doesn\'t matter or isn\'t needed, but because we do not organize and establish ourselves in such a way that requires utter dependence on it.\r\n\r\nto be a church that is structured to actually direct a sacrificial portion of its resources <em>not</em> toward its own institutional preservation and vertical growth but toward the needs of others.\r\n\r\nto be a church that is led by the work of the people, where leadership is both democratized and earned and where the reproduction and training of new leaders is not outsourced to higher education professionals.\r\n\r\nto be a church that proclaims the gospel but does not try to control it, where theological authority is shared and open, marked by generous and deep orthodoxy.<em></em>\r\n\r\nto be a church that is intentional, patient, and unbusy; that does not over-plan or compete with other churches to attract new members, but that at the same time strives to live contagiously and make disciples.\r\n\r\nto be a church that reaches out relationally and focus on true friendship; that builds trust with neighbors and works together with community partners to better society.\r\n\r\nto be a church that does not mistake the meaning of counter-culturalism with culture warfare, and that instead seeks to subvert the status quo by implementing revolutionary social practices.\r\n\r\nto be a church that loves God and worships out of an authentic place of awe and appreciation for who God is – a God who has given us good news; who is righteous, just, gracious, sovereign, and desires redemption for all.\r\n\r\nIn sum, we want to be a church that loves, and that in doing so, participates passionately and faithfully in the Holy Spirit’s already-enacted mission and ministry of reconciliation for the coming of the Kingdom of God.\r\n\r\nIn a sense, this is just my list.  But I didn\'t write it alone, and I want it to be <em>ours</em>.  Maybe you can relate, have concerns, or other hopes and prayers.','The Church in 2012 and Beyond','','publish','open','open','','the-church-in-2012-and-beyond','','','2012-01-09 09:28:54','2012-01-09 17:28:54','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3551',0,'post','',2),(3934,100,'2012-01-11 14:35:31','2012-01-11 22:35:31','[caption id=\"attachment_3935\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"298\" caption=\"Joy Bennett\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/joy-bennett.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3935\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/joy-bennett-298x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"298\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe\'re kicking off 2012 with a conversation with blogger and author Joy Bennett.\r\n\r\nJoy is, \"a Christian woman writing through grief and loss depression, and the overhaul of my faith in the face of suffering.\"\r\n\r\nJoy\'s oldest child was born with severe special needs and passed away in 2008 at the age of 8 and she shares her journey on her blog and this week with the sbpodcast family.\r\n\r\nJoy describes herself:\r\n<blockquote>I am a writer, mother of four, wife, reader, follower of Christ, bereaved, asker, and lover of rich soil, good food, music, and sunshine, listener... in no particular order. Two of my children were born with serious congenital heart defects, including my first. It was quite an initiation to motherhood. Between the two of them, we’ve been through six open-heart surgeries and countless nights in the hospital. This writer learned to give shots, insert feeding tubes, run i.v. pumps, measure in mLs, and pronounce words like tracheomalacia. I’ve blogged since 2005, writing on faith and doubt, family life (which is always humorous even with the medical spin), grief, and the depression that I only recognized a year after our oldest died at the age of 8.</blockquote>\r\n<strong>Some questions to ask yourself while you listen ::</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat tragedies or crisis in your life have shaped your faith?\r\nWhat helped you through the crisis?\r\nHow can you use your experience to help walk others through their journey?\r\nDo you believe that all things are good - even the \"bad things\" - or do you agree more with joy that \"good can come out of bad things?\"\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/010612.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Joy Bennet','','publish','open','open','','something-beautiful-joy-bennet','','','2012-01-20 13:18:15','2012-01-20 21:18:15','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3934',0,'post','',0),(3409,35,'2011-12-27 14:14:18','2011-12-27 22:14:18','This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut personal conversations with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But me?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe first thing I did was ask God to let me for certain I was hearing from Him/Her.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe good news is God wants to talk with us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him or Her, if we are willing to listen.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God</a>:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHow did God make the right choice clear to my son?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHe asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in The Ten Commandments.  We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe day before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHow did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHow did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGod had replaced conflict with peace.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision-4','','','2011-12-27 14:14:18','2011-12-27 22:14:18','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3402,35,'2011-12-27 13:54:05','2011-12-27 21:54:05','<em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.</span></span></em>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">But <em>personal conversations</em> with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But me?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The first thing I did was <strong>ask God to let me for certain I was hearing from Him/Her</strong>.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">The good news is <strong>God wants to talk <em>with</em> us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him or Her, if we are willing to listen</strong>.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God:</em></span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">My oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">My son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">For a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">I don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">It was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Two things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">How did God make the right choice clear to my son?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">He asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in <em>The Ten Commandments.  </em>We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The day before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">How did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">  </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">How did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">God had replaced conflict with peace.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision-2','','','2011-12-27 13:54:05','2011-12-27 21:54:05','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3404,1,'2012-01-10 07:53:45','2012-01-10 15:53:45','<em>This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.</em>\n\nThe idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.\n\nBut <em>personal conversations</em> with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But <em>me</em>?\n\nThe way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.\n\nThe first thing I did was <strong>ask God to let me know for certain I was hearing from Him/Her</strong>.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.\n\nThe good news is <strong>God wants to talk <em>with</em> us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him/Her, if we are willing to listen</strong>.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God</a>:\n<blockquote>My oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.\n\nThe problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.\n\nMy son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.\n\nFor a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”\n\nI don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.\n\nIt was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.\n\nTwo things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.\n\nHow did God make the right choice clear to my son?\n\nHe asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in <em>The Ten Commandments</em>.  We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.\n\nThe day before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life.\n\nHow did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.\n\nHow did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.\n\nGod had replaced conflict with peace.</blockquote>\n&nbsp;','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-autosave','','','2012-01-10 07:53:45','2012-01-10 15:53:45','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3405,1,'2011-12-27 13:54:54','2011-12-27 21:54:54','<em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.</span></span></em>\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 idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.</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 <em>personal conversations</em> with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But 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 way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.</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 first thing I did was <strong>ask God to let me for certain I was hearing from Him/Her</strong>.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">The good news is <strong>God wants to talk <em>with</em> us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him or Her, if we are willing to listen</strong>.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God:</em></span></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\">My oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.</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 problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.</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\">My son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.</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\">For a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”</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\">I don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.</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\">It was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.</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\">Two things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.</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\">How did God make the right choice clear to my son?</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\">He asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in <em>The Ten Commandments.  </em>We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.</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 before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life. </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\">How did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.</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\">How did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.</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\">God had replaced conflict with peace.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision-3','','','2011-12-27 13:54:54','2011-12-27 21:54:54','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3412,35,'2011-12-27 16:44:47','2011-12-28 00:44:47','<em>This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.</em>\r\n\r\nThe idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.\r\n\r\nBut <em>personal conversations</em> with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But <em>me</em>?\r\n\r\nThe way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.\r\n\r\nThe first thing I did was <strong>ask God to let me for certain I was hearing from Him/Her</strong>.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.\r\n\r\nThe good news is <strong>God wants to talk <em>with</em> us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him/Her, if we are willing to listen</strong>.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God</a>:\r\n\r\nMy oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.\r\n\r\nThe problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.\r\n\r\nMy son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.\r\n\r\nFor a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”\r\n\r\nI don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.\r\n\r\nIt was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.\r\n\r\nTwo things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.\r\n\r\nHow did God make the right choice clear to my son?\r\n\r\nHe asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in <em>The Ten Commandments</em>.  We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.\r\n\r\nThe day before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life.\r\n\r\nHow did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.\r\n\r\nHow did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.\r\n\r\nGod had replaced conflict with peace.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision-6','','','2011-12-27 16:44:47','2011-12-28 00:44:47','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3924,118,'2012-01-10 20:03:30','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Hope is defined by Webster\'s: \"to cherish a desire with anticipation\"\r\n\r\nToo often, our use of hope is more like wish. \"I hope it doesn\'t rain tomorrow\", or \"I hope I get that promotion.\"\r\n\r\nThe Bible, depending on what translation you use, has over 120 mentions of the word hope. The Bible\'s usage of hope is more of a strong anticipation of what will occur, and not the wishy-washy hope that we use today.\r\n\r\nWhen I hear or read of hope, I have vivid memories of President Bill Clinton\'s 1992 Presidential campaign, where he often closed his speeches with \"I still believe in a place called Hope.\" Too many of us have lost hope, due to the economic struggles, job losses, foreclosures, visits from the repo man, illnesses, and the like. We wish things were better, but we need to start hoping that things will get better.\r\n\r\nI purposely have avoided the current U.S. Presidential campaign, because if I wanted to watch mud flying, I would visit a farm. The rhetoric is not going to solve anything. We the People have to stop wishing, and start hoping for the best.\r\n\r\nI feel we have become prisoners of our lack of hope. We\'re paralyzed by the evening newscasts, the doom and gloom of the markets (financial and jobs), and two income households still cannot meet the needs. Some say we are rapidly approaching a crisis situation. I say we\'re already there. People are mortgaged to the hills, and a layoff away from losing all their worldly possessions. Healthcare costs continue (and will continue) to rise, so don\'t even think about getting sick.\r\n\r\nDivorce rates continue to climb, and what used to be taboo is now accepted publicly, and highlighted on your nightly entertainment shows. Bombastic presentation of court room dramas have taken over cable news channels, and the only word that comes to mind is nauseating.\r\n\r\nIf you watch this crap, I highly recommend you stop. You\'re not doing anything but killing all of the hope genes in your head. Quit worshiping these fake Hollywoodesque people. Read a book. Go for a walk. Talk to your spouse / mate. Hang out with your children, your friends, your family. You\'ll be a better person if you do.\r\n\r\nNote: I\'m not saying you should not enjoy well-made shows or movies. I am saying don\'t make actor x your be all and end all.\r\n\r\nGetting back to hope: do I have hope?\r\n\r\nYes, through the One that was sent, to provide salvation and hope for our souls.\r\n\r\nWhile there are things, opportunities, toys, and other things that I would like to have, I don\'t hope to have them. I wish to have them, but my hope is that I will one day be face to face with my Lord and savior, and He will say \"Well done.\" My hope and understanding is not that the \"well done\" will be based on my efforts, works, holding doors open for others, tithes and offerings, donations to the red kettle, but for trusting Him for all the provisions I need, and for those acts of kindness and generosity that I have never shared with anyone.\r\n\r\nIn 2012 and beyond, our hope must be with the one who was sent.\r\n\r\nMy hope and prayers are for you to know your savior, and to let the guidance of the Holy Spirit be in you and with you all of your days.\r\n\r\nBlessings!','Hope for 2012, and beyond','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-01-10 20:03:30','2012-01-11 04:03:30','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3924',0,'post','',0),(3414,0,'2011-12-27 20:30:03','2011-12-28 04:30:03','This friend of mine from high school has become a very radical Christian, getting back to the meat of it, loving his fellow human beings and making them better in the process.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Mike Anderson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: singularityneuromancer@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://speakfaithfully.wordpress.com/\nSUBJECT: Nominating A Writer For Provoketive\nIP: 68.100.92.123\nArray\n(\n    [Your Name] =&gt; Mike Anderson\n    [Your Email] =&gt; singularityneuromancer@gmail.com\n    [The Writer\'s Name] =&gt; Kevin Gonzaga\n    [The Writer\'s Website or Post] =&gt; http://speakfaithfully.wordpress.com/\n    [Why You Think They Should Write For Provoketive?] =&gt; This friend of mine from high school has become a very radical Christian, getting back to the meat of it, loving his fellow human beings and making them better in the process.\n)\n','Mike Anderson - 2011-12-27 20:30:03','','publish','open','open','','a14d4d84f42729f23f8de94e87098f66','','','2011-12-27 20:30:03','2011-12-28 04:30:03','',1537,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3414',0,'feedback','',0),(3415,0,'2011-12-27 21:06:04','2011-12-28 05:06:04','Kevin writes about issues of faith in an amazingly honest yet challenging manner.  His life testimony and spiritual transformation provide fantastic content and insight often from both sides of an issue.  He\'s open with where he was, where he is at, and where he wants to be as well as where he hopes we as Christians can be moving toward.  He\'s not afraid to tackle controversial topics, especially when it comes to the spiritual realm, and honestly after reading, it\'s pretty hard to be in disagreement with what he has said.  He also tends to provide life challenge and a call for action of some sort, which I appreciate.  He\'s really good and I believe you\'d be blessed as I and others at Fuller Seminary and beyond are by his writing.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Ryan Weeks\nAUTHOR EMAIL: ryancweeks@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://speakfaithfully.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/the-denial-of-the-spiritual-realm-in-western-christianity/\nSUBJECT: Nominating A Writer For Provoketive\nIP: 24.255.42.52\nArray\n(\n    [Your Name] =&gt; Ryan Weeks\n    [Your Email] =&gt; ryancweeks@gmail.com\n    [The Writer\'s Name] =&gt; Kevin Gonzaga\n    [The Writer\'s Website or Post] =&gt; http://speakfaithfully.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/the-denial-of-the-spiritual-realm-in-western-christianity/\n    [Why You Think They Should Write For Provoketive?] =&gt; Kevin writes about issues of faith in an amazingly honest yet challenging manner.  His life testimony and spiritual transformation provide fantastic content and insight often from both sides of an issue.  He\'s open with where he was, where he is at, and where he wants to be as well as where he hopes we as Christians can be moving toward.  He\'s not afraid to tackle controversial topics, especially when it comes to the spiritual realm, and honestly after reading, it\'s pretty hard to be in disagreement with what he has said.  He also tends to provide life challenge and a call for action of some sort, which I appreciate.  He\'s really good and I believe you\'d be blessed as I and others at Fuller Seminary and beyond are by his writing.\n)\n','Ryan Weeks - 2011-12-27 21:06:04','','publish','open','open','','a365d8993f320479c60aedffe38f8d37','','','2011-12-27 21:06:04','2011-12-28 05:06:04','',1537,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3415',0,'feedback','',0),(3416,35,'2011-12-27 16:52:15','2011-12-28 00:52:15','<em>This is the first of a four part series on How To Know We’re Hearing From God.</em>\r\n\r\nThe idea of having conversations with God wasn’t a part of my religious upbringing.  Prayer was talking “at” God in appropriately reverent language about a limited set of topics.  God talked “at” me through the Bible and the pastor.  Pious Sunday School teachers could also be divine messengers, since angels don’t make house calls anymore.\r\n\r\nBut <em>personal conversations</em> with The Almighty?  What would we talk about, and how would I know I was hearing from God and not just making it up in my head?  Sure, God talked with some people in the Bible, like Moses (a very spiritual guy).  But <em>me</em>?\r\n\r\nThe way I learned to have conversations with God was by trying it.  On the possibility that He or She actually wanted to say something to me one-on-one, I decided to listen and see if I could hear anything.\r\n\r\nThe first thing I did was <strong>ask God to let me for certain I was hearing from Him/Her</strong>.  I truly didn’t know what to expect, but was curious to see if God would answer a direct question from me.  It took some time for me to become sensitive to God’s voice, but the first time I was certain God had spoken to me, I was both stunned and excited, and wanted it to happen again.  I’ve been having discussions with God ever since, though I don’t always hear Him speak to me.  But God doesn’t always hear from me either.\r\n\r\nThe good news is <strong>God wants to talk <em>with</em> us, and will make sure we know when we’re hearing from Him/Her, if we are willing to listen</strong>.  The messages can come in an infinite variety of ways, sometimes when we least expect it.  Here’s how my son, Gideon, heard from God for the first time, from my book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God</a>:\r\n\r\nMy oldest son, Gideon, loves playing basketball and is good at it.  Throughout his youth he played for a competitive club team.  His first year of high school, Gideon tried out for the freshman basketball team and made it.  This was the last year he was eligible for his competitive team, where he was a successful, respected player.  Who knew how he would do on the school team, facing new challenges, but his future was in his high school basketball team.\r\n\r\nThe problem was Gideon couldn’t play on both teams at once.  He had to choose between them. With a deadline staring him in the face, I told him to ask God to make the right choice clear.\r\n\r\nMy son had never sought God’s will before, and was skeptical, but gave it a try anyway.  Knowing him, I imagine he prayed something like, “God, help me know what to do,” like this would do any good.  I promised not to tell any of his friends.\r\n\r\nFor a week he said, “One day I want to play school ball, and the next day I want competitive ball.  I can’t make up my mind.”\r\n\r\nI don’t think I had ever discussed seeking God’s direction through prayer with my son.  Gideon went to church because of his family and friends. Following Jesus didn’t cross his mind.  He would take his turn sometimes praying before meals, always starting with, “Thank you, dear God, for this wonderful day you have given us,” followed by ”Thanks for the food, Amen.”  It might have been the only prayer he ever prayed.\r\n\r\nIt was unusual for him to confide in me with a problem and ask for advice.  So I told him what I would do in his situation, and he was willing to try it, being out of other ideas.  I was careful not to give him a specific line to say, so he would pray in his own words.\r\n\r\nTwo things were bothering Gideon that made him try prayer.  First, he wanted two things very important to him, and he couldn’t have both at the same time.  Second, there was an internal daily tug-of-war inside him – a pendulum that swung one way, then the other, back and forth.  He couldn’t put the decision off, due to a deadline.  He asked God what to do as a desperate last-choice solution.\r\n\r\nHow did God make the right choice clear to my son?\r\n\r\nHe asked God to give him guidance, and he was willing to listen, even though the only way he could imagine God talking to someone was through an audible voice, like how Charlton Heston heard God say, “Moses!” in <em>The Ten Commandments</em>.  We want God to let us know in a real and tangible way.  We want God to shout, when often God whispers.\r\n\r\nThe day before the deadline, Gideon came to me with light in his eyes.  He said, “I know what to do!  I’m going with school ball.  I woke up this morning and the conflict was gone!”  To his utter shock, asking God for direction worked. Gideon asked because time was short, and this was a really important decision. He chose to engage God because it was deeply important in his life.\r\n\r\nHow did God answer his prayer?  Did he hear God speak aloud from heaven?  No, the internal conflict disappeared, leaving one desire instead of two.\r\n\r\nHow did he know the answer came from God?  The conflict hadn’t gone away through any other means.  Could he explain it?  No.  Gideon knew what to do now, because choice was no longer an issue.  He didn’t have to choose, because there was only one answer – kind of like voting when there’s only one candidate.\r\n\r\nGod had replaced conflict with peace.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How To Know We\'re Hearing From God: Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','3399-revision-7','','','2011-12-27 16:52:15','2011-12-28 00:52:15','',3399,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/27/3399-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3418,1,'2011-10-31 08:03:58','2011-10-31 15:03:58','At Provoketive, we\'re always looking for great writer\'s to add to the conversation.  If you know someone who is a great writer or has written a great post, and you think we should contact him/her, please fill out the form below and we will make an introduction.  Thank you for your support.\r\n\r\n[contact-form subject=\"Nominating A Writer For Provoketive\" to=\"jb@civitaspress.com\"] [contact-field label=\"Your Name\" type=\"name\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Your Email\" type=\"email\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"The Writer\\\'s Name\" type=\"text\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"The Writer\\\'s Website or Post\" type=\"url\" required=\"true\" /] [contact-field label=\"Why You Think They Should Write For Provoketive?\" type=\"textarea\" required=\"true\" /] [/contact-form]','Nominate A Writer','','inherit','open','open','','1537-revision-6','','','2011-10-31 08:03:58','2011-10-31 15:03:58','',1537,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/31/1537-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3420,12,'2011-12-28 17:26:59','2011-12-29 01:26:59','','pogo','','inherit','open','open','','pogo','','','2011-12-28 17:26:59','2011-12-29 01:26:59','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogo.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3421,12,'2011-12-28 17:26:13','2011-12-29 01:26:13','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\n\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\n\nIt was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\n\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\n\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\n\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\n\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\n\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\n\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\n\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\n\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\n\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\n\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\n\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\n\nI stared.\n\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\n\nMy Lord. She was happy.\n\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\n\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\n\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\n\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\n\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision','','','2011-12-28 17:26:13','2011-12-29 01:26:13','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/28/3419-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3422,12,'2011-12-28 17:28:50','2011-12-29 01:28:50','Pedestrians brave chilling temperatures, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, in Chicago. Commuters from Des Moines to Chicago braced for single digit temperatures and icy roads, while the National Weather Service predicted wind chill values as low as negative 25F (-31C) in parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. (AP Photo/(M. Spencer Green)','Storm Rdp','','inherit','open','open','','storm-rdp','','','2011-12-28 17:28:50','2011-12-29 01:28:50','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3423,12,'2011-12-28 17:32:41','2011-12-29 01:32:41','','pogo2','','inherit','open','open','','pogo2','','','2011-12-28 17:32:41','2011-12-29 01:32:41','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogo2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3424,12,'2011-12-28 17:34:10','2011-12-29 01:34:10','','pogo22','','inherit','open','open','','pogo22','','','2011-12-28 17:34:10','2011-12-29 01:34:10','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogo22.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3425,12,'2011-12-28 17:34:40','2011-12-29 01:34:40','','pogg','','inherit','open','open','','pogg','','','2011-12-28 17:34:40','2011-12-29 01:34:40','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3426,12,'2011-12-28 17:27:28','2011-12-29 01:27:28','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\nIt was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-2','','','2011-12-28 17:27:28','2011-12-29 01:27:28','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/28/3419-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3427,12,'2011-12-28 17:35:35','2011-12-29 01:35:35','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-3','','','2011-12-28 17:35:35','2011-12-29 01:35:35','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/28/3419-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3428,1,'2012-01-03 10:31:33','2012-01-03 18:31:33','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\n\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\n\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\n\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\n\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\n\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\n\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\n\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\n\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\n\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\n\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\n\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\n\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\n\nI stared.\n\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\n\nMy Lord. She was happy.\n\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2011?\"\n\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\n\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\n\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\n\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-autosave','','','2012-01-03 10:31:33','2012-01-03 18:31:33','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/28/3419-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3429,12,'2011-12-28 17:36:27','2011-12-29 01:36:27','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-4','','','2011-12-28 17:36:27','2011-12-29 01:36:27','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/28/3419-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3478,1,'2011-12-31 13:05:38','2011-12-31 21:05:38','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\n\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\n\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\n\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\n\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\n\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\n\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\n\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\n\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\n\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\n\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\n\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\n\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\n\nI stared.\n\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\n\nMy Lord. She was happy.\n\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\n\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\n\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\n\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\n\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-6','','','2011-12-31 13:05:38','2011-12-31 21:05:38','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3419-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5039,30,'2012-02-11 13:13:23','2012-02-11 21:13:23','This week, a dad <a title=\"Facebook Parenting: For the Troubled Teen\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=kl1ujzRidmU\" target=\"_blank\">disciplined his daughter</a>. And at the time of me writing this piece, that discipline has been viewed over 14 million times.\n\nPersonally, I understand Hannah\'s father\'s frustration with being disrespected. There is nothing that gets me upset as a parent more than when one of my children disrespects me or their father. It hurts any time that I see one of my children behaving in a way that is contrary to the manner that I\'ve raised them, but there is a much deeper hurt that comes from being disrespected by one of them. If I found a letter like the one that Hannah posted on Facebook, I would be profoundly upset. And if it happened more than once, I would be losing it big time.\n\nAs a result, I get why people are supporting the father. We\'re tired of seeing kids disrespect adults without consequence. We\'re tired of seeing kids sporting entitlement attitudes. We\'re ready to see parents take back parenting and expect more from their children. We\'re ready to see kids learn the value of hard work and respect. These are important lessons and we applaud parents that teach them.\n\nThat said, I have concerns with the way this situation was handled. In the digital age, one of the things that most of try to instill in our kids is the notion that the internet is forever. When our children post words or pictures or videos online, there is no way to get that content back. Even if it\'s something safe, we have no idea how it might be used by someone else. That is a truth that can\'t be emphasized enough when talking with our children. <a href=\"http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/steps/Articles/Pages/MySpace.aspx\">Colleges and employers</a> are more and more likely to check your Facebook page or your Twitter feed or your blog for information about you as a person. Digital footprints are indelible.\n\nBut this dad (who is apparently an IT professional) has used the very public medium of YouTube to shame his daughter. He could have had this conversation with her at home. He could have read her letter to her aloud. He could have told her how to address the woman who works for them with more respect. He could have even shot her laptop in front of her. Instead, he wanted to be able to embarrass her in front of her friends the way that he felt he had been embarrassed in front of them. But this has gone far beyond her friends, and her shame has been made public.\n\nParenting in the midst of social media is new, and we need to be careful about how we do it. We have become accustomed to sharing every thought that we have with our followers and friends, so it\'s natural that when we\'re annoyed with our kids, we want to share that too. We want to blog about our bratty tween or post a quick tweet about our spoiled elementary aged kid or post a video where we teach our 15 year old a lesson.\n\nBut this isn\'t our right as parents. Our kids deserve to be treated with dignity and when we malign our kids in public, we contribute to the culture that says that cyber-bullying is okay. We teach them that our immediate feelings of frustration can make us internet celebrities. We teach them that to be right, you just have to get a lot of likes or retweets or views.\n\nFourteen million YouTube views might FEEL like success, but it\'s just fame. And being famous for humiliating a 15 year old online isn\'t the way that I want my parenting to be remembered. The fact is, the only way Hannah\'s dad is going to know if his discipline worked is further down the line when she displays behavior that is more in line with his values.\n\nI hope that he makes a video for that moment too.','Online Parenting','','inherit','open','open','','5034-revision-5','','','2012-02-11 13:13:23','2012-02-11 21:13:23','',5034,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/11/5034-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3436,0,'2011-12-29 10:05:29','2011-12-29 18:05:29','Derek,\r\n\r\nYour post has skyrocketed in popularity.  Well done.  But I noticed that you haven\'t responded to any of the comments.  I want to encourage you to respond if you can.  Part of what we\'re trying to develop is conversation, and there are some great comments.\r\n\r\nMuch love\r\nJonathan\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jonathan Brink\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jb@civitaspress.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://provoketive.com\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Religious But Not Spiritual\nIP: 75.5.247.249\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jonathan Brink\n    [Email] =&gt; jb@civitaspress.com\n    [Website] =&gt; http://provoketive.com\n    [Message] =&gt; Derek,\r\n\r\nYour post has skyrocketed in popularity.  Well done.  But I noticed that you haven\'t responded to any of the comments.  I want to encourage you to respond if you can.  Part of what we\'re trying to develop is conversation, and there are some great comments.\r\n\r\nMuch love\r\nJonathan\n)\n','Jonathan Brink - 2011-12-29 10:05:29','','publish','open','open','','2dd1eb16f1ea4940c0d73756113174f8','','','2011-12-29 10:05:29','2011-12-29 18:05:29','',1561,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3436',0,'feedback','',0),(3437,0,'2011-12-29 10:16:46','2011-12-29 18:16:46','Life:  Growth, Relationships, and World\r\nFaith: Spirituality, Theology, and Questions\r\nJustice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics\r\nCulture: Books, Music,\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Kevin Gonzaga\nAUTHOR EMAIL: ktgonzaga@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://speakfaithfully.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 99.96.5.47\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Kevin Gonzaga\n    [Email] =&gt; ktgonzaga@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://speakfaithfully.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Life:  Growth, Relationships, and World\r\nFaith: Spirituality, Theology, and Questions\r\nJustice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics\r\nCulture: Books, Music,\r\n\r\n\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; ktgonzaga\n)\n','Kevin Gonzaga - 2011-12-29 10:16:46','','publish','open','open','','af7627db0951caa2fe6a93b0a005c687','','','2011-12-29 10:16:46','2011-12-29 18:16:46','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3437',0,'feedback','',0),(3656,122,'2012-01-11 08:00:51','2012-01-11 16:00:51','In part 1 I showed that Ephesians 5:21-33 does not say marriage is an illustration of Christ and the church. It’s the other way around. This passage shows couples a specific picture of Christ and the church, to take as an illustration for marriage. What is that specific picture?\r\n\r\nPlease note that I am reading this passage in light of this basic principle of Bible interpretation: We can’t understand what this passage means to <em>us</em>, until we understand what it is most likely to have meant to the <em>original audience</em>, as Paul intended them to understand it.\r\n\r\nIn order to see more clearly what the picture was that Paul was painting as an illustration, I’d like to look at this passage in light of its literary structure. <a href=\"http://www.shenango.org/bailey.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Kenneth Bailey</a>, research professor of the New Testament and scholar of Middle Eastern history and culture, uses the term “chiasm” to describe the repetitive kind of structure used in this passage. A chiastic literary structure can be viewed as a sort of sandwich, with repetitive parallel elements at the beginning and end as the pieces of bread, similar repetitive elements within those representing the condiments, and the meat-- the main point of the passage-- in the middle. This is a common Middle-Eastern literary style and is frequently used by New Testament writers, including Paul.*\r\n\r\nThe parallel ideas and phrases in this text are largely self-evident, when you\'re looking for them. What we tend to miss is what the original Middle-Eastern audience would have understood those parallelisms to be doing.\r\n\r\nSince we in the West tend to put the main point of what we are trying to say at the beginning, or at end (or both) when we are writing, we can easily read a passage of Scripture without understanding what the main point was. We can read a passage like Ephesians 5:21-33 and see the main point as “Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (if we start where most translations divide the text, in verse 22). But let’s look at the passage the way a first-century Middle Eastern would have read it-- with the parallelisms Paul appears to have intended (I’ll use the New American Standard Bible because it’s a close word-for-word translation which brings out the original structure, and I\'ll omit the words the NASB indicates aren‘t in the original text).\r\n\r\nThe color-codes here indicate a kind of outline, with each set of parallels the same color, and the central point, in the middle, its own unique color:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #333399;\">And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ</span> [introductory phrase that governs the whole passage from 5:22 through 6:9]</li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">A Wives, to your own husbands as to the Lord</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #800080;\">B For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">C He Himself the Savior of the body</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #993300;\">D But as the church is subject to Christ, also the wives to their husbands in everything</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #ff00ff;\">E Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">F That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">G That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">F Having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #ff00ff;\">E So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #993300;\">D For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also the church</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">C Because we are members of His body.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #800080;\">B1 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #800080;\">B2 This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #800080;\">B1 Nevertheless, let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">A And let the wife see that she respect her husband.</span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIt’s important, of course, to keep in mind the world in which Paul and his audience lived. The structure of that world centered around the <em>pater familias</em> as the ruler and authority over an economic/familial unit-- the household, which consisted of the ruling patriarch, his wife, children and slaves. Paul doesn’t try to fight against the cultural structure, but counsels the Ephesian church on how Christian marriage can work within it.\r\n\r\nThe first and last lines (“A”) are the outer part of the sandwich-- the two pieces of bread, as it were. They are parallels about wives submitting to/respecting their husbands. Just inside each of these, top and bottom, are two parallel sections about husbands\' head-body relationship to their wives, being compared to Christ’s head-body relationship to the church (“B”). I have set the bottom “B” section off a little to show that it is set up as a mini-chiasm within itself, elaborating on the theme of that one-flesh, head-body relationship, which harks back to the central point of the passage (shown in the center at “G”).\r\n\r\nThe two parallel “C” statements are the next layer in, and they are about Christ and the church’s head-body relationship. Note that Paul doesn’t speak of Christ as “Lord” here, but as “Savior.” It is what Christ does as <em>Savior</em> that makes this a head-body relationship. The head-body relationship is not defined in terms of Lordship and obedience. Christ <em>is</em> Lord of the church, of course-- but Paul is not talking about that here: he’s talking about Christ as Savior. This is not about what the head commands the body to do, but about what the head does for the body.\r\n\r\nThe two statements at “D” function as reasons why. These appear at first glance to be a departure from the clear parallelism of the rest of the pairs-- but what Paul seems to be doing here is matching two statements of fact, one relating to wives and one to husbands, which support what he is advising each to do.. At level “A,” wives are told to submit, or voluntarily yield-- but this statement at “D” is not a mere repetition, or even an expansion, of that idea. Instead, it is a reason why. The word “Submit” at level “A” was in the middle voice, denoting something someone does themselves, on their own initiative. But here at level “D,” the same word is in the passive voice, denoting a state of being. This is why the NASB renders it as “the wife is subject to” rather than “wives, submit to.“ Paul states that wives are subject to their husbands-- in first-century Ephesus, this was simply a fact, here stated as such. In the parallel \"D,\" the fact being stated is that no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, and that Christ also treats the church as His own flesh. These paralleled facts set forth the reasons why wives are advised to yield and husbands are advised to love.\r\n\r\nAt level “E,” then, we see the instructions to husbands, tied into the example of Christ’s actions towards the church. The husbands were the ones with control in that society. Wives were not in a position to be able to make any substantive changes to turn marriage as it was understood, into marriage as God would have it in the church. It was husbands who had that power. So husbands are instructed to imitate Christ’s love for the church. But the picture/illustration given them is not one of authority/leadership, but of giving and sacrifice. Christ “gave Himself” for the church; that is, He was crucified for her, emptying Himself of His power and glory. Husbands’ imitation of this would not involve holding onto their society-given rights and powers, but emptying themselves of them.\r\n\r\n“F” and “G,” then, are the meat of the sandwich, with the juiciest part right in the middle. The illustration is given of Christ cleansing the church and making her holy and blameless. Why? So that “G” could happen-- the glorification of the church. What Christ does for the church, in this illustration that marriages are to emulate, is raise the church up to be glorious! How could husbands in that culture, understanding the chiastic structure and thus grasping Paul‘s true message, have understood anything other than that they were to raise their wives out of their lowly position into a glorious one?\r\n\r\nThe mini-chiasm at “B2,” then, must be understood as harking back to what Paul has just shown, and pointing forward into the future. Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, which comments on God’s bringing together of Adam and Eve, and then says he is actually talking about Christ and the church in a “great mystery.” What is a “mystery”? According to Ephesians 3:4-5, “mystery” refers to a divine secret which God reveals, or will reveal, through the Holy Spirit. The implication is that it is not something we can discover or figure out on our own, apart from God’s revelation.\r\n\r\nBut here’s the rub. The “mystery” here is the final, complete glorification of the church so that she becomes “one flesh” with the divine Son. This is something that has not yet taken place, but is going to take place when He returns, even as 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He is.”\r\n\r\nIn this light, the idea that human marriage is meant to show or illustrate Christ and the church, falls apart. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb is still in the future. Christ and the church are not yet married! Is it possible to illustrate something that has not yet occurred or been revealed-- something that we cannot figure out by ourselves what it’s going to look like?\r\n\r\nHuman marriage cannot illustrate the divine-- but it can follow the divine picture as far as it has been revealed. What has been revealed in Ephesians 5:21-32 is that Christ has come down from His high position, given Himself for the church, and that He is now preparing her for glory-- the glory of being “one flesh” with Himself. And what following that illustration would look like to Paul’s original audience would be husbands coming down from their high position, to raise their wives up from their lowly position to a place of glorious unity.\r\n\r\nYou might now be thinking, “Ok, maybe marriage isn’t an ‘illustration’ of Christ and the church, but surely marriage is a type of Christ’s relationship with the church?”\r\n\r\nPart 3 will discuss typology as it is used in the New Testament, and how, if it is in fact being used in Ephesians 5:21-33, I believe we should understand it.\r\n\r\n-------\r\n*For a detailed explanation of the chiastic literary style, see Kenneth Bailey, <em>Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes</em>, IVP Academic, pp. 13-16.','Is Marriage Really an Illustration of Christ and the Church? Part 2','','publish','open','open','','is-marriage-really-an-illustration-of-christ-and-the-church-part-2','','','2012-01-07 09:40:51','2012-01-07 17:40:51','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3656',0,'post','',0),(3444,1,'2011-12-31 08:00:14','2011-12-31 16:00:14','<object id=\"null\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"quality\" value=\"high\" /><param name=\"cachebusting\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" 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/> <a href=\"http://www.managementexchange.com/video/seth-godin-leaders-share-faith2014and-promote-heretics\" target=\"_blank\">Seth Godin: Leaders share the faith2014and promote heretics</a> </object>\r\n\r\nSeth Godin on Heretics.What do you think about what he says?','Why The Church Needs Heretics','','publish','open','open','','why-the-church-needs-heretics','','','2011-12-29 20:24:04','2011-12-30 04:24:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3444',0,'post','',4),(3445,1,'2011-12-29 20:22:27','2011-12-30 04:22:27','','godin_heretic','','inherit','open','open','','godin_heretic','','','2011-12-29 20:22:27','2011-12-30 04:22:27','',3444,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/godin_heretic.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3446,1,'2011-12-29 20:23:20','2011-12-30 04:23:20','<object id=\"null\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" 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/> <a href=\"http://www.managementexchange.com/video/seth-godin-leaders-share-faith2014and-promote-heretics\" target=\"_blank\">Seth Godin: Leaders share the faith2014and promote heretics</a> </object>\r\n\r\nSeth Godin on Heretics.What do you think about what he says?','Why The Church Needs Heretics','','inherit','open','open','','3444-revision-2','','','2011-12-29 20:23:43','2011-12-30 04:23:43','',3444,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/29/3444-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3448,1,'2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','','Derek Penwell','','publish','open','open','','derek-penwell-2','','','2011-12-29 20:28:21','2011-12-30 04:28:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3448',6,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3450,0,'2011-12-30 06:41:22','2011-12-30 14:41:22','Faith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jeremy Stephens\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jeremylovesjesus@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.quarterlifechristian.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 98.97.139.102\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jeremy Stephens\n    [Email] =&gt; jeremylovesjesus@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.quarterlifechristian.com\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; jeremystephens\n)\n','Jeremy Stephens - 2011-12-30 06:41:22','','publish','open','open','','a833b2d98535b4f748494475648d1c0b','','','2011-12-30 06:41:22','2011-12-30 14:41:22','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3450',0,'feedback','',0),(3452,125,'2012-01-02 08:00:08','2012-01-02 16:00:08','The wisdom of experience is always more easily consumed than knowledge gained in isolation. By that, I mean that it is simpler and more comfortable to trust someone who has lived through something when they speak about it than someone who is offering advice based on second- or third-hand experience.\r\n\r\nMy favorite musician of all time is Johnny Cash. Part of his intrigue is his musicianship. But the bigger draw for me has always been his authenticity. When he speaks, or sings, or wails, or rejoices…I <em>believe</em> him. And the fact that the majority of cover songs he did seem better than the originals attests to the realness of his craft. He was who he was, flaws and all, and he exposed himself in both weakness and strength through lament and praise with the outcome being a body of work that can actually <em>speak</em> to people.\r\n\r\nIn a lot of ways, he is pretty much like King David. Bear with me…\r\n\r\nKing David came from a place where God was mostly seen as the Giver of a list of rules to follow. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David knew fame and success. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David knew the depths of depression. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David screwed up in massively huge ways. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David threw himself at the feet of God in repentance. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David took the worst of himself and the best and turned them into songs to help people understand their world and its Creator. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David, “the hero of Israel’s songs” (2 Samuel 23:1), and Johnny Cash, “the man in black”, both experienced addictions, sadness, loneliness, struggle, and pain. But through both of their lives there is a resounding grace and hope that shows the intensely passionate love God so desires to pour over us. In the depths of their despair, they cried out to their Savior:\r\n\r\n“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.” (Psalm 51:1-4)\r\n\r\n“The beast in me is caged by thin and fragile bars…by night rants and rages at the stars, God help the beast in me….” (<em>The Beast In Me</em>, Johnny Cash)\r\n\r\nAnd in the heights of their joy in the Lord, they could clearly rejoice in the promises of God:\r\n\r\n“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness.” (Psalm 145:1-3)\r\n\r\n“And the blood gave life to the branches of the tree. And the blood was the price that set the captives free. And the numbers that came through the fire and the flood clung to the tree and were redeemed by the blood. From his hands it came down from his side it came down. From his feet it came down and ran to the ground. And a small inner voice said ‘You do have a choice.’ The vine engrafted me and I clung to the tree.” (<em>Redemption</em>, Johnny Cash)\r\n\r\nGod uses people, typically simple and authentic people, to offer truths that we can use to see Him more clearly. These truths are not always pretty, as we are currently struggling to survive in a broken world. But the truths are always useful in showing us the clarity and richness of God’s perfect message of love and grace. And it is when the truths are given through people transparent in their struggles and grief, open in their joy and praise, that we are most easily able to see the love of God being reflected…\r\n\r\n…whether they play a harp or an acoustic guitar.\r\n\r\nMay we strive for lives of authenticity as we continue to serve a God that is real.','The Psalms And Lamentations of Johnny Cash','','publish','open','open','','the-psalms-and-lamentations-of-johnny-cash','','','2011-12-31 13:20:06','2011-12-31 21:20:06','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3452',0,'post','',2),(3453,125,'2011-12-30 09:15:55','2011-12-30 17:15:55','The wisdom of experience is always more easily consumed than knowledge gained in isolation. By that, I mean that it is simpler and more comfortable to trust someone who has lived through something when they speak about it than someone who is offering advice based on second- or third-hand experience.\n\nMy favorite musician of all time is Johnny Cash. Part of his intrigue is his musicianship. But the bigger draw for me has always been his authenticity. When he speaks, or sings, or wails, or rejoices…I <em>believe</em> him. And the fact that the majority of cover songs he did seem better than the originals attests to the realness of his craft. He was who he was, flaws and all, and he exposed himself in both weakness and strength through lament and praise with the outcome being a body of work that can actually <em>speak</em> to people.\n\nIn a lot of ways, he is pretty much like King David. Bear with me…\n\nKing David came from a place where God was mostly seen as the Giver of a list of rules to follow. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David knew fame and success. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David knew the depths of depression. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David screwed up in massively huge ways. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David threw himself at the feet of God in repentance. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David took the worst of himself and the best and turned them into songs to help people understand their world and its Creator. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David, “the hero of Israel’s songs” (2 Samuel 23:1), and Johnny Cash, “the man in black”, both experienced addictions, sadness, loneliness, struggle, and pain. But through both of their lives there is a resounding grace and hope that shows the intensely passionate love God so desires to pour over us. In the depths of their despair, they cried out to their Savior:\n\n“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.” (Psalm 51:1-4)\n\n“The beast in me is caged by thin and fragile bars…by night rants and rages at the stars, God help the beast in me….” (<em>The Beast In Me</em>, Johnny Cash)\n\nAnd in the heights of their joy in the Lord, they could clearly rejoice in the promises of God:\n\n“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness.” (Psalm 145:1-3)\n\n“And the blood gave life to the branches of the tree. And the blood was the price that set the captives free. And the numbers that came through the fire and the flood clung to the tree and were redeemed by the blood. From his hands it came down from his side it came down. From his feet it came down and ran to the ground. And a small inner voice said ‘You do have a choice.’ The vine engrafted me and I clung to the tree.” (<em>Redemption</em>, Johnny Cash)\n\nGod uses people, typically simple and authentic people, to offer truths that we can use to see Him more clearly. These truths are not always pretty, as we are currently struggling to survive in a broken world. But the truths are always useful in showing us the clarity and richness of God’s perfect message of love and grace. And it is when the truths are given through people transparent in their struggles and grief, open in their joy and praise, that we are most easily able to see the love of God being reflected…\n\n…whether they play a harp or an acoustic guitar.\n\nMay we strive for lives of authenticity as we continue to serve a God that is real.','The Psalms And Lamentations of Johnny Cash','','inherit','open','open','','3452-revision','','','2011-12-30 09:15:55','2011-12-30 17:15:55','',3452,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/3452-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3454,0,'2011-12-30 09:37:31','2011-12-30 17:37:31','Worship, art, faith, the differences between what’s preached from the pulpit and what congregants actually belive and live-out.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Camille Sobalvarro\nAUTHOR EMAIL: csobalvarro@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://blog.realfaitharts.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 71.146.132.171\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Camille Sobalvarro\n    [Email] =&gt; csobalvarro@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; blog.realfaitharts.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Worship, art, faith, the differences between what’s preached from the pulpit and what congregants actually belive and live-out. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; csobalvarro\n)\n','Camille Sobalvarro - 2011-12-30 09:37:31','','publish','open','open','','9a7c83c4d33bd38ffcc3d5db4330f472','','','2011-12-30 09:37:31','2011-12-30 17:37:31','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3454',0,'feedback','',0),(5034,30,'2012-02-14 08:00:26','2012-02-14 16:00:26','This week, a dad <a title=\"Facebook Parenting: For the Troubled Teen\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=kl1ujzRidmU\" target=\"_blank\">disciplined his daughter</a>. And at the time of me writing this piece, that discipline has been viewed over 14 million times.\r\n\r\nPersonally, I understand Hannah\'s father\'s frustration with being disrespected. There is nothing that gets me upset as a parent more than when one of my children disrespects me or their father. It hurts any time that I see one of my children behaving in a way that is contrary to the manner that I\'ve raised them, but there is a much deeper hurt that comes from being disrespected by one of them. If I found a letter like the one that Hannah posted on Facebook, I would be profoundly upset. And if it happened more than once, I would be losing it big time.\r\n\r\nAs a result, I get why people are supporting the father. We\'re tired of seeing kids disrespect adults without consequence. We\'re tired of seeing kids sporting entitlement attitudes. We\'re ready to see parents take back parenting and expect more from their children. We\'re ready to see kids learn the value of hard work and respect. These are important lessons and we applaud parents that teach them.\r\n\r\nThat said, I have concerns with the way this situation was handled. In the digital age, one of the things that most of try to instill in our kids is the notion that the internet is forever. When our children post words or pictures or videos online, there is no way to get that content back. Even if it\'s something safe, we have no idea how it might be used by someone else. That is a truth that can\'t be emphasized enough when talking with our children. <a href=\"http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/steps/Articles/Pages/MySpace.aspx\">Colleges and employers</a> are more and more likely to check your Facebook page or your Twitter feed or your blog for information about you as a person. Digital footprints are indelible.\r\n\r\nBut this dad (who is apparently an IT professional) has used the very public medium of YouTube to shame his daughter. He could have had this conversation with her at home. He could have read her letter to her aloud. He could have told her how to address the woman who works for them with more respect. He could have even shot her laptop in front of her. Instead, he wanted to be able to embarrass her in front of her friends the way that he felt he had been embarrassed in front of them. But this has gone far beyond her friends, and her shame has been made public.\r\n\r\nParenting in the midst of social media is new, and we need to be careful about how we do it. We have become accustomed to sharing every thought that we have with our followers and friends, so it\'s natural that when we\'re annoyed with our kids, we want to share that too. We want to blog about our bratty tween or post a quick tweet about our spoiled elementary aged kid or post a video where we teach our 15 year old a lesson.\r\n\r\nBut this isn\'t our right as parents. Our kids deserve to be treated with dignity and when we malign our kids in public, we contribute to the culture that says that cyber-bullying is okay. We teach them that our immediate feelings of frustration can make us internet celebrities. We teach them that to be right, you just have to get a lot of likes or retweets or views.\r\n\r\nFourteen million YouTube views might FEEL like success, but it\'s just fame. And being famous for humiliating a 15 year old online isn\'t the way that I want my parenting to be remembered. The fact is, the only way Hannah\'s dad is going to know if his discipline worked is further down the line when she displays behavior that is more in line with his values.\r\n\r\nI hope that he makes a video for that moment too.','Online Parenting','','publish','open','open','','online-parenting','','','2012-02-13 21:10:57','2012-02-14 05:10:57','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5034',0,'post','',21),(3456,24,'2011-12-30 10:38:35','2011-12-30 18:38:35','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo[/youtube]\n\nWhat does Truth need?\nDoes it need your agreement?\nDoes it need acceptance?\nIf you to not like the Truth does it reject you and cast you out?\nIs Truth relative or at least subjective?\n\nWhat is it within one that can perceive Truth or recognize it?\n\nNietzche said, \"There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\"\nIs he not stating an absolute?\n\nPeople who claim to have the Truth tend to use persuasion to gain followers and force to belittle those who disagree with said Truth.\n\nIs Truth insecure? Does it need to be followed?\n\nI pose these question to invite a contemplative posture towards Truth. In my experience the Truth stands revealed when the obstacles to its Presence are removed. Like the Sun shinning is revealed when the clouds dissolve.\n\nThe scene from the movie above is a brilliant display of someone using their truth to defend and rationalize their behavior. It appears the Truth is perceived by many as a means of protection. A way fending off that which is not wanted.\n\nIt seems that the Truth of Divinity  is simple, complete and accepting. When spoken from Love, it reveals the source of Joy and the source of its absence.\n\nTo those who claim to know God I say,\nGod is a direct awareness and experience, a realization, a revelation, and the absolute perfection of pure subjectivity.\n\n&nbsp;','Truth, You Can\'t Handle the Truth!','','inherit','open','open','','2318-revision-2','','','2011-12-30 10:38:35','2011-12-30 18:38:35','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/2318-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3457,24,'2011-12-30 10:40:34','2011-12-30 18:40:34','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo[/youtube]\n\nWhat does Truth need?\nDoes it need your agreement?\nDoes it need acceptance?\nIf you to not like the Truth does it reject you and cast you out?\nIs Truth relative or at least subjective?\n\nWhat is it within one that can perceive Truth or recognize it?\n\nNietzche said, \"There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\"\nIs he not stating an absolute?\n\nPeople who claim to have the Truth tend to use persuasion to gain followers and force to belittle those who disagree with said Truth.\n\nIs Truth insecure? Does it need to be followed?\n\nI pose these question to invite a contemplative posture towards Truth. In my experience the Truth stands revealed when the obstacles to its Presence are removed. Like the Sun shinning is revealed when the clouds dissolve.\n\nThe scene from the movie above is a brilliant display of someone using their truth to defend and rationalize their behavior. It appears the Truth is perceived by many as a means of protection. A way fending off that which is not wanted.\n\nIt seems that the Truth of Divinity  is simple, complete and accepting. When spoken from Love, it reveals the source of Joy and the source of its absence.\n\nTo those who claim to know God I say,\nGod is a direct awareness and experience, a realization, a revelation, and the absolute perfection of pure subjectivity.\n\n&nbsp;','Truth, You Can\'t Handle the Truth!','','inherit','open','open','','2318-revision-3','','','2011-12-30 10:40:34','2011-12-30 18:40:34','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/2318-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(4032,1,'2012-01-13 17:04:28','2012-01-14 01:04:28','We live in a cynical age.\n\nYou’ve probably noticed it.  I don’t know how you could avoid it.  It’s everywhere.\n\nIt’s in every person who feels jaded by life, by the church or by their jobs.\n\nIt\'s in every person who\'s lost faith in people, in \"the system\" or in God.\n\nIt’s in every one of the myriad of spoof movies that are spewn upon audiences each year.\n\nIt’s in every hipster whose wardrobe is made up of the most outdated, mismatched items in the thrift store.\n\nI’ve got plenty of cynicism in me.  But I’m working on it.  Because I think it might be killing my generation<em>.</em>\n\n<img src=\"http://www.thechurchofnopeople.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif\" alt=\"\" />\n<h2><strong>The _____ Generation</strong></h2>\nWhat word defines my generation?\n\nMy grandparents were called the “Great Generation.”\n\nMy parents were the Baby Boomer Generation.\n\nBut they don\'t have a name for us.  So they called us \"X,\" one of the dumbest terms ever coined by sociologists.\n\nI think they should call us the Ironic Generation.\n\nIrony, probably the most important word today in today’s new generation.  I love irony, as the dictionary defines it:\n\n<strong><em>irony: to express something other than and especially the opposite of a literal meaning.</em></strong>\n\nBut the truly ironic thing is that the word is losing its real meaning.  It’s just a word that’s taken the place of “cynicism.”\n<h2><strong>If Something Is Worth Doing, It\'s Worth Doing Ironically</strong></h2>\nI know I pick on hipsters a lot.  But it\'s not without cause.  I think many of them embody the worst cynicism that pervades my generation.  Take hipster fashion for instance.  All of the outdated, mismatched clothes, the mutton chops, non-prescription eyeglasses, and Pabst Blue Ribbon are meticulously crafted for to maximize one desired effect:\n\nIrony.\n\nDo you laugh at how your parents were dressed in old photos?  Then just get some of those clothes from the thrift store and wear them “ironically.”  Drink crappy beer \"ironically.\"  Do everything \"ironically\" while laughing at people who did all those things<em>sincerely.</em>\n\n<strong>Hipster 1: </strong><em>\"Dude, Pabst Blue Ribbon sucks so bad.\"</em>\n\n<strong>Hipster 2: </strong><em>\"I know, I just like drinking it because it\'s so hilariously awful.\"</em>\n\n<strong>Hipster 1:  </strong><em>\"Well done, sir.  Who in their right mind would actually drink this and think it\'s good?  Pass me another.\"</em>\n\n<strong>Hipster 2:  </strong><em>\"Nice tube top, by the way.  It goes great with those tiny basketball shorts.\"</em>\n\nThat’s not irony.  That’s just snark.  That\'s just trying to draw attention to your cynical assumption that your distinguished and refined tastes are too cool for this planet.  The only thing ironic about hipsters is how much sheer, <em>sincere </em>effort they put into being \"ironic\" and pretending to not give a crap.  If hipsters <em>really </em>didn\'t give a crap, they\'d just go to Kohl\'s and buy some Levis and polo shirts like those of us who <em>sincerely don\'t care</em>.\n\nI’m tired of your irony, hipsters.  You’ve become a parody of yourselves.  Now <em>that’s </em>ironic.\n<h2><strong>A Sincere Generation</strong></h2>\nHere’s the thing.  I think my generation is so caught up in the supposed <em>irony </em>of our whole existence, that we aren’t spending a whole lot of time or effort doing anything <em>sincerely.  </em>Everything that a person can sincerely value, someone in my generation is treating like kitsch.  Patriotism?  Ironic.  Religion?  Ironic.  Gender?  Ironic.  Love?  Ironic...probably.\n\nGuess what?\n\nMaking fun of things isn\'t productive.\n\nBeing ironic doesn\'t make the world more beautiful or creative.\n\nBeing cynical doesn’t solve problems.\n\nThe irony of my generation will be looked at by our grandkids as another stupid, meaningless fad.  We need to drop the act and stop calling our cynicism “irony” or “creativity.”  If all we leave behind is a pile of irony, parodies, riffs, spoofs and snark then our generation will not be remembered.\n\nIf we are so caught up with the absurdity of things, then maybe we should spend half of our “ironic” efforts actually creating things that are <em>sincere...</em>\n\n...Unless we\'re just afraid that our sincere efforts will be imitated \"ironically\" by the next generation.\n\nWhat do you think?  Are you sick of irony, or is it the greatest invention of our time?','An Ironic Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum','','inherit','open','open','','3918-autosave','','','2012-01-13 17:04:28','2012-01-14 01:04:28','',3918,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/13/3918-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3957,64,'2012-01-11 13:19:03','2012-01-11 21:19:03','<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is a thoughtful experiment, one that challenges men and women of the 21<sup>st</sup> century church to shake off their old ideas about where women fit in the Church. In a charming and disarming style, Jim Henderson tells the evangelical Church, its pastors and ministry leaders to start listening to the women in their lives, their daughters, wives, mothers and friends, and those women that work tirelessly by their side every day in the service of the Kingdom. (I was tempted to write \"their kingdom.\") Henderson, a spirited advocate for powerless people, has done the work for you. Through the narratives of fifteen women, he threads together themes that he found while listening. <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is a daring challenge to the Church to rethink the issue of women in ministry and issues a gentle threat for what may happen if you choose not to listen.\r\n\r\nWhile I do not doubt the sincerity of the author, the irony that lingered with me as I read the hundreds of pages of narrative is something Henderson alluded to himself that <strong><em>those with power</em></strong> don’t understand the necessity of the conversation.  I believe the very same people this book is challenging, made up their minds long ago (in seminary) and are unlikely to be swayed by the singularly sad stories of women, even women in their own church.  Through research done by the Barna Group the author has dug up another mostly silent, ever resilient group of people serving in the church, <strong><em>the oblivious</em>,</strong> those who “drank the cool aid” long ago and trusted those with authority for their own beliefs.  They feel there is no need for this conversation either. My personal experience has been that the more you challenge someone’s core belief the more rigid they become – asking who has the right to challenge long held “biblical” truths, certainly not women.\r\n\r\nKnowing the push back, Henderson valiantly reinforces through his stories the idea that <strong><em>those without power</em></strong> are growing weary, doubtful and even suspicious of the Church.  And that women of faith and conscience who do choose to stay in the Church, are balancing on a tightrope every day; feel the tension between living with their convictions and the lingering thought of just not showing up.  Both options many days are simply untenable.  While <em>it seems that the only ones who do want this conversation are a small minority of mostly women whose theological views make them misfits in the evangelical church today I would encourage the reader to ask why?   </em>\r\n\r\n<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is primarily written as a challenge to (male) pastors.  It is a grave warning with the promise or threat that if pastor’s are unwilling to rethink these issues, more and more women will simply leave the community of faith. If pastors are unwilling to listen and think, the threat is that more and more women will walk. Ultimately I don’t think your average pastor believes that, nor does he think this issue is important enough. As he reads <em>The Resignation of Eve</em>, he may be compelled by the stories and even feel genuinely bad for the women described in the book, still <em>for the most part your everyday mainline denominational male leader won’t be swayed by a bunch of stories about women. </em>Because this about more than just “Eve.” And that is a lingering, unanswered question in the book.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>We are talking about a culture that defies change. </em></strong>As they defend their point of view, today’s pastor believes they are protecting their church from culture creep. I agree with Tom Wright when he says that the authority of God is embodied in Jesus himself, not in the literal words of the Bible. But most pastors today would hold that the issue of women’s empowerment in the church is a <em>cultural phenomenon stemming from the evil of feminism and therefore must be stopped.</em> By choosing which verses in the Bible are cultural and which are not, they cherry-pick a more patriarchal view that I would contend is culturally inappropriate for the 21<sup>st</sup> century.  Take 1 Timothy for instance. Even if you interpret it <em>literally, </em>these are instructions and restrictions for the behavior of some women in the first century church.  Some churches prohibit women\'s leadership in churches because they use these verses to \"prove\" that God doesn\'t approve.  But they happily ignore the verses right beside them, about how women are adorned and how they should dress, saying that is cultural. When you read it with context, and contrast this text and other texts in the New Testament, I believe it requires the reader to listen to more than one or two voices speaking about the role of women.\r\n\r\nHenderson is quick to point to the other examples: Jesus’ treatment of women, women as apostles and teachers, women financing the ministry, women sitting at Jesus\' feet learning from him with the other disciples, a woman being the first to speak to Jesus after his Resurrection, all examples of empowering of women in the early church, which you can see if you don\'t restrict your reading to a few very restrictive sections.\r\n\r\nWise pastors must begin to recognize and listen to women’s voices in the church. And women must with discernment do their own homework!  The early church does not need to be prescriptive for how we run churches today, but this idea challenges the essence of how most pastors view scriptures.\r\n\r\n<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> acknowledges with compassion the tensions women face but the premise is unfair. We are dared to bolt from our churches and force the church’s hand, in order for them to somehow see how important we are. <em>But you must</em> <em>appreciate the tragic fact that this will be held against us.</em> The very nature of our character will be called into question, women who have faithfully worked, loved, served the Church for generations. This would be a heartbreaking ending to the story.\r\n\r\nWomen in the church today are being pulled between being perceived as unfaithfully driven by need for power and by living by our God-given convictions within the faith community.  Reading <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> I found myself utterly exhausted by the trouble the women must exert to be faithful in the church today. The intentions of this book are so good! But I was left with questions hanging.  The same question that I live with every day. Are men and women ready to have a serious conversation about the role of women in the church? Or will it, as I fear, fall on deaf ears because the Church, her pastors and ministry leaders have already made up their minds?\r\n\r\nIn the introduction Lynne Hybel’s message was liberating, as she flirts with women challenging us to \"<strong><em>take ourselves seriously.\"</em></strong>  I wanted to say “There are so many of us that do, Lynne, if only it were the same for men.” I do recommend this book to you because it does that most enigmatic and beautiful thing, it listens to women.  Whether you choose to eavesdrop on these stories in <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> or sit down for a cup of tea with an actual breathing woman in your life, I challenge to please, start listening.','The Resignation of Eve: A Review','','inherit','open','open','','3951-revision-5','','','2012-01-11 13:19:03','2012-01-11 21:19:03','',3951,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/11/3951-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3956,1,'2012-01-13 17:20:29','2012-01-14 01:20:29','<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is a thoughtful experiment, one that challenges men and women of the 21<sup>st</sup> century church to shake off their old ideas about where women fit in the Church. In a charming and disarming style, Jim Henderson tells the evangelical Church, its pastors and ministry leaders to start listening to the women in their lives, their daughters, wives, mothers and friends, and those women that work tirelessly by their side every day in the service of the Kingdom. (I was tempted to write \"their kingdom.\") Henderson, a spirited advocate for powerless people, has done the work for you. Through the narratives of fifteen women, he threads together themes that he found while listening. <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is a daring challenge to the Church to reconsider the issue of women in ministry and issues a gentle threat for what may happen if you choose not to listen.\n\nWhile I do not doubt the sincerity of the author, the irony that lingered with me as I read the hundreds of pages of narrative is something Henderson alluded to himself that <strong><em>those with power</em></strong> don’t understand the necessity of the conversation.  I believe the very same people this book is challenging, made up their minds long ago (in seminary) and are unlikely to be swayed by the singularly sad stories of women, even women in their own church.  Through research done by the Barna Group the author has dug up another mostly silent, ever resilient group of people serving in the church, <strong><em>the oblivious</em>,</strong> those who “drank the cool aid” long ago and trusted those with authority for their own beliefs.  They feel there is no need for this conversation either. My personal experience has been that the more you challenge someone’s core belief the more rigid they become – asking who has the right to challenge long-held “biblical” truths, certainly not women.\n\nKnowing the push back, Henderson valiantly reinforces through his stories the idea that <strong><em>those without power</em></strong> are growing weary, doubtful and even suspicious of the Church.  And that women of faith and conscience who do choose to stay in the Church, are balancing on a tightrope every day; feel the tension between living with their convictions and the lingering thought of just not showing up.  Both options many days are simply untenable.  While <em>it seems that the only ones who do want this conversation are a small minority of mostly women whose theological views make them misfits in the evangelical church today I would encourage the reader to ask why?   </em>\n\n<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> is primarily written as a challenge to (male) pastors.  It is a grave warning with the promise or threat that if pastor’s are unwilling to reconsider these issues, more and more women will simply leave the community of faith. If pastors are unwilling to listen and think, the threat is that more and more women will walk. Ultimately I don’t think your average pastor believes that, nor does he think this issue is important enough. As he reads <em>The Resignation of Eve</em>, he may be compelled by the stories and even feel genuinely bad for the women described in the book, still <em>for the most part your everyday mainline denominational male leader won’t be swayed by a bunch of stories about women. </em>Because this about more than just “Eve.” And that is a lingering, unanswered question in the book.\n\n<strong><em>We are talking about a culture that defies change. </em></strong>As they defend their point of view, today’s pastor believes they are protecting their church from culture creep. I agree with Tom Wright when he says that the authority of God is embodied in Jesus himself, not in the literal words of the Bible. But most pastors today would hold that the issue of women’s empowerment in the church is a <em>cultural phenomenon stemming from the evil of feminism and therefore must be stopped.</em> By choosing which verses in the Bible are cultural and which are not, they cherry-pick a more patriarchal view that I would contend is culturally inappropriate for the 21<sup>st</sup> century.  Take 1 Timothy for instance. Even if you interpret it <em>literally, </em>these are instructions and restrictions for the behavior of some women in the first century church.  Some churches prohibit women\'s leadership in churches because they use these verses to \"prove\" that God doesn\'t approve.  But they happily ignore the verses right beside them, about how women are adorned and how they should dress, saying that is cultural. When you read it with context, and contrast this text and other texts in the New Testament, I believe it requires the reader to listen to more than one or two voices speaking about the role of women.\n\nHenderson is quick to point to the other examples: Jesus’ treatment of women, women as apostles and teachers, women financing the ministry, women sitting at Jesus\' feet learning from him with the other disciples, a woman being the first to speak to Jesus after his Resurrection, all examples of empowering of women in the early church, which you can see if you don\'t restrict your reading to a few very restrictive sections.\n\nWise pastors must begin to recognize and listen to women’s voices in the church. And women must with discernment do their own homework!  The early church does not need to be prescriptive for how we run churches today, but this idea challenges the essence of how most pastors view scriptures.\n\n<em>The Resignation of Eve</em> acknowledges with compassion the tensions women face but the premise is unfair. We are dared to bolt from our churches and force the church’s hand, in order for them to somehow see how important we are. <em>But you must</em> <em>appreciate the tragic fact that this will be held against us.</em> The very nature of our character will be called into question, women who have faithfully worked, loved, served the Church for generations. This would be a heartbreaking ending to the story.\n\nWomen in the church today are being pulled between being perceived as unfaithful, driven by need for power and by living by our God-given convictions within the faith community.  Reading <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> I found myself utterly exhausted by the trouble the women must exert to be faithful in the church today. The intentions of this book are so good! But I was left with questions hanging.  The same question that I live with every day. Are men and women ready to have a serious conversation about the role of women in the church? Or will it, as I fear, fall on deaf ears because the Church, her pastors and ministry leaders have already made up their minds?\n\nIn the introduction Lynne Hybel’s message was liberating, as she flirts with women challenging us to \"<strong><em>take ourselves seriously.\"</em></strong>  I wanted to say “There are so many of us that do, Lynne, if only it were the same for men.” I do recommend this book to you because it does that most enigmatic and beautiful thing, it listens to women.  Whether you choose to eavesdrop on these stories in <em>The Resignation of Eve</em> or sit down for a cup of tea with an actual breathing woman in your life, I challenge you to please, start listening.','The Resignation of Eve: A Review','','inherit','open','open','','3951-autosave','','','2012-01-13 17:20:29','2012-01-14 01:20:29','',3951,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/11/3951-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3463,1,'2011-12-30 11:59:24','2011-12-30 19:59:24','<div>\n\nIn 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\nProvoketive Magazine is one of the <a href=\"http://technorati.com/blogs/provoketive.com\" target=\"_blank\">fastest growing magazines</a> on the web. With over 120 writers contributing to the conversation, the dialogue has been and continues to be amazing.  If you would like to contribute to Provoketive, begin here.\n\n</div>','About Provoketive','','inherit','open','open','','34-autosave','','','2011-12-30 11:59:24','2011-12-30 19:59:24','',34,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/34-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3464,1,'2011-10-18 09:47:15','2011-10-18 16:47:15','<div>\r\n\r\nIn 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</div>','About Provoketive','','inherit','open','open','','34-revision-3','','','2011-10-18 09:47:15','2011-10-18 16:47:15','',34,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/34-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3467,125,'2011-12-30 09:09:19','2011-12-30 17:09:19','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','3451-revision','','','2011-12-30 09:09:19','2011-12-30 17:09:19','',3451,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/3451-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3469,125,'2011-12-31 09:38:29','2011-12-31 17:38:29','A universe containing trillions of stars, clustered into countless galaxies like sand on an beach you could never reach the end of. Each star an angry mixture of gases that are constantly erupting in violent nuclear reactions, catapulting electromagnetic radiation into the darkness of space around it. A universe so delicately governed by its forces that it would have collapsed long ago, except something seems to be holding it together.\r\nA planet with a perfect symmetry of water and carbon, liquid and gas, so desperately needed to sustain life. Enough carbon, just the right size and shape to master forming compounds, to combine itself with all vital elements and provide an endoskeleton for biologically-active molecules. Enough water to provide a space for most of the chemical reactions needed to form living matter and to absorb and retain heat, making it our handmade blanket, our forged shield against the tumult of temperature change.\r\nA 27-year-old woman raised in an emotionally abusive house, who runs away at age 15, is pregnant by age 18, and is now addicted to cocaine. A woman so desperate for any sign of affection or empathy that she prostitutes herself while her 9-year-old son raises himself at home alone.\r\nA God existing outside the restraints of a universe functioning within space and time. A God who, with the very exhalation of a single word could bring to life a universe so finely-tuned. A universe that has such precision that more than two dozen parameters must have values falling within narrowly defined ranges for life of any kind to exist. \r\nA God that, with the same hands used to guide the stars and galaxies into their perfect locations, created a framework of 3.1 billion base pairs of DNA from which each human being has been created. A God so beautifully guiding His creation that, were the decay rate of protons greater, then life would be exterminated by the release of radiation and, were it smaller, His universe would contain insufficient matter for life.\r\nA God that formed a universe of perfect suitability so that He could use those same hands to create His most wonderful masterpiece: humanity. A God so completely and furiously dedicated to us that, with the same voice that commands galaxies to exist, can whisper in a 27-year-old woman’s ear, in a still and small voice, that she can know what love is truly supposed to feel like. That her 9-year-old son, in his lowest moments of abandonment and loneliness, is one of His very children.\r\nOur God is relentless.\r\nOur God is overwhelming.\r\nOur God is devoted.\r\nOur God embodies love as a noun and fulfills love as a verb.\r\nOur God knows the names of all the stars, and counts the hairs on all our heads.\r\nOur God formed us out of the dirt in His wisdom, spent a life walking through our dirt in His empathy, let sacrificial blood fall to the dirt in His grace, and picks us up off of the dirt in His love.\r\nA universe with such an exact mix of elements, forces, and distances could not exist without a Creator that crafted it for the specific and merciful purpose of allowing us to live and worship in His presence.\r\nThat is the love of God.','The Love Of God','','inherit','open','open','','3451-revision-2','','','2011-12-31 09:38:29','2011-12-31 17:38:29','',3451,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3451-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3704,48,'2012-01-16 08:26:10','2012-01-16 16:26:10','There\'s a  four-letter word getting thrown around a lot lately. It\'s a word I\'ve heard used flippantly, jokingly, and disparagingly. Admittedly, sometimes it seems like the most accurate, albeit inflammatory, word to use. Often this word is spoken, perhaps rightly so, by broken and hurting people out of pain and frustration. It\'s a word that was used by a commenter on my previous post in Provoketive Magazine, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/12/08/slap-on-a-little-lipstick-youll-be-fine/\">Slap On a Little Lipstick, You\'ll Be Fine</a>. If I am being completely honest, it\'s a word I\'ve used, sometimes quickly out of anger, and a lot more cautiously after great deliberation.\r\n\r\nThat\'s right, I am talking about the \'C\' word: Cult.\r\n\r\nCult is a term used by many Christians to describe Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and many other fringe religious groups and doomsday groups like Peoples Temple and Heaven\'s Gate.  It\'s also been used to discredit Christian churches and ministries with an authoritarian structure, rigid rules, and/or apparent spiritual abuse. The commenter from my last article used it in reference to what he thought was a minister requiring me to wear lipstick (as a note, I never stated in that article whether that incident occurred at a secular or religious organization). And I\'ll admit it, I\'d be pretty tempted to slap that label on a minister requiring women to wear lipstick.\r\n\r\nGiven that it carries such negative overtones, it is probably not a word one should use unless it is known for certain that a group is a cult. But what <em>is</em> a true cult?\r\n\r\nMerriam-Webster\'s Online Dictionary gives the following definition:\r\n\r\n<span class=\"ssens\">1    : formal religious veneration : worship</span>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<div class=\"snum\" style=\"float: left;\">2</div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;\"><span class=\"ssens\">: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents</span></div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<div class=\"snum\" style=\"float: left;\">3</div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;\"><span class=\"ssens\">: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents</span></div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<div class=\"snum\" style=\"float: left;\">4</div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;\"><span class=\"ssens\">: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <span class=\"vi\">&lt;health cults&gt;</span></span></div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"sblk\">\r\n<div class=\"snum\" style=\"float: left;\">5</div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;\"><span class=\"ssens\"><span class=\"sn\">a</span> : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad</span></div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;\"><span class=\"ssens\"><span class=\"sn\">b</span> : the object of such devotion</span></div>\r\n<div class=\"scnt\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;\"><span class=\"ssens\"><span class=\"sn\">c</span> : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion</span></div>\r\n</div>\r\nGoing by this definition, any religious group or faith is a cult. That\'s right, that means any Christian church or group, mainstream or otherwise, by definition is a cult. And it doesn\'t stop at religion: any fad or craze with a following is a cult, like the cult of Mac or my personal cult following of choice, that of the canceled Sci-Fi show, Firefly. Really, with the exception of the third listed definition of cult (i.e. a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious), the word shouldn\'t necessarily carry a negative connotation.\r\n\r\nIf, for the sake of this article, we decided to simply run with Webster\'s third definition of cult, it would be difficult to find a fully objective person or governing body to determine what is unorthodox regarding religious beliefs and doctrine. So who gets to decide? If you asked a Lutheran, Catholic, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Mennonite, and Episcopalian each about what constituted orthodox versus unorthodox beliefs in other denominations, you would undoubtedly find each denomination labeled unorthodox (and thus a cult) by at least one other denomination.\r\n\r\nEven sociologists and psychologist tend to disagree over whether or not to continue the use of the word cult, since what started as a mostly neutral term now tends to bring to mind the poisoned Kool-Aid victims of the Jonestown Massacre. Furthermore, there is more of a continuum or spectrum between what constitutes \"cult\" and \"non-cult,\" rather than simple black and white definitions. As such, many have given to using further descriptors for cults, such as \"dangerous\" or \"benign.\"\r\n\r\nThis is why I appreciate the resources that the <a href=\"http://www.icsahome.com/\">International Cultic Studies Association</a> has online regarding cults.  The ICSA acknowledges upfront the difficulty in cult terminology, and then focuses on the damaging aspects and practices that can occur in cults, without giving a subjective list of cults or bad organizations on their website.  Instead, it is up to the reader to use the information to decide on their own. That being said, here is the list of characteristics often found with cultic groups, according to Michael D. Langone, Ph.D, Executive Director of the ICSA:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.</li>\r\n	<li>Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.</li>\r\n	<li>Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).</li>\r\n	<li>The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).</li>\r\n	<li>The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).</li>\r\n	<li>The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society</li>\r\n	<li>The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).</li>\r\n	<li>The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members\' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).</li>\r\n	<li>The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt<span class=\"SpellE\" style=\"text-align: left; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 1px;\">in</span>order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.</li>\r\n	<li>Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.</li>\r\n	<li>The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.</li>\r\n	<li>The group is preoccupied with making money.</li>\r\n	<li>Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.</li>\r\n	<li>Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.</li>\r\n	<li>The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nPlease note that this list is not meant to be a definitive or all-encompassing checklist to diagnose groups, but merely a guideline of characteristics that cults often display. Even if an organization were to have many of these characteristics, I think we should be careful before immediately labeling a group as a cult, given how loaded a word it is. Also, I propose that it is entirely possible that a group everyone would agree is not truly a cult could be shown to display many of these traits, depending on how you describe them.\r\n\r\nFor example, a sports team could easily be described in such a way as to seem cultic. For one thing, all the members are committed wholly to the coach; questioning the coach can lead to losing the game, being benched, or even being completely removed from the team. Also, team members often engage in weirdly scripted pre-game chants with indiscernible grunts, meant to increase team unity and create a team mind-set. Furthermore, the team must all dress in complete uniformity, down to the color of their clothing, or they are not allowed to participate. The team also has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, viewing all other teams as opponents they must defeat. Being apart of the team will also likely affect their relationships and other personal goals; due to long practice sessions and traveling for games, they will have little to no time to pursue other activities, and they may not see their family very often during the on-season. Now granted, this example doesn\'t fit every characteristic listed, but as you can see, it could be easy to make a group fit these characteristics if you were already prejudiced against it.\r\n\r\nBecause \"cult\" is an indistinctly defined term that can be misused and misapplied to great detriment, it is important to be careful before immediately slapping the cult label on any religious group that we disagree with or even one that has truly injured us. That being said, damaging groups and cults flying under the Christian flag do exist, and it is wise to be aware of these cult characteristics. Many have the \"I\'m too smart or balanced to get pulled into a cult\" mentality, but people of all walks of life are susceptible to cults, especially as cults often give misleading information about their true nature, organizational structure, rules, etc., when you first become involved. I certainly thought I was too intelligent or psychologically sound to get involved with a sketchy ministry or (gasp!) a cult.\r\n\r\nFor approximately eight years, I was a part of a 5-fold para-church Christian ministry. If you are unfamiliar with that wordy terminology, essentially it was a Christian organization focused on the 5-fold ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher) that was not a church, but rather a ministry that worked alongside Christian churches. I knew of the ministry through respected friends and acquaintances from the church I attend in high school, and my first involvement was merely as a member of the worship team while I was in college.\r\n\r\nShortly after college, my husband and I \"joined the team,\" becoming more deeply involved and committed to the ministry.  As time progressed, the ministry\'s meetings (both public meetings and private \"team only\" meetings) became more frequent and went into the early morning hours (I often arrived back home after 3 am). In addition, more rigid rules were created and enforced regarding everything from not drinking alcohol, meeting attendance, how to act around the leader of our ministry, dress code, taboo discussion topics with non-team members, and much more. Public questioning of the leader was not allowed, and if you questioned him in private, somehow it was always turned around that you had a  \"heart issue\" and \"issues with authority.\" Really though, with the high demands on the team, long hours volunteering, etc., everyone was usually too tired to think, let alone have the faculties necessary to find fault with the ministry or leadership.\r\n\r\nThe \"heart issue\" was a commonly employed method to get the team to stay in line. When other members left the team (by choice or otherwise), or if the leadership found out we were associating with people who did not agree 100% with the ministry, we were discouraged to continue anything more than a superficial relationship with them. The head of the ministry was always careful to point out that he wasn\'t saying we couldn\'t associate with them, but that the fact that we would want to, knowing what they thought of the ministry, revealed our true heart. Even missing <em>optional</em> extra-curricular team events was taken as evidence of  having heart issues.\r\n\r\nEventually I became even more involved with the ministry, to the point of being privy to much of the leadership\'s confidential information regarding the inner workings of the ministry, other ministers, and even other team members. At first, it was an honor to have such a position. However, eventually I began to see the cracks in the leadership and the ministry-- cracks I could not point out unless I wanted to have a \"come to Jesus meeting\" where my supposed heart issues, authority issues, and God knows what other issues might be raised, to deflect from the flaws in leadership. Many things were done at the bidding of the leadership that I did not really agree with. Team members were booted from the ministry when they wouldn\'t toe the line, and the rest of the team was given false or highly misleading information about why they left. Long weeks of meetings were called because \'God was moving\', when behind closed doors in staff meetings, we discussed having extra meetings to get more money to keep the ministry afloat. These are just a couple of examples of the many issues I could mention.\r\n\r\nDespite my dislike of who I was becoming at this ministry and my disagreements with what the leadership were doing, I deeply struggled with leaving. Anyone who left the ministry was declared to be \"out of God\'s will,\" and I certainly did not want to be that! Furthermore, we had put eight years of our livelihood into that ministry, and leaving would lead me to question whether we had wasted the entirety of those years. At the same time, I could no longer believe that the ministry was truly acting in a way that glorified or modeled Christ.\r\n\r\nWhile I struggled and prayed for God to either release me or give me the fortitude to leave on my own, my husband was absolutely certain we needed to leave. He met with the head of the ministry about this, who disagreed that it was time for us to leave. At his request, my husband agreed to take 30 days to pray about this, after which they would meet again. At the same time, I decided it was time to move out of my current job within the ministry, even if we still remained on the team. After the 30 days, my husband\'s decision remained the same. The day before his scheduled follow-up meeting, the leader called us up and kicked us off the team by phone before we had the chance to meet with him in person and possibly leave on good terms.\r\n\r\nDespite my relief at being released from the team, I still had an incredible amount of anger and pain stemming from how things were handled, both during our time at the ministry and in the way in which we were released from the team. In the first few months after we left, I easily denounced this ministry as a cult. And I suspect that many others may jump to that same conclusion after reading my account from my time there. Looking through the list from the ICSA, this ministry does fit at least 13 out of 15 of the characteristics of cultic groups. Does that mean my original declaration was correct, even if it was spoken out of pain and anger? Perhaps there is more to the story.\r\n\r\nDespite the many issues I have with that ministry, I do believe that everyone there, including the leadership, truly believes that they are helping people and doing God\'s will. Granted, having good intentions doesn\'t keep people from hurting others or doing incredible wrong. Many horrific acts have been done and continue to be done in the name of God and God\'s will.  And, the belief that you are helping people is certainly not a litmus test to prove non-cult status. But does it count for something along the spectrum of dangerous cult/benign cult/non-cult?\r\n\r\nAt this ministry, it is my opinion that they end up doing significantly more damage to people than they do good; but, it certainly isn\'t at the same level as drinking poisoned Kool-Aid and committing mass suicide. Is there a certain level of damage by which we can measure what is a cult?  And, cult or not, what is the correct and appropriate response for Christians when faced with a Christian ministry, church, or organization that is clearly damaging to people? Do we publicly denounce them or silently pray for them?\r\n\r\nWith this particular group, and perhaps with many other cult-like Christian groups, I think the root of the issue may be with a dictatorial authority structure that does not brook any questioning of leadership, leading to abuse of power. However, this is an authority structure that many groups of Christians believe is biblical and ideal. So what then? Are they right <em>technically</em> but abusing a God-given structure, are they wrong and simply misunderstanding scripture, or worse, are they twisting and manipulating scripture? At what point are doctrinal disagreements and differences in interpretation of scripture so far off that they are grounds for pulling out the cult label? Who really gets to decide who is a heretic nowadays, anyway?\r\n\r\nAfter my particular experience, I certainly wouldn\'t recommend that ministry to anyone, friend or foe. If anything, I would tell them to run in the opposite direction. But at this point I also wouldn\'t publicly denounce them as a definitive cult. No, it\'s not because I \"drank the Kool-Aid.\" They certainly straddle that fence between spiritual abuse and cult with more aplomb than a sure-footed tight-rope walker. And that line between a legitimate ministry that has fallen due to an abusive authority and a full-blown, destructive cult already blurs so much to me that I just won\'t make that final judgment. Instead I choose to pray for them, holding out hope that, in their desire to do God\'s will and minister to the body, they will see the damage they are doing and change. And, I pray for myself, that if I have somehow misjudged them, God will open my eyes.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The \'C\' Word','','publish','open','open','','the-c-word','','','2012-01-10 08:29:46','2012-01-10 16:29:46','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3704',0,'post','',8),(3471,38,'2012-01-04 08:00:58','2012-01-04 16:00:58','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silently keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete, the pastor at the church we attend, said on Sunday. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','Universe, Are You There? It\'s Me, Deanna.','','publish','open','open','','universe-are-you-there-its-me-deanna','','','2012-01-12 07:55:23','2012-01-12 15:55:23','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3471',0,'post','',6),(3472,38,'2011-12-31 11:16:28','2011-12-31 19:16:28','\"\'Cheap Universe\' - V for Volume\" by Coso Blues','universe-field','','inherit','open','open','','universe-field','','','2011-12-31 11:16:28','2011-12-31 19:16:28','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/universe-field.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3473,38,'2011-12-31 11:15:54','2011-12-31 19:15:54','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\n\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\n\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\n\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\n\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\n\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\n\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\n\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\n\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\n\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision','','','2011-12-31 11:15:54','2011-12-31 19:15:54','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3474,38,'2011-12-31 11:17:45','2011-12-31 19:17:45','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision-2','','','2011-12-31 11:17:45','2011-12-31 19:17:45','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3475,38,'2011-12-31 11:17:47','2011-12-31 19:17:47','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision-3','','','2011-12-31 11:17:47','2011-12-31 19:17:47','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3476,38,'2011-12-31 11:18:09','2011-12-31 19:18:09','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','Universe, Are You There? It\'s Me, Deanna.','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision-4','','','2011-12-31 11:18:09','2011-12-31 19:18:09','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3477,1,'2011-12-28 17:49:57','2011-12-29 01:49:57','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-5','','','2011-12-28 17:49:57','2011-12-29 01:49:57','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/28/3419-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3479,1,'2011-12-31 13:06:13','2011-12-31 21:06:13','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2o11?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-7','','','2011-12-31 13:06:13','2011-12-31 21:06:13','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3419-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3480,1,'2011-12-31 13:06:53','2011-12-31 21:06:53','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2011?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-8','','','2011-12-31 13:06:53','2011-12-31 21:06:53','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3419-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3481,1,'2011-12-31 13:09:13','2011-12-31 21:09:13','The wisdom of experience is always more easily consumed than knowledge gained in isolation. By that, I mean that it is simpler and more comfortable to trust someone who has lived through something when they speak about it than someone who is offering advice based on second- or third-hand experience.\n\nMy favorite musician of all time is Johnny Cash. Part of his intrigue is his musicianship. But the bigger draw for me has always been his authenticity. When he speaks, or sings, or wails, or rejoices…I <em>believe</em> him. And the fact that the majority of cover songs he did seem better than the originals attests to the realness of his craft. He was who he was, flaws and all, and he exposed himself in both weakness and strength through lament and praise with the outcome being a body of work that can actually <em>speak</em> to people.\n\nIn a lot of ways, he is pretty much like King David. Bear with me…\n\nKing David came from a place where God was mostly seen as the Giver of a list of rules to follow. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David knew fame and success. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David knew the depths of depression. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David screwed up in massively huge ways. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David threw himself at the feet of God in repentance. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David took the worst of himself and the best and turned them into songs to help people understand their world and its Creator. So did Johnny Cash.\n\nKing David, “the hero of Israel’s songs” (2 Samuel 23:1), and Johnny Cash, “the man in black”, both experienced addictions, sadness, loneliness, struggle, and pain. But through both of their lives there is a resounding grace and hope that shows the intensely passionate love God so desires to pour over us. In the depths of their despair, they cried out to their Savior:\n\n“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.” (Psalm 51:1-4)\n\n“The beast in me is caged by thin and fragile bars…by night rants and rages at the stars, God help the beast in me….” (<em>The Beast In Me</em>, Johnny Cash)\n\nAnd in the heights of their joy in the Lord, they could clearly rejoice in the promises of God:\n\n“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness.” (Psalm 145:1-3)\n\n“And the blood gave life to the branches of the tree. And the blood was the price that set the captives free. And the numbers that came through the fire and the flood clung to the tree and were redeemed by the blood. From his hands it came down from his side it came down. From his feet it came down and ran to the ground. And a small inner voice said ‘You do have a choice.’ The vine engrafted me and I clung to the tree.” (<em>Redemption</em>, Johnny Cash)\n\nGod uses people, typically simple and authentic people, to offer truths that we can use to see Him more clearly. These truths are not always pretty, as we are currently struggling to survive in a broken world. But the truths are always useful in showing us the clarity and richness of God’s perfect message of love and grace. And it is when the truths are given through people transparent in their struggles and grief, open in their joy and praise, that we are most easily able to see the love of God being reflected…\n\n…whether they play a harp or an acoustic guitar.\n\nMay we strive for lives of authenticity as we continue to serve a God that is real.','The Psalms And Lamentations of Johnny Cash','','inherit','open','open','','3452-autosave','','','2011-12-31 13:09:13','2011-12-31 21:09:13','',3452,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3452-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3482,1,'2011-12-31 13:10:35','2011-12-31 21:10:35','','johnn_cash','','inherit','open','open','','johnn_cash','','','2011-12-31 13:10:35','2011-12-31 21:10:35','',3452,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/johnn_cash.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3483,1,'2011-12-30 09:16:03','2011-12-30 17:16:03','The wisdom of experience is always more easily consumed than knowledge gained in isolation. By that, I mean that it is simpler and more comfortable to trust someone who has lived through something when they speak about it than someone who is offering advice based on second- or third-hand experience.\r\n\r\nMy favorite musician of all time is Johnny Cash. Part of his intrigue is his musicianship. But the bigger draw for me has always been his authenticity. When he speaks, or sings, or wails, or rejoices…I <em>believe</em> him. And the fact that the majority of cover songs he did seem better than the originals attests to the realness of his craft. He was who he was, flaws and all, and he exposed himself in both weakness and strength through lament and praise with the outcome being a body of work that can actually <em>speak</em> to people.\r\n\r\nIn a lot of ways, he is pretty much like King David. Bear with me…\r\n\r\nKing David came from a place where God was mostly seen as the Giver of a list of rules to follow. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David knew fame and success. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David knew the depths of depression. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David screwed up in massively huge ways. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David threw himself at the feet of God in repentance. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David took the worst of himself and the best and turned them into songs to help people understand their world and its Creator. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David, “the hero of Israel’s songs” (2 Samuel 23:1), and Johnny Cash, “the man in black”, both experienced addictions, sadness, loneliness, struggle, and pain. But through both of their lives there is a resounding grace and hope that shows the intensely passionate love God so desires to pour over us. In the depths of their despair, they cried out to their Savior:\r\n\r\n“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.” (Psalm 51:1-4)\r\n\r\n“The beast in me is caged by thin and fragile bars…by night rants and rages at the stars, God help the beast in me….” (<em>The Beast In Me</em>, Johnny Cash)\r\n\r\nAnd in the heights of their joy in the Lord, they could clearly rejoice in the promises of God:\r\n\r\n“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness.” (Psalm 145:1-3)\r\n\r\n“And the blood gave life to the branches of the tree. And the blood was the price that set the captives free. And the numbers that came through the fire and the flood clung to the tree and were redeemed by the blood. From his hands it came down from his side it came down. From his feet it came down and ran to the ground. And a small inner voice said ‘You do have a choice.’ The vine engrafted me and I clung to the tree.” (<em>Redemption</em>, Johnny Cash)\r\n\r\nGod uses people, typically simple and authentic people, to offer truths that we can use to see Him more clearly. These truths are not always pretty, as we are currently struggling to survive in a broken world. But the truths are always useful in showing us the clarity and richness of God’s perfect message of love and grace. And it is when the truths are given through people transparent in their struggles and grief, open in their joy and praise, that we are most easily able to see the love of God being reflected…\r\n\r\n…whether they play a harp or an acoustic guitar.\r\n\r\nMay we strive for lives of authenticity as we continue to serve a God that is real.','The Psalms And Lamentations of Johnny Cash','','inherit','open','open','','3452-revision-2','','','2011-12-30 09:16:03','2011-12-30 17:16:03','',3452,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/3452-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3484,1,'2011-12-31 13:15:39','2011-12-31 21:15:39','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo[/youtube]\n\nWhat does Truth need?\nDoes it need your agreement?\nDoes it need acceptance?\nIf you to not like the Truth does it reject you and cast you out?\nIs Truth relative or at least subjective?\n\nWhat is it within one that can perceive Truth or recognize it?\n\nNietzsche said, \"There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\"\nIs he not stating an absolute?\n\nPeople who claim to have the Truth tend to use persuasion to gain followers and force to belittle those who disagree with said Truth.\n\nIs Truth insecure? Does it need to be followed?\n\nI pose these question to invite a contemplative posture towards Truth. In my experience the Truth stands revealed when the obstacles to its Presence are removed. Like the Sun shinning is revealed when the clouds dissolve.\n\nThe scene from the movie above is a brilliant display of someone using their truth to defend and rationalize their behavior. It appears the Truth is perceived by many as a means of protection. A way fending off that which is not wanted.\n\nIt seems that the Truth of Divinity  is simple, complete and accepting. When spoken from Love, it reveals the source of Joy and the source of its absence.\n\n&nbsp;','Truth, You Can\'t Handle the Truth!','','inherit','open','open','','2318-autosave','','','2011-12-31 13:15:39','2011-12-31 21:15:39','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/2318-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3485,1,'2011-12-30 10:41:13','2011-12-30 18:41:13','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWhat does Truth need?\r\nDoes it need your agreement?\r\nDoes it need acceptance?\r\nIf you to not like the Truth does it reject you and cast you out?\r\nIs Truth relative or at least subjective?\r\n\r\nWhat is it within one that can perceive Truth or recognize it?\r\n\r\nNietzsche said, \"There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\"\r\nIs he not stating an absolute?\r\n\r\nPeople who claim to have the Truth tend to use persuasion to gain followers and force to belittle those who disagree with said Truth.\r\n\r\nIs Truth insecure? Does it need to be followed?\r\n\r\nI pose these question to invite a contemplative posture towards Truth. In my experience the Truth stands revealed when the obstacles to its Presence are removed. Like the Sun shinning is revealed when the clouds dissolve.\r\n\r\nThe scene from the movie above is a brilliant display of someone using their truth to defend and rationalize their behavior. It appears the Truth is perceived by many as a means of protection. A way fending off that which is not wanted.\r\n\r\nIt seems that the Truth of Divinity  is simple, complete and accepting. When spoken from Love, it reveals the source of Joy and the source of its absence.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Truth, You Can\'t Handle the Truth!','','inherit','open','open','','2318-revision-4','','','2011-12-30 10:41:13','2011-12-30 18:41:13','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/30/2318-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3486,1,'2011-12-31 13:18:30','2011-12-31 21:18:30','','garden_philosophy','','inherit','open','open','','garden_philosophy','','','2011-12-31 13:18:30','2011-12-31 21:18:30','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/garden_philosophy.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3487,1,'2011-12-31 13:14:32','2011-12-31 21:14:32','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWhat does Truth need?\r\nDoes it need your agreement?\r\nDoes it need acceptance?\r\nIf you to not like the Truth does it reject you and cast you out?\r\nIs Truth relative or at least subjective?\r\n\r\nWhat is it within one that can perceive Truth or recognize it?\r\n\r\nNietzsche said, \"There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\"\r\nIs he not stating an absolute?\r\n\r\nPeople who claim to have the Truth tend to use persuasion to gain followers and force to belittle those who disagree with said Truth.\r\n\r\nIs Truth insecure? Does it need to be followed?\r\n\r\nI pose these question to invite a contemplative posture towards Truth. In my experience the Truth stands revealed when the obstacles to its Presence are removed. Like the Sun shinning is revealed when the clouds dissolve.\r\n\r\nThe scene from the movie above is a brilliant display of someone using their truth to defend and rationalize their behavior. It appears the Truth is perceived by many as a means of protection. A way fending off that which is not wanted.\r\n\r\nIt seems that the Truth of Divinity  is simple, complete and accepting. When spoken from Love, it reveals the source of Joy and the source of its absence.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Truth, You Can\'t Handle the Truth!','','inherit','open','open','','2318-revision-5','','','2011-12-31 13:14:32','2011-12-31 21:14:32','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/2318-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3488,1,'2011-12-31 13:11:54','2011-12-31 21:11:54','The wisdom of experience is always more easily consumed than knowledge gained in isolation. By that, I mean that it is simpler and more comfortable to trust someone who has lived through something when they speak about it than someone who is offering advice based on second- or third-hand experience.\r\n\r\nMy favorite musician of all time is Johnny Cash. Part of his intrigue is his musicianship. But the bigger draw for me has always been his authenticity. When he speaks, or sings, or wails, or rejoices…I <em>believe</em> him. And the fact that the majority of cover songs he did seem better than the originals attests to the realness of his craft. He was who he was, flaws and all, and he exposed himself in both weakness and strength through lament and praise with the outcome being a body of work that can actually <em>speak</em> to people.\r\n\r\nIn a lot of ways, he is pretty much like King David. Bear with me…\r\n\r\nKing David came from a place where God was mostly seen as the Giver of a list of rules to follow. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David knew fame and success. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David knew the depths of depression. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David screwed up in massively huge ways. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David threw himself at the feet of God in repentance. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David took the worst of himself and the best and turned them into songs to help people understand their world and its Creator. So did Johnny Cash.\r\n\r\nKing David, “the hero of Israel’s songs” (2 Samuel 23:1), and Johnny Cash, “the man in black”, both experienced addictions, sadness, loneliness, struggle, and pain. But through both of their lives there is a resounding grace and hope that shows the intensely passionate love God so desires to pour over us. In the depths of their despair, they cried out to their Savior:\r\n\r\n“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.” (Psalm 51:1-4)\r\n\r\n“The beast in me is caged by thin and fragile bars…by night rants and rages at the stars, God help the beast in me….” (<em>The Beast In Me</em>, Johnny Cash)\r\n\r\nAnd in the heights of their joy in the Lord, they could clearly rejoice in the promises of God:\r\n\r\n“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness.” (Psalm 145:1-3)\r\n\r\n“And the blood gave life to the branches of the tree. And the blood was the price that set the captives free. And the numbers that came through the fire and the flood clung to the tree and were redeemed by the blood. From his hands it came down from his side it came down. From his feet it came down and ran to the ground. And a small inner voice said ‘You do have a choice.’ The vine engrafted me and I clung to the tree.” (<em>Redemption</em>, Johnny Cash)\r\n\r\nGod uses people, typically simple and authentic people, to offer truths that we can use to see Him more clearly. These truths are not always pretty, as we are currently struggling to survive in a broken world. But the truths are always useful in showing us the clarity and richness of God’s perfect message of love and grace. And it is when the truths are given through people transparent in their struggles and grief, open in their joy and praise, that we are most easily able to see the love of God being reflected…\r\n\r\n…whether they play a harp or an acoustic guitar.\r\n\r\nMay we strive for lives of authenticity as we continue to serve a God that is real.','The Psalms And Lamentations of Johnny Cash','','inherit','open','open','','3452-revision-3','','','2011-12-31 13:11:54','2011-12-31 21:11:54','',3452,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3452-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3489,1,'2011-12-31 13:07:15','2011-12-31 21:07:15','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2011?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-9','','','2011-12-31 13:07:15','2011-12-31 21:07:15','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3419-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3490,1,'2011-12-31 13:18:54','2011-12-31 21:18:54','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWhat does Truth need?\r\nDoes it need your agreement?\r\nDoes it need acceptance?\r\nIf you to not like the Truth does it reject you and cast you out?\r\nIs Truth relative or at least subjective?\r\n\r\nWhat is it within one that can perceive Truth or recognize it?\r\n\r\nNietzsche said, \"There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\"\r\nIs he not stating an absolute?\r\n\r\nPeople who claim to have the Truth tend to use persuasion to gain followers and force to belittle those who disagree with said Truth.\r\n\r\nIs Truth insecure? Does it need to be followed?\r\n\r\nI pose these question to invite a contemplative posture towards Truth. In my experience the Truth stands revealed when the obstacles to its Presence are removed. Like the Sun shinning is revealed when the clouds dissolve.\r\n\r\nThe scene from the movie above is a brilliant display of someone using their truth to defend and rationalize their behavior. It appears the Truth is perceived by many as a means of protection. A way fending off that which is not wanted.\r\n\r\nIt seems that the Truth of Divinity  is simple, complete and accepting. When spoken from Love, it reveals the source of Joy and the source of its absence.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Truth, You Can\'t Handle the Truth!','','inherit','open','open','','2318-revision-6','','','2011-12-31 13:18:54','2011-12-31 21:18:54','',2318,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/2318-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3491,1,'2011-12-31 13:22:20','2011-12-31 21:22:20','It had been a really long day. And it was only 2:00. I was on my way to cover a basketball game for my sports medicine job in a neighboring county.\r\n\r\nI had holiday depression. I was way behind on several assignments. I had the upcoming release of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/284\">my book</a> weighing heavy on my mind with a lot of people I really needed to contact. It was the day after Christmas. I wanted time off. Everyone else had time off, why shouldn\'t I? I was mad a several people, for no really good reason. I just really wanted to crawl in a hole and hide for about three weeks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3422\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/windy-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" /></a>It was a cold, dreary day. As soon as you stepped outside, the wind smacked you in the face. It didn\'t just smack you in the face, it went straight up your nostrils and gave you brain freeze. Every mile I drove further from home seemed like a thousand. I just wanted to go home. I was miserable.\r\n\r\n<em>\"Bing, bing, bing.\"</em> Stupid gas light. Stupid $3.20 cents a gallon. Stupid empty tank. Stupid payday another week and a half away.\r\n\r\nI pulled into a gas station where other frozen customers were doling out their precious paychecks to fill their tanks. I felt so sorry for myself. My subconscious told me, \"Would you like a pity party Ray? We can invite the whole neighborhood. You know there are people starving and dying right now, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n\"Shut up, subconscious,\" I said as I hammered it down with a short burst of jadedness.\r\n\r\nI went into the gas station to prepay for my gas. Apparently, no one was scheduled to work that day. Apparently, the gas station owners did not realize that the entire world revolves around me and my busy schedule. Then I heard one of them. They were in the back. They were somewhere between the Red Bull cans and the wafting smells of fried gizzards laid out for the hungry customers waiting for a heart attack. They didn\'t know I could hear them.\r\n\r\n\"Can you believe Bill scheduled me for *&amp;^%$ New Year\'s Eve? And there\'s only two of us on the schedule!\" employee number one said.\r\n\r\n\"What\'s wrong with that Lucy?\" the other one said.\r\n\r\n\"Because after midnight you can\'t buy beer anywhere except the &amp;*&amp;^% gas stations!\" She peered around the corner. \"Oh, hi. I\'m just complaining. What do you need?\"\r\n\r\nI told her what pump I was on and said, \"Life stinks sometimes, doesn\'t it? Especially with a boss who doesn\'t understand.\"\r\n\r\n\"Yeah,\" she said. Completely understanding my irritation for all things human. I wanted her to hate life like I hated it for the stupid reasons I hated it.\r\n\r\nI walked out the door and to my car and started pumping gas. My religious sub-conscious started kicking in, but I was hardly listening, \"Ray, God is here. He is present.\" Whatever. Stupid voices. Need to go see my doctor again.\r\n\r\nOut of the corner of my eye, in the blistering cold, I saw the most remarkable thing. I had to do a double take. I assure <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3425\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pogg-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>you, I am not making this up. I wish I were. Because it would have been easier to remain in my misery.\r\n\r\nThere was a white minivan pulled up on  an opposite set of pumps. It was rusted and worn and the back was open. But the van isn\'t important. The thing that caught my eye was a girl of about nine. She was jumping up and down on a pogo-stick.\r\n\r\nI stared.\r\n\r\nShe had her brunette pigtails tied up and they were flopping up and down as she hopped next to the little discolored minivan. The thing that got me was the look on her face. It was the goofiest look of happiness. She had the biggest smile and her eyes were wide open. Bounce, bounce, bounce.\r\n\r\nMy Lord. She was happy.\r\n\r\nMy stupid brain kicked in, \"How ridiculous. It\'s freezing cold! She could get hit by a car! Who jumps on a pogo-stick in the middle of a gas station parking lot? Who even jumps on a pogo-stick in 2011?\"\r\n\r\nI said, \"Shut up, brain. This is a beautiful moment.\"\r\n\r\nShe was happy. She had joy. I wanted that. I knew that kind of joy. It was within me. Problem was, I had allowed a thousand other things hinder my joy that day. In one small prayer, I let them all go.\r\n\r\nThe gas pump shut off and I snapped my attention downward. God had given me a moment to see the joy that I had within me. I looked up and she was pogoing on the other side of the van.\r\n\r\nI got back into my car and smiled. Joy unhindered. That\'s how I want to choose to live. And with a goofy smile on my face.','Joy Unhindered: The Lesson of the Unlikely Pogo Stick','','inherit','open','open','','3419-revision-10','','','2011-12-31 13:22:20','2011-12-31 21:22:20','',3419,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3419-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(3492,1,'2011-10-18 11:51:46','2011-10-18 18:51:46','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','','inherit','open','open','','440-revision-5','','','2011-10-18 11:51:46','2011-10-18 18:51:46','',440,'http://provoketive.com/2011/10/18/440-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3493,1,'2012-01-04 09:07:17','2012-01-04 17:07:17','A universe containing trillions of stars, clustered into countless galaxies like sand on an beach you could never reach the end of. Each star an angry mixture of gases that are constantly erupting in violent nuclear reactions, catapulting electromagnetic radiation into the darkness of space around it. A universe so delicately governed by its forces that it would have collapsed long ago, except something seems to be holding it together.\n\nA planet with a perfect symmetry of water and carbon, liquid and gas, so desperately needed to sustain life. Enough carbon, just the right size and shape to master forming compounds, to combine itself with all vital elements and provide an endoskeleton for biologically-active molecules. Enough water to provide a space for most of the chemical reactions needed to form living matter and to absorb and retain heat, making it our handmade blanket, our forged shield against the tumult of temperature change.\n\nA 27-year-old woman raised in an emotionally abusive house, who runs away at age 15, is pregnant by age 18, and is now addicted to cocaine. A woman so desperate for any sign of affection or empathy that she prostitutes herself while her 9-year-old son raises himself at home alone.\n\nA God existing outside the restraints of a universe functioning within space and time. A God who, with the very exhalation of a single word could bring to life a universe so finely-tuned. A universe that has such precision that more than two dozen parameters must have values falling within narrowly defined ranges for life of any kind to exist.\n\nA God that, with the same hands used to guide the stars and galaxies into their perfect locations, created a framework of 3.1 billion base pairs of DNA from which each human being has been created. A God so beautifully guiding His creation that, were the decay rate of protons greater, then life would be exterminated by the release of radiation and, were it smaller, His universe would contain insufficient matter for life.\n\nA God that formed a universe of perfect suitability so that He could use those same hands to create His most wonderful masterpiece: humanity. A God so completely and furiously dedicated to us that, with the same voice that commands galaxies to exist, can whisper in a 27-year-old woman’s ear, in a still and small voice, that she can know what love is truly supposed to feel like. That her 9-year-old son, in his lowest moments of abandonment and loneliness, is one of His very children.\n\nOur God is relentless.\nOur God is overwhelming.\nOur God is devoted.\nOur God embodies love as a noun and fulfills love as a verb.\nOur God knows the names of all the stars, and counts the hairs on all our heads.\nOur God formed us out of the dirt in His wisdom, spent a life walking through our dirt in His empathy, let sacrificial blood fall to the dirt in His grace, and picks us up off of the dirt in His love.\n\nA universe with such an exact mix of elements, forces, and distances could not exist without a Creator that crafted it for the specific and merciful purpose of allowing us to live and worship in His presence.\n\nThat is the love of God.','The Love Of God','','inherit','open','open','','3451-autosave','','','2012-01-04 09:07:17','2012-01-04 17:07:17','',3451,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3451-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3494,1,'2011-12-31 13:27:28','2011-12-31 21:27:28','','sunrise','','inherit','open','open','','sunrise','','','2011-12-31 13:27:28','2011-12-31 21:27:28','',3451,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sunrise.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3495,1,'2011-12-31 09:39:23','2011-12-31 17:39:23','A universe containing trillions of stars, clustered into countless galaxies like sand on an beach you could never reach the end of. Each star an angry mixture of gases that are constantly erupting in violent nuclear reactions, catapulting electromagnetic radiation into the darkness of space around it. A universe so delicately governed by its forces that it would have collapsed long ago, except something seems to be holding it together.\r\nA planet with a perfect symmetry of water and carbon, liquid and gas, so desperately needed to sustain life. Enough carbon, just the right size and shape to master forming compounds, to combine itself with all vital elements and provide an endoskeleton for biologically-active molecules. Enough water to provide a space for most of the chemical reactions needed to form living matter and to absorb and retain heat, making it our handmade blanket, our forged shield against the tumult of temperature change.\r\nA 27-year-old woman raised in an emotionally abusive house, who runs away at age 15, is pregnant by age 18, and is now addicted to cocaine. A woman so desperate for any sign of affection or empathy that she prostitutes herself while her 9-year-old son raises himself at home alone.\r\nA God existing outside the restraints of a universe functioning within space and time. A God who, with the very exhalation of a single word could bring to life a universe so finely-tuned. A universe that has such precision that more than two dozen parameters must have values falling within narrowly defined ranges for life of any kind to exist.\r\nA God that, with the same hands used to guide the stars and galaxies into their perfect locations, created a framework of 3.1 billion base pairs of DNA from which each human being has been created. A God so beautifully guiding His creation that, were the decay rate of protons greater, then life would be exterminated by the release of radiation and, were it smaller, His universe would contain insufficient matter for life.\r\nA God that formed a universe of perfect suitability so that He could use those same hands to create His most wonderful masterpiece: humanity. A God so completely and furiously dedicated to us that, with the same voice that commands galaxies to exist, can whisper in a 27-year-old woman’s ear, in a still and small voice, that she can know what love is truly supposed to feel like. That her 9-year-old son, in his lowest moments of abandonment and loneliness, is one of His very children.\r\nOur God is relentless.\r\nOur God is overwhelming.\r\nOur God is devoted.\r\nOur God embodies love as a noun and fulfills love as a verb.\r\nOur God knows the names of all the stars, and counts the hairs on all our heads.\r\nOur God formed us out of the dirt in His wisdom, spent a life walking through our dirt in His empathy, let sacrificial blood fall to the dirt in His grace, and picks us up off of the dirt in His love.\r\nA universe with such an exact mix of elements, forces, and distances could not exist without a Creator that crafted it for the specific and merciful purpose of allowing us to live and worship in His presence.\r\nThat is the love of God.','The Love Of God','','inherit','open','open','','3451-revision-3','','','2011-12-31 09:39:23','2011-12-31 17:39:23','',3451,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3451-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3496,1,'2011-12-31 13:35:29','2011-12-31 21:35:29','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\n\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\n\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\n\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\n\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\n\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\n\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\n\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\n\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\n\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','Universe, Are You There? It\'s Me, Deanna.','','inherit','open','open','','3471-autosave','','','2011-12-31 13:35:29','2011-12-31 21:35:29','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3499,1,'2011-12-31 13:32:55','2011-12-31 21:32:55','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','Universe, Are You There? It\'s Me, Deanna.','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision-6','','','2011-12-31 13:32:55','2011-12-31 21:32:55','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3497,1,'2011-12-31 13:32:41','2011-12-31 21:32:41','','deanna_ogel','','inherit','open','open','','deanna_ogel','','','2011-12-31 13:32:41','2011-12-31 21:32:41','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/deanna_ogel.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3498,1,'2011-12-31 11:19:03','2011-12-31 19:19:03','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/coso_blues/4439486149/in/photostream/\" target=\"_blank\">Coso Blues</a></em>','Universe, Are You There? It\'s Me, Deanna.','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision-5','','','2011-12-31 11:19:03','2011-12-31 19:19:03','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3500,1,'2011-12-31 13:34:23','2011-12-31 21:34:23','When you think of the universe, what comes to mind? For me “the universe” is a great mystery. It’s space, planets, stars, and nature. It’s matter, the elements, physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and balance.\r\n\r\nOver the last couple of years it’s become easier for me to believe in the universe than a god because it is easier to believe that the universe is benevolent. It’s easier to believe that it has a natural order and it makes sure to keep things in balance.\r\n\r\nI keep find myself saying “The universe is being nice to me again,” instead of “The Lord is good! They were having a sale on clothing that I needed!” I think that the universe is the one pushing me towards the people I need to meet and the places that I need to be in. It gives me a gentle push when I’m confused. Sometimes if I’m really not listening, it will yell. Okay, Universe! I got it!\r\n\r\nI mostly tend to believe in karma too; that your actions will eventually come back to find you and that justice will eventually be carried out. I like this idea that there is a natural order and balance, and that there are rules to keep everything in check. It’s a huge, benevolent grand element that slowly, silent keeps everything flowing.\r\n\r\nI think the reason this is so appealing to me is because when the universe “punishes” me, I don’t take it personally. It’s not out to get me. It’s not the school teacher, the parent, or the pastor who resents me and is watching my every move. It’s just the universe doing its thing. It’s keep everything in harmony and I did something to mess that up, so it sends the appropriate karma my way.\r\n\r\nSomeone had abandoned a 2-liter of root beer in the freezer aisle at the grocery store a couple of months ago. I casually knocked it over just because I could. Two minutes later I tripped and fell onto the tile floor, breaking the carton of eggs and glass jar of jam I was holding. It was like there was something that said with a slight smirk, “Do you think I’m not paying attention?” Correction received. We can both move on.\r\n\r\nMy image of God or Jesus has been weighed down to the point where I barely know how to interact with him.  “People don’t like to talk about the Lion,” Pete said. He was talking about how there are two classic pictures of God: the lion and the lamb. He said that we can’t cleave too much to one or the other or we miss a crucial piece in the character of God and start to form him/her to our own image.\r\n\r\n“People don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” my husband said to me last night. We were lying in bed at 1:30 AM, supposed to be sleeping, but instead were wide awake talking about theology. “Um, <em>I </em>don’t want to believe that God is wrathful,” I said.\r\n\r\nI have no problem talking about the lion. I have issues talking about the lamb. The image of God in my life has been so weighed down by guilt, fear, and shame that I really am unable to recognize Jesus as a benevolent being. I’ve revered him to be someone who is always watching my every move just waiting for me to trip up. This is probably my own fault; I was given the inch and I took the yard.\r\n\r\nI\'ve feared him my whole life and now it comes time for me to work on self-acceptance and give Jesus acknowledgement for the things that happen in my life. The thing that I referred to earlier as “the universe” <em>is</em> God. He is so much bigger than just the little person in a white robe somewhere up in the clouds keeping score. Maybe for a while I just need to call this force “the universe”. Maybe I need to respect this distance for a while to deconstruct the conditioning in my gut/heart and then transfer those feelings back to the right name: “God”.','Universe, Are You There? It\'s Me, Deanna.','','inherit','open','open','','3471-revision-7','','','2011-12-31 13:34:23','2011-12-31 21:34:23','',3471,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3471-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3699,1,'2012-01-05 10:52:01','2012-01-05 18:52:01','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I[/youtube]\r\n\r\nIs that the future of our girls?\r\nIs your body the key to getting what you want?\r\nIs attraction to others and the desire to get the main motivator\'s of our lives?\r\n\r\nLet\'s bring some clarity to these questions by defining the difference between beauty and glamour.\r\nBeauty - That which you are.\r\nGlamour - That which you are trying to be something else in order to get a desired thing or outcome.\r\n\r\n<strong>Glamour uses seduction as a mean of attracting to itself a desired object that\'s value is projected onto it as a source of happiness</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe true source of happiness stems from within, the desire cannot be satisfied because it constantly projects value onto external things.  One\'s desires get fulfilled, the focus then moves on to another object of desire with endless procession.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Relate-101.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3643\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Relate-101-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>This body image value system doesn\'t or will not change because we get upset and boycott these images. It changes by one\'s ability to ask the tough questions, to search for answers that are not found \'out there.\'\r\n\r\n<strong>I cannot be seduced by an image if I know what I am.</strong>\r\n\r\nLook in the mirror, do you love what you see?\r\nDo you smile at that image knowing it is what you have not what you are?\r\n\r\nA few years ago my wife and I were going through a trying time. I was completely honest and open with her about my life and they things that were running it. I told her that I did not need her to be my mom, or seductress anymore. I was detaching from her a pushing her away. I was projecting my fear of being controlled onto her so I could have an excuse for being afraid. Every morning I ascended a beautiful mountain at sunrise as a way of contemplating what really mattered to me. One morning on the way up I was holding my wife in mind asking for help with our situation. I cannot explain very well what happened next, but I will do my best.\r\n\r\nI suddenly found myself in an overwhelming presence of Love and Beauty. I then within saw my wife as she Is. Without a past or future, without my feelings about her, she simply was Beauty manifested, Lovely, Perfect and One. I saw that she had put on a mask to relate to me, she had chosen to serve my false image giving it the Grace and safety it needed to dissolve.\r\n\r\nI ran down the mountain into our home and straight to my wife. I grabbed her hands and I began to tell her about what I had realized. I asked her to forgive me for making her the enemy. I thanked her for staying true and walking me through my shit.  As I was saying these things I began to notice a very strong fragrance in the room. I asked her if she had lit a candle. She told me no, we both began to breathe in this beautiful fragrance. It then dawned on me, this is her, this smell is Beauty being seen as it is. We both wept and laughed realizing the drama I had created was nothing more than my attempts to control what can never be controlled.\r\n\r\nFear is the only thing that seeks acceptance, Love knows by being what it is. So what are you?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Am I That?','','inherit','open','open','','3641-revision-4','','','2012-01-05 10:52:01','2012-01-05 18:52:01','',3641,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/05/3641-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3501,12,'2012-01-05 10:00:50','2012-01-05 18:00:50','I had a book reviewer Tweet me and say something along the lines of, \"I\'m reading your book - it\'s both helpful and depressing.\"\r\n\r\nHe\'s right. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World,\"</a> is not for the lighthearted. But it is for those who desire to see the church culture change so that the future can be brighter.\r\n\r\nWe live in a broken world. One where 1,500 pastors a month are leaving the church due to moral failure, conflict, or burnout. Something is broken, and it\'s more than just these pastors. It is a culture that is immersed in a pattern of failure.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3503\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>In the book, I interviewed one fallen pastor who I call \"Gary.\" He relayed the following story:\r\n\r\n<em>\"I heard about a pastor who committed adultery in August then killed himself in December. I wondered, \"Did anyone reach out to him? Did anyone love him? Did anyone seek to restore him?\' It brought back so many memories of when I wanted to die.\"</em>\r\n\r\nSadly, when a pastor falls into sin and is removed from the church, he finds himself alone and rejected. And why not? It\'s his own fault, right? He has placed himself into this situation. He has dug a hole and now must reside there.\r\n\r\nChrist challenged this attitude all throughout Scripture. He came alongside the weak and condemned. In fact, He became condemned for our satisfaction.\r\n\r\nScripture challenges us in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/gal+6/\">Galatians 6:1</a> to restore those who are caught in a transgression. Too often, though, our response to those in leadership is harsh and unloving. <em>\"How could he?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe path of the pastor to fallenness is a long one. Unrealistic expectations, isolation, a worsening relationship with his spouse all lead him to weakness. He may ultimately find himself in a position where he makes the final, sinful decision.\r\n\r\nFallen Pastor seeks out those who have fallen. But it seeks out those who want to prevent it from happening. It encourages people who desire to do one of the most difficult jobs - to walk alongside the fallen pastor. But it calls all of us to react in a compassionate manner toward those who sin and seek their restoration to the body of Christ.\r\n\r\nIt will keep anyone from having to ask the question, <em>\"Did anyone love him?\"</em> A question that should never be asked of someone within the community of Christ, regardless of their sin or how far they fall. Let us rise together to walk with those who need restoration, because one day it may be one of us who needs the grace of the community.\r\n\r\n__________________________\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a> by Ray Carroll (Civitas Press) is now available. You can also view his blog at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"Did Anyone Love Him?\"','','publish','open','open','','did-anyone-love-him','','','2012-01-01 13:39:04','2012-01-01 21:39:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3501',0,'post','',5),(3502,12,'2011-12-31 14:36:05','2011-12-31 22:36:05','','fallingg','','inherit','open','open','','fallingg','','','2011-12-31 14:36:05','2011-12-31 22:36:05','',3501,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fallingg.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3503,12,'2011-12-31 14:37:00','2011-12-31 22:37:00','','fp4','','inherit','open','open','','fp4','','','2011-12-31 14:37:00','2011-12-31 22:37:00','',3501,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3504,12,'2011-12-31 14:37:35','2011-12-31 22:37:35','I had a book reviewer Tweet me and say something along the lines of, \"I\'m reading your book - it\'s both helpful and depressing.\"\n\nHe\'s right. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World,\"</a> is not for the lighthearted. But it is for those who desire to see the church culture change so that the future can be brighter.\n\nWe live in a broken world. One where 1,500 pastors a month are leaving the church due to moral failure, conflict, or burnout. Something is broken, and it\'s more than just these pastors. It is a culture that is immersed in a pattern of failure.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3503\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>In the book, I interviewed one fallen pastor who I call \"Gary.\" He relayed the following story:\n\n\"I heard about a pastor who committed adultery in August then killed himself in December. I wondered, \"Did anyone reach out to him? Did anyone love him? Did anyone seek to restore him?\' It brought back so many memories of when I wanted to die.\"\n\nSadly, when a pastor falls into sin and is removed from the church, he finds himself alone and rejected. And why not? It\'s his own fault, right? He has placed himself into this situation. He has dug a hole and now must reside there.\n\nChrist challenged this attitude all throughout Scripture. He came alongside the weak and condemned. In fact, He became condemned for our satisfaction.\n\nScripture challenges us in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/gal+6/\">Galatians 6:1</a> to restore those who are caught in a transgression. Too often, though, our response to those in leadership is harsh and unloving. \"How could he?\"\n\nThe path of the pastor to fallenness is a long one. Unrealistic expectations, isolation, a worsening relationship with his spouse all lead him to weakness. He may ultimately find himself in a position where he makes the final, sinful decision.\n\nFallen Pastor seeks out those who have fallen. But it seeks out those who want to prevent it from happening. It encourages people who desire to do one of the most difficult jobs - to walk alongside the fallen pastor. But it calls all of us to react in a compassionate manner toward those who sin and seek their restoration to the body of Christ.\n\nIt will keep anyone from having to ask the question, \"Did anyone love him?\" A question that should never be asked of someone within the community of Christ, regardless of their sin or how far they fall. Let us rise together to walk with those who need restoration, because one day it may be one of us who needs the grace of the community.\n\n__________________________\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a> by Ray Carroll (Civitas Press) is now available. You can also view his blog at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\n\n&nbsp;','\"Did Anyone Love Him?\"','','inherit','open','open','','3501-revision','','','2011-12-31 14:37:35','2011-12-31 22:37:35','',3501,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3501-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3505,1,'2012-01-01 13:29:56','2012-01-01 21:29:56','I had a book reviewer Tweet me and say something along the lines of, \"I\'m reading your book - it\'s both helpful and depressing.\"\n\nHe\'s right. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World,\"</a> is not for the lighthearted. But it is for those who desire to see the church culture change so that the future can be brighter.\n\nWe live in a broken world. One where 1,500 pastors a month are leaving the church due to moral failure, conflict, or burnout. Something is broken, and it\'s more than just these pastors. It is a culture that is immersed in a pattern of failure.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3503\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>In the book, I interviewed one fallen pastor who I call \"Gary.\" He relayed the following story:\n\n<em>\"I heard about a pastor who committed adultery in August then killed himself in December. I wondered, \"Did anyone reach out to him? Did anyone love him? Did anyone seek to restore him?\' It brought back so many memories of when I wanted to die.\"</em>\n\nSadly, when a pastor falls into sin and is removed from the church, he finds himself alone and rejected. And why not? It\'s his own fault, right? He has placed himself into this situation. He has dug a hole and now must reside there.\n\nChrist challenged this attitude all throughout Scripture. He came alongside the weak and condemned. In fact, He became condemned for our satisfaction.\n\nScripture challenges us in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/gal+6/\">Galatians 6:1</a> to restore those who are caught in a transgression. Too often, though, our response to those in leadership is harsh and unloving. <em>\"How could he?\"</em>\n\nThe path of the pastor to fallenness is a long one. Unrealistic expectations, isolation, a worsening relationship with his spouse all lead him to weakness. He may ultimately find himself in a position where he makes the final, sinful decision.\n\nFallen Pastor seeks out those who have fallen. But it seeks out those who want to prevent it from happening. It encourages people who desire to do one of the most difficult jobs - to walk alongside the fallen pastor. But it calls all of us to react in a compassionate manner toward those who sin and seek their restoration to the body of Christ.\n\nIt will keep anyone from having to ask the question, <em>\"Did anyone love him?\"</em> A question that should never be asked of someone within the community of Christ, regardless of their sin or how far they fall. Let us rise together to walk with those who need restoration, because one day it may be one of us who needs the grace of the community.\n\n__________________________\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a> by Ray Carroll (Civitas Press) is now available. You can also view his blog at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\n\n&nbsp;','\"Did Anyone Love Him?\"','','inherit','open','open','','3501-autosave','','','2012-01-01 13:29:56','2012-01-01 21:29:56','',3501,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/31/3501-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3508,1,'2012-01-01 13:28:49','2012-01-01 21:28:49','I had a book reviewer Tweet me and say something along the lines of, \"I\'m reading your book - it\'s both helpful and depressing.\"\r\n\r\nHe\'s right. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World,\"</a> is not for the lighthearted. But it is for those who desire to see the church culture change so that the future can be brighter.\r\n\r\nWe live in a broken world. One where 1,500 pastors a month are leaving the church due to moral failure, conflict, or burnout. Something is broken, and it\'s more than just these pastors. It is a culture that is immersed in a pattern of failure.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3503\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>In the book, I interviewed one fallen pastor who I call \"Gary.\" He relayed the following story:\r\n\r\n<em>\"I heard about a pastor who committed adultery in August then killed himself in December. I wondered, \"Did anyone reach out to him? Did anyone love him? Did anyone seek to restore him?\' It brought back so many memories of when I wanted to die.\"</em>\r\n\r\nSadly, when a pastor falls into sin and is removed from the church, he finds himself alone and rejected. And why not? It\'s his own fault, right? He has placed himself into this situation. He has dug a hole and now must reside there.\r\n\r\nChrist challenged this attitude all throughout Scripture. He came alongside the weak and condemned. In fact, He became condemned for our satisfaction.\r\n\r\nScripture challenges us in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/gal+6/\">Galatians 6:1</a> to restore those who are caught in a transgression. Too often, though, our response to those in leadership is harsh and unloving. <em>\"How could he?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe path of the pastor to fallenness is a long one. Unrealistic expectations, isolation, a worsening relationship with his spouse all lead him to weakness. He may ultimately find himself in a position where he makes the final, sinful decision.\r\n\r\nFallen Pastor seeks out those who have fallen. But it seeks out those who want to prevent it from happening. It encourages people who desire to do one of the most difficult jobs - to walk alongside the fallen pastor. But it calls all of us to react in a compassionate manner toward those who sin and seek their restoration to the body of Christ.\r\n\r\nIt will keep anyone from having to ask the question, <em>\"Did anyone love him?\"</em> A question that should never be asked of someone within the community of Christ, regardless of their sin or how far they fall. Let us rise together to walk with those who need restoration, because one day it may be one of us who needs the grace of the community.\r\n\r\n__________________________\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a> by Ray Carroll (Civitas Press) is now available. You can also view his blog at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"Did Anyone Love Him?\"','','inherit','open','open','','3501-revision-3','','','2012-01-01 13:28:49','2012-01-01 21:28:49','',3501,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/01/3501-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3509,1,'2012-01-01 13:38:11','2012-01-01 21:38:11','I had a book reviewer Tweet me and say something along the lines of, \"I\'m reading your book - it\'s both helpful and depressing.\"\r\n\r\nHe\'s right. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World,\"</a> is not for the lighthearted. But it is for those who desire to see the church culture change so that the future can be brighter.\r\n\r\nWe live in a broken world. One where 1,500 pastors a month are leaving the church due to moral failure, conflict, or burnout. Something is broken, and it\'s more than just these pastors. It is a culture that is immersed in a pattern of failure.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3503\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fp4-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>In the book, I interviewed one fallen pastor who I call \"Gary.\" He relayed the following story:\r\n\r\n<em>\"I heard about a pastor who committed adultery in August then killed himself in December. I wondered, \"Did anyone reach out to him? Did anyone love him? Did anyone seek to restore him?\' It brought back so many memories of when I wanted to die.\"</em>\r\n\r\nSadly, when a pastor falls into sin and is removed from the church, he finds himself alone and rejected. And why not? It\'s his own fault, right? He has placed himself into this situation. He has dug a hole and now must reside there.\r\n\r\nChrist challenged this attitude all throughout Scripture. He came alongside the weak and condemned. In fact, He became condemned for our satisfaction.\r\n\r\nScripture challenges us in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/gal+6/\">Galatians 6:1</a> to restore those who are caught in a transgression. Too often, though, our response to those in leadership is harsh and unloving. <em>\"How could he?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe path of the pastor to fallenness is a long one. Unrealistic expectations, isolation, a worsening relationship with his spouse all lead him to weakness. He may ultimately find himself in a position where he makes the final, sinful decision.\r\n\r\nFallen Pastor seeks out those who have fallen. But it seeks out those who want to prevent it from happening. It encourages people who desire to do one of the most difficult jobs - to walk alongside the fallen pastor. But it calls all of us to react in a compassionate manner toward those who sin and seek their restoration to the body of Christ.\r\n\r\nIt will keep anyone from having to ask the question, <em>\"Did anyone love him?\"</em> A question that should never be asked of someone within the community of Christ, regardless of their sin or how far they fall. Let us rise together to walk with those who need restoration, because one day it may be one of us who needs the grace of the community.\r\n\r\n__________________________\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a> by Ray Carroll (Civitas Press) is now available. You can also view his blog at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"Did Anyone Love Him?\"','','inherit','open','open','','3501-revision-4','','','2012-01-01 13:38:11','2012-01-01 21:38:11','',3501,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/01/3501-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3510,0,'2012-01-01 16:20:56','2012-01-02 00:20:56','What if I am itching to write an article for Provoketive Magazine but do not have a word press password or any word press knowledge&gt;\r\n\r\nCheers,\r\nJoe Machuta\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Joe Machuta\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jmachuta2@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 99.189.116.26\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Joe Machuta\n    [Email] =&gt; jmachuta2@gmail.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; What if I am itching to write an article for Provoketive Magazine but do not have a word press password or any word press knowledge&gt;\r\n\r\nCheers,\r\nJoe Machuta\n)\n','Joe Machuta - 2012-01-01 16:20:56','','publish','open','open','','e4edb7479e6d0e3df50feef3e964fb89','','','2012-01-01 16:20:56','2012-01-02 00:20:56','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=3510',0,'feedback','',0),(3513,92,'2012-01-02 09:00:28','2012-01-02 17:00:28','<strong>7 principles for building a world that works for everyone.</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" /></a>It’s a little odd I guess for a white guy to be writing about <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa\" target=\"_blank\">Kwanzaa</a>, a week-long celebration honoring universal African-American heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. I’ve vaguely known about Kwanzaa for many years but this is the first time I have truly explored and participated in the holiday. One of the great benefits of being married to Kyra is how my life has been further and more deeply enriched by African-American culture, including being part of Kwanzaa. Kyra, Jessica, and I were sitting around the other day and the subject of Kwanzaa came up, which sparked my curiosity. I didn’t anticipate that this curiosity would become so significant for my life and heading into a new year.\r\n\r\nThough Kwanzaa is considered mostly an African-American holiday, the seven principles, one for each day, are foundational to all of humankind and for building a world that works for everyone.The principles are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><em>Umoja</em> (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.</li>\r\n	<li><em>Kujichagulia</em> (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.</li>\r\n	<li><em>Ujima</em> (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers\' and sisters\' problems our problems, and to solve them together.</li>\r\n	<li><em>Ujamaa</em> (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.</li>\r\n	<li><em>Nia</em> (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.</li>\r\n	<li><em>Kuumba</em> (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.</li>\r\n	<li><em>Imani</em> (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nFor me personally, each principle has been an invitation to embrace more fully who I am for myself, others, and the world. Though Kwanzaa ended January 1st, I would encourage anyone to take the time and explore the principles in light of your own life and the new year ahead.\r\n\r\nI was inspired to write a blog series about my exploration of Kwanzaa and it\'s z principles. <a href=\"http://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/2012/01/farewell-kwanzaa-and-living-into-a-new-way-of-being/\" target=\"_blank\">Today’s post</a> includes links to the rest of the blog series if you’re interested in reading what is essentially a white guy’s guide to Kwanzaa.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kyra.and_.jim_.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3515\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kyra.and_.jim_-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<em>Photo Credit: African American Music of Iowa</em>','A White Guy\'s Guide to Kwanzaa','','publish','open','open','','a-white-guys-guide-to-kwanzaa','','\nhttp://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/2012/01/farewell-kwanzaa-and-living-into-a-new-way-of-being/','2012-01-02 01:07:06','2012-01-02 09:07:06','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=3513',0,'post','',0),(3514,92,'2012-01-01 18:50:51','2012-01-02 02:50:51','Windy Day (mixed media)','art.black_','','inherit','open','open','','art-black','','','2012-01-01 18:50:51','2012-01-02 02:50:51','',3513,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3515,92,'2012-01-01 18:56:59','2012-01-02 02:56:59','','kyra.and_.jim_','','inherit','open','open','','kyra-and-jim','','','2012-01-01 18:56:59','2012-01-02 02:56:59','',3513,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kyra.and_.jim_.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3516,92,'2012-01-01 18:55:58','2012-01-02 02:55:58','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3514\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nIt’s a little odd I guess for a white guy to be writing about <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa\" target=\"_blank\">Kwanzaa</a>, a week-long celebration honoring universal African-American heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. I’ve vaguely known about Kwanzaa for many years but this is the first time I have truly explored and participated in the holiday. One of the great benefits of being married to Kyra is how my life has been further and more deeply enriched by African-American culture, including being part of Kwanzaa. Kyra, Jessica, and I were sitting around the other day and the subject of Kwanzaa came up, which sparked my curiosity. I didn’t anticipate that this curiosity would become so significant for my life and heading into a new year.\n\nThough Kwanzaa is considered mostly an African-American holiday, the seven principles, one for each day, are foundational to all of humankind and for building a world that works for everyone.The principles are:\n<ul>\n	<li><em>Umoja</em> (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.</li>\n	<li><em>Kujichagulia</em> (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.</li>\n	<li><em>Ujima</em> (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers\' and sisters\' problems our problems, and to solve them together.</li>\n	<li><em>Ujamaa</em> (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.</li>\n	<li><em>Nia</em> (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.</li>\n	<li><em>Kuumba</em> (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.</li>\n	<li><em>Imani</em> (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.</li>\n</ul>\nFor me personally, each principle has been an invitation to embrace more fully who I am for myself, others, and the world. Though Kwanzaa ended January 1st, I would encourage anyone to take the time and explore the principles in light of your own life and the new year ahead.\n\nI was inspired to write a blog series about my exploration of Kwanzaa and it\'s z principles. <a href=\"http://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/2012/01/farewell-kwanzaa-and-living-into-a-new-way-of-being/\" target=\"_blank\">Today’s post</a> includes links to the rest of the blog series if you’re interested in reading what is essentially a white guy’s guide to Kwanzaa.\n\n&nbsp;','A White Guy\'s Guide to Kwanzaa (7 principles for building a world that works for everyone. ','','inherit','open','open','','3513-revision','','','2012-01-01 18:55:58','2012-01-02 02:55:58','',3513,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/01/3513-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3517,1,'2012-01-02 01:04:33','2012-01-02 09:04:33','<strong>7 principles for building a world that works for everyone.</strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/art.black_-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" /></a>It’s a little odd I guess for a white guy to be writing about <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa\" target=\"_blank\">Kwanzaa</a>, a week-long celebration honoring universal African-American heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. I’ve vaguely known about Kwanzaa for many years but this is the first time I have truly explored and participated in the holiday. One of the great benefits of being married to Kyra is how my life has been further and more deeply enriched by African-American culture, including being part of Kwanzaa. Kyra, Jessica, and I were sitting around the other day and the subject of Kwanzaa came up, which sparked my curiosity. I didn’t anticipate that this curiosity would become so significant for my life and heading into a new year.\n\nThough Kwanzaa is considered mostly an African-American holiday, the seven principles, one for each day, are foundational to all of humankind and for building a world that works for everyone.The principles are:\n<ul>\n	<li><em>Umoja</em> (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.</li>\n	<li><em>Kujichagulia</em> (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.</li>\n	<li><em>Ujima</em> (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers\' and sisters\' problems our problems, and to solve them together.</li>\n	<li><em>Ujamaa</em> (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.</li>\n	<li><em>Nia</em> (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.</li>\n	<li><em>Kuumba</em> (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.</li>\n	<li><em>Imani</em> (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.</li>\n</ul>\nFor me personally, each principle has been an invitation to embrace more fully who I am for myself, others, and the world. Though Kwanzaa ended January 1st, I would encourage anyone to take the time and explore the principles in light of your own life and the new year ahead.\n\nI was inspired to write a blog series about my exploration of Kwanzaa and it\'s z principles. <a href=\"http://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/2012/01/farewell-kwanzaa-and-living-into-a-new-way-of-being/\" target=\"_blank\">Today’s post</a> includes links to the rest of the blog series if you’re interested in reading what is essentially a white guy’s guide to Kwanzaa.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kyra.and_.jim_.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3515\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kyra.and_.jim_-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nPhoto Credit: African American Music of O','A White Guy\'s Guide to Kwanzaa','','inherit','open','open','','3513-autosave','','','2012-01-02 01:04:33','2012-01-02 09:04:33','',3513,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/01/3513-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),