(5247,1,'2012-02-23 20:55:02','2012-02-24 04:55:02','','cool water','','inherit','open','open','','cool-water','','','2012-02-23 20:55:02','2012-02-24 04:55:02','',4866,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/cool-water.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5295,1,'2012-02-22 23:16:52','2012-02-23 07:16:52','Having an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\r\n\r\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\r\n\r\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\r\n\r\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\r\n\r\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl><dt><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a></dt></dl>For the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\r\n\r\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\r\n\r\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\r\n\r\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\r\n\r\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\r\n\r\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.\r\n\r\n</div>','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision-7','','','2012-02-22 23:16:52','2012-02-23 07:16:52','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5297,1,'2012-02-25 08:08:57','2012-02-25 16:08:57','','metallica','','inherit','open','open','','metallica','','','2012-02-25 08:08:57','2012-02-25 16:08:57','',5296,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/metallica.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5298,1,'2012-02-25 08:42:41','2012-02-25 16:42:41','Yesterday, as I was driving home from work and shuffling through my iPod, I put on Metallica\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoqmSkwRH4g\" target=\"_blank\">Fade to Black</a>. The long drive home and some important realizations about life, all framed by the country road and grazing cattle, had put me in a melancholy mood. I was half dreaming of my life and remembering some painful things that I needed to contemplate.  It was good. It was necessary, but it was painful.\n\nThe song Fade to Black is one of Metallica\'s very best.  At first glance the song is entirely depressing and dark.  It\'s holds a deep, haunting mix of guitar, story, and ferocious melody.  It\'s the story of sadness and despair in a poetic envelope.  I\'ve listened to the song hundreds of times and enjoyed it for what it was...a beautiful song.  But as I drove, I stumbled onto something that I had never seen before.  Something redemptive.\n\nIn a former life I was told never to listen to Metallica.  Their songs were considered evil and if I listened to them, they would \"infect my soul.\"  I remember believing that for a long time, wondering what the consequences would be if I snuck a listen. I remember the first time hearing the song (and many like it) and strangely enjoying it.  It was almost a guilty pleasure as I pretended I wasn\'t listening, yet allowing the sweet melody to wash over me.\n\nThe prevailing concern was obvious.  The song is about the human state of sorrow and despair at some of the deepest levels.  It\'s about ending a life.  Taken in it\'s absolute context, one could make an argument it\'s about suicide.  One could easily imagine someone in that state of despair allowing the song to take over and push him/her over the edge.  Metallica\'s music represented the darker side of life, one that \"Christian\" music tended to ignore.\n\nYet as the images of cows and horses, and green pastures flashed before my eyes on that long drive home, I had no illusions of death.  I had a strange realization that redeemed my image of Metallica. Metallica had helped restore a little part of my humanity.  At that moment I needed to feel sorrow and despair.  I needed something to help usher me into that space of the more fearful spaces in my soul.  I needed to to feel what I was feeling, even though I was afraid.  The song had carried me into what it meant to be human.\n\nTruth be told, I am often afraid of feeling sorrow.  My assumption is that if I truly feel that sorrow I will remain trapped by it.  Yet in that moment I was not being trapped by despair, but instead being redeemed by it. I was discovering my humanity and what it meant to allow my heart to feel at the deepest levels without being afraid.\n\nI wonder if this is how Jesus felt when he said the words, \"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.\" I had learned for so long to keep doubt at bay, yet for Jesus, this was his most human moment, the one that I could relate to most.  In those words, Jesus had given me permission to expressed my fears to God, and to feel something deep.  I needed to confront my fears, to call them out by name, to fully realize them in my life, <strong>so that I could move past them</strong>.  As long as I ignored them, they would\n\nI wept as I drove home. For the first time I said thank you for the music of Metallica.  I know that might sounds strange to some and obvious to others.  I don\'t think I\'m the first to come to this realization of their music and their talent.  I must imagine many have enjoyed the reflection of God in their music before.\n\nBecause isn\'t this what makes the Kingdom of God so amazing.  Jesus had this strange capacity to see what is good in the darkest of places. He brought light to places where there was no \"supposed\" light.  For Jesus, everyone was valuable.  I smiled as I turned back onto the highway for the last stretch home.  God had redeemed my image of Metallica and it was good.','The Redemption of Metallica','','inherit','open','open','','5296-revision','','','2012-02-25 08:42:41','2012-02-25 16:42:41','',5296,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/25/5296-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5299,1,'2012-02-24 14:51:57','2012-02-24 22:51:57','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/020312.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-8','','','2012-02-24 14:51:57','2012-02-24 22:51:57','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7405,1,'2012-07-30 19:33:15','2012-07-31 02:33:15','When most people think of \"child evangelism,\" what comes to mind is something along the lines of <em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp\">Jesus Camp</a></em>.  It recalls a very specific image of adults pounding the Gospel into children, who in turn take the message out on the streets and hand out tracts.  We are, naturally, uncomfortable with the idea that children would be manipulated, frightened, or shamed into belief.  I think perhaps I understand where it comes from. Many people have been deeply hurt by the church. As a result, they are on a mission to stop anyone else from being hurt by the church.\r\n\r\nWhatever the reason, a current trend is to demand that parents stop \"evangelizing\" their children.  <a href=\"http://signon.org/sign/freedom-from-religious?source=s.tw&amp;r_by=5228485\">This petition</a>, for example, found on SignOn.org, is a call for cessation of evangelism under the guise of aid.  <a href=\"http://theoatmeal.com/comics/religion\">This post on The Oatmeal</a> likens religious indoctrination within the family to controlling a child\'s color preference.  Pressure from outside the church raises two important questions.\r\n\r\nFirst, is it bad for parents to raise their children in the church?  I don\'t believe it is, for several reasons:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>This anti-evangelism campaign is nearly always directed at the Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).  I\'m the last person you will ever hear crying \"Persecution!\"  But even I recognize that this is out of proportion.  Should we tell the non-religious to stop telling their children there is no God, just in case their children want to believe in one?  I doubt that\'s what anyone has in mind.</li>\r\n	<li>I believe that all parents have the right to communicate their religious beliefs with their children.  We don\'t need to pretend we don\'t have a set of religious beliefs and traditions.  Provided we are taking care not to shame or scare our children into belief, I see nothing wrong will making it explicit that this is what we believe to be true. I think we can teach them about our religious convictions while simultaneously reassuring them that we will love them whether they agree or not. We don\'t need to say non-committal things to them like, \"Some people believe in God. Some people don\'t. What do you think?\" (Part of the problem with that is that it avoids the question. Young children ask questions about God and faith because they want to know what their parents believe. Using the phrase \"some people\" avoids taking responsibility for our own beliefs.)</li>\r\n	<li>There is a difference between raising children among people with shared religious beliefs and forcing those same children to believe.  I am actually in favor of keeping spiritual dialogue open in the home. Parents should, as their children grow, talk to them about the ways that other people believe—without making statements about the eternal fate of specific people. I personally am not going to flip if my children grow up and decide they don\'t believe in Jesus, or in God at all. I\'m not going to live in fear for their immortal souls or kick them out or make demands on them that they raise their children in the church. I\'m not going to someday insist on bringing my grandchildren to church or religious activities, certainly not against the wishes of their parents.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe second important question is whether it\'s wrong to evangelize children who are not our own.\r\n\r\nI agree that this can be done in a scary, inappropriate way. I\'ve seen it happen. Many years ago, when I was working as a camp counselor, we would deliver a message of God\'s love, grace, and forgiveness to the campers. We would use a skit to illustrate what we were trying to communicate. I remember telling the other counselors that I refused to participate in the skit that explicitly stated that if our friends went to hell, it would be our fault for not telling them about Jesus. That particular skit had left more than one child in tears in the past, and I wanted no part of it.\r\n\r\nPresenting a message to children about salvation can also take a disturbing turn when we use manipulation and fear tactics.  Anyone who has ever <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301235/\">seen the documentary <em>Hell House</em></a> (or been to an actual Hell House—yes, they still exist) can attest to that.  Within some churches, there is extraordinary pressure for children to make a \"faith commitment\" at a very young age, including among those five and under.  And mission work, particularly certain types of relief aid, can take the form of forced evangelism.\r\n\r\nSo, yes. I get it. Teaching kids about religious beliefs can be done in a  pretty frightening manner.  I think about how I would feel if anyone thought they had the right to take my children to a religious institution that wasn\'t Christian and terrify or shame them into belief.  But it doesn\'t have to be that way.  Not all evangelistic endeavors leave children feeling that they need to conform in order to be accepted or loved.\r\n\r\nIn order to avoid the typical pitfalls, we as adults need to be aware of several things.\r\n\r\nFirst, we must be careful not to attach our love for our kids to their faith.  If we put pressure on our children to make early decisions about their beliefs, we risk having children who think we will only love or be proud of them if they agree with us.\r\n\r\nSecond, we must deliver the message in love, without the fear.  Even if we as adults (and not even all adults agree on this) believe that faith in Jesus is necessary for entrance into Heaven, we should be cautious about how we share that information.  The truth is, we cannot know the eternal fate of anyone else.  Teaching children that they deserve Hell for their sins does more harm than good.\r\n\r\nThird, related to the second, is that the message should be developmentally appropriate.  One of the reasons it can be damaging for children to hear that they need to be saved from Hell is that it is confusing for young ones.  Better that the kids begin with a solid foundation of love.  There is no reason to go in-depth on the matter with a six-year-old.\r\n\r\nFinally, parents need to be aware that their children may not find their childhood religion meaningful when they reach adulthood.  We need to be prepared that not every child raised in church or who attended vacation Bible school every summer will end up being a Christian.  We must be ready to give them the space they need to uncover their own spirituality.\r\n\r\nMy children attend church. We read the Bible with them every night. We pray before meals and we pray for people in need. They go to Sunday school, they go to a Christian camp, they attend the children\'s ministry at our mid-week service. Do we hope they will grow into faithful adult Christians? Absolutely. Will we love them any less if they choose something different? Most emphatically, no.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Should we avoid religious instruction and evangelism for children?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Faith Like a Child','','inherit','open','open','','7325-revision-8','','','2012-07-30 19:33:15','2012-07-31 02:33:15','',7325,'http://provoketive.com/2012/07/30/7325-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5302,1,'2012-02-25 08:50:08','2012-02-25 16:50:08','Yesterday, as I was driving home from a long road trip, I shuffled through my iPod and I put on Metallica\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoqmSkwRH4g\" target=\"_blank\">Fade to Black</a>. The long drive home, framed by the country road and grazing cattle, had given me the space to reflect on some important realizations about life. It had put me in a melancholy mood. I was half dreaming of my life and remembering some painful things that I needed to contemplate.  It was good. It was necessary, but it was painful.\n\nThe song Fade to Black is one of Metallica\'s very best.  At first glance the song is entirely depressing and dark.  It\'s holds a deep, haunting mix of guitar, story, and ferocious melody.  It\'s the story of sadness and despair in a poetic envelope.  I\'ve listened to the song hundreds of times and enjoyed it for what it was...a beautiful song.  But as I drove, I stumbled onto something that I had never seen before.  Something redemptive.\n\nIn a former life I was told never to listen to Metallica.  Their songs were considered evil and if I listened to them, they would \"infect my soul.\"  I remember believing that for a long time, wondering what the consequences would be if I snuck a listen. I remember the first time hearing the song (and many like it) and strangely enjoying it.  It was almost a guilty pleasure as I pretended I wasn\'t listening, yet allowing the sweet melody to wash over me.\n\nThe prevailing concern was obvious.  The song is about the human state of sorrow and despair at some of the deepest levels.  It\'s about ending a life.  Taken in its absolute context, one could make an argument it\'s about suicide.  One could easily imagine someone in that state of despair allowing the song to take over and push him/her over the edge.  Metallica\'s music represented the darker side of life, one that \"Christian\" music tended to ignore.\n\nYet as the images of cows and horses, and green pastures flashed before my eyes on that long drive home, I had no illusions of death.  I had a strange realization that redeemed my image of Metallica. Metallica had helped restore a little part of my humanity.  At that moment I needed to feel sorrow and despair.  I needed something to help usher me into that space of the more fearful spaces in my soul.  I needed to to feel what I was feeling, even though I was afraid.  The song had carried me into what it meant to be human.\n\nTruth be told, I am often afraid of feeling sorrow.  My assumption is that if I truly feel that sorrow I will remain trapped by it.  Yet in that moment I was not being trapped by despair, but instead being redeemed by it. I was discovering my humanity and what it meant to allow my heart to feel at the deepest levels without being afraid.\n\nI wonder if this is how Jesus felt when he said the words, \"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.\" I had learned for so long to keep doubt at bay, yet for Jesus, this was his most human moment, the one that I could relate to most.  In those words, Jesus had given me permission to expressed my fears to God, and to feel something deep.  I needed to confront my fears, to call them out by name, to fully realize them in my life, <strong>so that I could move past them</strong>.  As long as I ignored them, they would continue to hold me captive.\n\nI wept as I drove home. For the first time I said thank you for the music of Metallica.  I know that might sounds strange to some and obvious to others.  I don\'t think I\'m the first to come to this realization of their music and their talent.  I must imagine many have enjoyed the reflection of God in their music before.\n\nBecause isn\'t this what makes the Kingdom of God so amazing.  Jesus had this strange capacity to see what is good in the darkest of places. He brought light to places where there was no \"supposed\" light.  For Jesus, everyone was valuable.  I smiled as I turned back onto the highway for the last stretch home.  God had redeemed my image of Metallica and it was good.','The Redemption of Metallica','','inherit','open','open','','5296-revision-2','','','2012-02-25 08:50:08','2012-02-25 16:50:08','',5296,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/25/5296-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5303,1,'2012-03-13 14:05:26','2012-03-13 21:05:26','Yesterday, as I was driving home from a long road trip, I shuffled through my iPod and I put on Metallica\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoqmSkwRH4g\" target=\"_blank\">Fade to Black</a>. The long drive home, framed by the country road and grazing cattle, had given me the space to reflect on some important realizations about life. It had put me in a melancholy mood. I was half dreaming of my life and remembering some painful things that I needed to contemplate.  It was good. It was necessary, but it was painful.\n\nThe song Fade to Black is one of Metallica\'s very best.  At first glance the song is entirely depressing and dark.  It\'s holds a deep, haunting mix of guitar, story, and ferocious melody.  It\'s the story of sadness and despair in a poetic envelope.  I\'ve listened to the song hundreds of times and enjoyed it for what it was...a beautiful song.  But as I drove, I stumbled onto something that I had never seen before.  Something redemptive.\n\nIn a former life I was told never to listen to Metallica.  Their songs were considered evil and if I listened to them, they would \"infect my soul.\"  I remember believing that for a long time, wondering what the consequences would be if I snuck a listen. I remember the first time hearing the song (and many like it) and strangely enjoying it.  It was almost a guilty pleasure as I pretended I wasn\'t listening, yet allowing the sweet melody to wash over me.\n\nThe prevailing concern was obvious.  The song is about the human state of sorrow and despair at some of the deepest levels.  It\'s about ending a life.  Taken in its absolute context, one could make an argument it\'s about suicide.  One could easily imagine someone in that state of despair allowing the song to take over and push him/her over the edge.  Metallica\'s music represented the darker side of life, one that \"Christian\" music tended to ignore.\n\nYet as the images of cows and horses, and green pastures flashed before my eyes on that long drive home, I had no illusions of death.  I had a strange realization that redeemed my image of Metallica. Metallica had helped restore a little part of my humanity.  At that moment I needed to feel sorrow and despair.  I needed something to help usher me into that space of the more fearful spaces in my soul.  I needed to to feel what I was feeling, even though I was afraid.  The song had carried me into what it meant to be human.\n\nTruth be told, I am often afraid of feeling sorrow.  My assumption is that if I truly feel that sorrow I will remain trapped by it.  Yet in that moment I was not being trapped by despair, but instead being redeemed by it. I was discovering my humanity and what it meant to allow my heart to feel at the deepest levels without being afraid.\n\nI wonder if this is how Jesus felt when he said the words, \"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.\" I had learned for so long to keep doubt at bay, yet for Jesus, this was his most human moment, the one that I could relate to most.  In those words, Jesus had given me permission to expressed my fears to God, and to feel something deep.  I needed to confront my fears, to call them out by name, to fully realize them in my life, <strong>so that I could move past them</strong>.  As long as I ignored them, they would continue to hold me captive.\n\nI wept as I drove home. For the first time I said thank you for the music of Metallica.  I know that might sounds strange to some and obvious to others.  I don\'t think I\'m the first to come to this realization of their music and their talent.  I must imagine many have enjoyed the reflection of God in their music before.\n\nBecause isn\'t this what makes the Kingdom of God so amazing.  Jesus had this strange capacity to see what is good in the darkest of places. He brought light to places where there was no \"supposed\" light.  For Jesus, everyone was valuable.  I smiled as I turned back onto the highway for the last stretch home.  God had redeemed my image of Metallica and it was good.','The Redemption of Metallica','','inherit','open','open','','5296-autosave','','','2012-03-13 14:05:26','2012-03-13 21:05:26','',5296,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5296-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5305,43,'2012-03-06 08:00:23','2012-03-06 16:00:23','This is a review of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jesus-Shmuley-Boteach/dp/9652295787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330306870&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Kosher Jesus</em></a> by <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/\">Rabbi Shmuley Boteach</a> (Gefen Publishing, February 1, 2012), Kindle edition.\r\n\r\nWhen I first read that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> would be available in February, I couldn\'t wait to get my hands on a copy. The prospect of reading more about Jesus from a purely Jewish perspective was intriguing.  I am pleased to say that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> lived up to my expectations.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Good</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat stands out immediately is Rabbi Boteach\'s friendly, conversational style. One almost has the feeling that he has come over for a chat in your living room. At the same time, he refuses to talk down to the reader. He addresses complex issues without sounding like a professor.\r\n\r\nI also have deep appreciation for the humble tone of the book.  Naturally, Rabbi Boteach believes deeply in his conclusions, or he would not speak so passionately.  However, at no point does he claim to be the mouthpiece of God, or that Christians should abandon their faith.  He does not vilify individual Christians, even when taking to task the religious system which tragically spent centuries persecuting the very people who gave us Jesus.\r\n\r\nOne of the most important themes in Kosher Jesus is the treatment of Jews at the hands of Christians over the centuries. Although I am not ignorant of antisemitism, I was unaware of some of the finer points. It is heartbreaking to read about the ways in which the Christian Scriptures have been twisted and misused to justify oppressing people.  If for no other reason, Christians should read this book to understand what real persecution looks like.  History must not repeat itself.\r\n\r\nRabbi Boteach spends the first section of the book detailing the ways in which Jesus was, first and foremost, a Jew.  Too often, Christians pay lip service to that fact, but dismiss it as unimportant because it\'s overshadowed by his death and resurrection.  We cannot hope to understand the context of Jesus\' mission and ministry without fully grasping his Jewish faith and nationality.  People unfamiliar with the life of a first century observant Jew will find their eyes opened after reading the book.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Bad</strong>\r\n\r\nI appreciate the way that Rabbi Boteach systematically addresses his points using Christian Scripture. He effectively demonstrates Jesus\' Jewish faith.  However, I have the same criticism that I usually reserve for Christian literalists. By taking only certain parts of the text as \"factual,\" and tossing out others as \"edited,\" he ignores anything that does not fall into either category. For those Christians who have rejected a literal interpretation of the Bible, some of the Rabbi\'s arguments against Jesus\' messiahship are rendered useless.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have time or space here to comb through the book point-by-point. Nor would that be of use in a general review. I will leave it that the reader should be forewarned about the use of this approach to the Bible. Readers must also understand that Rabbi Boteach is bringing in his own control beliefs as well as using an interpretive style common to conservative Evangelical Christianity.\r\n\r\nMy final criticism is the Rabbi\'s continuation of the same Greco-Roman overlay which has been rejected by many post-modern Christian theologians. There seems to be an underlying violence here, a need for the literal beating back of enemies. I do not see this as being in alignment with what I believe we Christians are called to do. Given the fact that Evangelical Christians seem to be the target audience for <em>Kosher Jesus</em>, it is unlikely that this parallel is accidental.  It appears that Rabbi Boteach is searching for common ground.  Unfortunately, he won\'t find it outside conservative circles within the Church.  While I do understand Rabbi Boteach\'s perspective (even more so given the volatile history between the Church and the Jewish people), I think this is where the real divergence occurs.  Are we to be a people who bring about justice with the sword, or are we to love peace and work toward it using other means?  It is a question that divides the Church as well, and there are no simple answers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Summary</strong>\r\n\r\nDespite my criticisms, my experience reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> was generally positive. It gave me much to consider. I believe that in thinking more about the points raised by Rabbi Boteach, my faith will be strengthened rather than weakened.\r\n\r\nThere are three groups of people who will benefit most from this book are: post-modern Christians interested in interfaith dialogue; people, like myself, from an interfaith background wanting to understand their dual heritage; and certain evangelical Christians who are ready to reject replacement theology (the idea that Christians have replaced Jews as God\'s chosen people). Reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> requires an open mind.\r\n\r\nUltimately, the real value of Kosher Jesus is that Rabbi Boteach has opened the doors wide for respectful dialogue and debate. It matters very little to what degree he is \"right\" in his view of Jesus. What matters is that he has created safe space for Jews and Christians to \"reason together\" without need for a defensive stance or a push to convert. This is a refreshing break from the hostility of religious fundamentalism. Rabbi Boteach has provided us with an excellent place to begin building bridges between our religions and has also given Christians the gift of an open door for discussion within our own faith.\r\n\r\nI highly recommend <em>Kosher Jesus </em>and I look forward to reading more on this subject from Rabbi Boteach.\r\n\r\n________________________________________________\r\n*A detailed bio for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach can be found <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/site/about/\">here</a>.\r\n<div>\r\n<div><img src=\"https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\r\n</div>','Kosher Jesus: An Open Door for Interfaith Dialogue','','publish','open','open','','kosher-jesus-an-open-door-for-interfaith-dialogue','','','2012-03-05 18:57:57','2012-03-06 02:57:57','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5305',0,'post','',0),(5306,43,'2012-02-26 18:12:08','2012-02-27 02:12:08','This is a review of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jesus-Shmuley-Boteach/dp/9652295787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330306870&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Kosher Jesus</em></a> by <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/\">Rabbi Shmuley Boteach</a> (Gefen Publishing, February 1, 2012).  I read the Kindle edition.\n\nWhen I first read that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> would be available in February, I couldn\'t wait to get my hands on a copy. The prospect of reading more about Jesus from a purely Jewish perspective was intriguing.  I am pleased to say that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> lived up to my expectations.\n\n<strong>The Good</strong>\n\nWhat stands out immediately is Rabbi Boteach\'s friendly, conversational style. One almost has the feeling that he has come over for a chat in your living room. At the same time, he refuses to talk down to the reader. He addresses complex issues without sounding like a professor.\n\nI also have deep appreciation for the humble tone of the book.  Naturally, Rabbi Boteach believes deeply in his conclusions, or he would not speak so passionately.  However, at no point does he claim to be the mouthpiece of God, or that Christians should abandon their faith.  He does not vilify individual Christians, even when taking to task the religious system which tragically spent centuries persecuting the very people who gave us Jesus.\n\nOne of the most important themes in Kosher Jesus is the treatment of Jews at the hands of Christians over the centuries. Although I am not ignorant of antisemitism, I was unaware of some of the finer points. It is heartbreaking to read about the ways in which the Christian Scriptures have been twisted and misused to justify oppressing people.  If for no other reason, Christians should read this book to understand what real persecution looks like.  History must not repeat itself.\n\nRabbi Boteach spends the first section of the book detailing the ways in which Jesus was, first and foremost, a Jew.  Too often, Christians pay lip service to that fact, but dismiss it as unimportant because it\'s overshadowed by his death and resurrection.  We cannot hope to understand the context of Jesus\' mission and ministry without fully grasping his Jewish faith and nationality.  People unfamiliar with the life of a first century observant Jew will find their eyes opened after reading the book.\n\n<strong>The Bad</strong>\n\nI appreciate the way that Rabbi Boteach systematically addresses his points using Christian Scripture. He effectively demonstrates Jesus\' Jewish faith.  However, I have the same criticism that I usually reserve for Christian literalists. By taking only certain parts of the text as \"factual,\" and tossing out others as \"edited,\" he ignores anything that does not fall into either category. For those Christians who have rejected a literal interpretation of the Bible, some of the Rabbi\'s arguments against Jesus\' messiahship are rendered useless.\n\nI don\'t have time or space here to comb through the book point-by-point. Nor would that be of use in a general review. I will leave it that the reader should be forewarned about this approach to the Bible and understand that Rabbi Boteach is bringing in his own control beliefs as well as using an interpretive style common to conservative Evangelical Christianity.\n\nMy final criticism is the Rabbi\'s continuation of the same Greco-Roman overlay which has been rejected by many post-modern Christian theologians. There seems to be an underlying violence here, a need for the literal beating back of enemies. I do not see this as being in alignment with what I believe we Christians are called to do. Given the fact that Evangelical Christians seem to be the target audience for <em>Kosher Jesus</em>, it is unlikely that this parallel is accidental.  It appears that Rabbi Boteach is searching for common ground.  Unfortunately, he won\'t find it outside conservative circles within the Church.  While I do understand Rabbi Boteach\'s perspective (even moreso given the volatile history between the Church and the Jewish people), I think this is where the real divergence occurs.  Are we to be a people who bring about justice with the sword, or are we to love peace and work toward it using other means?  It is a question that divides the Church as well, and there are no simple answers.\n\n<strong>Summary</strong>\n\nDespite my criticisms, my experience reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> was positive overall. It gave me much to consider. I believe that in thinking more about the points raised by Rabbi Boteach, my faith will be strengthened rather than weakened.\n\nThere are three groups of people who will benefit most from this book are: post-modern Christians interested in interfaith dialogue; people , like myself, from an interfaith background wanting to understand their dual heritage; and certain evangelical Christians who are ready to reject replacement theology (the idea that Christians have replaced Jews as God\'s chosen people). Reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> requires an open mind.\n\nUltimately, the real value of Kosher Jesus is that Rabbi Boteach has opened the doors wide for respectful dialogue and debate. It matters very little to what degree he is \"right\" in his view of Jesus. What matters is that he has created safe space for Jews and Christians to \"reason together\" without need for a defensive stance or a push to convert. This is a refreshing break from the volatility of religious fundamentalism and hostility. Rabbi Boteach has provided us with an excellent place to begin building bridges between our religions and has also given Christians the gift of an open door for discussion within our own faith.\n\nI look forward to reading more on this subject from Rabbi Boteach.\n\n________________________________________________\n*A detailed bio for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach can be found <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/site/about/\">here</a>.\n<div>\n<div><img src=\"https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\n</div>','Kosher Jesus: An Open Door for Interfaith Dialogue','','inherit','open','open','','5305-revision','','','2012-02-26 18:12:08','2012-02-27 02:12:08','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5305-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5308,43,'2012-02-26 18:17:32','2012-02-27 02:17:32','','story-12-kosher-jesus-119382 small','','inherit','open','open','','story-12-kosher-jesus-119382-small','','','2012-02-26 18:17:32','2012-02-27 02:17:32','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/story-12-kosher-jesus-119382-small.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5307,43,'2012-02-26 18:12:21','2012-02-27 02:12:21','This is a review of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jesus-Shmuley-Boteach/dp/9652295787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330306870&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Kosher Jesus</em></a> by <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/\">Rabbi Shmuley Boteach</a> (Gefen Publishing, February 1, 2012).  I read the Kindle edition.\r\n\r\nWhen I first read that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> would be available in February, I couldn\'t wait to get my hands on a copy. The prospect of reading more about Jesus from a purely Jewish perspective was intriguing.  I am pleased to say that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> lived up to my expectations.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Good</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat stands out immediately is Rabbi Boteach\'s friendly, conversational style. One almost has the feeling that he has come over for a chat in your living room. At the same time, he refuses to talk down to the reader. He addresses complex issues without sounding like a professor.\r\n\r\nI also have deep appreciation for the humble tone of the book.  Naturally, Rabbi Boteach believes deeply in his conclusions, or he would not speak so passionately.  However, at no point does he claim to be the mouthpiece of God, or that Christians should abandon their faith.  He does not vilify individual Christians, even when taking to task the religious system which tragically spent centuries persecuting the very people who gave us Jesus.\r\n\r\nOne of the most important themes in Kosher Jesus is the treatment of Jews at the hands of Christians over the centuries. Although I am not ignorant of antisemitism, I was unaware of some of the finer points. It is heartbreaking to read about the ways in which the Christian Scriptures have been twisted and misused to justify oppressing people.  If for no other reason, Christians should read this book to understand what real persecution looks like.  History must not repeat itself.\r\n\r\nRabbi Boteach spends the first section of the book detailing the ways in which Jesus was, first and foremost, a Jew.  Too often, Christians pay lip service to that fact, but dismiss it as unimportant because it\'s overshadowed by his death and resurrection.  We cannot hope to understand the context of Jesus\' mission and ministry without fully grasping his Jewish faith and nationality.  People unfamiliar with the life of a first century observant Jew will find their eyes opened after reading the book.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Bad</strong>\r\n\r\nI appreciate the way that Rabbi Boteach systematically addresses his points using Christian Scripture. He effectively demonstrates Jesus\' Jewish faith.  However, I have the same criticism that I usually reserve for Christian literalists. By taking only certain parts of the text as \"factual,\" and tossing out others as \"edited,\" he ignores anything that does not fall into either category. For those Christians who have rejected a literal interpretation of the Bible, some of the Rabbi\'s arguments against Jesus\' messiahship are rendered useless.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have time or space here to comb through the book point-by-point. Nor would that be of use in a general review. I will leave it that the reader should be forewarned about this approach to the Bible and understand that Rabbi Boteach is bringing in his own control beliefs as well as using an interpretive style common to conservative Evangelical Christianity.\r\n\r\nMy final criticism is the Rabbi\'s continuation of the same Greco-Roman overlay which has been rejected by many post-modern Christian theologians. There seems to be an underlying violence here, a need for the literal beating back of enemies. I do not see this as being in alignment with what I believe we Christians are called to do. Given the fact that Evangelical Christians seem to be the target audience for <em>Kosher Jesus</em>, it is unlikely that this parallel is accidental.  It appears that Rabbi Boteach is searching for common ground.  Unfortunately, he won\'t find it outside conservative circles within the Church.  While I do understand Rabbi Boteach\'s perspective (even moreso given the volatile history between the Church and the Jewish people), I think this is where the real divergence occurs.  Are we to be a people who bring about justice with the sword, or are we to love peace and work toward it using other means?  It is a question that divides the Church as well, and there are no simple answers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Summary</strong>\r\n\r\nDespite my criticisms, my experience reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> was positive overall. It gave me much to consider. I believe that in thinking more about the points raised by Rabbi Boteach, my faith will be strengthened rather than weakened.\r\n\r\nThere are three groups of people who will benefit most from this book are: post-modern Christians interested in interfaith dialogue; people , like myself, from an interfaith background wanting to understand their dual heritage; and certain evangelical Christians who are ready to reject replacement theology (the idea that Christians have replaced Jews as God\'s chosen people). Reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> requires an open mind.\r\n\r\nUltimately, the real value of Kosher Jesus is that Rabbi Boteach has opened the doors wide for respectful dialogue and debate. It matters very little to what degree he is \"right\" in his view of Jesus. What matters is that he has created safe space for Jews and Christians to \"reason together\" without need for a defensive stance or a push to convert. This is a refreshing break from the volatility of religious fundamentalism and hostility. Rabbi Boteach has provided us with an excellent place to begin building bridges between our religions and has also given Christians the gift of an open door for discussion within our own faith.\r\n\r\nI look forward to reading more on this subject from Rabbi Boteach.\r\n\r\n________________________________________________\r\n*A detailed bio for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach can be found <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/site/about/\">here</a>.\r\n<div>\r\n<div><img src=\"https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\r\n</div>','Kosher Jesus: An Open Door for Interfaith Dialogue','','inherit','open','open','','5305-revision-2','','','2012-02-26 18:12:21','2012-02-27 02:12:21','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5305-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5309,43,'2012-02-26 18:14:05','2012-02-27 02:14:05','This is a review of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jesus-Shmuley-Boteach/dp/9652295787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330306870&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Kosher Jesus</em></a> by <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/\">Rabbi Shmuley Boteach</a> (Gefen Publishing, February 1, 2012), Kindle edition.\n\nWhen I first read that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> would be available in February, I couldn\'t wait to get my hands on a copy. The prospect of reading more about Jesus from a purely Jewish perspective was intriguing.  I am pleased to say that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> lived up to my expectations.\n\n<strong>The Good</strong>\n\nWhat stands out immediately is Rabbi Boteach\'s friendly, conversational style. One almost has the feeling that he has come over for a chat in your living room. At the same time, he refuses to talk down to the reader. He addresses complex issues without sounding like a professor.\n\nI also have deep appreciation for the humble tone of the book.  Naturally, Rabbi Boteach believes deeply in his conclusions, or he would not speak so passionately.  However, at no point does he claim to be the mouthpiece of God, or that Christians should abandon their faith.  He does not vilify individual Christians, even when taking to task the religious system which tragically spent centuries persecuting the very people who gave us Jesus.\n\nOne of the most important themes in Kosher Jesus is the treatment of Jews at the hands of Christians over the centuries. Although I am not ignorant of antisemitism, I was unaware of some of the finer points. It is heartbreaking to read about the ways in which the Christian Scriptures have been twisted and misused to justify oppressing people.  If for no other reason, Christians should read this book to understand what real persecution looks like.  History must not repeat itself.\n\nRabbi Boteach spends the first section of the book detailing the ways in which Jesus was, first and foremost, a Jew.  Too often, Christians pay lip service to that fact, but dismiss it as unimportant because it\'s overshadowed by his death and resurrection.  We cannot hope to understand the context of Jesus\' mission and ministry without fully grasping his Jewish faith and nationality.  People unfamiliar with the life of a first century observant Jew will find their eyes opened after reading the book.\n\n<strong>The Bad</strong>\n\nI appreciate the way that Rabbi Boteach systematically addresses his points using Christian Scripture. He effectively demonstrates Jesus\' Jewish faith.  However, I have the same criticism that I usually reserve for Christian literalists. By taking only certain parts of the text as \"factual,\" and tossing out others as \"edited,\" he ignores anything that does not fall into either category. For those Christians who have rejected a literal interpretation of the Bible, some of the Rabbi\'s arguments against Jesus\' messiahship are rendered useless.\n\nI don\'t have time or space here to comb through the book point-by-point. Nor would that be of use in a general review. I will leave it that the reader should be forewarned about this approach to the Bible and understand that Rabbi Boteach is bringing in his own control beliefs as well as using an interpretive style common to conservative Evangelical Christianity.\n\nMy final criticism is the Rabbi\'s continuation of the same Greco-Roman overlay which has been rejected by many post-modern Christian theologians. There seems to be an underlying violence here, a need for the literal beating back of enemies. I do not see this as being in alignment with what I believe we Christians are called to do. Given the fact that Evangelical Christians seem to be the target audience for <em>Kosher Jesus</em>, it is unlikely that this parallel is accidental.  It appears that Rabbi Boteach is searching for common ground.  Unfortunately, he won\'t find it outside conservative circles within the Church.  While I do understand Rabbi Boteach\'s perspective (even moreso given the volatile history between the Church and the Jewish people), I think this is where the real divergence occurs.  Are we to be a people who bring about justice with the sword, or are we to love peace and work toward it using other means?  It is a question that divides the Church as well, and there are no simple answers.\n\n<strong>Summary</strong>\n\nDespite my criticisms, my experience reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> was positive overall. It gave me much to consider. I believe that in thinking more about the points raised by Rabbi Boteach, my faith will be strengthened rather than weakened.\n\nThere are three groups of people who will benefit most from this book are: post-modern Christians interested in interfaith dialogue; people , like myself, from an interfaith background wanting to understand their dual heritage; and certain evangelical Christians who are ready to reject replacement theology (the idea that Christians have replaced Jews as God\'s chosen people). Reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> requires an open mind.\n\nUltimately, the real value of Kosher Jesus is that Rabbi Boteach has opened the doors wide for respectful dialogue and debate. It matters very little to what degree he is \"right\" in his view of Jesus. What matters is that he has created safe space for Jews and Christians to \"reason together\" without need for a defensive stance or a push to convert. This is a refreshing break from the volatility of religious fundamentalism and hostility. Rabbi Boteach has provided us with an excellent place to begin building bridges between our religions and has also given Christians the gift of an open door for discussion within our own faith.\n\nI look forward to reading more on this subject from Rabbi Boteach.\n\n________________________________________________\n*A detailed bio for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach can be found <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/site/about/\">here</a>.\n<div>\n<div><img src=\"https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\n</div>','Kosher Jesus: An Open Door for Interfaith Dialogue','','inherit','open','open','','5305-revision-3','','','2012-02-26 18:14:05','2012-02-27 02:14:05','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5305-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5310,43,'2012-02-26 18:17:50','2012-02-27 02:17:50','This is a review of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jesus-Shmuley-Boteach/dp/9652295787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330306870&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Kosher Jesus</em></a> by <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/\">Rabbi Shmuley Boteach</a> (Gefen Publishing, February 1, 2012), Kindle edition.\r\n\r\nWhen I first read that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> would be available in February, I couldn\'t wait to get my hands on a copy. The prospect of reading more about Jesus from a purely Jewish perspective was intriguing.  I am pleased to say that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> lived up to my expectations.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Good</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat stands out immediately is Rabbi Boteach\'s friendly, conversational style. One almost has the feeling that he has come over for a chat in your living room. At the same time, he refuses to talk down to the reader. He addresses complex issues without sounding like a professor.\r\n\r\nI also have deep appreciation for the humble tone of the book.  Naturally, Rabbi Boteach believes deeply in his conclusions, or he would not speak so passionately.  However, at no point does he claim to be the mouthpiece of God, or that Christians should abandon their faith.  He does not vilify individual Christians, even when taking to task the religious system which tragically spent centuries persecuting the very people who gave us Jesus.\r\n\r\nOne of the most important themes in Kosher Jesus is the treatment of Jews at the hands of Christians over the centuries. Although I am not ignorant of antisemitism, I was unaware of some of the finer points. It is heartbreaking to read about the ways in which the Christian Scriptures have been twisted and misused to justify oppressing people.  If for no other reason, Christians should read this book to understand what real persecution looks like.  History must not repeat itself.\r\n\r\nRabbi Boteach spends the first section of the book detailing the ways in which Jesus was, first and foremost, a Jew.  Too often, Christians pay lip service to that fact, but dismiss it as unimportant because it\'s overshadowed by his death and resurrection.  We cannot hope to understand the context of Jesus\' mission and ministry without fully grasping his Jewish faith and nationality.  People unfamiliar with the life of a first century observant Jew will find their eyes opened after reading the book.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Bad</strong>\r\n\r\nI appreciate the way that Rabbi Boteach systematically addresses his points using Christian Scripture. He effectively demonstrates Jesus\' Jewish faith.  However, I have the same criticism that I usually reserve for Christian literalists. By taking only certain parts of the text as \"factual,\" and tossing out others as \"edited,\" he ignores anything that does not fall into either category. For those Christians who have rejected a literal interpretation of the Bible, some of the Rabbi\'s arguments against Jesus\' messiahship are rendered useless.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have time or space here to comb through the book point-by-point. Nor would that be of use in a general review. I will leave it that the reader should be forewarned about this approach to the Bible and understand that Rabbi Boteach is bringing in his own control beliefs as well as using an interpretive style common to conservative Evangelical Christianity.\r\n\r\nMy final criticism is the Rabbi\'s continuation of the same Greco-Roman overlay which has been rejected by many post-modern Christian theologians. There seems to be an underlying violence here, a need for the literal beating back of enemies. I do not see this as being in alignment with what I believe we Christians are called to do. Given the fact that Evangelical Christians seem to be the target audience for <em>Kosher Jesus</em>, it is unlikely that this parallel is accidental.  It appears that Rabbi Boteach is searching for common ground.  Unfortunately, he won\'t find it outside conservative circles within the Church.  While I do understand Rabbi Boteach\'s perspective (even moreso given the volatile history between the Church and the Jewish people), I think this is where the real divergence occurs.  Are we to be a people who bring about justice with the sword, or are we to love peace and work toward it using other means?  It is a question that divides the Church as well, and there are no simple answers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Summary</strong>\r\n\r\nDespite my criticisms, my experience reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> was positive overall. It gave me much to consider. I believe that in thinking more about the points raised by Rabbi Boteach, my faith will be strengthened rather than weakened.\r\n\r\nThere are three groups of people who will benefit most from this book are: post-modern Christians interested in interfaith dialogue; people , like myself, from an interfaith background wanting to understand their dual heritage; and certain evangelical Christians who are ready to reject replacement theology (the idea that Christians have replaced Jews as God\'s chosen people). Reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> requires an open mind.\r\n\r\nUltimately, the real value of Kosher Jesus is that Rabbi Boteach has opened the doors wide for respectful dialogue and debate. It matters very little to what degree he is \"right\" in his view of Jesus. What matters is that he has created safe space for Jews and Christians to \"reason together\" without need for a defensive stance or a push to convert. This is a refreshing break from the volatility of religious fundamentalism and hostility. Rabbi Boteach has provided us with an excellent place to begin building bridges between our religions and has also given Christians the gift of an open door for discussion within our own faith.\r\n\r\nI look forward to reading more on this subject from Rabbi Boteach.\r\n\r\n________________________________________________\r\n*A detailed bio for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach can be found <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/site/about/\">here</a>.\r\n<div>\r\n<div><img src=\"https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\r\n</div>','Kosher Jesus: An Open Door for Interfaith Dialogue','','inherit','open','open','','5305-revision-4','','','2012-02-26 18:17:50','2012-02-27 02:17:50','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5305-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5311,43,'2012-02-26 18:24:56','2012-02-27 02:24:56','This is a review of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jesus-Shmuley-Boteach/dp/9652295787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330306870&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Kosher Jesus</em></a> by <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/\">Rabbi Shmuley Boteach</a> (Gefen Publishing, February 1, 2012), Kindle edition.\r\n\r\nWhen I first read that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> would be available in February, I couldn\'t wait to get my hands on a copy. The prospect of reading more about Jesus from a purely Jewish perspective was intriguing.  I am pleased to say that <em>Kosher Jesus</em> lived up to my expectations.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Good</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat stands out immediately is Rabbi Boteach\'s friendly, conversational style. One almost has the feeling that he has come over for a chat in your living room. At the same time, he refuses to talk down to the reader. He addresses complex issues without sounding like a professor.\r\n\r\nI also have deep appreciation for the humble tone of the book.  Naturally, Rabbi Boteach believes deeply in his conclusions, or he would not speak so passionately.  However, at no point does he claim to be the mouthpiece of God, or that Christians should abandon their faith.  He does not vilify individual Christians, even when taking to task the religious system which tragically spent centuries persecuting the very people who gave us Jesus.\r\n\r\nOne of the most important themes in Kosher Jesus is the treatment of Jews at the hands of Christians over the centuries. Although I am not ignorant of antisemitism, I was unaware of some of the finer points. It is heartbreaking to read about the ways in which the Christian Scriptures have been twisted and misused to justify oppressing people.  If for no other reason, Christians should read this book to understand what real persecution looks like.  History must not repeat itself.\r\n\r\nRabbi Boteach spends the first section of the book detailing the ways in which Jesus was, first and foremost, a Jew.  Too often, Christians pay lip service to that fact, but dismiss it as unimportant because it\'s overshadowed by his death and resurrection.  We cannot hope to understand the context of Jesus\' mission and ministry without fully grasping his Jewish faith and nationality.  People unfamiliar with the life of a first century observant Jew will find their eyes opened after reading the book.\r\n\r\n<strong>The Bad</strong>\r\n\r\nI appreciate the way that Rabbi Boteach systematically addresses his points using Christian Scripture. He effectively demonstrates Jesus\' Jewish faith.  However, I have the same criticism that I usually reserve for Christian literalists. By taking only certain parts of the text as \"factual,\" and tossing out others as \"edited,\" he ignores anything that does not fall into either category. For those Christians who have rejected a literal interpretation of the Bible, some of the Rabbi\'s arguments against Jesus\' messiahship are rendered useless.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have time or space here to comb through the book point-by-point. Nor would that be of use in a general review. I will leave it that the reader should be forewarned about the use of this approach to the Bible. Readers must also understand that Rabbi Boteach is bringing in his own control beliefs as well as using an interpretive style common to conservative Evangelical Christianity.\r\n\r\nMy final criticism is the Rabbi\'s continuation of the same Greco-Roman overlay which has been rejected by many post-modern Christian theologians. There seems to be an underlying violence here, a need for the literal beating back of enemies. I do not see this as being in alignment with what I believe we Christians are called to do. Given the fact that Evangelical Christians seem to be the target audience for <em>Kosher Jesus</em>, it is unlikely that this parallel is accidental.  It appears that Rabbi Boteach is searching for common ground.  Unfortunately, he won\'t find it outside conservative circles within the Church.  While I do understand Rabbi Boteach\'s perspective (even more so given the volatile history between the Church and the Jewish people), I think this is where the real divergence occurs.  Are we to be a people who bring about justice with the sword, or are we to love peace and work toward it using other means?  It is a question that divides the Church as well, and there are no simple answers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Summary</strong>\r\n\r\nDespite my criticisms, my experience reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> was generally positive. It gave me much to consider. I believe that in thinking more about the points raised by Rabbi Boteach, my faith will be strengthened rather than weakened.\r\n\r\nThere are three groups of people who will benefit most from this book are: post-modern Christians interested in interfaith dialogue; people, like myself, from an interfaith background wanting to understand their dual heritage; and certain evangelical Christians who are ready to reject replacement theology (the idea that Christians have replaced Jews as God\'s chosen people). Reading <em>Kosher Jesus</em> requires an open mind.\r\n\r\nUltimately, the real value of Kosher Jesus is that Rabbi Boteach has opened the doors wide for respectful dialogue and debate. It matters very little to what degree he is \"right\" in his view of Jesus. What matters is that he has created safe space for Jews and Christians to \"reason together\" without need for a defensive stance or a push to convert. This is a refreshing break from the hostility of religious fundamentalism. Rabbi Boteach has provided us with an excellent place to begin building bridges between our religions and has also given Christians the gift of an open door for discussion within our own faith.\r\n\r\nI look forward to reading more on this subject from Rabbi Boteach.\r\n\r\n________________________________________________\r\n*A detailed bio for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach can be found <a href=\"http://www.shmuley.com/site/about/\">here</a>.\r\n<div>\r\n<div><img src=\"https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\r\n</div>','Kosher Jesus: An Open Door for Interfaith Dialogue','','inherit','open','open','','5305-revision-5','','','2012-02-26 18:24:56','2012-02-27 02:24:56','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5305-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6789,183,'2012-06-02 08:15:52','2012-06-02 15:15:52','I once was a tough guy. I was the loud guy who never got his feelings hurt. I would never cry. At one time, I questioned whether I even could cry.\r\n\r\nIn the 10 months from April 2000 to March 2001, I lost my grandmother, my elder brother and my grandfather. During that time I \"stayed strong\", because I thought that\'s what I needed to do. I didn\'t cry. I didn\'t show emotion. I was in 7th grade. For the rest of my middle school and high school years, I remained so calloused. I called myself a Christian but my life was not an example of the Gospel. I hurt many people and I still grieve those relationships I lost in those years. I never let myself grieve the losses that happened in my life because that\'s not what \"guys\" did. This internal hardening and refusal to mourn these losses of dear parts of my family was a sin, and I realize that now. My heart was hardened and it made me a very abrasive person. I exploded at home toward the people closest to me (my sister and parents). I spent a good bit of my time angry. I was not a nice person to be around.\r\n\r\nFast forward to 2012. I am a man who is close in touch with his emotions and has no problem crying in front of people. As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, I was sitting and enjoying a meal with some friends. We were at a popular restaurant in Atlanta and I had ordered a beef turnover (fancy nomenclature for a meat pie). I took one bite of this meat pie and I lose my cool. I start crying. I am around 11 other people.\r\n\r\n\"Are you okay? Is everything okay?\"\r\n\r\nMy grandfather was known for his meat pies in the small town where I grew up. This meal of a meat pie and potatoes affected me so greatly because it reminded me of some of the best memories I had with my grandfather. I have not reached the mountain-top of \"self-actualization\" at this point, but I think one of the greatest (and hardest) steps toward self actualization is learning that it\'s okay to grieve losses. It is up to the person to decide how long they should grieve. Everyone processes their grief differently, but let me tell you friends, do not hold that grief in. It will turn you into a bitter person.\r\n\r\nThis post is directed at my Christian brothers. We were told to \"dry that shit up\" by our fathers. We were told stories of Samson, Gideon and David, the giant slayer. We were told that Christian men are leaders and not affected by emotion. We are told not to hold on to earthly possessions. We are told to rejoice at funerals because our loved ones are \"in a better place\".\r\n\r\nI have no problem telling you not to dry that shit up. I am telling you to read the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the story of Jesus crying at Lazarus\' tomb (even though he knew Lazarus would be resurrected). I am telling you to cry. I am telling you to be emotional, because it\'s healthy. I am telling you that to hold in the pain you feel will hurt your relationship with your friends, your co-workers and your partner. I am telling you this because I know it, unfortunately.\r\n\r\nChristian man, I am telling you to quit being tough. I am telling you that when someone dies that you\'re close to, grief is normal. I am telling you that when a story touches your heart, it\'s okay to shed a tear. I am telling you to grieve with those who grieve. Grief is a part of the natural human condition and to ignore it is to ignore an integral part of your being.\r\n\r\nWhen you lose your job, when your marriage falls apart, when your house burns down and when the church you pastor tears at the seams, the natural reaction is grief and I promise you that if you refuse to grieve in your own way, you will break down. Either break down your own walls, or the world you live in will break them down for you. Grieve and grieve loudly. Let people know you\'re sad. Talk to others about your grief. Find people who love you and share your passions and your failed attempts at pursuing those passions.\r\n\r\nMake yourself a broken man or the world will break you.\r\n\r\n<em>What do you think? Is grief a vital part of the human condition? Is it necessary? How do you handle grief? Do you have a method for managing your grief or does your grief manage you?</em>','Cry Loudly','','publish','open','open','','cry-loudly','','','2012-06-02 08:15:52','2012-06-02 15:15:52','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=6789',0,'post','',4),(5477,154,'2012-03-15 15:20:12','2012-03-15 22:20:12','It was the last week of April and, as usual, we were taking our weekly walk down the tiny trails trying to get to know our neighbors.  We had been in Paraguay about seven months when talk of Mother’s Day rolled around. While we visited that day I noticed a lot of small children. It’s not uncommon for a struggling family to still have six or more kids.\r\n\r\nI looked at the economic condition of these people living in what amounted to lean-to’s. Two, sometimes three walls of split coco-palm logs lashed together with vines and topped with grass provided cover from rain. I knew they didn’t have many possessions. I thought how sad it must be for these mothers to watch their little ones grow up and not have any memorabilia of their childhood. Seeing all these little ones bouncing around an idea bounced into my head.\r\n\r\nI decided, with each family’s permission, that I would take photos of the kids, have them printed, and mount them in a simple frame as a gift for these hard-working moms. So off we went, walking the 2 ½ kilometers away from the dirt road down foot paths. We spent the afternoon convincing our neighbors that we were not with the CIA and that we were not going to profit from the photos.\r\n\r\nI began to snap shots and chat. The more we chatted the more photos we took. Not all of the photos were of the kids; some were of other members of this community. One in particular was of an elderly couple. They were sisters who had lived many years out in these woods. They were probably in their late 60’s and looked enough alike that it was clear they were siblings. I took their picture and told them we would be back to bring the gift in a few days.\r\n\r\nTwo weeks passed and we had our photos printed and put in sturdy frames. We piled them in bags and trudged off down the dusty path. After the first couple of drop-offs the kids ran ahead and word spread. Folks were waiting on us as we got close to their homes. Everyone was thrilled with their memories in hand. Then, maybe the oddest thing in my life happened.\r\n\r\nOne of the sisters came to get their photo while the other had gone to the creek to fetch water. When she took it, my wife pointed to her face in the picture, saying the word for <em>pretty</em>. <strong>The woman asked who it was.</strong>  We stood there stunned.\r\n\r\n<strong>By that question she was telling us that she didn’t know what she looked like.</strong>\r\n\r\nShe didn’t have a mirror. She shared clothing with her sister, so that didn’t tip her off. They had no transportation and lived nearly two miles from the closest road that could accommodate a vehicle. They had lived there much of their lives down that winding trail. I don’t know if she had never seen her face reflected or if it had been so long that she had forgotten, but I was caught totally off guard.\r\n\r\nOf all the things I take for granted, never once has my reflection even made the list. My wife pointed her out again in the photo, and the lady said “Are you sure?”\r\n\r\nShe started touching her hair and face and straightening her clothes like women do. She touched her face with one hand and her image with the other. While we stood there trying to shake away the shock the other woman came back from the creek.\r\n\r\nOur friend called out for her to come and see the photo we had brought. The other sister came and looked and asked, “Which one am I?”\r\n\r\nThis time her sister pointed out “They said this is me and that one is you.” The second sister primped a little and asked the same question as the first, “Are you sure?”\r\n\r\nThere are days I get up and I go to my bathroom and look into that mirror. I wonder, “Who is that guy looking at me?” Then I hear the whisper of my God speak something to my soul and tell me who I am. Stunned I stare back and ask “Are you sure?”\r\n\r\n<strong>Have you ever forgotten who you are? Do you trust God when He tells you who you are?</strong>','Are You Sure?','','inherit','open','open','','5472-revision-4','','','2012-03-15 15:20:12','2012-03-15 22:20:12','',5472,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5472-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5478,1,'2012-03-23 09:25:23','2012-03-23 16:25:23','It was the last week of April and, as usual, we were taking our weekly walk down the tiny trails trying to get to know our neighbors.  We had been in Paraguay about seven months when talk of Mother’s Day rolled around. While we visited that day I noticed a lot of small children. It’s not uncommon for a struggling family to still have six or more kids.\n\nI looked at the economic condition of these people living in what amounted to lean-to’s. Two, sometimes three walls of split coco-palm logs lashed together with vines and topped with grass provided cover from rain. I knew they didn’t have many possessions. I thought how sad it must be for these mothers to watch their little ones grow up and not have any memorabilia of their childhood. Seeing all these little ones bouncing around an idea bounced into my head.\n\nI decided, with each family’s permission, that I would take photos of the kids, have them printed, and mount them in a simple frame as a gift for these hard-working moms. So off we went, walking the 2 ½ kilometers away from the dirt road down foot paths. We spent the afternoon convincing our neighbors that we were not with the CIA and that we were not going to profit from the photos.\n\nI began to snap shots and chat. The more we chatted the more photos we took. Not all of the photos were of the kids; some were of other members of this community. One in particular was of an elderly couple. They were sisters who had lived many years out in these woods. They were probably in their late 60’s and looked enough alike that it was clear they were siblings. I took their picture and told them we would be back to bring the gift in a few days.\n\nTwo weeks passed and we had our photos printed and put in sturdy frames. We piled them in bags and trudged off down the dusty path. After the first couple of drop-offs the kids ran ahead and word spread. Folks were waiting on us as we got close to their homes. Everyone was thrilled with their memories in hand. Then, maybe the oddest thing in my life happened.\n\nOne of the sisters came to get their photo while the other had gone to the creek to fetch water. When she took it, my wife pointed to her face in the picture, saying the word for <em>pretty</em>. <strong>The woman asked who it was.</strong>  We stood there stunned.\n\n<strong>By that question she was telling us that she didn’t know what she looked like.</strong>\n\nShe didn’t have a mirror. She shared clothing with her sister, so that didn’t tip her off. They had no transportation and lived nearly two miles from the closest road that could accommodate a vehicle. They had lived there much of their lives down that winding trail. I don’t know if she had never seen her face reflected or if it had been so long that she had forgotten, but I was caught totally off guard.\n\nOf all the things I take for granted, never once has my reflection even made the list. My wife pointed her out again in the photo, and the lady said “Are you sure?”\n\nShe started touching her hair and face and straightening her clothes like women do. She touched her face with one hand and her image with the other. While we stood there trying to shake away the shock the other woman came back from the creek.\n\nOur friend called out for her to come and see the photo we had brought. The other sister came and looked and asked, “Which one am I?”\n\nThis time her sister pointed out “They said this is me and that one is you.” The second sister primped a little and asked the same question as the first, “Are you sure?”\n\nThere are days I get up and I go to my bathroom and look into that mirror. I wonder, “Who is that guy looking at me?” Then I hear the whisper of my God speak something to my soul and tell me who I am. Stunned I stare back and ask “Are you sure?”\n\n<strong>Have you ever forgotten who you are? Do you trust God when He tells you who you are?</strong>','Are You Sure?','','inherit','open','open','','5472-autosave','','','2012-03-23 09:25:23','2012-03-23 16:25:23','',5472,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5472-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5450,160,'2012-03-21 08:45:57','2012-03-21 15:45:57','It seems we\'re hearing a lot about \"Christian values\" in this campaign season, so it might make sense to take a look at what seemed to be the values that Jesus actually cared about...This video is my short (3 minute) take on \"Real Christian Values.\"\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PubdnWLfva8[/youtube]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Real Christian Values','','publish','open','open','','real-christian-values','','','2012-03-20 18:09:30','2012-03-21 01:09:30','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5450',0,'post','',0),(5293,38,'2012-02-24 16:26:47','2012-02-25 00:26:47','“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\r\n\r\n“Who? Chris Brown?”\r\n\r\n“Yep.”\r\n\r\n“Are you serious?”\r\n\r\n“Yes.”\r\n\r\n\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/02/13/we-dont-care-if-you-beat-your-girlfriend-were-the-grammys/\" target=\"_blank\">This story</a> <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mona-elyafi/oh-no-chris-brown-didnt-t_b_1282971.html\" target=\"_blank\">keeps getting worse</a>. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, <a href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/02/22/147238857/rihannas-birthday-cake-reasons-to-listen?sc=tw\" target=\"_blank\">wrote the following</a> about the song:\r\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\r\nI even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.\r\n\r\nA friend on Twitter pointed out that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\r\nMaybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.\r\n\r\nFor a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.\r\n\r\nEven the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.\r\n\r\nYou have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/57474870@N03/5313287712/in/photostream/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Photo credit: Flickr/avrilllllla</em></a>','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision-6','','','2012-02-24 16:26:47','2012-02-25 00:26:47','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5294,1,'2012-02-24 17:08:39','2012-02-25 01:08:39','It’s amazing the power of one word.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can heal.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can encourage.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Also…one word can destroy.</p>\r\nLooking back into scripture, we see the example of words bringing life about. Words created what we live today…even the negative of it. So it should come as no surprise when we discover that one word spoken from our lips…or our fingertips…can demolish our character in a nanosecond.\r\n\r\nStumbling upon this <a href=\"http://www.thegrio.com/local/chicago/white-chicago-teacher-sues-to-use-n-word-in-class.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a> helped me really take assessment of the words I speak, or have spoken, toward others and myself.\r\n\r\nThe teacher in question here was noted as stating, in his defense of utilizing a derogatory word in the education environment as a means of teaching his students what is inappropriate.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\"My character has been assassinated.\"</em></p>\r\nIt’s amazing how quickly we humans are apt to jump to conclusions before understanding one’s motive.\r\n\r\nNow while the word this teacher used, by societal standards, is derogatory, we must  intentionally place ourselves in positions of examining a situation…and someone’s character…to determine truth rather than what someone has said. In essence, <strong>it takes character on our parts to help determine another\'s character.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe are an imperfect species. Due to a fallen nature that has been within the human race since only moments after the dawn of humanity itself, we are trapped with this innate “gut feeling” to always react rather than respond to situations that ruffle our feathers.\r\n\r\nHowever, scripture clearly informs us to be lead by the Holy Spirit – whose fruits will be revealed through a key character trait that isn’t innate in humans by nature.\r\n\r\nPatience.\r\n\r\nIn always redirecting my nearly four-year old son to have patience, when his little mind and body cry out, <em>“I want it now!”</em>…I have to slow his mind down, have him focus on my eyes and voice and let him know, <em>“Slow down buddy…patience. We need to wait for the things we want.”</em>\r\n\r\n<em>“Okay, mommy. I\'m sorry.”</em> It is normative response I accrue from him. Yet, most times right now, within five minutes he goes right back to reacting in his nature…rather than using his mind to remember to slow down.\r\n\r\nMany of us, including myself, could do with a good dose of this lesson in our own lives to help remind us…\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…slow down.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…listen.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…examine.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…evaluate.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…wait.</p>\r\nOh waiting…such a curse word that rings through our ears! How dare anyone ask us to wait…to explain where we are coming from…to not understand us from the moment we speak (or even do something).\r\n\r\nThe truth is…if we as Christians are to truly operate in His Spirit…we need to be letting our lives reveal the fruit of His Spirit.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, <strong>patience</strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, <strong>self-control</strong>; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  <strong>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit</strong>.” </em>Gal 5:22-25 (NASB)</p>\r\nThis situation is a great example of how easy it is in our own spirits, aside from God, to jump to conclusions and assert our beliefs without truly seeking the truth of a matter.\r\n\r\nWhen we take matters completely into our own hands, we will not only misunderstand something of someone else, we will potentially destroy who they are to others. This is not how God operates, and unfortunately I all too often have been privy to moments (either directed at me personally…or toward someone else) where another Christian slanders another based upon one word without truly understanding where that person is coming from.\r\n\r\nIt’s evident in pulpits too from very well known pastors and church leaders today…and this honestly ails my heart.\r\n\r\nFriends, our lives are to be guided by the direction the Holy Spirit gives…and that isn’t by<em> “gut feelings.”</em> There\'s a distinct difference between a <em>“gut feeling”</em> and knowing when God has directed you to do something (and usually, those somethings go against the grains of what society does, believes and even how it responds).\r\n\r\nA great lesson we can take from this situation, as Christians, is this…learn to<strong> lean on Christ through every aspect of our lives – especially moments when another’s character is coming into question.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe must be diligent about seeking His wisdom above our own findings, beliefs, feeling and evaluations. We must be diligent about slapping everything that crosses our paths – even one single word – up against scripture to see if it is being used in a manner that edifies and glorifies Him (even words that by society’s standards are “unacceptable”). For anything otherwise, edifies ourselves…and diminishes Him.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***********************</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”</em> –Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.”</em> –Lam 3:40 (NLT)</p>','A Lesson From One Word','','inherit','open','open','','5205-revision-6','','','2012-02-24 17:08:39','2012-02-25 01:08:39','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5205-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5284,38,'2012-02-24 16:17:49','2012-02-25 00:17:49','','rihanna_2','','inherit','open','open','','rihanna_2','','','2012-02-24 16:17:49','2012-02-25 00:17:49','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/rihanna_2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5285,38,'2012-02-24 16:02:44','2012-02-25 00:02:44','<p>“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\r\n<br />“Who? Chris Brown?”\r\n<br />“Yep.”\r\n<br />“Are you serious?”\r\n<br />“Yes.”\r\n<br />\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This story keeps getting worse. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, wrote the following about the song:\r\n</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\r\n<p>I even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A friend on Twitter pointed out that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\r\n\r\n<p>Maybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>For a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>You have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?</p>','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision-3','','','2012-02-24 16:02:44','2012-02-25 00:02:44','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5286,38,'2012-02-24 16:21:39','2012-02-25 00:21:39','“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\r\n\r\n“Who? Chris Brown?”\r\n\r\n“Yep.”\r\n\r\n“Are you serious?”\r\n\r\n“Yes.”\r\n\r\n\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/02/13/we-dont-care-if-you-beat-your-girlfriend-were-the-grammys/\" target=\"_blank\">This story</a> <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mona-elyafi/oh-no-chris-brown-didnt-t_b_1282971.html\" target=\"_blank\">keeps getting worse</a>. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, wrote the following about the song:\r\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\r\nI even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.\r\n\r\nA friend on Twitter pointed out that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\r\nMaybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.\r\n\r\nFor a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.\r\n\r\nEven the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.\r\n\r\nYou have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision-4','','','2012-02-24 16:21:39','2012-02-25 00:21:39','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5287,1,'2012-02-28 10:59:22','2012-02-28 18:59:22','“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\n“Who? Chris Brown?”\n“Yep.”\n“Are you serious?”\n“Yes.”\n\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”\n\nThis is the conversation I had with my husband two nights ago. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/02/13/we-dont-care-if-you-beat-your-girlfriend-were-the-grammys/\" target=\"_blank\">This story</a> <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mona-elyafi/oh-no-chris-brown-didnt-t_b_1282971.html\" target=\"_blank\">keeps getting worse</a>. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, <a href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/02/22/147238857/rihannas-birthday-cake-reasons-to-listen?sc=tw\" target=\"_blank\">wrote the following</a> about the song:\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\nI even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.\n\nA friend on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/hybridramblings/status/172379465152856065\" target=\"_blank\">pointed out</a> that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\nMaybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.\n\nFor a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.\n\nEven the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.\n\nYou have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/57474870@N03/5313287712/in/photostream/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Photo credit: Flickr/avrilllllla</em></a>','Rihanna Is Trapped In A Bad Situation','','inherit','open','open','','5281-autosave','','','2012-02-28 10:59:22','2012-02-28 18:59:22','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5288,38,'2012-02-24 16:24:13','2012-02-25 00:24:13','“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\r\n\r\n“Who? Chris Brown?”\r\n\r\n“Yep.”\r\n\r\n“Are you serious?”\r\n\r\n“Yes.”\r\n\r\n\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/02/13/we-dont-care-if-you-beat-your-girlfriend-were-the-grammys/\" target=\"_blank\">This story</a> <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mona-elyafi/oh-no-chris-brown-didnt-t_b_1282971.html\" target=\"_blank\">keeps getting worse</a>. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, wrote the following about the song:\r\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\r\nI even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.\r\n\r\nA friend on Twitter pointed out that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\r\nMaybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.\r\n\r\nFor a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.\r\n\r\nEven the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.\r\n\r\nYou have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision-5','','','2012-02-24 16:24:13','2012-02-25 00:24:13','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5289,82,'2012-02-23 21:42:47','2012-02-24 05:42:47','It’s amazing the power of one word.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can heal.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can encourage.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Also…one word can destroy.</p>\r\nLooking back into scripture, we see the example of words bringing life about. Words created what we live today…even the negative of it. So it should come as no surprise when we discover that one word spoken from our lips…or our fingertips…can demolish our character in a nanosecond.\r\n\r\nStumbling upon this <a href=\"http://www.thegrio.com/local/chicago/white-chicago-teacher-sues-to-use-n-word-in-class.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a> helped me really take assessment of the words I speak, or have spoken, toward others and myself.\r\n\r\nThe teacher in question here was noted as stating, in his defense of utilizing a derogatory word in the education environment as a means of teaching his students what is inappropriate.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\"My character has been assassinated.\"</em></p>\r\nIt’s amazing how quickly we humans are apt to jump to conclusions before understanding one’s motive.\r\n\r\nNow while the word this teacher used, by societal standards, is derogatory, there must be an intentionally place ourselves in positions of examining a situation…and someone’s character…to determine truth rather than what someone has said. In essence, <strong>it takes character on our parts to help determine another\'s character.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe are an imperfect species. Due to a fallen nature that has been within the human race since only moments after the dawn of humanity itself, we are trapped with this innate “gut feeling” to always react rather than respond to situations that ruffle our feathers.\r\n\r\nHowever, scripture clearly informs us to be lead by the Holy Spirit – whose fruits will be revealed through a key character trait that isn’t innate in humans by nature.\r\n\r\nPatience.\r\n\r\nIn always redirecting my nearly four-year old son to have patience, when his little mind and body cry out, <em>“I want it now!”</em>…I have to slow his mind down, have him focus on my eyes and voice and let him know, <em>“Slow down buddy…patience. We need to wait for the things we want.”</em>\r\n\r\n<em>“Okay, mommy. I\'m sorry.”</em> It is normative response I accrue from him. Yet, most times right now, within five minutes he goes right back to reacting in his nature…rather than using his mind to remember to slow down.\r\n\r\nMany of us, including myself, could do with a good dose of this lesson in our own lives to help remind us…\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…slow down.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…listen.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…examine.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…evaluate.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…wait.</p>\r\nOh waiting…such a curse word that rings through our ears! How dare anyone ask us to wait…to explain where we are coming from…to not understand us from the moment we speak (or even do something).\r\n\r\nThe truth is…if we as Christians are to truly operate in His Spirit…we need to be letting our lives reveal the fruit of His Spirit.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, <strong>patience</strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, <strong>self-control</strong>; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  <strong>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit</strong>.” </em>Gal 5:22-25 (NASB)</p>\r\nThis situation is a great example of how easy it is in our own spirits, aside from God, to jump to conclusions and assert our beliefs without truly seeking the truth of a matter.\r\n\r\nWhen we take matters completely into our own hands, we will not only misunderstand something of someone else, we will potentially destroy who they are to others. This is not how God operates, and unfortunately I all too often have been privy to moments (either directed at me personally…or toward someone else) where another Christian slanders another based upon one word without truly understanding where that person is coming from.\r\n\r\nIt’s evident in pulpits too from very well known pastors and church leaders today…and this honestly ails my heart.\r\n\r\nFriends, our lives are to be guided by the direction the Holy Spirit gives…and that isn’t by<em> “gut feelings.”</em> There\'s a distinct difference between a <em>“gut feeling”</em> and knowing when God has directed you to do something (and usually, those somethings go against the grains of what society does, believes and even how it responds).\r\n\r\nA great lesson we can take from this situation, as Christians, is this…learn to<strong> lean on Christ through every aspect of our lives – especially moments when another’s character is coming into question.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe must be diligent about seeking His wisdom above our own findings, beliefs, feeling and evaluations. We must be diligent about slapping everything that crosses our paths – even one single word – up against scripture to see if it is being used in a manner that edifies and glorifies Him (even words that by society’s standards are “unacceptable”). For to anything otherwise, edifies ourselves…and diminishes Him.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***********************</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”</em> –Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.”</em> –Lam 3:40 (NLT)</p>','A Lesson From One Word','','inherit','open','open','','5205-revision-3','','','2012-02-23 21:42:47','2012-02-24 05:42:47','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5205-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5290,82,'2012-02-24 17:02:17','2012-02-25 01:02:17','It’s amazing the power of one word.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can heal.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can encourage.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Also…one word can destroy.</p>\r\nLooking back into scripture, we see the example of words bringing life about. Words created what we live today…even the negative of it. So it should come as no surprise when we discover that one word spoken from our lips…or our fingertips…can demolish our character in a nanosecond.\r\n\r\nStumbling upon this <a href=\"http://www.thegrio.com/local/chicago/white-chicago-teacher-sues-to-use-n-word-in-class.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a> helped me really take assessment of the words I speak, or have spoken, toward others and myself.\r\n\r\nThe teacher in question here was noted as stating, in his defense of utilizing a derogatory word in the education environment as a means of teaching his students what is inappropriate.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\"My character has been assassinated.\"</em></p>\r\nIt’s amazing how quickly we humans are apt to jump to conclusions before understanding one’s motive.\r\n\r\nNow while the word this teacher used, by societal standards, is derogatory, we must  intentionally place ourselves in positions of examining a situation…and someone’s character…to determine truth rather than what someone has said. In essence, <strong>it takes character on our parts to help determine another\'s character.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe are an imperfect species. Due to a fallen nature that has been within the human race since only moments after the dawn of humanity itself, we are trapped with this innate “gut feeling” to always react rather than respond to situations that ruffle our feathers.\r\n\r\nHowever, scripture clearly informs us to be lead by the Holy Spirit – whose fruits will be revealed through a key character trait that isn’t innate in humans by nature.\r\n\r\nPatience.\r\n\r\nIn always redirecting my nearly four-year old son to have patience, when his little mind and body cry out, <em>“I want it now!”</em>…I have to slow his mind down, have him focus on my eyes and voice and let him know, <em>“Slow down buddy…patience. We need to wait for the things we want.”</em>\r\n\r\n<em>“Okay, mommy. I\'m sorry.”</em> It is normative response I accrue from him. Yet, most times right now, within five minutes he goes right back to reacting in his nature…rather than using his mind to remember to slow down.\r\n\r\nMany of us, including myself, could do with a good dose of this lesson in our own lives to help remind us…\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…slow down.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…listen.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…examine.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…evaluate.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…wait.</p>\r\nOh waiting…such a curse word that rings through our ears! How dare anyone ask us to wait…to explain where we are coming from…to not understand us from the moment we speak (or even do something).\r\n\r\nThe truth is…if we as Christians are to truly operate in His Spirit…we need to be letting our lives reveal the fruit of His Spirit.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, <strong>patience</strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, <strong>self-control</strong>; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  <strong>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit</strong>.” </em>Gal 5:22-25 (NASB)</p>\r\nThis situation is a great example of how easy it is in our own spirits, aside from God, to jump to conclusions and assert our beliefs without truly seeking the truth of a matter.\r\n\r\nWhen we take matters completely into our own hands, we will not only misunderstand something of someone else, we will potentially destroy who they are to others. This is not how God operates, and unfortunately I all too often have been privy to moments (either directed at me personally…or toward someone else) where another Christian slanders another based upon one word without truly understanding where that person is coming from.\r\n\r\nIt’s evident in pulpits too from very well known pastors and church leaders today…and this honestly ails my heart.\r\n\r\nFriends, our lives are to be guided by the direction the Holy Spirit gives…and that isn’t by<em> “gut feelings.”</em> There\'s a distinct difference between a <em>“gut feeling”</em> and knowing when God has directed you to do something (and usually, those somethings go against the grains of what society does, believes and even how it responds).\r\n\r\nA great lesson we can take from this situation, as Christians, is this…learn to<strong> lean on Christ through every aspect of our lives – especially moments when another’s character is coming into question.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe must be diligent about seeking His wisdom above our own findings, beliefs, feeling and evaluations. We must be diligent about slapping everything that crosses our paths – even one single word – up against scripture to see if it is being used in a manner that edifies and glorifies Him (even words that by society’s standards are “unacceptable”). For to anything otherwise, edifies ourselves…and diminishes Him.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***********************</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”</em> –Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.”</em> –Lam 3:40 (NLT)</p>','A Lesson From One Word','','inherit','open','open','','5205-revision-4','','','2012-02-24 17:02:17','2012-02-25 01:02:17','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5205-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5273,100,'2012-02-24 14:48:30','2012-02-24 22:48:30','','pam-hogeweide','Pam Hogeweide','inherit','open','open','','pam-hogeweide-2','','','2012-02-24 14:48:30','2012-02-24 22:48:30','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(5274,100,'2012-02-24 14:49:13','2012-02-24 22:49:13','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \n\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision','','','2012-02-24 14:49:13','2012-02-24 22:49:13','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5275,100,'2012-02-24 14:50:34','2012-02-24 22:50:34','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-2','','','2012-02-24 14:50:34','2012-02-24 22:50:34','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5276,100,'2012-02-24 14:50:40','2012-02-24 22:50:40','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-3','','','2012-02-24 14:50:40','2012-02-24 22:50:40','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5277,100,'2012-02-24 14:51:02','2012-02-24 22:51:02','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/020312.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-4','','','2012-02-24 14:51:02','2012-02-24 22:51:02','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5278,100,'2012-02-24 14:51:07','2012-02-24 22:51:07','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/020312.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-5','','','2012-02-24 14:51:07','2012-02-24 22:51:07','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5279,100,'2012-02-24 14:51:40','2012-02-24 22:51:40','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/020312.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-6','','','2012-02-24 14:51:40','2012-02-24 22:51:40','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5280,100,'2012-02-24 14:51:45','2012-02-24 22:51:45','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.” \r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/020312.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','inherit','open','open','','5272-revision-7','','','2012-02-24 14:51:45','2012-02-24 22:51:45','',5272,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5272-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5281,38,'2012-02-29 08:58:18','2012-02-29 16:58:18','“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\r\n“Who? Chris Brown?”\r\n“Yep.”\r\n“Are you serious?”\r\n“Yes.”\r\n\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”\r\n\r\nThis is the conversation I had with my husband two nights ago. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/02/13/we-dont-care-if-you-beat-your-girlfriend-were-the-grammys/\" target=\"_blank\">This story</a> <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mona-elyafi/oh-no-chris-brown-didnt-t_b_1282971.html\" target=\"_blank\">keeps getting worse</a>. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, <a href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/02/22/147238857/rihannas-birthday-cake-reasons-to-listen?sc=tw\" target=\"_blank\">wrote the following</a> about the song:\r\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\r\nI even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.\r\n\r\nA friend on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/hybridramblings/status/172379465152856065\" target=\"_blank\">pointed out</a> that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\r\nMaybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.\r\n\r\nFor a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.\r\n\r\nEven the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.\r\n\r\nYou have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/57474870@N03/5313287712/in/photostream/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Photo credit: Flickr/avrilllllla</em></a>','Rihanna Is Trapped In A Bad Situation','','publish','open','open','','rihanna-is-trapped-in-a-bad-situation','','','2012-02-28 11:02:55','2012-02-28 19:02:55','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5281',0,'post','',0),(5282,38,'2012-02-24 16:02:23','2012-02-25 00:02:23','<p>“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\n<br />“Who? Chris Brown?”\n\n<p>“Yep.”\n\n<p>“Are you serious?”\n\n<p>“Yes.”\n\n<p>\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”</p>\n\n<p>This story keeps getting worse. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, wrote the following about the song:\n</p>\n\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\n<p>I even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.</p>\n\n<p>A friend on Twitter pointed out that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:</p>\n\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\n\n<p>Maybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.</p>\n\n<p>For a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.</p>\n\n<p>Even the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.</p>\n\n<p>You have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?</p>','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision','','','2012-02-24 16:02:23','2012-02-25 00:02:23','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5283,38,'2012-02-24 16:02:38','2012-02-25 00:02:38','<p>“Oh and Rihanna just put out a single today with him on it.”\r\n<br />“Who? Chris Brown?”\r\n<br />“Yep.”\r\n<br />“Are you serious?”\r\n<br />“Yes.”\r\n<br />\"I… I don’t understand people like that. Why would you want to help a guy like that after he put you in the hospital? This song is showing girls that it’s okay to go back to someone like that. I don’t get it.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This story keeps getting worse. News broke last week that Rihanna was releasing a single with Chris Brown on it. Kevin Mazur, a writer for the NPR music blog, “The Record with Ann Powers”, wrote the following about the song:\r\n</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Never in my memory has the particular feeling surrounding these new songs — ‘dread’ is a word often employed in the past week — been so pronounced. This is music many people wish did not exist.</blockquote>\r\n<p>I even feel guilty for writing about the song because I don’t want to be another blogger adding to the hum-drum that will elevate the single beyond where it should go. From the articles I’ve read, the song appears to closely mirror what is happening in real life. This is not just a new radio-friendly song, but a grim, bloodless song about a girl who knows she is trapped in a bad situation but doesn’t know what to do about all the leftover feelings of love.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A friend on Twitter pointed out that there is a lot of hatred toward Brown and not a lot of compassion toward Rihanna, and he’s right. Maybe it’s time to change that; maybe we have a specific opportunity right now to shift this story to create a positive change. Marzur offers us some ways to change the story:</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Don\'t buy these songs. Turn off the television or radio when Rihanna and Chris Brown appear. Better yet, write your radio station and tell them not to play either of these remixes. Tell your daughters and sons that Brown is a brute and Rihanna is terribly misguided. […] Put on Kelly Clarkson\'s ‘Stronger (What Doesn\'t Kill You)’ and scream along. Pick up the phone and call your sister and make sure she\'s okay. Donate some money to your local women\'s shelter.</blockquote>\r\n\r\n<p>Maybe this is what the season of Lent is all about. It’s not just giving up chocolate; it’s about mortifying everyday cravings and ignoring the tyranny of the urgent for to help refocus on what’s important. Women are important. The story you tell your kids about what’s okay in relationships is important. Being close to the sisters, mothers, and daughters in your life is important.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>For a moment, drown out the pop songs and consider something you can actively do to take this tail-spinning story and turn it into a positive moment for a woman in your life or in your area: ten dollars, a phone call, or reading a book to your kids that teaches them about honoring and respecting other human beings.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even the tiniest amount of effort can go a long way toward turning this disaster of a story into learning how to be better at loving and protecting the people around you.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>You have the power to change the story. The question is: will you?</p>','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision-2','','','2012-02-24 16:02:38','2012-02-25 00:02:38','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5162,161,'2012-02-18 10:50:00','2012-02-18 18:50:00','','mormon','','inherit','open','open','','mormon','','','2012-02-18 10:50:00','2012-02-18 18:50:00','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/mormon.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5424,160,'2012-03-09 07:39:13','2012-03-09 15:39:13','','Mayan cal.','','inherit','open','open','','mayan-cal','','','2012-03-09 07:39:13','2012-03-09 15:39:13','',5423,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal..jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5425,160,'2012-03-09 07:39:51','2012-03-09 15:39:51','According to the Mayan calendar, the world is coming to an end on December 21<sup>st</sup> of 2012.   Actually, many Mayan scholars believe the completion of the long-form calendar does not mean that the Mayans thought the world would end.   It could mean it’s the end of a major cycle, or maybe they simply ran out of room on their big stone wheel.   But don’t tell that to the present-day doomsayers who have been busy spinning scenarios for the destruction of the planet, including asteroids, black holes, solar flares, and the earth reversing polarity.\n\nWhile it’s easy to ridicule the notion that an ancient Indian culture would be able to pinpoint the end of the world, it might be worthwhile to ask the question, ‘What if….?’    What if the Mayans had special insight and/or were in contact with a supra-intelligence which told them when the world would end?  And if the end of 2012 is really it, how would that change the way we live the last few months we have left?    More specifically, what would I want to do to prepare for the end?\n\nMy first reaction is to start going through my bucket list, checking off things I always wanted to do before I die.   The first thing I’d need to do is come up with is a bucket list.  If Hollywood is my guide, I would be sky diving, surfing the big waves, climbing a mountain, running with the bulls, standing on the bow of a ship and yelling, “I’m king of the world.”   Those activities look great in the movies and, if they didn’t kill me first, I’m sure they’d give me an adrenalin rush.   But is chasing a “high” really how I want to spend the end of my life?   More importantly, those aren’t things that are close to my heart.\n\nThere are a few places I’m curious about, such as the Egyptian (or Mayan) pyramids, Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas.   It would be cool to go on an African safari or down the Amazon.   Maybe I’m jaded, but the effort required to get to an exotic location almost counters whatever I expect to see there.   It might be nice to spend a couple of weeks on a tropical island, just lying on the beach, swimming with dolphins, drinking Mai Tais.   The reality is I’d probably be sunburned, bitten by a jelly fish, and hung-over.   And, at the end of the day, there isn’t any place I can go that is going to make my life more complete.\n\nIf thrill-seeking or world traveling isn’t enough, I can’t imagine NBC’s fall line-up would hold much allure as the final days ticked away.  Yes, I can live without 30 Rock and the Office.   Although I’d really like to see President Obama win re-election, he wouldn’t even have a chance to start a second term.   Politics, business, finance, sports….Everything that occupies my mind on a daily business would be meaningless.   So, what does that leave?  What is really important when all the distractions are stripped away?   And let’s face it; most things are distractions when it comes down to it.\n\nAs I write this, I’m preparing to go to my Aunt Ginny’s funeral (which may be a reason why this topic is on my mind).   Aunt Ginny was a sweet woman and a humble civil servant who worked incredibly hard for her family, as well as the State of Tennessee.   While I didn’t know her inner thoughts, she seemed content with her life.   Even when a stroke severely limited her ability to speak, she continued to chatter away.  When she realized she wasn’t making any sense, she’d simply laugh and say “Fiddlesticks.”  At the end, she was ready to let go of this world.\n\nOver a year ago, my Uncle Bill passed away from pancreatic cancer.  He was a professor, spending most of his career at the Harvard Business School.   Relatively young and successful, he had the time and means to do almost anything with the time he had left.   Yet, he continued to read and teach, because those are the things he loved to do.   While he had written academic books, he always wanted to try his hand with a novel.  (He ended up writing three.)   When we see that the end is near and we don’t have much we want to change, that’s a good sign we’re living the way we should.\n\nFor most of us, it doesn’t make sense to actually live our lives based on a short-term time horizon.   For one thing, we would run out of money long before we ran out of breath.   Besides, there are also goals which are bigger and take longer than a few months to realize.   It’s funny how living a good life often requires a lifetime.   Still, there is something powerful about making the most of every day you have and living with a sense of urgency.   It might help bring some things into focus, while allowing not so-important things to fade.    So, no more stalling.  The world ends on December 21<sup>st</sup>.   What would I do?\n\nAfter I ran around in a state of panic, I hope I’d eventually settle down and try to be silent and listen… Listen to myself, to others, and, if He’s talking, to God.  I would want to make sure I had resolved any issues with my family and friends and, possibly, any enemies too.   I’d probably spend quite a bit of time in prayer and meditation….Not because I’m so holy; mostly because I’m scared and guilt-ridden.    If all we have is till the end of the year, I’m going to be thinking a lot about the afterlife.   Finally, if I’m quiet enough, I often find comfort in the awareness that there is a God and He cares for me.\n\nIdeally, I’d be there for others who might be freaking out.  I’d tell them that, while the end of the world is a big story, it might be overrated.   I mean, we’re all going to die; it’s just a matter of timing.   Naturally, we all want to put it off till the last minute but, if it’s inevitable, why not embrace it?   If we’ve found peace in our lives, there’s no reason we can’t find it in death too.   Or, maybe, when we accept that the world will end for each of us; that is when we find real peace in this life.   In the immortal words of Michael Stipe of REM, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”\n\nWhat w\n\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal..jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5424\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal.-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>','2012: The End Of The World','','inherit','open','open','','5423-revision','','','2012-03-09 07:39:51','2012-03-09 15:39:51','',5423,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/09/5423-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5332,12,'2012-02-27 18:21:02','2012-02-28 02:21:02','On my blog at <a href=\"www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>, Wordpress keeps track of how people arrive through my site through search engines. the most searched for word combination is \"<em>list of fallen pastors</em>.\" It\'s not rocket surgery that my site would come up since I <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330393386&amp;sr=8-1\">wrote a book on the subject of fallen pastors</a> and I am one.\r\n\r\nI\'ve thought about that for a long time. It has boiled in the back of my cerebral cortex for over a year. Why are people searching for a list of fallen pastors?\r\n\r\nThere are several types of people who would be looking for that kind of list, I suppose. News outlets, other fallen pastors, people who are judgmental, those outside the church who are looking to brand pastors as hypocrites . . . and the list goes on.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/list5.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-5324\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/list5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" /></a>Then I began to ponder - who would have such a list? Is it even possible? There are a lot of pastors in the public eye who have fallen from the ministry. I don\'t even have to list their names here. They\'ve written books, been shamed by the media, been the object of scorn for decades as how not to act in ministry.\r\n\r\nI know of one who has such a functional list of the wretched pastors who fell from ministry. These men who once stood high in the pulpit as I once did and fell due to adultery, financial woe, or other sin.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who Has a List?</strong>\r\n\r\nGod has that list. He knows of all of our transgressions. But there\'s good news. When His people sin and repent, He takes those sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When His people weep over their sin, the bible says he keeps a count of our tossings and our tears, as he traps them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). God doesn\'t keep track of sins like man does. He watches His children as we repent and cast ourselves on Him. He pursues His children when we wander astray like sheep.\r\n\r\nThat\'s what He does with His list.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who is on the List?</strong>\r\n\r\nNext question, who is on the list? Who is a fallen pastor? In my book, I shared the statistic that 33% of active pastors admitted to crossing the line of morality and not confessing it. 1,500 pastors a month leave the pastorate due to conflict, moral failure or burnout. There is a crisis at hand. It would seem that all pastors are fallen. All of us are weak and inept at what we do. We are all incapable of meeting the standards of the human built pedestal. Hidden sins, public sins, and personal conflict make each of us weak at some point.\r\n\r\nWhy stop at pastors? It\'s easy to cast a stone at a pastor who has been called by God and placed at the forefront. His is the greater calling. He is called to a higher standard. If any of us needs to remember, we should recall Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us meets the gold standard of God\'s righteousness.\r\n\r\nI\'m afraid that there may be a scant few who type in \"list of fallen pastors\" who are seeking to justify their own hearts. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/romans323.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5325\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/romans323-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" /></a>None of us is righteous. All of us are stained with sin. It is inescapable. We are all on the list of the fallen. None of us is perfect.\r\n\r\nGood news? The forgiveness, love, mercy and grace that God shows to fallen pastors is the same grace He lavishes upon all who seek His face.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who Needs the List?</strong>\r\n\r\n(Thanks to my amazing wife Allison who just reminded me of this point.)\r\n\r\nLets say that this list of fallen pastors existed out there. It doesn\'t. But what if it did? Who would it be for? The media? Those who would be able to scorn and be angry at fallen pastors?\r\n\r\nHebrews chapter 11 looks back on the heroes of our faith. Noah. Great guy, built an ark. Got drunk. Abraham, father of Israel, slept with his handmaiden, amongst other things. Moses, great dude. Murderer. David? Did the writer of Hebrews mention David? Really? Great king of Israel. Slept with Bathsheba, killed her husband, had a child by her. He had another child by her. Guess what? That child was in the line of Christ. Hebrews 11 mentions Samson? Really?\r\n\r\nI\'m afraid we read our bibles selectively. We view people selectively. We show our love and give our disdain selectively.\r\n\r\nIf someone close to us sins, we tend to show anger. We tend to withhold forgiveness. But Galatians 6:1 tells us that those who are closest to those in transgression are those who are most qualified to restore those who sin.\r\n\r\nWho needs the list? The churches of those who fall. Find those who fall. Restore them. Seek them out. Because they are hurting. They are lost. They need light. They need help. Without them, we are an incomplete community. You are a body of Christ without an arm. Go get them. I don\'t care if they don\'t want to listen to you at first. They are going to be in rebellion and sin. They need your love and patience. They may never listen. If that\'s the case, Scripture speaks to that too.\r\n\r\nYou know who else needs the list? Churches who have fallen pastors wander in looking for a church home. I\'ve got a friend who fell from the ministry 10 years ago. He has tried eight different churches. Each time, he has visited these churches for about a month. Then, he goes to the pastor and says, \"I like what you\'re doing here, I\'d like to be a part of it, but let me tell you what I\'ve been through.\" The second the pastor finds out that he is a fallen minister, he gets arrogant, full of himself and sends him on his way.\r\n\r\nFor just a moment, I wish Christ would appear in that meeting. To show my friend His love. To show Him that he is worthy of love and care.\r\n\r\nI want my friend to be a part of an authentic Christian community. A community who can look at that list and say, \"We don\'t care where you\'ve been. We love you for who you are. You belong to us. We are no better, but we serve the same God.\"','List of Fallen Pastors','','inherit','open','open','','5321-revision-5','','','2012-02-27 18:21:02','2012-02-28 02:21:02','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/27/5321-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5333,1,'2012-02-28 10:56:20','2012-02-28 18:56:20','Lent is here. It\'s the time of penance and giving up something we like.\n<blockquote>\"The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through <a title=\"Prayer\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer\" target=\"_blank\">prayer</a>, <a title=\"Penance\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penance\" target=\"_blank\">penance</a>, <a title=\"Repentance (theology)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentance_(theology)\" target=\"_blank\">repentance</a>, <a title=\"Almsgiving\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almsgiving\" target=\"_blank\">almsgiving</a>, and <a title=\"Asceticism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism\" target=\"_blank\">self-denial</a>. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of <a title=\"Holy Week\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Week\" target=\"_blank\">Holy Week</a>, marking the <a title=\"Death and Resurrection of Jesus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_Resurrection_of_Jesus\" target=\"_blank\">Death and Resurrection of Jesus</a>, which recalls the events of the <a title=\"Passion (Christianity)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_(Christianity)\" target=\"_blank\">Passion of Christ</a> on <a title=\"Good Friday\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday\" target=\"_blank\">Good Friday</a>, which then culminates in the celebration on <a title=\"Easter Sunday\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Sunday\" target=\"_blank\">Easter Sunday</a> of the <a title=\"The Resurrection of Jesus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Resurrection_of_Jesus\" target=\"_blank\">Resurrection of Jesus Christ</a>.\nDuring Lent, many of the faithful commit to <a title=\"Fasting\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting\" target=\"_blank\">fasting</a> or giving up certain types of <a title=\"Luxury\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxury\" target=\"_blank\">luxury</a> as a form of penitence.\"\n<a title=\"Lent\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\" target=\"_blank\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent</a></blockquote>\nAs in previous years, I\'ll give up some things (<a title=\"Sin\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin\" target=\"_blank\">sins</a>) I like, which I hope not to do again.\n\nGrowing up in <a title=\"Roman Catholics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholics\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic</a> home that didn\'t observe traditions (<a title=\"Roman Catholics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholics\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic</a> for being born in a <a title=\"Roman Catholics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholics\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic</a> home, inheritance), many of my friends and I would simply ignore Lent and party during <a title=\"Holy Week\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Week\" target=\"_blank\">Holy Week</a>.\n\nLooking back we were stupid, but we didn\'t know any better. We had no real spiritual guide. Yes, there were priests, but they were part of the Sunday tradition of going to <a title=\"Mass (liturgy)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_%28liturgy%29\" target=\"_blank\">Mass</a> (immediate <a title=\"Mortal sin\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_sin\" target=\"_blank\">mortal sin</a> if not going on any given Sunday).\n\nNow going to a <a title=\"Presbyterian\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian\" target=\"_blank\">Presbyterian</a> church, I see many differences. Traditions and rites have a meaning and are not just part of the Sunday obligation of going to church. This for me has been a true experience and a joy to be part of a congregation.','Lent: then and now','','inherit','open','open','','5262-autosave','','','2012-02-28 10:56:20','2012-02-28 18:56:20','',5262,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/28/5262-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5334,1,'2012-02-24 06:06:20','2012-02-24 14:06:20','Lent is here. It\'s the time of penance and giving up something we like.\r\n<blockquote>\"The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through <a title=\"Prayer\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer\" target=\"_blank\">prayer</a>, <a title=\"Penance\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penance\" target=\"_blank\">penance</a>, <a title=\"Repentance (theology)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentance_(theology)\" target=\"_blank\">repentance</a>, <a title=\"Almsgiving\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almsgiving\" target=\"_blank\">almsgiving</a>, and <a title=\"Asceticism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism\" target=\"_blank\">self-denial</a>. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of <a title=\"Holy Week\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Week\" target=\"_blank\">Holy Week</a>, marking the <a title=\"Death and Resurrection of Jesus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_Resurrection_of_Jesus\" target=\"_blank\">Death and Resurrection of Jesus</a>, which recalls the events of the <a title=\"Passion (Christianity)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_(Christianity)\" target=\"_blank\">Passion of Christ</a> on <a title=\"Good Friday\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday\" target=\"_blank\">Good Friday</a>, which then culminates in the celebration on <a title=\"Easter Sunday\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Sunday\" target=\"_blank\">Easter Sunday</a> of the <a title=\"The Resurrection of Jesus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Resurrection_of_Jesus\" target=\"_blank\">Resurrection of Jesus Christ</a>.\r\nDuring Lent, many of the faithful commit to <a title=\"Fasting\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting\" target=\"_blank\">fasting</a> or giving up certain types of <a title=\"Luxury\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxury\" target=\"_blank\">luxury</a> as a form of penitence.\"\r\n<a title=\"Lent\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\" target=\"_blank\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent</a></blockquote>\r\nAs in previous years, I\'ll give up some things (<a title=\"Sin\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin\" target=\"_blank\">sins</a>) I like, which I hope not to do again.\r\n\r\nGrowing up in <a title=\"Roman Catholics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholics\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic</a> home that didn\'t observe traditions (<a title=\"Roman Catholics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholics\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic</a> for being born in a <a title=\"Roman Catholics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholics\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic</a> home, inheritance), many of my friends and I would simply ignore Lent and party during <a title=\"Holy Week\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Week\" target=\"_blank\">Holy Week</a>.\r\n\r\nLooking back we were stupid, but we didn\'t know any better. We had no real spiritual guide. Yes, there were priests, but they were part of the Sunday tradition of going to <a title=\"Mass (liturgy)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_%28liturgy%29\" target=\"_blank\">Mass</a> (immediate <a title=\"Mortal sin\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_sin\" target=\"_blank\">mortal sin</a> if not going on any given Sunday).\r\n\r\nNow going to a <a title=\"Presbyterian\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian\" target=\"_blank\">Presbyterian</a> church, I see many differences. Traditions and rites have a meaning and are not just part of the Sunday obligation of going to church. This for me has been a true experience and a joy to be part of a congregation.','Lent: then and now','','inherit','open','open','','5262-revision-3','','','2012-02-24 06:06:20','2012-02-24 14:06:20','',5262,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5262-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5272,100,'2012-02-28 09:00:39','2012-02-28 17:00:39','[caption id=\"attachment_5273\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Pam Hogeweide\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5273\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pam-hogeweide-300x227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nPam Hogeweide is the author of the new book “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church.”\r\n\r\nToday she talks about her book and how women and men can end sexism in the church.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/020312.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Pam Hogeweide','','publish','open','open','','something-beautiful-pam-hogeweide','','','2012-02-25 15:18:02','2012-02-25 23:18:02','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5272',0,'post','',0),(5164,1,'2011-12-03 22:13:21','2011-12-04 06:13:21','<a href=\"http://unhate.benetton.com\">Benetton</a> clothing has a new campaign out called the <a href=\"http://unhate.benetton.com/campaign/china_usa/\">Unhate Campaign</a>.  The images of the campaign show high profile enemies kissing each other.  In most cases the two enemies are men.  One includes President Obama and one includes the Pope.The images aren\'t sexual in nature, but they are provoketive.  They stir something in us, not just from an artistic boundary breaking standpoint, but from the possibility of what the image actually means.  <strong>While the images are meant to shock us, its bold to suggest that enemies could actually reconcile.</strong> Our imagination runs h when we consider that peace isn\'t just possible but attainable.  I applaud Benetton for taking such a risk in its advertising.\r\n\r\nWhat do the images say to you?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NorthKorea_SouthKorea-940x664.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2892 alignnone\" title=\"NorthKorea_SouthKorea-940x664\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NorthKorea_SouthKorea-940x664.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"353\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/China_USA-940x664.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2891 alignnone\" title=\"China_USA-940x664\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/China_USA-940x664.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"353\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Palestine_Israel-940x664.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2893 alignnone\" title=\"Palestine_Israel-940x664\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Palestine_Israel-940x664.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"353\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pope500.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2894\" title=\"pope500\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pope500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"353\" /></a>','Benetton\'s Unhate Campaign','','inherit','open','open','','2889-revision-5','','','2011-12-03 22:13:21','2011-12-04 06:13:21','',2889,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/03/2889-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5165,38,'2012-02-14 09:03:44','2012-02-14 17:03:44','When I was growing up, I thought romance was about the chick-flick worthy moments in a relationship. I thought the guy who could produce the most moments like these would be marriage worthy. I remember <a href=\"http://annabananastudebaker.tumblr.com/post/17369907361\" target=\"_blank\">the lists of date ideas</a> for my future husband that I wrote in my diary:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Drink coffee with me on the roof while watching a sunrise (Does this actually happen to people other than insomniacs and people in Levi Jean commercials?)</li>\r\n	<li>Driving to nowhere with me</li>\r\n	<li>Get out crayons and color in coloring books</li>\r\n	<li>Drive around town pretending to be tourists taking pictures</li>\r\n	<li>Recite poetry to each other</li>\r\n	<li>Draw hearts around the city with sidewalk chalk</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThere are men that love putting on those kinds of productions and there are some women that love them. But the love of my life is not that kind of man and I am not that kind of woman.\r\n\r\nRomance with my husband has manifested as connection and conversation and not so much in fairy tale anecdotes. One time at lunch before we were engaged, my husband imitated the zombie characters from the video game “Splinter Cell”. It had me in stitches. Was this romantic in the tradition roses-and-chocolate sense? No, but it was hilarious, endearing, and it gave me a funny feeling inside my chest that meant I was becoming more and more attached to this guy.\r\n\r\nIt’s not the adorable sayings (“The spaces in between your fingers were meant for mine”) or the bouquets of flowers that keep beckoning me closer to the man I married; it’s the evenings when we rant back and forth about how “Inception” was snubbed at the Oscars. It’s the night I’m too tired to cook, so we make a Taco Bell run and he laughs at me between bites at the stupid things I did during the day. It’s when he buys a new CD he’s crazy about and gives me a track-by-track commentary.\r\n\r\nWhile these moments are cute in their own right, they aren’t grand, traditionally romantic gestures. Grand gestures can be great, but what I learned is that despite what some married women whine about and what I learned as a teenager, love is not sustained on who remembers to buy you flowers the most.I have a friend who complained when her boyfriend didn’t hand-write her any letters even though she gave him a self-addressed stamped envelope. I didn\'t understand at first because I know that my husband will probably never write me a letter. He just isn’t that kind of guy and that is perfectly okay with me. (Not to mention, me pushing him to become that kind of guy doesn’t add any value to our relationship.) But to my friend, the hand-written letters are a priority in her in the relationship and that’s okay too.\r\n\r\nRomance is all about your expectations and what you find attractive in other people. Some people connect over debating the accuracy of the casting choices in Lord of the Rings ( ... I may or may not know anyone like this), and some people prefer long walks on the beach at sunrise. A great example of this is in the TV show \"30 Rock\" when Liz Lemon <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1635806/\">finally finds a guy she connects</a> with:\r\n<blockquote><strong>Carol</strong>: I’m not sorry you saw me cry. I’m an emotional guy. That’s actually not part of my personality. That’s just something that happens to people who change altitude more than four times a day.\r\n\r\n<strong>Liz</strong>: Is that also why you got so mad watching the Giants game?\r\n\r\n<strong>Carol</strong>: No. That was because why does Geico have three different spokespeople. They have the caveman, the gecko and then the stack of money with eyeballs.\r\n\r\n<strong>Liz</strong>: And the fake Rod Sterling guy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Carol</strong>: Oh my god, right! Thank you.</blockquote>\r\nThis is a very romantic moment for Liz because both her and Carol (played by Matt Damon) care about the same things.  <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2158899/\">In a later episode</a> Liz is seen with her boyfriend, Criss, at the hotdog cart he runs, shoving a coney smothered in mustard into her mouth. Does this sound like something straight out of “27 Dresses”? Of course not, but because Criss is running a hotdog business and Liz\'s loves food, they have an instant connection that draws them to each other. Jack sees the two of them laughing and sees that despite Criss’ lack of pedigree and corporate attitude, he makes a good partner for Liz.\r\n\r\nIf you can’t fall in love with a guy because he won’t wake you up before dawn, drag you out of bed onto a chilly roof while balancing a thermos of coffee, that is your prerogative, but I need an every day uncomplicated steadiness. I want a no-gift, Pizza Hut pasta, Netflix movie kind of Valentine’s Day. I want a guy who refuses to use an alarm clock on vacations. I want to talk about what made the newest Star Wars movies bad. That’s exactly what I have, and that is why I find my husband so irresistible and so, so romantic.\r\n\r\nAny guy can buy you chocolate and flowers. But when you both hate it when people order cereal at a restaurant and both want to see “Piranha 3D” on a Friday night despite how cheesy it is, you know it’s romance.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/jason_ff/3258771004/\" target=\"_blank\">Flickr/ jtbrennan</a></em>','When You Know It\'s Romance','','inherit','open','open','','5066-revision-17','','','2012-02-14 09:03:44','2012-02-14 17:03:44','',5066,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/14/5066-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(5166,38,'2012-02-19 08:55:44','2012-02-19 16:55:44','When I was growing up, I thought romance was about the chick-flick worthy moments in a relationship. I thought the guy who could produce the most moments like these would be marriage worthy. I remember <a href=\"http://annabananastudebaker.tumblr.com/post/17369907361\" target=\"_blank\">the lists of date ideas</a> for my future husband that I wrote in my diary:\n<ul>\n	<li>Drink coffee with me on the roof while watching a sunrise (Does this actually happen to people other than insomniacs and people in Levi Jean commercials?)</li>\n	<li>Driving to nowhere with me</li>\n	<li>Get out crayons and color in coloring books</li>\n	<li>Drive around town pretending to be tourists taking pictures</li>\n	<li>Recite poetry to each other</li>\n	<li>Draw hearts around the city with sidewalk chalk</li>\n</ul>\nThere are men that love putting on those kinds of productions and there are some women that love them. But the love of my life is not that kind of man and I am not that kind of woman.\n\nRomance with my husband has manifested as connection and conversation and not so much in fairy tale anecdotes. One time at lunch before we were engaged, my husband imitated the zombie characters from the video game “Splinter Cell”. It had me in stitches. Was this romantic in the tradition roses-and-chocolate sense? No, but it was hilarious, endearing, and it gave me a funny feeling inside my chest that meant I was becoming more and more attached to this guy.\n\nIt’s not the adorable sayings (“The spaces in between your fingers were meant for mine”) or the bouquets of flowers that keep beckoning me closer to the man I married; it’s the evenings when we rant back and forth about how “Inception” was snubbed at the Oscars. It’s the night I’m too tired to cook, so we make a Taco Bell run and he laughs at me between bites at the stupid things I did during the day. It’s when he buys a new CD he’s crazy about and gives me a track-by-track commentary.\n\nWhile these moments are cute in their own right, they aren’t grand, traditionally romantic gestures. Grand gestures can be great, but what I learned is that despite what some married women whine about and what I learned as a teenager, love is not sustained on who remembers to buy you flowers the most. I have a friend who complained when her boyfriend didn’t hand-write her any letters even though she gave him a self-addressed stamped envelope. I didn\'t understand at first because I know that my husband will probably never write me a letter. He just isn’t that kind of guy and that is perfectly okay with me. (Not to mention, me pushing him to become that kind of guy doesn’t add any value to our relationship.) But to my friend, the hand-written letters are a priority in her in the relationship and that’s okay too.\n\nRomance is all about your expectations and what you find attractive in other people. Some people connect over debating the accuracy of the casting choices in Lord of the Rings ( ... I may or may not know anyone like this), and some people prefer long walks on the beach at sunrise. A great example of this is in the TV show \"30 Rock\" when Liz Lemon <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1635806/\">finally finds a guy she connects</a> with:\n<blockquote><strong>Carol</strong>: I’m not sorry you saw me cry. I’m an emotional guy. That’s actually not part of my personality. That’s just something that happens to people who change altitude more than four times a day.\n\n<strong>Liz</strong>: Is that also why you got so mad watching the Giants game?\n\n<strong>Carol</strong>: No. That was because why does Geico have three different spokespeople. They have the caveman, the gecko and then the stack of money with eyeballs.\n\n<strong>Liz</strong>: And the fake Rod Sterling guy.\n\n<strong>Carol</strong>: Oh my god, right! Thank you.</blockquote>\nThis is a very romantic moment for Liz because both her and Carol (played by Matt Damon) care about the same things.  <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2158899/\">In a later episode</a> Liz is seen with her boyfriend, Criss, at the hotdog cart he runs, shoving a coney smothered in mustard into her mouth. Does this sound like something straight out of “27 Dresses”? Of course not, but because Criss is running a hotdog business and Liz\'s loves food, they have an instant connection that draws them to each other. Jack sees the two of them laughing and sees that despite Criss’ lack of pedigree and corporate attitude, he makes a good partner for Liz.\n\nIf you can’t fall in love with a guy because he won’t wake you up before dawn, drag you out of bed onto a chilly roof while balancing a thermos of coffee, that is your prerogative, but I need an every day uncomplicated steadiness. I want a no-gift, Pizza Hut pasta, Netflix movie kind of Valentine’s Day. I want a guy who refuses to use an alarm clock on vacations. I want to talk about what made the newest Star Wars movies bad. That’s exactly what I have, and that is why I find my husband so irresistible and so, so romantic.\n\nAny guy can buy you chocolate and flowers. But when you both hate it when people order cereal at a restaurant and both want to see “Piranha 3D” on a Friday night despite how cheesy it is, you know it’s romance.\n\n<em>Photo credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/jason_ff/3258771004/\" target=\"_blank\">Flickr/ jtbrennan</a></em>','When You Know It\'s Romance','','inherit','open','open','','5066-autosave','','','2012-02-19 08:55:44','2012-02-19 16:55:44','',5066,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5066-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5167,0,'2012-02-19 08:58:27','2012-02-19 16:58:27','Spirituality\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Kiva Bottero\nAUTHOR EMAIL: k@themindfulword.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.themindfulword.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 101.63.217.46\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Kiva Bottero\n    [Email] =&gt; k@themindfulword.org\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.themindfulword.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Spirituality\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; breathe\n)\n','Kiva Bottero - 2012-02-19 08:58:27','','publish','open','open','','124d0cf49a574753381a55ee261b71c5','','','2012-02-19 08:58:27','2012-02-19 16:58:27','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5167',0,'feedback','',0),(5169,144,'2012-02-19 12:16:41','2012-02-19 20:16:41','','whitney-houston','','inherit','open','open','','whitney-houston-2','','','2012-02-19 12:16:41','2012-02-19 20:16:41','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5170,144,'2012-02-19 12:11:30','2012-02-19 20:11:30','&nbsp;\n\nI was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service. Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\n\nWhitney was blessed with an amazing gift, a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\n\nI did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user who had a troubled marriage and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\n\nPeople of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation. Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\n\nYet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life. There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\n\nOut of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner, her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\n\nHe told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”. He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\n\nAs she and Costner worked together, they become good friends, but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\n\nWhitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity, nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\n\nPersonally, I am full of insecurity. Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\n\nIf I pan out to look at the human condition, I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\n\nHis message? If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\n\nWonder if you can do it? You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\n\nYou’re good enough!','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision','','','2012-02-19 12:11:30','2012-02-19 20:11:30','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5171,144,'2012-02-19 12:17:43','2012-02-19 20:17:43','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5169\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"250\" /></a>\n\nI was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service. Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\n\nWhitney was blessed with an amazing gift, a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\n\nI did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user who had a troubled marriage and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\n\nPeople of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation. Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\n\nYet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life. There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\n\nOut of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner, her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\n\nHe told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”. He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\n\nAs she and Costner worked together, they become good friends, but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\n\nWhitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity, nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\n\nPersonally, I am full of insecurity. Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\n\nIf I pan out to look at the human condition, I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\n\nHis message? If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\n\nWonder if you can do it? You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\n\nYou’re good enough!','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-2','','','2012-02-19 12:17:43','2012-02-19 20:17:43','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5172,144,'2012-02-19 12:19:12','2012-02-19 20:19:12','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5169\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"250\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\nWhitney was blessed with an amazing gift, a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user who had a troubled marriage</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\nPeople of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation. Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\nOut of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner, her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\nAs she and Costner worked together, they become good friends, but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nPersonally, I am full of insecurity. Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\nHis message? If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-3','','','2012-02-19 12:19:12','2012-02-19 20:19:12','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5173,144,'2012-02-19 12:22:49','2012-02-19 20:22:49','','whitney-houston','','inherit','open','open','','whitney-houston-3','','','2012-02-19 12:22:49','2012-02-19 20:22:49','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5174,144,'2012-02-19 12:23:28','2012-02-19 20:23:28','','whitney-houston','','inherit','open','open','','whitney-houston-4','','','2012-02-19 12:23:28','2012-02-19 20:23:28','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5175,144,'2012-02-19 12:20:13','2012-02-19 20:20:13','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5169\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"250\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user who had a troubled marriage</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-4','','','2012-02-19 12:20:13','2012-02-19 20:20:13','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5177,161,'2012-02-28 08:00:58','2012-02-28 16:00:58','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#39;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\r\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\r\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this opening gambit of Hauerwas I could not help but be reminded of my own experience encountering similar teaching in a different context.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well-known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day-to-day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\r\n\r\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\r\n\r\nWhilst theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptoms of their ailment. And, of course, - so the logic went - since that individual \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for continued medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\r\n\r\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammar of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C.\r\n\r\nTo say that Jesus defeated war in that he opened the possibility for the humanity to share in seeing the unveiling of the reign of God where, as another chapter of Isaiah (11) puts it the \"wolf and the lamb shall feed together\", and end all strife is one thing. To say that the wolf and lamb are actually feeding together when, in fact, the wolf is neck-deep feeding on the lamb\'s bloody carcass is another thing entirely. To deny this is the case now (which is not the same as saying it always will be the case) amounts to nothing less than a denial of human freedom.\r\n\r\nHauerwas\' broader point - which is surely right - is that the Church should be taking its cue on how it views in the light of the new creation that was begun in Christ.  Hauerwas thinks this should be done by denying the reality of war - the problem with such an approach is that this places the imperfect messy church that is made up of sinners on the way to salvation in the same situation as those who \'named and claimed\' their healing. The New Testament talks of a Church that is vulnerable and riven with strife and offers advice on how to resolve these differences according to a different ethic from that of the world according to the way of Jesus. As the Bride of Christ the church will be \'made ready\' but we are not there yet; saying otherwise is simply denial.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important; margin: 0!important;\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','publish','open','open','','the-death-of-war','','','2012-02-23 21:00:03','2012-02-24 05:00:03','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5177',0,'post','',2),(5176,144,'2012-02-19 12:23:39','2012-02-19 20:23:39','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5174\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" /></a>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user who had a troubled marriage</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-5','','','2012-02-19 12:23:39','2012-02-19 20:23:39','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5178,161,'2012-02-19 12:32:38','2012-02-19 20:32:38','The theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the following typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really to that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision','','','2012-02-19 12:32:38','2012-02-19 20:32:38','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5179,161,'2012-02-19 12:32:45','2012-02-19 20:32:45','The theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the following typically Hauerwasian statement:\r\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\r\nIs it really to that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\r\n\r\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\r\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-2','','','2012-02-19 12:32:45','2012-02-19 20:32:45','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5180,161,'2012-02-19 12:36:36','2012-02-19 20:36:36','','Christ_on_the_Cross','Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix\'s Christ on the Cross','inherit','open','open','','360px-eugene_delacroix_christ_on_the_cross_sketch_1845','','','2012-02-19 12:36:36','2012-02-19 20:36:36','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5181,161,'2012-02-19 12:34:37','2012-02-19 20:34:37','The theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the following typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really to that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-3','','','2012-02-19 12:34:37','2012-02-19 20:34:37','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5182,161,'2012-02-19 12:38:02','2012-02-19 20:38:02','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the following typically Hauerwasian statement:\r\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\r\nIs it really to that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\r\n\r\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\r\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-4','','','2012-02-19 12:38:02','2012-02-19 20:38:02','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5183,161,'2012-02-19 12:38:19','2012-02-19 20:38:19','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the following typically Hauerwasian statement:\r\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\r\nIs it really to that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\r\n\r\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\r\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-5','','','2012-02-19 12:38:19','2012-02-19 20:38:19','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5184,161,'2012-02-19 12:50:38','2012-02-19 20:50:38','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the following typically Hauerwasian statement:\r\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\r\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\r\n\r\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\r\n\r\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptons of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\r\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-6','','','2012-02-19 12:50:38','2012-02-19 20:50:38','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5185,161,'2012-02-19 12:55:45','2012-02-19 20:55:45','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptons of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these hickster preachers? No, but that does not mean\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-7','','','2012-02-19 12:55:45','2012-02-19 20:55:45','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5186,161,'2012-02-19 12:59:47','2012-02-19 20:59:47','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptons of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammer of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count mysel\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-8','','','2012-02-19 12:59:47','2012-02-19 20:59:47','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5187,161,'2012-02-19 13:02:06','2012-02-19 21:02:06','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptons of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammer of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal is a question that has been outstanding\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-9','','','2012-02-19 13:02:06','2012-02-19 21:02:06','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(5188,161,'2012-02-19 13:06:11','2012-02-19 21:06:11','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptons of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammer of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-10','','','2012-02-19 13:06:11','2012-02-19 21:06:11','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(5189,161,'2012-02-19 13:24:27','2012-02-19 21:24:27','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day to day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptons of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammer of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C.\n\nTo say that Jesus defeated war in that he opened the possibility for the humanity to share in seeing the unveiling of the reign of God where, as another chapter of Isaiah (11) puts it the \"wolf and the lamb shall feed together\", and end all strife is one thing. To say that the the wolf and lamb are actually feeding together when, in fact, the wolf is neck deep feeding on the lamb\'s bloody carcass is another thing entirely. To deny this is the case now (which is not the same as saying it always will be the case) amounts to nothing less than a denial of human freedom.\n\nHauerwas\' broader point - which is surely right - is that the Church should be taking its cue on how it views in the light of the new creation that was begun in Christ.  Hauerwas thinks this should be done by denying the reality of war - the problem with such an approach is that this places the imperfect messy church that is made up of sinners on the way to salvation in the same situation as those who \'named and claimed\' their healing. The new testament talks of a Church that is vulnerable and rifen with strife and offers advice on how to resolve these differences according to a different ethic from that of the world according to the way of Jesus. As the Bride of Christ the church will be \'made ready\'\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-11','','','2012-02-19 13:24:27','2012-02-19 21:24:27','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(5190,161,'2012-02-19 13:27:17','2012-02-19 21:27:17','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this I could not help but be reminded of my own experience of encountering such teaching.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well-known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day-to-day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst arguably theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptoms of their ailment. And, of course - so the logic went - since that \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammar of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C.\n\nTo say that Jesus defeated war in that he opened the possibility for the humanity to share in seeing the unveiling of the reign of God where, as another chapter of Isaiah (11) puts it the \"wolf and the lamb shall feed together\", and end all strife is one thing. To say that the wolf and lamb are actually feeding together when, in fact, the wolf is neck-deep feeding on the lamb\'s bloody carcass is another thing entirely. To deny this is the case now (which is not the same as saying it always will be the case) amounts to nothing less than a denial of human freedom.\n\nHauerwas\' broader point - which is surely right - is that the Church should be taking its cue on how it views in the light of the new creation that was begun in Christ.  Hauerwas thinks this should be done by denying the reality of war - the problem with such an approach is that this places the imperfect messy church that is made up of sinners on the way to salvation in the same situation as those who \'named and claimed\' their healing. The New Testament talks of a Church that is vulnerable and riven with strife and offers advice on how to resolve these differences according to a different ethic from that of the world according to the way of Jesus. As the Bride of Christ the church will be \'made ready\' but we are not there yet; saying otherwise is simply denial.\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-12','','','2012-02-19 13:27:17','2012-02-19 21:27:17','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(5191,161,'2012-02-19 13:30:35','2012-02-19 21:30:35','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this opening gambit of Hauerwas I could not help but be reminded of my own experience encountering similar teaching in a different context.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well-known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day-to-day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptoms of their ailment. And, of course, - so the logic went - since that individual \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for continued medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammar of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C.\n\nTo say that Jesus defeated war in that he opened the possibility for the humanity to share in seeing the unveiling of the reign of God where, as another chapter of Isaiah (11) puts it the \"wolf and the lamb shall feed together\", and end all strife is one thing. To say that the wolf and lamb are actually feeding together when, in fact, the wolf is neck-deep feeding on the lamb\'s bloody carcass is another thing entirely. To deny this is the case now (which is not the same as saying it always will be the case) amounts to nothing less than a denial of human freedom.\n\nHauerwas\' broader point - which is surely right - is that the Church should be taking its cue on how it views in the light of the new creation that was begun in Christ.  Hauerwas thinks this should be done by denying the reality of war - the problem with such an approach is that this places the imperfect messy church that is made up of sinners on the way to salvation in the same situation as those who \'named and claimed\' their healing. The New Testament talks of a Church that is vulnerable and riven with strife and offers advice on how to resolve these differences according to a different ethic from that of the world according to the way of Jesus. As the Bride of Christ the church will be \'made ready\' but we are not there yet; saying otherwise is simply denial.\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-13','','','2012-02-19 13:30:35','2012-02-19 21:30:35','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(5192,144,'2012-02-19 14:43:13','2012-02-19 22:43:13','&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5174\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" /></a>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\n\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\n\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\n\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\n\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\n\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\n\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\n\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\n\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\n\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\n\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\n\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\n\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\n\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-6','','','2012-02-19 14:43:13','2012-02-19 22:43:13','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5212,1,'2012-02-21 21:46:41','2012-02-22 05:46:41','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage,</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-10','','','2012-02-21 21:46:41','2012-02-22 05:46:41','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/21/5168-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(5193,144,'2012-03-20 20:32:00','2012-03-21 03:32:00','<strong>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\n\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\n\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\n\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\n\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\n\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared to broach the topic.\n\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\n\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\n\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\n\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\n\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\n\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\n\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\n\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-autosave','','','2012-03-20 20:32:00','2012-03-21 03:32:00','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5210,1,'2012-02-21 21:45:30','2012-02-22 05:45:30','','whitney houston2','','inherit','open','open','','whitney-houston2','','','2012-02-21 21:45:30','2012-02-22 05:45:30','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston21.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5194,38,'2012-02-19 08:54:37','2012-02-19 16:54:37','When I was growing up, I thought romance was about the chick-flick worthy moments in a relationship. I thought the guy who could produce the most moments like these would be marriage worthy. I remember <a href=\"http://annabananastudebaker.tumblr.com/post/17369907361\" target=\"_blank\">the lists of date ideas</a> for my future husband that I wrote in my diary:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Drink coffee with me on the roof while watching a sunrise (Does this actually happen to people other than insomniacs and people in Levi Jean commercials?)</li>\r\n	<li>Driving to nowhere with me</li>\r\n	<li>Get out crayons and color in coloring books</li>\r\n	<li>Drive around town pretending to be tourists taking pictures</li>\r\n	<li>Recite poetry to each other</li>\r\n	<li>Draw hearts around the city with sidewalk chalk</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThere are men that love putting on those kinds of productions and there are some women that love them. But the love of my life is not that kind of man and I am not that kind of woman.\r\n\r\nRomance with my husband has manifested as connection and conversation and not so much in fairy tale anecdotes. One time at lunch before we were engaged, my husband imitated the zombie characters from the video game “Splinter Cell”. It had me in stitches. Was this romantic in the tradition roses-and-chocolate sense? No, but it was hilarious, endearing, and it gave me a funny feeling inside my chest that meant I was becoming more and more attached to this guy.\r\n\r\nIt’s not the adorable sayings (“The spaces in between your fingers were meant for mine”) or the bouquets of flowers that keep beckoning me closer to the man I married; it’s the evenings when we rant back and forth about how “Inception” was snubbed at the Oscars. It’s the night I’m too tired to cook, so we make a Taco Bell run and he laughs at me between bites at the stupid things I did during the day. It’s when he buys a new CD he’s crazy about and gives me a track-by-track commentary.\r\n\r\nWhile these moments are cute in their own right, they aren’t grand, traditionally romantic gestures. Grand gestures can be great, but what I learned is that despite what some married women whine about and what I learned as a teenager, love is not sustained on who remembers to buy you flowers the most. I have a friend who complained when her boyfriend didn’t hand-write her any letters even though she gave him a self-addressed stamped envelope. I didn\'t understand at first because I know that my husband will probably never write me a letter. He just isn’t that kind of guy and that is perfectly okay with me. (Not to mention, me pushing him to become that kind of guy doesn’t add any value to our relationship.) But to my friend, the hand-written letters are a priority in her in the relationship and that’s okay too.\r\n\r\nRomance is all about your expectations and what you find attractive in other people. Some people connect over debating the accuracy of the casting choices in Lord of the Rings ( ... I may or may not know anyone like this), and some people prefer long walks on the beach at sunrise. A great example of this is in the TV show \"30 Rock\" when Liz Lemon <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1635806/\">finally finds a guy she connects</a> with:\r\n<blockquote><strong>Carol</strong>: I’m not sorry you saw me cry. I’m an emotional guy. That’s actually not part of my personality. That’s just something that happens to people who change altitude more than four times a day.\r\n\r\n<strong>Liz</strong>: Is that also why you got so mad watching the Giants game?\r\n\r\n<strong>Carol</strong>: No. That was because why does Geico have three different spokespeople. They have the caveman, the gecko and then the stack of money with eyeballs.\r\n\r\n<strong>Liz</strong>: And the fake Rod Sterling guy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Carol</strong>: Oh my god, right! Thank you.</blockquote>\r\nThis is a very romantic moment for Liz because both her and Carol (played by Matt Damon) care about the same things.  <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2158899/\">In a later episode</a> Liz is seen with her boyfriend, Criss, at the hotdog cart he runs, shoving a coney smothered in mustard into her mouth. Does this sound like something straight out of “27 Dresses”? Of course not, but because Criss is running a hotdog business and Liz\'s loves food, they have an instant connection that draws them to each other. Jack sees the two of them laughing and sees that despite Criss’ lack of pedigree and corporate attitude, he makes a good partner for Liz.\r\n\r\nIf you can’t fall in love with a guy because he won’t wake you up before dawn, drag you out of bed onto a chilly roof while balancing a thermos of coffee, that is your prerogative, but I need an every day uncomplicated steadiness. I want a no-gift, Pizza Hut pasta, Netflix movie kind of Valentine’s Day. I want a guy who refuses to use an alarm clock on vacations. I want to talk about what made the newest Star Wars movies bad. That’s exactly what I have, and that is why I find my husband so irresistible and so, so romantic.\r\n\r\nAny guy can buy you chocolate and flowers. But when you both hate it when people order cereal at a restaurant and both want to see “Piranha 3D” on a Friday night despite how cheesy it is, you know it’s romance.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/jason_ff/3258771004/\" target=\"_blank\">Flickr/ jtbrennan</a></em>','When You Know It\'s Romance','','inherit','open','open','','5066-revision-18','','','2012-02-19 08:54:37','2012-02-19 16:54:37','',5066,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5066-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(5199,144,'2012-02-19 19:07:47','2012-02-20 03:07:47','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5174\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" /></a>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage,</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-8','','','2012-02-19 19:07:47','2012-02-20 03:07:47','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5168-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5200,125,'2012-02-25 08:00:54','2012-02-25 16:00:54','One of my favorite things to do as a kid was run off to the convenience store down from my neighborhood, search through the little book section they had, and find all of the Choose Your Own Adventure books that I could get my hands on. I would always sit down with it on my bed, and coach myself before opening it.\r\n\r\n“Just do what you think will make the best ending. Read through it once, don’t skip back or ahead, and enjoy the story.”\r\nHowever fast-forward ten minutes and you would see a child shuffling back and forth through every single page, scouring the little paperback for every possible ending to the story.\r\n\r\nIn some ways, these experiences jaded me as an adult. I look at my own life, and paired against the backdrop of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, the real world is so much more stressful.\r\n\r\nIt’s stressful because you get one shot to do the right thing. It’s stressful because, if you choose poorly, you can’t just flip back a few pages and try again.\r\n\r\nIf life were more like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, it would not only have more dinosaurs and spies (the best of those books had both), it would make decisions much easier.\r\n\r\nBut for every moment that I feel jaded about not having the chance to go back and redo some of the major milestones in my life there are many more moments of joy in the realization that I have to fully rely on God.\r\n\r\nIt isn’t up to me to choose the right adventure for my life. God’s already planned it out. I don’t have the ability to look ahead a few pages and see how things will end up, but I do have the ability to rest in the knowledge that, so long as I follow Him, my story will have the best ending it possibly could have.\r\n\r\nWe are given this wisdom in Jeremiah:\r\n\r\n<em>“For I know the plans I have for you,\" declares the LORD, \"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”</em> – Jeremiah 29:11\r\n\r\nSure, if I wanted to I could ruin the adventure by charging full-force towards what I feel the best ending would be. But just as on my bed as a kid, my idea of the best ending is never quite as good as the one I actually find by just sitting back and enjoying the story.\r\n\r\nIn my own life, the plans I have for myself will forever pale in comparison to the awesome things God wants to do through me…and through you…if we only let Him.\r\n\r\nSo the next time you find yourself wondering if you’re the best adventure has been chosen for your life, don’t be upset that you can’t read ahead.\r\n\r\nJust rest in knowing that God can.','Choose To Not Choose Your Own Adventure','','publish','open','open','','choose-to-not-choose-your-own-adventure','','','2012-02-23 21:07:22','2012-02-24 05:07:22','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5200',0,'post','',1),(5201,125,'2012-02-20 09:22:03','2012-02-20 17:22:03','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','5200-revision','','','2012-02-20 09:22:03','2012-02-20 17:22:03','',5200,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/20/5200-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5205,82,'2012-02-26 08:00:43','2012-02-26 16:00:43','It’s amazing the power of one word.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">One word can heal.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">One word can encourage.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Also…one word can destroy.</p>\r\nLooking back into scripture, we see the example of words bringing life about. Words created what we live today…even the negative of it. So it should come as no surprise when we discover that one word spoken from our lips…or our fingertips…can demolish our character in a nanosecond.\r\n\r\nStumbling upon this <a href=\"http://www.thegrio.com/local/chicago/white-chicago-teacher-sues-to-use-n-word-in-class.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a> helped me really take assessment of the words I speak, or have spoken, toward others and myself.\r\n\r\nThe teacher in question here was noted as stating, in his defense of utilizing a derogatory word in the education environment as a means of teaching his students what is inappropriate.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\"My character has been assassinated.\"</em></p>\r\nIt’s amazing how quickly we humans are apt to jump to conclusions before understanding one’s motive.\r\n\r\nNow while the word this teacher used, by societal standards, is derogatory, we must  intentionally place ourselves in positions of examining a situation…and someone’s character…to determine truth rather than what someone has said. In essence, <strong>it takes character on our parts to help determine another\'s character.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe are an imperfect species. Due to a fallen nature that has been within the human race since only moments after the dawn of humanity itself, we are trapped with this innate “gut feeling” to always react rather than respond to situations that ruffle our feathers.\r\n\r\nHowever, scripture clearly informs us to be lead by the Holy Spirit – whose fruits will be revealed through a key character trait that isn’t innate in humans by nature.\r\n\r\nPatience.\r\n\r\nIn always redirecting my nearly four-year old son to have patience, when his little mind and body cry out, <em>“I want it now!”</em>…I have to slow his mind down, have him focus on my eyes and voice and let him know, <em>“Slow down buddy…patience. We need to wait for the things we want.”</em>\r\n\r\n<em>“Okay, mommy. I\'m sorry.”</em> It is normative response I accrue from him. Yet, most times right now, within five minutes he goes right back to reacting in his nature…rather than using his mind to remember to slow down.\r\n\r\nMany of us, including myself, could do with a good dose of this lesson in our own lives to help remind us…\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…slow down.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…listen.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…examine.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…evaluate.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…wait.</p>\r\nOh waiting…such a curse word that rings through our ears! How dare anyone ask us to wait…to explain where we are coming from…to not understand us from the moment we speak (or even do something).\r\n\r\nThe truth is…if we as Christians are to truly operate in His Spirit…we need to be letting our lives reveal the fruit of His Spirit.\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, <strong>patience</strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, <strong>self-control</strong>; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  <strong>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit</strong>.” </em>Gal 5:22-25 (NASB)</p>\r\nThis situation is a great example of how easy it is in our own spirits, aside from God, to jump to conclusions and assert our beliefs without truly seeking the truth of a matter.\r\n\r\nWhen we take matters completely into our own hands, we will not only misunderstand something of someone else, we will potentially destroy who they are to others. This is not how God operates, and unfortunately I all too often have been privy to moments (either directed at me personally…or toward someone else) where another Christian slanders another based upon one word without truly understanding where that person is coming from.\r\n\r\nIt’s evident in pulpits too from very well known pastors and church leaders today…and this honestly ails my heart.\r\n\r\nFriends, our lives are to be guided by the direction the Holy Spirit gives…and that isn’t by<em> “gut feelings.”</em> There\'s a distinct difference between a <em>“gut feeling”</em> and knowing when God has directed you to do something (and usually, those somethings go against the grains of what society does, believes and even how it responds).\r\n\r\nA great lesson we can take from this situation, as Christians, is this…learn to<strong> lean on Christ through every aspect of our lives – especially moments when another’s character is coming into question.</strong>\r\n\r\nWe must be diligent about seeking His wisdom above our own findings, beliefs, feeling and evaluations. We must be diligent about slapping everything that crosses our paths – even one single word – up against scripture to see if it is being used in a manner that edifies and glorifies Him (even words that by society’s standards are “unacceptable”). For anything otherwise, edifies ourselves…and diminishes Him.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***********************</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”</em> –Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.”</em> –Lam 3:40 (NLT)</p>','A Lesson From One Word','','publish','open','open','','a-lesson-from-one-word','','','2012-02-24 23:13:07','2012-02-25 07:13:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5205',0,'post','',0),(5206,82,'2012-02-20 10:41:53','2012-02-20 18:41:53','It’s amazing the power of one word.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can heal.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">One word can encourage.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Also…one word can destroy.</p>\nLooking back into scripture, we see the example of words bringing life about. Words created what we live today…even the negative of it. So it should come as no surprise when we discover that one word spoken from our lips…or our fingertips…can demolish our character in a nanosecond.\n\nStumbling upon this <a href=\"http://www.thegrio.com/local/chicago/white-chicago-teacher-sues-to-use-n-word-in-class.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a> helped me really take assessment of the words I speak, or have spoken, toward others and myself.\n\nThe teacher in question here was noted as stating, in his defense of utilizing a derogatory word in the education environment as a means of teaching his students what is inappropriate.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\"My character has been assassinated.\"</em></p>\nIt’s amazing how quickly we humans are apt to jump to conclusions before understanding one’s motive.\n\nNow while the word this teacher used, by societal standards, is derogatory, there must be an intentionally place ourselves in positions of examining a situation…and someone’s character…to determine truth rather than what someone has said. In essence, <strong>it takes character on our parts to help determine another\'s character.</strong>\n\nWe are an imperfect species. Due to a fallen nature that has been within the human race since only moments after the dawn of humanity itself, we are trapped with this innate “gut feeling” to always react rather than respond to situations that ruffle our feathers.\n\nHowever, scripture clearly informs us to be lead by the Holy Spirit – whose fruits will be revealed through a key character trait that isn’t innate in humans by nature.\n\nPatience.\n\nIn always redirecting my nearly four-year old son to have patience, when his little mind and body cry out, <em>“I want it now!”</em>…I have to slow his mind down, have him focus on my eyes and voice and let him know, <em>“Slow down buddy…patience. We need to wait for the things we want.”</em>\n\n<em>“Okay, mommy. I\'m sorry.”</em> It is normative response I accrue from him. Yet, most times right now, within five minutes he goes right back to reacting in his nature…rather than using his mind to remember to slow down.\n\nMany of us, including myself, could do with a good dose of this lesson in our own lives to help remind us…\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…slow down.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…listen.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…examine.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…evaluate.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">…wait.</p>\nOh waiting…such a curse word that rings through our ears! How dare anyone ask us to wait…to explain where we are coming from…to not understand us from the moment we speak (or even do something).\n\nThe truth is…if we as Christians are to truly operate in His Spirit…we need to be letting our lives reveal the fruit of His Spirit.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, <strong>patience</strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, <strong>self-control</strong>; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  <strong>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit</strong>.” </em>Gal 5:22-25 (NASB)</p>\nThis situation is a great example of how easy it is in our own spirits, aside from God, to jump to conclusions and assert our beliefs without truly seeking the truth of a matter.\n\nWhen we take matters completely into our own hands, we will not only misunderstand something of someone else, we will potentially destroy who they are to others. This is not how God operates, and unfortunately I all too often have been privy to moments (either directed at me personally…or toward someone else) where another Christian slanders another based upon one word without truly understanding where that person is coming from.\n\nIt’s evident in pulpits too from very well known pastors and church leaders today…and this honestly ails my heart.\n\nFriends, our lives are to be guided by the direction the Holy Spirit gives…and that isn’t by<em> “gut feelings.”</em> There\'s a distinct difference between a <em>“gut feeling”</em> and knowing when God has directed you to do something (and usually, those somethings go against the grains of what society does, believes and even how it responds).\n\nA great lesson we can take from this situation, as Christians, is this…learn to<strong> lean on Christ through every aspect of our lives – especially moments when another’s character is coming into question.</strong>\n\nWe must be diligent about seeking His wisdom above our own findings, beliefs, feeling and evaluations. We must be diligent about slapping everything that crosses our paths – even one single word – up against scripture to see if it is being used in a manner that edifies and glorifies Him (even words that by society’s standards are “unacceptable”). For to anything otherwise, edifies ourselves…and diminishes Him.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***********************</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”</em> –Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.”</em> –Lam 3:40 (NLT)</p>','A Lesson From One Word','','inherit','open','open','','5205-revision','','','2012-02-20 10:41:53','2012-02-20 18:41:53','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/20/5205-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5211,1,'2012-02-20 08:44:13','2012-02-20 16:44:13','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5174\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/whitney-houston3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" /></a>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage,</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-9','','','2012-02-20 08:44:13','2012-02-20 16:44:13','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/20/5168-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(5480,134,'2012-03-30 08:00:40','2012-03-30 15:00:40','<img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/An6LGApCAAI61t9-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"#ididnotreport\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" align=\"right\" />What can a hashtag like <em><a title=\"#ididnotreport\" href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\">#ididnotreport</a></em> (<em>I did not report</em>) do for a social network like <a title=\"Twitter\" href=\"http://www.twitter.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter</a>? In the past two or three weeks, it\'s given many women and a few men from all parts of the world an outlet to express their feelings on their experiences with rape and/or other forms of sexual abuse. Many have posted their reasons why they <em>didn\'t report</em> the attack(s) and/or abuse -- often blaming the system (legal, social, etc). What we\'ve considered a special event (huge all-of-a-sudden phenomenon) for the past several days in a social network (in this case, <a title=\"Twitter\" href=\"http://www.twitter.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter</a>) hasn\'t been covered by big newscasters leaving bloggers with the duty to report it. This is shamefully pathetic, but this might be the <em>rape culture</em> many have referred to -- what an eye opener!\r\n\r\nOther tags that\'ve come out as a result of <em><a title=\"#ididnotreport\" href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\">#ididnotreport</a></em> are\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><em><a title=\"#ididreport\" href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididreport\" target=\"_blank\">#ididreport</a></em> (<em>I did report</em>), which simply means that the survivor did report the attack and/or abuse</li>\r\n	<li>and <em><a title=\"#rapeculture\" href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#rapeculture\" target=\"_blank\">#rapeculture</a></em> (<em>rape culture</em>), which has been used to describe the vulgarity of social behavior and/or attitude toward rape survivors (<em>always the victim\'s fault</em>).</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nMost of these 140-character stories disgust me. It\'s stupid how society and the legal system victimize the survivor for a second time (if not more) right after being raped -- including emergency personnel who don\'t show any empathy to police officers who never show up.\r\n\r\nIn a cyber-world of anonymity, it\'s strange when many women and men open up to tell the world their deepest secrets -- some for the first time ever. Some are faceless and nameless, but others do have faces and names. It\'s disturbing when the person posting her experiences of being raped is still a child or when a person writes about a friend or relative committing suicide as the result of being violated.\r\n\r\nI\'ve heard some of these stories before. Some of my friends (female and male) have gone through rape or another form of sexual abuse, especially when they were children. It\'s like cycle that produces monsters who all do the same horrors again and again.\r\n\r\nBy the way, I stand by my previous <a title=\"life after sex: surviving\" href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/life-after-sex-surviving/\" target=\"_blank\">statement</a> that rapists should be beaten and castrated.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>My respects to the unknown woman holding the sign that reads, <em>\"My rapist doesn\'t know he\'s a rapist.\" </em>Picture used in this post.</li>\r\n</ul>','#ididnotreport','','publish','open','open','','ididnotreport','','','2012-03-27 15:06:25','2012-03-27 22:06:25','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5480',0,'post','',2),(5481,134,'2012-03-15 16:08:43','2012-03-15 23:08:43','﻿What can a hashtag like <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididnotreport\">#ididnotreport</a></em> (<em>I did not report</em>) do for a social network like <a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Twitter\">Twitter</a>? In the past two or three days, it\'s given many women and a few men from all parts of the world an outlet to express their feelings on their experiences with rape and/or other forms of sexual abuse. Many have posted their reasons why they <em>didn\'t report</em> the attack(s) and/or abuse -- often blaming the system (legal, social, etc).\n\nOther tags that\'ve come out as a result of <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididnotreport\">#ididnotreport</a></em> are\n<ol>\n<li><em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididreport\">#ididreport</a></em> (<em>I did report</em>), which simply means that the survivor did report the attack and/or abuse</li>\n<li>and <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#rapeculture\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#rapeculture\">#rapeculture</a></em> (<em>rape culture</em>), which has been used to describe the vulgarity of social behavior and/or attitude toward rape survivors (<em>always the victim\'s fault</em>)</li>\n</ol>\n\nMost of these 140-character stories disgust me. It\'s stupid how society and the legal system victimize the survivor for a second time (if not more) right after being raped -- including emergency personnel who don\'t show any empathy to police officers who never show up.\n\nIn a cyber-world of anonymity, it\'s strange when many women and men open up to tell the world their deepest secrets -- some for the first time ever. Some are faceless and nameless, but others do have faces and names. It\'s disturbing when the person posting her experiences of being raped is still a child or when a person writes about a friend or relative committing suicide as the result of being violated.\n\nI\'ve heard some of these stories before. Some of my friends (female and male) have gone through rape or another form of sexual abuse, especially when they were children. It\'s like cycle that produces monsters who all do the same horrors again and again.\n\nBy the way, I stand by <a href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/life-after-sex-surviving/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"life after sex: surviving\">my previous statement</a> that rapists should be beaten and castrated.','#ididnotreport','','inherit','open','open','','5480-revision','','','2012-03-15 16:08:43','2012-03-15 23:08:43','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5480-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5482,134,'2012-03-15 16:13:50','2012-03-15 23:13:50','#ididnotreport','#ididnotreport','','inherit','open','open','','an6lgapcaai61t9','','','2012-03-15 16:13:50','2012-03-15 23:13:50','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/An6LGApCAAI61t9.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5483,134,'2012-03-15 16:08:44','2012-03-15 23:08:44','﻿What can a hashtag like <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididnotreport\">#ididnotreport</a></em> (<em>I did not report</em>) do for a social network like <a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Twitter\">Twitter</a>? In the past two or three days, it\'s given many women and a few men from all parts of the world an outlet to express their feelings on their experiences with rape and/or other forms of sexual abuse. Many have posted their reasons why they <em>didn\'t report</em> the attack(s) and/or abuse -- often blaming the system (legal, social, etc).\r\n\r\nOther tags that\'ve come out as a result of <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididnotreport\">#ididnotreport</a></em> are\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididreport\">#ididreport</a></em> (<em>I did report</em>), which simply means that the survivor did report the attack and/or abuse</li>\r\n<li>and <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#rapeculture\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#rapeculture\">#rapeculture</a></em> (<em>rape culture</em>), which has been used to describe the vulgarity of social behavior and/or attitude toward rape survivors (<em>always the victim\'s fault</em>)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n\r\nMost of these 140-character stories disgust me. It\'s stupid how society and the legal system victimize the survivor for a second time (if not more) right after being raped -- including emergency personnel who don\'t show any empathy to police officers who never show up.\r\n\r\nIn a cyber-world of anonymity, it\'s strange when many women and men open up to tell the world their deepest secrets -- some for the first time ever. Some are faceless and nameless, but others do have faces and names. It\'s disturbing when the person posting her experiences of being raped is still a child or when a person writes about a friend or relative committing suicide as the result of being violated.\r\n\r\nI\'ve heard some of these stories before. Some of my friends (female and male) have gone through rape or another form of sexual abuse, especially when they were children. It\'s like cycle that produces monsters who all do the same horrors again and again.\r\n\r\nBy the way, I stand by <a href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/life-after-sex-surviving/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"life after sex: surviving\">my previous statement</a> that rapists should be beaten and castrated.','#ididnotreport','','inherit','open','open','','5480-revision-2','','','2012-03-15 16:08:44','2012-03-15 23:08:44','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5480-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5484,134,'2012-03-15 16:15:49','2012-03-15 23:15:49','﻿What can a hashtag like <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididnotreport\">#ididnotreport</a></em> (<em>I did not report</em>) do for a social network like <a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Twitter\">Twitter</a>? In the past two or three days, it\'s given many women and a few men from all parts of the world an outlet to express their feelings on their experiences with rape and/or other forms of sexual abuse. Many have posted their reasons why they <em>didn\'t report</em> the attack(s) and/or abuse -- often blaming the system (legal, social, etc).\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/An6LGApCAAI61t9-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"#ididnotreport\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" />\r\n\r\nOther tags that\'ve come out as a result of <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididnotreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididnotreport\">#ididnotreport</a></em> are\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#ididreport\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#ididreport\">#ididreport</a></em> (<em>I did report</em>), which simply means that the survivor did report the attack and/or abuse</li>\r\n<li>and <em><a href=\"http://twitter.com/search/#rapeculture\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"#rapeculture\">#rapeculture</a></em> (<em>rape culture</em>), which has been used to describe the vulgarity of social behavior and/or attitude toward rape survivors (<em>always the victim\'s fault</em>)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n\r\nMost of these 140-character stories disgust me. It\'s stupid how society and the legal system victimize the survivor for a second time (if not more) right after being raped -- including emergency personnel who don\'t show any empathy to police officers who never show up.\r\n\r\nIn a cyber-world of anonymity, it\'s strange when many women and men open up to tell the world their deepest secrets -- some for the first time ever. Some are faceless and nameless, but others do have faces and names. It\'s disturbing when the person posting her experiences of being raped is still a child or when a person writes about a friend or relative committing suicide as the result of being violated.\r\n\r\nI\'ve heard some of these stories before. Some of my friends (female and male) have gone through rape or another form of sexual abuse, especially when they were children. It\'s like cycle that produces monsters who all do the same horrors again and again.\r\n\r\nBy the way, I stand by my previous <a href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/life-after-sex-surviving/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"life after sex: surviving\">statement</a> that rapists should be beaten and castrated.','#ididnotreport','','inherit','open','open','','5480-revision-3','','','2012-03-15 16:15:49','2012-03-15 23:15:49','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5480-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5485,1,'2012-03-16 07:34:53','2012-03-16 14:34:53','<em>We\'ve got a generation now who were born with semi-equality. They don\'t know how it was before, so they think, this isn\'t too bad. We\'re working. We have our attaché\' cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don\'t realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle.</em>\n<div>\n\n<strong>~Erma Bombeck</strong>\n\n</div>\nI\'m pretty sure Erma was talking about me in that quote.\n\nI was born in 1974, right in the midst of second-wave feminism. By the time I started elementary school, things had pretty much died down on the feminism front. We had a female Supreme Court justice. A woman ran for Vice President. Murphy Brown and Designing Women taught me that women were strong, smart, capable people. Feminism had done it\'s job. Equality had been more or less achieved.\n\nIn my early 20\'s, I was in an email ring with a bunch of women who were a bit older than me. They had actually lived through second-wave feminism and were often telling me that I needed to be more alert. They would tell me that while things were better, they weren\'t perfect. And they would remind me that any freedoms gained could be snatched away at any point.\n\nI suppose I knew this was a possibility, but it seemed so unlikely that I never gave it more than a cursory thought. Of course women would continue to enjoy the freedoms that they had. Of course men would listen to women about issues that affected women. Of course dignity and civility would be the primary mode of conversations. The need for angry bra-burning and protests was behind us. Certainly <em>I</em> wasn\'t going to be participating in that. I shook my head at those old feminists and refused to listen to their warnings, borne of experience. You invited me to run with you and I sat.\n\nThen one state after another began considering and passing laws requiring <a href=\"http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/03/transvaginal-ultrasounds-coming-soon-state-near-you\" target=\"_blank\">transvaginal ultrasounds</a> before women could have an abortion. And bills about <a href=\"http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/02/14/memo_to_mario_rubio_and_roy_blunt_your_contraception_bills_are_bad_strategy_.html\" target=\"_blank\">personhood</a> that could stop the sale of oral contraceptives. And bills requiring women to say <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/arizona-birth-control-bill-contraception-medical-reasons_n_1344557.html?ref=fb&amp;src=sp&amp;comm_ref=false\" target=\"_blank\">why she was taking an oral contraceptive</a>. And fights about extending the <a href=\"http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/15/2695723/senate-democrats-raise-violence.html\" target=\"_blank\">Violence Against Women Act</a>. And health care for low-income women <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/texas-loses-entire-womens_n_1349431.html?ref=fb&amp;src=sp&amp;comm_ref=false\" target=\"_blank\">being canceled</a>. And celebrities call women that they disagree with sluts.\n\nSuddenly those old feminists don\'t sound so crazy. That torch that Erma was talking about is starting to look pretty dim.\n\nI\'m sorry I didn\'t pay attention. I\'m sorry that I rested on what you had done instead of being vigilant. I\'m sorry that I allowed black and white thinking about complicated issues cloud my ability to see how women were being devalued. I\'m sorry that I ignored inequality in the church and in society.\n\nTo Erma and all of you old feminists? I\'m not sitting here any more. I know I\'ve let things get away, but I\'m running. And when it\'s time to pass the torch on to my daughters, I\'m going to be the old feminist running with them.','The Old Feminists Were Right','','inherit','open','open','','5465-autosave','','','2012-03-16 07:34:53','2012-03-16 14:34:53','',5465,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5465-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5428,160,'2012-03-09 08:00:09','2012-03-09 16:00:09','According to the Mayan calendar, the world is coming to an end on December 21<sup>st</sup> of 2012.   Actually, many Mayan scholars believe the completion of the long-form calendar does not mean that the Mayans thought the world would end.   It could mean it’s the end of a major cycle, or maybe they simply ran out of room on their big stone wheel.   But don’t tell that to the present-day doomsayers who have been busy spinning scenarios for the destruction of the planet, including asteroids, black holes, solar flares, and the earth reversing polarity.\r\n\r\nWhile it’s easy to ridicule the notion that an ancient Indian culture would be able to pinpoint the end of the world, it might be worthwhile to ask the question, ‘What if….?’    What if the Mayans had special insight and/or were in contact with a supra-intelligence which told them when the world would end?  And if the end of the year is really it, how would that change the way we live the last few months we have left?    More specifically, what would I want to do to prepare for the end?\r\n\r\nMy first reaction is to start going through my bucket list, checking off things I always wanted to do before I die.  Before that, I’d need to come up with a bucket list.  If Hollywood is my guide, I would be sky diving, surfing the big waves, climbing a mountain, running with the bulls, standing on the bow of a ship and yelling, “I’m king of the world.”   Those activities look great in the movies and, if they didn’t kill me, I’m sure they’d give me an adrenalin rush.   But is chasing a “high” really how I want to spend the end of my life?   More importantly, those aren’t things that are close to my heart.\r\n\r\nThere are a few places I’m curious about, such as seeing the Egyptian (or Mayan) pyramids, or visiting Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas.   It would be cool to go on an African safari or float down the Amazon River.   Maybe I’m jaded, but the effort required to get to an exotic location almost counters whatever I expect to see there.   It might be nice to spend a couple of weeks on a tropical island, just lying on the beach, swimming with dolphins, drinking Mai Tais.   The reality is, I’d probably be sunburned, bitten by a jelly fish, and hung-over.   And, at the end of the day, there isn’t any place I can go that is going to make my life more complete.\r\n\r\nIf thrill-seeking or world traveling isn’t enough, I can’t imagine NBC’s fall line-up would hold much allure as the final days ticked away.  Yes, I can live without 30 Rock and The Office.   Although I’d really like to see President Obama win re-election, he wouldn’t even have a chance to start a second term.   Politics, business, finance, sports….Everything that occupies my mind on a daily basis would be meaningless.   So, what does that leave?  What is really important when all the distractions are stripped away?   And let’s face it; most things are distractions when it comes down to it.\r\n\r\nAs I write this, I’m preparing to go to my Aunt Ginny’s funeral (which may be a reason why this topic is on my mind).   Aunt Ginny was a sweet woman and a humble civil servant who worked incredibly hard for her family, as well as the State of Tennessee.   While I didn’t know her inner thoughts, she seemed content with her life.   Even when a stroke severely limited her ability to speak, she continued to chatter away.  When she realized she wasn’t making any sense, she’d simply laugh and say “Fiddlesticks.”  At the end, she was ready to let go of this world.\r\n\r\nOver a year ago, my Uncle Bill passed away from pancreatic cancer.  He was a professor, spending most of his career at the Harvard Business School.   Relatively young and successful, he had the means to do almost anything with the time he had left.   Yet, he continued to read and teach, because those were the things he loved to do.   While he had written academic books, he always wanted to try his hand with a novel.  (He ended up writing three.)   When we see that the end is near and we don’t have much we want to change, that’s a good sign we’re living the way we should.\r\n\r\nFor most of us, it doesn’t make sense to actually live our lives based on a short-term time horizon.   For one thing, we would run out of money long before we ran out of breath.  There are also goals which are bigger and take longer than a few months to realize.   It’s funny how living a good life often requires a lifetime.   Still, there is something powerful about making the most of every day and living with a sense of urgency.   It might help bring some things into focus, while allowing not so-important things to fade into the background.  So, no more stalling.  The world ends December 21<sup>st</sup>.   What would I do?\r\n\r\nAfter I ran around in a state of panic, I hope I’d eventually settle down and try to be silent and listen… Listen to myself, to others, and, if He’s talking, to God.  I would want to make sure I had resolved any issues with my family and friends and, possibly, any enemies too.   I’d probably spend quite a bit of time in prayer and meditation….Not because I’m so holy; mostly because I’m scared and guilt-ridden.    If all we have is till the end of the year, I’m going to be thinking a lot about the afterlife.   Finally, if I’m quiet enough, I often find comfort in the awareness that there is a God and He cares for me.\r\n\r\nIdeally, I’d be there for others who might be freaking out.  I’d tell them that, while the end of the world is a big story, it might be overrated.   I mean, we’re all going to die; it’s just a matter of timing.   Naturally, we all want to put it off till the last minute but, if it’s inevitable, why not embrace it?   If we’ve found peace in our lives, there’s no reason we can’t find it in death too.   Or, maybe, it\'s the other way around...When we accept that the world will end for each of us; that is when we find real peace in this life.   In the immortal words of Michael Stipe of REM, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”\r\n\r\nIf the world ends on December 21st, what would you do?\r\n\r\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal..jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5424\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal.-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>','2012: The End Of The World','','inherit','open','open','','5423-revision-3','','','2012-03-09 08:00:09','2012-03-09 16:00:09','',5423,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/09/5423-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5429,1,'2012-03-25 20:44:33','2012-03-26 03:44:33','According to the Mayan calendar, the world is coming to an end on December 21<sup>st</sup> of 2012.   Actually, many Mayan scholars believe the completion of the long-form calendar does not mean that the Mayans thought the world would end.   It could mean it’s the end of a major cycle, or maybe they simply ran out of room on their big stone wheel.   But don’t tell that to the present-day doomsayers who have been busy spinning scenarios for the destruction of the planet, including asteroids, black holes, solar flares, and the earth reversing polarity.\n\nWhile it’s easy to ridicule the notion that an ancient Indian culture would be able to pinpoint the end of the world, it might be worthwhile to ask the question, ‘What if….?’    What if the Mayans had special insight and/or were in contact with a supra-intelligence which told them when the world would end?  And if the end of this year is really it, how would that change the way we live the last few months we have left?    More specifically, what would I want to do to prepare for the end?\n\nThe revelation that my life was about end might jar an insight out of me, taking me in a totally different direction.  Since I (thankfully) don\'t have privy to that perspective, I can only guess that my first reaction would be to go through my bucket list, checking off things I always wanted to do before I die.  Before that, I’d need to come up with a bucket list.  If Hollywood is my guide, I would be sky diving, surfing the big waves, climbing a mountain, running with the bulls, standing on the bow of a ship and yelling, “I’m king of the world.”   Those activities look great in the movies and, if they didn’t kill me, I’m sure they’d give me an adrenalin rush.   But is chasing a “high” really how I want to spend the end of my life?   More importantly, those aren’t things that are close to my heart.\n\nThere are a few places I’m curious about, such as seeing the Egyptian (or Mayan) pyramids, or visiting Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas.   It would be cool to go on an African safari or float down the Amazon River.   Maybe I’m jaded, but the effort required to get to an exotic location almost counters whatever I expect to see there.   It might be nice to spend a couple of weeks on a tropical island, just lying on the beach, swimming with dolphins, drinking Mai Tais.   The reality is, I’d probably end up sunburned, bitten by a jelly fish, and hung-over.   And, at the end of the day, there isn’t any place I can go that is going to make my life more complete.\n\nIf thrill-seeking or world traveling isn’t enough, I can’t imagine NBC’s fall line-up would hold much allure as the final days ticked away.  Yes, I can live without 30 Rock and The Office.   Although I’d really like to see President Obama win re-election, he wouldn’t even have a chance to start a second term.   Politics, business, finance, sports….Everything that occupies my mind on a daily basis would be meaningless.   So, what does that leave?  What is really important when all the distractions are stripped away?   And let’s face it; most things are distractions when it comes down to it.\n\nAs I write this, I’m preparing to go to my Aunt Ginny’s funeral (which may be a reason why this topic is on my mind).   Aunt Ginny was a sweet woman and a humble civil servant who worked incredibly hard for her family, as well as the State of Tennessee.   While I didn’t know her inner thoughts, she seemed content with her life.   Even when a stroke severely limited her ability to speak, she continued to chatter away.  When she realized she wasn’t making any sense, she’d simply laugh and say “Fiddlesticks.”  At the end, she was ready to let go of this world.\n\nOver a year ago, my Uncle Bill passed away from pancreatic cancer.  He was a professor, spending most of his career at the Harvard Business School.   Relatively young and successful, he had the means to do almost anything with the time he had left.   Yet, he continued to read and teach, because those were the things he loved to do.   While he had written academic books, he always wanted to try his hand with a novel.  (He ended up writing three.)   When we see that the end is near and we don’t have much we want to change, that’s a good sign we’re living the way we should.\n\nFor most of us, it doesn’t make sense to actually live our lives based on a short-term time horizon.   For one thing, we would run out of money long before we ran out of breath.  There are also goals which are bigger and take longer than a few months to realize.   It’s funny how living a good life often requires a lifetime.   Still, there is something powerful about making the most of every day and living with a sense of urgency.   It might help bring some things into focus, while allowing not so-important things to fade into the background.  So, no more stalling.  The world ends December 21<sup>st</sup>.   What would I do?\n\nAfter I ran around in a state of panic, I hope I’d eventually settle down and try to be silent and listen… Listen to myself, to others, and, if He’s talking, to God.  I would want to make sure I had resolved any issues with my family and friends and, possibly, any enemies too.   I’d probably spend quite a bit of time in prayer and meditation….Not because I’m so holy; mostly because I’m scared and guilt-ridden.    If all we have is till the end of the year, I’m going to be thinking a lot about the afterlife.   Finally, if I’m quiet enough, I often find comfort in the awareness that there is a God and He cares for me.\n\nIdeally, I’d be there for others who might be freaking out.  I’d tell them that, while the end of the world is a big story, it might be overrated.   I mean, we’re all going to die; it’s just a matter of timing.   Naturally, we all want to put it off till the last minute but, if it’s inevitable, why not embrace it?   If we’ve found peace in our lives, there’s no reason we can’t find it in death too.   Or, maybe, it\'s the other way around...When we accept that the world will end for each of us; that is when we find real peace in this life.   In the immortal words of Michael Stipe of REM, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”\n\nIf the world ends on December 21st, what would you do?\n\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal..jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5424\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal.-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>','2012: The End Of The World','','inherit','open','open','','5423-autosave','','','2012-03-25 20:44:33','2012-03-26 03:44:33','',5423,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/09/5423-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5430,0,'2012-03-09 17:56:28','2012-03-10 01:56:28','Thanks for this post. I\'ve been wanting to burubscsine from your blog for awhile now but hadn\'t gotten around to it. This post gave me the inspiration to do so.Also, you were initially right. You won\'t find God in church, but He is the Bible, so start there.[]Melodie Reply:August 30th, 2010 at 2:38 pmSince nothing in the Bible ever spoke to me as truth I don\'t think I would find Him there either. It\'s too bad you feel the need to burubscsine to me based on our differences. Oh well.[]\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Arthur\nAUTHOR EMAIL: regist@manrikiya.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003405585037\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] The Death of War?\nIP: 178.77.183.37\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Arthur\n    [Email] =&gt; regist@manrikiya.com\n    [Website] =&gt; http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003405585037\n    [Message] =&gt; Thanks for this post. I\'ve been wanting to burubscsine from your blog for awhile now but hadn\'t gotten around to it. This post gave me the inspiration to do so.Also, you were initially right. You won\'t find God in church, but He is the Bible, so start there.[]Melodie Reply:August 30th, 2010 at 2:38 pmSince nothing in the Bible ever spoke to me as truth I don\'t think I would find Him there either. It\'s too bad you feel the need to burubscsine to me based on our differences. Oh well.[]\n)\n','Arthur - 2012-03-09 17:56:28','','publish','open','open','','2558e235778eb237a6f6b50936659301','','','2012-03-09 17:56:28','2012-03-10 01:56:28','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5430',0,'feedback','',0),(5432,0,'2012-03-09 21:10:09','2012-03-10 05:10:09','I write about Christian spirituality through the eyes of a young Worship Leader, usually adding a humorous flavor. I\'d love to write these types of articles for Provoketive.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Stephen Haggerty\nAUTHOR EMAIL: stephenhaggerty@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://thebeardedidealist.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 74.60.29.216\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Stephen Haggerty\n    [Email] =&gt; stephenhaggerty@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; thebeardedidealist.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I write about Christian spirituality through the eyes of a young Worship Leader, usually adding a humorous flavor. I\'d love to write these types of articles for Provoketive.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; thebeardedidealist\n)\n','Stephen Haggerty - 2012-03-09 21:10:09','','publish','open','open','','695cf38579dfb636162c41db0c2ea94c','','','2012-03-09 21:10:09','2012-03-10 05:10:09','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5432',0,'feedback','',0),(7399,1,'2012-07-28 23:15:59','2012-07-29 06:15:59','How can you know if someone is a follower of Jesus?\r\n\r\nAnswers to this question have split churches, destroyed friendships, and divided seminaries.\r\n\r\nSome believe that to follow Jesus you must only sign a creed or say a prayer. Others insist that following Jesus requires following a set of rules such as the Ten Commandments or a denominational Code of Conduct. Still others argue that following Jesus is best accomplished in a building at a certain time of week when certain activities take place, while others say that following Jesus means leaving our buildings and going to places where Jesus would go, such as to the poor and homeless.\r\n\r\nRather than take sides, let me suggest something different.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to the question of who is truly a follower of Jesus, I believe that everyone is following Jesus. Every man, woman, and child on this earth, whether they subscribe to some version of Christianity or not, is following Jesus.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-7292\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/crowd-of-people-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" />\r\n\r\nNo, I do not believe everyone is \"saved\" (whatever that means to you). I am not  a universalist.\r\n\r\nSomeone can be a follower of Jesus, but not have eternal life. Remember that when Jesus walked this earth during His three years of ministry, there were many people who followed Him, but did not believe in Him for eternal life. Even one of His closest disciples, who followed Him for three years, watched His miracles, listened to His teachings, and spent many hours observing and learning from Jesus, ended up being the \"son of perdition\" (John 17:12).\r\n\r\nSo what do I mean when I say that everyone is a follower of Jesus? I believe that the redemptive work of Jesus was so powerful that when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead, everything in heaven and on earth was swept up in His wake, was drawn after His lead, and was pulled onward and inward toward Him.\r\n\r\nThe entire universe has been dropped into the torrential flow of His grace and redemption and no matter how much we might swim against the current or splash around in our own vain attempts at self-glorification, we cannot resist the direction that Jesus is pulling all creation toward.\r\n\r\nThis is why, I am convinced, the world has seen such advances in medicine, science, education, and art in the past 2000 years. Whether we realize it or not, we are being transformed into a creative, redeeming, reconciling, healing, God-glorifying world.\r\n\r\nWhen a doctor heals, it is because Jesus has pulled her. When an artist paints, it is because Jesus has pulled him. When parents love, teachers train, and musicians sing, it is because Jesus is pulling them after Him.\r\n\r\nMany people will not ever recognize that they have been following in the wake of Jesus, but they are.\r\n\r\nYes, there is still much evil, much pain, much hurt and hardship. But such things are not because of what Jesus has done, but are the lingering effects of the poison which was dumped into our river so long ago, and which will eventually be purged from the water once and for all.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, it is the job of us who know we are following Jesus to show others that the beauty they create, the health they promote, the sustainability they encourage, the vibrancy and joy they strive for, is not killed and stifled in following Jesus but is enhanced and magnified when we learn to swim in the currents of God\'s reconciling power as found in Jesus Christ.\r\n\r\nThe magnetic pull of Jesus is so powerful that everyone is following Jesus. Those of us who know it can lead the way in showing what it means to redeem and reconcile the world to the fullness of the image of Jesus Christ. ','Everyone is Following Jesus','','inherit','open','open','','7289-revision-3','','','2012-07-28 23:15:59','2012-07-29 06:15:59','',7289,'http://provoketive.com/2012/07/28/7289-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5434,0,'2012-03-10 00:24:44','2012-03-10 08:24:44','), is that we as atheists do not eriuqre those we help to sit through a lecture, prayer, or other religious ritual first.  We do not hold those we help ransom to dogma.  We do not threaten them nor tell them lies.Having said this, I cannot deny when people find themselves in difficulty, that a belief in an all powerful deity who loves you and who helps you through a time of difficulty can be of great comfort and can really help one to find solutions to the problems at hand.  I myself underwent exactly such a process.  My own belief in Jesus was likely the only thing that kept me sane enough to eventually realize it for what it was:  A Placebo.  Once I began to understand what was happening to me, I was able to view my situation with a much better grip on reality.  It is clinging irrationally to those same beliefs that I object to.  I now think that having such religious beliefs are not a necessary part of the healing process if one obtains proper counseling when faced with emotional or mental difficulties.  At the time I went through this, I had no alternative so I deluded myself into believing it in order to survive long enough to get help.  Indeed, I can confidentially say that my religious upbringing was in large part (but not completely) directly responsible for the mental difficulties I had experienced.Again, the community aspect you refer to is being achieved by many other organizations that are not based on submission to religious dogma.  In fact, religion breeds intolerance and hatred.  The world would indeed be a better place if everyone were to based their morality on themselves, and not on some external God figure.  It would indeed be a better place if everyone would base their lives on reality, on real evidence and not on stories carefully crafted to keep us slaves to unquestionable authority.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Clara\nAUTHOR EMAIL: burnett@gpri.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003405565566\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Why Christian Churches Should Lose Tax Exempt Status.\nIP: 88.249.192.45\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Clara\n    [Email] =&gt; burnett@gpri.org\n    [Website] =&gt; http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003405565566\n    [Message] =&gt; ), is that we as atheists do not eriuqre those we help to sit through a lecture, prayer, or other religious ritual first.  We do not hold those we help ransom to dogma.  We do not threaten them nor tell them lies.Having said this, I cannot deny when people find themselves in difficulty, that a belief in an all powerful deity who loves you and who helps you through a time of difficulty can be of great comfort and can really help one to find solutions to the problems at hand.  I myself underwent exactly such a process.  My own belief in Jesus was likely the only thing that kept me sane enough to eventually realize it for what it was:  A Placebo.  Once I began to understand what was happening to me, I was able to view my situation with a much better grip on reality.  It is clinging irrationally to those same beliefs that I object to.  I now think that having such religious beliefs are not a necessary part of the healing process if one obtains proper counseling when faced with emotional or mental difficulties.  At the time I went through this, I had no alternative so I deluded myself into believing it in order to survive long enough to get help.  Indeed, I can confidentially say that my religious upbringing was in large part (but not completely) directly responsible for the mental difficulties I had experienced.Again, the community aspect you refer to is being achieved by many other organizations that are not based on submission to religious dogma.  In fact, religion breeds intolerance and hatred.  The world would indeed be a better place if everyone were to based their morality on themselves, and not on some external God figure.  It would indeed be a better place if everyone would base their lives on reality, on real evidence and not on stories carefully crafted to keep us slaves to unquestionable authority.\n)\n','Clara - 2012-03-10 00:24:44','','publish','open','open','','7d6921e7ce60f9fd6c8296ab06fff514','','','2012-03-10 00:24:44','2012-03-10 08:24:44','',3677,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5434',0,'feedback','',0),(5427,160,'2012-03-09 07:52:51','2012-03-09 15:52:51','According to the Mayan calendar, the world is coming to an end on December 21<sup>st</sup> of 2012.   Actually, many Mayan scholars believe the completion of the long-form calendar does not mean that the Mayans thought the world would end.   It could mean it’s the end of a major cycle, or maybe they simply ran out of room on their big stone wheel.   But don’t tell that to the present-day doomsayers who have been busy spinning scenarios for the destruction of the planet, including asteroids, black holes, solar flares, and the earth reversing polarity.\n\nWhile it’s easy to ridicule the notion that an ancient Indian culture would be able to pinpoint the end of the world, it might be worthwhile to ask the question, ‘What if….?’    What if the Mayans had special insight and/or were in contact with a supra-intelligence which told them when the world would end?  And if the end of the year is really it, how would that change the way we live the last few months we have left?    More specifically, what would I want to do to prepare for the end?\n\nMy first reaction is to start going through my bucket list, checking off things I always wanted to do before I die.  Before that, I’d need to come up with a bucket list.  If Hollywood is my guide, I would be sky diving, surfing the big waves, climbing a mountain, running with the bulls, standing on the bow of a ship and yelling, “I’m king of the world.”   Those activities look great in the movies and, if they didn’t kill me, I’m sure they’d give me an adrenalin rush.   But is chasing a “high” really how I want to spend the end of my life?   More importantly, those aren’t things that are close to my heart.\n\nThere are a few places I’m curious about, such as seeing the Egyptian (or Mayan) pyramids, or visiting Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas.   It would be cool to go on an African safari or float down the Amazon River.   Maybe I’m jaded, but the effort required to get to an exotic location almost counters whatever I expect to see there.   It might be nice to spend a couple of weeks on a tropical island, just lying on the beach, swimming with dolphins, drinking Mai Tais.   The reality is, I’d probably be sunburned, bitten by a jelly fish, and hung-over.   And, at the end of the day, there isn’t any place I can go that is going to make my life more complete.\n\nIf thrill-seeking or world traveling isn’t enough, I can’t imagine NBC’s fall line-up would hold much allure as the final days ticked away.  Yes, I can live without 30 Rock and The Office.   Although I’d really like to see President Obama win re-election, he wouldn’t even have a chance to start a second term.   Politics, business, finance, sports….Everything that occupies my mind on a daily basis would be meaningless.   So, what does that leave?  What is really important when all the distractions are stripped away?   And let’s face it; most things are distractions when it comes down to it.\n\nAs I write this, I’m preparing to go to my Aunt Ginny’s funeral (which may be a reason why this topic is on my mind).   Aunt Ginny was a sweet woman and a humble civil servant who worked incredibly hard for her family, as well as the State of Tennessee.   While I didn’t know her inner thoughts, she seemed content with her life.   Even when a stroke severely limited her ability to speak, she continued to chatter away.  When she realized she wasn’t making any sense, she’d simply laugh and say “Fiddlesticks.”  At the end, she was ready to let go of this world.\n\nOver a year ago, my Uncle Bill passed away from pancreatic cancer.  He was a professor, spending most of his career at the Harvard Business School.   Relatively young and successful, he had the means to do almost anything with the time he had left.   Yet, he continued to read and teach, because those were the things he loved to do.   While he had written academic books, he always wanted to try his hand with a novel.  (He ended up writing three.)   When we see that the end is near and we don’t have much we want to change, that’s a good sign we’re living the way we should.\n\nFor most of us, it doesn’t make sense to actually live our lives based on a short-term time horizon.   For one thing, we would run out of money long before we ran out of breath.  There are also goals which are bigger and take longer than a few months to realize.   It’s funny how living a good life often requires a lifetime.   Still, there is something powerful about making the most of every day and living with a sense of urgency.   It might help bring some things into focus, while allowing not so-important things to fade into the background.  So, no more stalling.  The world ends December 21<sup>st</sup>.   What would I do?\n\nAfter I ran around in a state of panic, I hope I’d eventually settle down and try to be silent and listen… Listen to myself, to others, and, if He’s talking, to God.  I would want to make sure I had resolved any issues with my family and friends and, possibly, any enemies too.   I’d probably spend quite a bit of time in prayer and meditation….Not because I’m so holy; mostly because I’m scared and guilt-ridden.    If all we have is till the end of the year, I’m going to be thinking a lot about the afterlife.   Finally, if I’m quiet enough, I often find comfort in the awareness that there is a God and He cares for me.\n\nIdeally, I’d be there for others who might be freaking out.  I’d tell them that, while the end of the world is a big story, it might be overrated.   I mean, we’re all going to die; it’s just a matter of timing.   Naturally, we all want to put it off till the last minute but, if it’s inevitable, why not embrace it?   If we’ve found peace in our lives, there’s no reason we can’t find it in death too.   Or, maybe, it\'s the other way around...When we accept that the world will end for each of us; that is when we find real peace in this life.   In the immortal words of Michael Stipe of REM, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”\n\nIf the world ends on December 21st, what would you do?\n\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal..jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5424\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal.-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>','2012: The End Of The World','','inherit','open','open','','5423-revision-2','','','2012-03-09 07:52:51','2012-03-09 15:52:51','',5423,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/09/5423-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5256,1,'2012-02-23 21:39:00','2012-02-24 05:39:00','It’s amazing the power of one word.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">One word can heal.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">One word can encourage.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Also…one word can destroy.</p>\nLooking back into scripture, we see the example of words bringing life about. Words created what we live today…even the negative of it. So it should come as no surprise when we discover that one word spoken from our lips…or our fingertips…can demolish our character in a nanosecond.\n\nStumbling upon this <a href=\"http://www.thegrio.com/local/chicago/white-chicago-teacher-sues-to-use-n-word-in-class.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a> helped me really take assessment of the words I speak, or have spoken, toward others and myself.\n\nThe teacher in question here was noted as stating, in his defense of utilizing a derogatory word in the education environment as a means of teaching his students what is inappropriate.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\"My character has been assassinated.\"</em></p>\nIt’s amazing how quickly we humans are apt to jump to conclusions before understanding one’s motive.\n\nNow while the word this teacher used, by societal standards, is derogatory, there must be an intentionally place ourselves in positions of examining a situation…and someone’s character…to determine truth rather than what someone has said. In essence, <strong>it takes character on our parts to help determine another\'s character.</strong>\n\nWe are an imperfect species. Due to a fallen nature that has been within the human race since only moments after the dawn of humanity itself, we are trapped with this innate “gut feeling” to always react rather than respond to situations that ruffle our feathers.\n\nHowever, scripture clearly informs us to be lead by the Holy Spirit – whose fruits will be revealed through a key character trait that isn’t innate in humans by nature.\n\nPatience.\n\nIn always redirecting my nearly four-year old son to have patience, when his little mind and body cry out, <em>“I want it now!”</em>…I have to slow his mind down, have him focus on my eyes and voice and let him know, <em>“Slow down buddy…patience. We need to wait for the things we want.”</em>\n\n<em>“Okay, mommy. I\'m sorry.”</em> It is normative response I accrue from him. Yet, most times right now, within five minutes he goes right back to reacting in his nature…rather than using his mind to remember to slow down.\n\nMany of us, including myself, could do with a good dose of this lesson in our own lives to help remind us…\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…slow down.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…listen.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…examine.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…evaluate.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">…wait.</p>\nOh waiting…such a curse word that rings through our ears! How dare anyone ask us to wait…to explain where we are coming from…to not understand us from the moment we speak (or even do something).\n\nThe truth is…if we as Christians are to truly operate in His Spirit…we need to be letting our lives reveal the fruit of His Spirit.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, <strong>patience</strong>, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, <strong>self-control</strong>; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  <strong>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit</strong>.” </em>Gal 5:22-25 (NASB)</p>\nThis situation is a great example of how easy it is in our own spirits, aside from God, to jump to conclusions and assert our beliefs without truly seeking the truth of a matter.\n\nWhen we take matters completely into our own hands, we will not only misunderstand something of someone else, we will potentially destroy who they are to others. This is not how God operates, and unfortunately I all too often have been privy to moments (either directed at me personally…or toward someone else) where another Christian slanders another based upon one word without truly understanding where that person is coming from.\n\nIt’s evident in pulpits too from very well known pastors and church leaders today…and this honestly ails my heart.\n\nFriends, our lives are to be guided by the direction the Holy Spirit gives…and that isn’t by<em> “gut feelings.”</em> There\'s a distinct difference between a <em>“gut feeling”</em> and knowing when God has directed you to do something (and usually, those somethings go against the grains of what society does, believes and even how it responds).\n\nA great lesson we can take from this situation, as Christians, is this…learn to<strong> lean on Christ through every aspect of our lives – especially moments when another’s character is coming into question.</strong>\n\nWe must be diligent about seeking His wisdom above our own findings, beliefs, feeling and evaluations. We must be diligent about slapping everything that crosses our paths – even one single word – up against scripture to see if it is being used in a manner that edifies and glorifies Him (even words that by society’s standards are “unacceptable”). For to anything otherwise, edifies ourselves…and diminishes Him.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***********************</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”</em> –Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.”</em> –Lam 3:40 (NLT)</p>','A Lesson From One Word','','inherit','open','open','','5205-autosave','','','2012-02-23 21:39:00','2012-02-24 05:39:00','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5205-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5217,160,'2012-02-22 13:08:45','2012-02-22 21:08:45','','punisher','','inherit','open','open','','punisher','','','2012-02-22 13:08:45','2012-02-22 21:08:45','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5261,1,'2012-02-23 21:45:41','2012-02-24 05:45:41','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher.jpg\"><img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5217 alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>It’s that time of year, when we’re supposed to give up something for Lent.  Not being Catholic, there’s a lot I don’t know about this sacred spiritual exercise.  Although it sounds a lot like the wooly stuff that accumulates in dryers and belly buttons, I’ve been assured there is absolutely no connection with “lint.”  Never-the-less, whether you are religious or not, “lent,” can be an opportunity to remove the fluffy, extra stuff that accumulates and distracts you from God, nature, family, or even own life.\r\n\r\nIf you’re wondering what to give up, I’ve included a few suggestions to get you started:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li> TV – This is the one I’m choosing this year and, since I’m too weak to go cold turkey, I’m limiting my exposure to one hour a day.  Frankly, I’m worried.  How will I entertain myself with sitcoms and crime dramas <em>and</em> keep up with the Republican Primary?</li>\r\n	<li>Bad Food – Lent is associated with actually fasting, such as giving up a meal a day.  Since most us don’t have the stomach for that, consider cutting out all meat or dessert, or deep fried food.</li>\r\n	<li> Alcohol – I know, drinking is a social thing.   However, not having alcoholic beverages doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your friends.   You’ll just be forced to experience the world without a mind-numbing drug, which might be painfully illuminating.</li>\r\n	<li>Coffee – If caffeine is your drug of choice, cut it out….or switch to tea.   “Waking up” doesn’t have to mean getting jittery.</li>\r\n	<li>Surfing the web – How many hours are spent searching the web for whatever pops into your head?   What’s the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails up to these days?  Answer: not looking “you” up on the internet.   Consider capping the time you google or fritter away on Twitter.</li>\r\n	<li>Texting – Are you “that person” who has to be in constant touch?  Do people really care you’re at the dentist office or in line at the grocery?  Cutting the tiny cryptic messages out and you might have a conversation with the person right in front of you.</li>\r\n	<li>Video games – This one goes out to the youngsters who spend their afternoons killing their friends on Call of Duty or the latest greatest game of death and destruction.</li>\r\n	<li>Money – Put a limit on your expenses and see what’s it’s like to live on minimum wage for a while.    If you don’t already have compassion for the working poor, that ought to do it.</li>\r\n	<li>Gossiping - If you are the neighborhood informant, try making a conscious effort to stop before you start.  I know it’s enticing to pick apart the poor guy who has fallen on hard times.  Just know that, someday, you will be that guy that people are buzzing about.</li>\r\n	<li>Vanity – Is there something you do for your personal appearance that takes up an inordinate amount of time?  If you spend more than 15 minutes on your hair or applying make-up or picking your outfit, you just might be primping.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nRemember, the idea is to choose something that isn’t easy; something that requires a little sacrifice on your part.   It only last 40 days (until Easter) and, according to tradition, you get Sundays off, so you can text or eat or drink or, in my case, go back to regularly scheduled programming.   Who knows?  After 40 days, you may realize your life is better without whatever it was that was so hard to give up.  Even if you pick your habit back up, you’ll know yourself a little better, and that’s worth a lot.\r\n\r\nFeel free to share what you\'re giving up for Lent.','The Lent List ','','inherit','open','open','','5216-revision-4','','','2012-02-23 21:45:41','2012-02-24 05:45:41','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5216-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5218,160,'2012-02-22 13:10:04','2012-02-22 21:10:04','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5217\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\n\nIt’s that time of year, when we’re supposed to give up something for Lent.  Not being Catholic, there’s a lot I don’t know about this sacred spiritual exercise.  Although it sounds a lot like the wooly stuff that accumulates in dryers and belly buttons, I’ve been assured there is absolutely no connection with “lint.”  Never-the-less, whether you are religious or not, “lent,” can be an opportunity to remove the fluffy, extra stuff that accumulates and distracts you from God, nature, family, or even own life.\n\nIf you’re wondering what to give up, I’ve included a few suggestions to get you started:\n<ol>\n	<li> TV – This is the one I’m choosing this year and, since I’m too weak to go cold turkey, I’m limiting my exposure to one hour a day.  Frankly, I’m worried.  How will I entertain myself with sitcoms and crime dramas <em>and</em> keep up with the Republican Primary?</li>\n	<li>Bad Food – Lent is associated with actually fasting, such as giving up a meal a day.  Since most us don’t have the stomach for that, consider cutting out all meat or dessert, or deep fried food.</li>\n	<li> Alcohol – I know, drinking is a social thing.   However, not having alcoholic beverages doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your friends.   You’ll just be forced to experience the world without a mind-numbing drug, which might be painfully illuminating.</li>\n	<li>Coffee – If caffeine is your drug of choice, cut it out….or switch to tea.   “Waking up” doesn’t have to mean getting jittery.</li>\n	<li>Surfing the web – How many hours are spent searching the web for whatever pops into your head?   What’s the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails up to these days?  Answer: not looking “you” up on the internet.   Consider capping the time you google or fritter away on Twitter.</li>\n	<li>Texting – Are you “that person” who has to be in constant touch?  Do people really care you’re at the dentist office or in line at the grocery?  Cutting the tiny cryptic messages out and you might have a conversation with the person right in front of you.</li>\n	<li>Video games – This one goes out to the youngsters who spend their afternoons killing their friends on Call of Duty or the latest greatest game of death and destruction.</li>\n	<li>Money – Put a limit on your expenses and see what’s it’s like to live on minimum wage for a while.    If you don’t already have compassion for the working poor, that ought to do it.</li>\n	<li>Gossiping - If you are the neighborhood informant, try making a conscious effort to stop before you start.  I know it’s enticing to pick apart the poor guy who has fallen on hard times.  Just know that, someday, you will be that guy that people are buzzing about.</li>\n	<li>Vanity – Is there something you do for your personal appearance that takes up an inordinate amount of time?  If you spend more than 15 minutes on your hair or applying make-up or picking your outfit, you just might be primping.</li>\n</ol>\nRemember, the idea is to choose something that isn’t easy; something that requires a little sacrifice on your part.   It only last 40 days (until Easter) and, according to tradition, you get Sundays off, so you can text or eat or drink or, in my case, go back to regularly scheduled programming.   Who knows?  After 40 days, you may realize your life is better without whatever it was that was so hard to give up.  Even if you pick your habit back up, you’ll know yourself a little better, and that’s worth a lot.\n\nFeel free to share what you\'re giving up for Lent.\n\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, feel free to visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.','The Lent List ','','inherit','open','open','','5216-revision','','','2012-02-22 13:10:04','2012-02-22 21:10:04','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5216-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5260,1,'2012-02-23 21:48:58','2012-02-24 05:48:58','','cupcakes','','inherit','open','open','','cupcakes','','','2012-02-23 21:48:58','2012-02-24 05:48:58','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/cupcakes.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5219,160,'2012-02-22 13:13:46','2012-02-22 21:13:46','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5217\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt’s that time of year, when we’re supposed to give up something for Lent.  Not being Catholic, there’s a lot I don’t know about this sacred spiritual exercise.  Although it sounds a lot like the wooly stuff that accumulates in dryers and belly buttons, I’ve been assured there is absolutely no connection with “lint.”  Never-the-less, whether you are religious or not, “lent,” can be an opportunity to remove the fluffy, extra stuff that accumulates and distracts you from God, nature, family, or even own life.\r\n\r\nIf you’re wondering what to give up, I’ve included a few suggestions to get you started:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li> TV – This is the one I’m choosing this year and, since I’m too weak to go cold turkey, I’m limiting my exposure to one hour a day.  Frankly, I’m worried.  How will I entertain myself with sitcoms and crime dramas <em>and</em> keep up with the Republican Primary?</li>\r\n	<li>Bad Food – Lent is associated with actually fasting, such as giving up a meal a day.  Since most us don’t have the stomach for that, consider cutting out all meat or dessert, or deep fried food.</li>\r\n	<li> Alcohol – I know, drinking is a social thing.   However, not having alcoholic beverages doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your friends.   You’ll just be forced to experience the world without a mind-numbing drug, which might be painfully illuminating.</li>\r\n	<li>Coffee – If caffeine is your drug of choice, cut it out….or switch to tea.   “Waking up” doesn’t have to mean getting jittery.</li>\r\n	<li>Surfing the web – How many hours are spent searching the web for whatever pops into your head?   What’s the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails up to these days?  Answer: not looking “you” up on the internet.   Consider capping the time you google or fritter away on Twitter.</li>\r\n	<li>Texting – Are you “that person” who has to be in constant touch?  Do people really care you’re at the dentist office or in line at the grocery?  Cutting the tiny cryptic messages out and you might have a conversation with the person right in front of you.</li>\r\n	<li>Video games – This one goes out to the youngsters who spend their afternoons killing their friends on Call of Duty or the latest greatest game of death and destruction.</li>\r\n	<li>Money – Put a limit on your expenses and see what’s it’s like to live on minimum wage for a while.    If you don’t already have compassion for the working poor, that ought to do it.</li>\r\n	<li>Gossiping - If you are the neighborhood informant, try making a conscious effort to stop before you start.  I know it’s enticing to pick apart the poor guy who has fallen on hard times.  Just know that, someday, you will be that guy that people are buzzing about.</li>\r\n	<li>Vanity – Is there something you do for your personal appearance that takes up an inordinate amount of time?  If you spend more than 15 minutes on your hair or applying make-up or picking your outfit, you just might be primping.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nRemember, the idea is to choose something that isn’t easy; something that requires a little sacrifice on your part.   It only last 40 days (until Easter) and, according to tradition, you get Sundays off, so you can text or eat or drink or, in my case, go back to regularly scheduled programming.   Who knows?  After 40 days, you may realize your life is better without whatever it was that was so hard to give up.  Even if you pick your habit back up, you’ll know yourself a little better, and that’s worth a lot.\r\n\r\nFeel free to share what you\'re giving up for Lent.\r\n\r\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, feel free to visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.','The Lent List ','','inherit','open','open','','5216-revision-2','','','2012-02-22 13:13:46','2012-02-22 21:13:46','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5216-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5220,1,'2012-02-23 21:47:48','2012-02-24 05:47:48','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher.jpg\"><img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5217 alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>It’s that time of year, when we’re supposed to give up something for Lent.  Not being Catholic, there’s a lot I don’t know about this sacred spiritual exercise.  Although it sounds a lot like the wooly stuff that accumulates in dryers and belly buttons, I’ve been assured there is absolutely no connection with “lint.”  Never-the-less, whether you are religious or not, “lent,” can be an opportunity to remove the fluffy, extra stuff that accumulates and distracts you from God, nature, family, or even own life.\n\nIf you’re wondering what to give up, I’ve included a few suggestions to get you started:\n<ol>\n	<li> TV – This is the one I’m choosing this year and, since I’m too weak to go cold turkey, I’m limiting my exposure to one hour a day.  Frankly, I’m worried.  How will I entertain myself with sitcoms and crime dramas <em>and</em> keep up with the Republican Primary?</li>\n	<li>Bad Food – Lent is associated with actually fasting, such as giving up a meal a day.  Since most us don’t have the stomach for that, consider cutting out all meat or dessert, or deep fried food.</li>\n	<li>Alcohol – I know, drinking is a social thing.   However, not having alcoholic beverages doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your friends.   You’ll just be forced to experience the world without a mind-numbing drug, which might be painfully illuminating.</li>\n	<li>Coffee – If caffeine is your drug of choice, cut it out….or switch to tea.   “Waking up” doesn’t have to mean getting jittery.</li>\n	<li>Surfing the web – How many hours are spent searching the web for whatever pops into your head?   What’s the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails up to these days?  Answer: not looking “you” up on the internet.   Consider capping the time you google or fritter away on Twitter.</li>\n	<li>Texting – Are you “that person” who has to be in constant touch?  Do people really care you’re at the dentist office or in line at the grocery?  Cutting the tiny cryptic messages out and you might have a conversation with the person right in front of you.</li>\n	<li>Video games – This one goes out to the youngsters who spend their afternoons killing their friends on Call of Duty or the latest greatest game of death and destruction.</li>\n	<li>Money – Put a limit on your expenses and see what’s it’s like to live on minimum wage for a while.    If you don’t already have compassion for the working poor, that ought to do it.</li>\n	<li>Gossiping - If you are the neighborhood informant, try making a conscious effort to stop before you start.  I know it’s enticing to pick apart the poor guy who has fallen on hard times.  Just know that, someday, you will be that guy that people are buzzing about.</li>\n	<li>Vanity – Is there something you do for your personal appearance that takes up an inordinate amount of time?  If you spend more than 15 minutes on your hair or applying make-up or picking your outfit, you just might be primping.</li>\n</ol>\nRemember, the idea is to choose something that isn’t easy; something that requires a little sacrifice on your part.   It only last 40 days (until Easter) and, according to tradition, you get Sundays off, so you can text or eat or drink or, in my case, go back to regularly scheduled programming.   Who knows?  After 40 days, you may realize your life is better without whatever it was that was so hard to give up.  Even if you pick your habit back up, you’ll know yourself a little better, and that’s worth a lot.\n\nFeel free to share what you\'re giving up for Lent.','The Lent List ','','inherit','open','open','','5216-autosave','','','2012-02-23 21:47:48','2012-02-24 05:47:48','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5216-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5259,1,'2012-02-22 13:13:59','2012-02-22 21:13:59','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-5217\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/punisher-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt’s that time of year, when we’re supposed to give up something for Lent.  Not being Catholic, there’s a lot I don’t know about this sacred spiritual exercise.  Although it sounds a lot like the wooly stuff that accumulates in dryers and belly buttons, I’ve been assured there is absolutely no connection with “lint.”  Never-the-less, whether you are religious or not, “lent,” can be an opportunity to remove the fluffy, extra stuff that accumulates and distracts you from God, nature, family, or even own life.\r\n\r\nIf you’re wondering what to give up, I’ve included a few suggestions to get you started:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li> TV – This is the one I’m choosing this year and, since I’m too weak to go cold turkey, I’m limiting my exposure to one hour a day.  Frankly, I’m worried.  How will I entertain myself with sitcoms and crime dramas <em>and</em> keep up with the Republican Primary?</li>\r\n	<li>Bad Food – Lent is associated with actually fasting, such as giving up a meal a day.  Since most us don’t have the stomach for that, consider cutting out all meat or dessert, or deep fried food.</li>\r\n	<li> Alcohol – I know, drinking is a social thing.   However, not having alcoholic beverages doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your friends.   You’ll just be forced to experience the world without a mind-numbing drug, which might be painfully illuminating.</li>\r\n	<li>Coffee – If caffeine is your drug of choice, cut it out….or switch to tea.   “Waking up” doesn’t have to mean getting jittery.</li>\r\n	<li>Surfing the web – How many hours are spent searching the web for whatever pops into your head?   What’s the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails up to these days?  Answer: not looking “you” up on the internet.   Consider capping the time you google or fritter away on Twitter.</li>\r\n	<li>Texting – Are you “that person” who has to be in constant touch?  Do people really care you’re at the dentist office or in line at the grocery?  Cutting the tiny cryptic messages out and you might have a conversation with the person right in front of you.</li>\r\n	<li>Video games – This one goes out to the youngsters who spend their afternoons killing their friends on Call of Duty or the latest greatest game of death and destruction.</li>\r\n	<li>Money – Put a limit on your expenses and see what’s it’s like to live on minimum wage for a while.    If you don’t already have compassion for the working poor, that ought to do it.</li>\r\n	<li>Gossiping - If you are the neighborhood informant, try making a conscious effort to stop before you start.  I know it’s enticing to pick apart the poor guy who has fallen on hard times.  Just know that, someday, you will be that guy that people are buzzing about.</li>\r\n	<li>Vanity – Is there something you do for your personal appearance that takes up an inordinate amount of time?  If you spend more than 15 minutes on your hair or applying make-up or picking your outfit, you just might be primping.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nRemember, the idea is to choose something that isn’t easy; something that requires a little sacrifice on your part.   It only last 40 days (until Easter) and, according to tradition, you get Sundays off, so you can text or eat or drink or, in my case, go back to regularly scheduled programming.   Who knows?  After 40 days, you may realize your life is better without whatever it was that was so hard to give up.  Even if you pick your habit back up, you’ll know yourself a little better, and that’s worth a lot.\r\n\r\nFeel free to share what you\'re giving up for Lent.\r\n\r\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?   For more information, feel free to visit the <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet website</a>.   Follow on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hometownprophet\">Twitter</a> or like on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/HometownProphet\">Facebook</a>.','The Lent List ','','inherit','open','open','','5216-revision-3','','','2012-02-22 13:13:59','2012-02-22 21:13:59','',5216,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5216-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5222,144,'2012-02-21 21:48:41','2012-02-22 05:48:41','<strong>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage,</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared broached the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','inherit','open','open','','5168-revision-11','','','2012-02-21 21:48:41','2012-02-22 05:48:41','',5168,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/21/5168-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(5225,165,'2012-02-28 08:00:44','2012-02-28 16:00:44','Having an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\r\n\r\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\r\n\r\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\r\n\r\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\r\n\r\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl><dt><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a></dt></dl>For the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\r\n\r\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\r\n\r\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\r\n\r\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\r\n\r\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\r\n\r\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.\r\n\r\n</div>','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','publish','open','open','','religion-isnt-evil-after-all','','','2012-02-25 07:52:23','2012-02-25 15:52:23','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5225',0,'post','',9),(5226,165,'2012-02-22 22:56:31','2012-02-23 06:56:31','','ChurchBuildingInside','I don\'t agree with all of Catholic theology but they sure know how to use imagery in their church buildings, which I enjoy.','inherit','open','open','','churchbuildinginside','','','2012-02-22 22:56:31','2012-02-23 06:56:31','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5227,165,'2012-02-22 23:01:58','2012-02-23 07:01:58','','StainedGlass','Religious? Or misunderstood art? Besides, what\'s wrong with religion anyway?','inherit','open','open','','stainedglass','','','2012-02-22 23:01:58','2012-02-23 07:01:58','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5228,165,'2012-02-22 23:03:01','2012-02-23 07:03:01','Having an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all. \n\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\n\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it. \n\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <i>old</i>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <i>new</i> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\n\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\n\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\n\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <i>means</i> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_5226\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"225\" caption=\"I don&#039;t agree with all of Catholic theology but they sure know how to use imagery in their church buildings, which I enjoy.\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nFor the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\n\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <i>religious</i>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\n\nReligion is actually about <i>devotion</i>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\n\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can. \n\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem. \n\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.\n','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision','','','2012-02-22 23:03:01','2012-02-23 07:03:01','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5229,165,'2012-02-22 23:04:22','2012-02-23 07:04:22','[caption id=\"attachment_5227\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Religious? Or misunderstood art? Besides, what&#039;s wrong with religion anyway?\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass-300x133.jpg\" alt=\"Stained glass windows\" width=\"300\" height=\"133\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5227\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHaving an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all. \r\n\r\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\r\n\r\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it. \r\n\r\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <i>old</i>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <i>new</i> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\r\n\r\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\r\n\r\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <i>means</i> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_5226\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"225\" caption=\"I don&#039;t agree with all of Catholic theology but they sure know how to use imagery in their church buildings, which I enjoy.\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\r\n\r\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <i>religious</i>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\r\n\r\nReligion is actually about <i>devotion</i>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\r\n\r\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can. \r\n\r\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem. \r\n\r\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.\r\n','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision-2','','','2012-02-22 23:04:22','2012-02-23 07:04:22','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5230,165,'2012-02-22 23:11:33','2012-02-23 07:11:33','','StainedGlassFI','','inherit','open','open','','stainedglassfi','','','2012-02-22 23:11:33','2012-02-23 07:11:33','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlassFI.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5231,165,'2012-02-22 23:12:17','2012-02-23 07:12:17','[caption id=\"attachment_5227\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Religious? Or misunderstood art? Besides, what&#039;s wrong with religion anyway?\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5227\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass-300x133.jpg\" alt=\"Stained glass windows\" width=\"300\" height=\"133\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nHaving an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\n\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\n\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\n\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\n\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\n\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\n\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_5226\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"I don&#039;t agree with all of Catholic theology but they sure know how to use imagery in their church buildings, which I enjoy.\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nFor the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\n\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\n\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\n\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\n\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\n\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision-3','','','2012-02-22 23:12:17','2012-02-23 07:12:17','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5235,165,'2012-02-22 23:15:02','2012-02-23 07:15:02','Having an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\r\n\r\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\r\n\r\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\r\n\r\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\r\n\r\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp mceIEcenter\"><dl><dt><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\r\n\r\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\r\n\r\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\r\n\r\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\r\n\r\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\r\n\r\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision-6','','','2012-02-22 23:15:02','2012-02-23 07:15:02','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5232,165,'2012-02-22 23:13:11','2012-02-23 07:13:11','[caption id=\"attachment_5227\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Religious? Or misunderstood art? Besides, what&#039;s wrong with religion anyway?\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5227\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass-300x133.jpg\" alt=\"Stained glass windows\" width=\"300\" height=\"133\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHaving an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\r\n\r\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\r\n\r\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\r\n\r\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\r\n\r\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_5226\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"I don&#039;t agree with all of Catholic theology but they sure know how to use imagery in their church buildings, which I enjoy.\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\r\n\r\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\r\n\r\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\r\n\r\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\r\n\r\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\r\n\r\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision-4','','','2012-02-22 23:13:11','2012-02-23 07:13:11','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5233,165,'2012-02-24 08:40:13','2012-02-24 16:40:13','Having an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\n\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\n\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\n\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\n\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\n\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\n\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl><dt><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a></dt></dl>For the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\n\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\n\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\n\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\n\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\n\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.\n\n</div>','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-autosave','','','2012-02-24 08:40:13','2012-02-24 16:40:13','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5234,165,'2012-02-22 23:14:00','2012-02-23 07:14:00','[caption id=\"attachment_5227\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Religious? Or misunderstood art? Besides, what&#039;s wrong with religion anyway?\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5227\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainedGlass-300x133.jpg\" alt=\"Stained glass windows\" width=\"300\" height=\"133\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHaving an \"evangelical-charismatic\" background, religion is often seen negatively and the word is used in a negative way. But I\'m beginning to discover that religion isn\'t all that evil after all.\r\n\r\nIn my background, religion is defined as a works-based belief that teaches we can set ourselves right with God by doing enough good things, usually by performing \'empty\' rituals and so forth. Imagery like crosses and icons and everything that comes with a grandiose building is all seen as \"religious\". Christianity, however, is \"not a religion but a relationship\". I think most of us are quite akin to this kind of thinking.\r\n\r\nBut I\'ve come to see things differently. I\'ve come to understand that very often what people snidely call \"religious\" isn\'t what they think it is at all. The problem is they just don\'t understand it.\r\n\r\nIf we look at the argument carefully it seems that actually what is being said is if it can\'t be understood then it\'s just empty and therefore \'religious\'. But often it\'s just because evangelical-charistmatics just don\'t like anything <em>old</em>. We\'re moderns through and through, with this subconscious idea in the back of our heads that if it\'s <em>new</em> it\'s better and more Holy Spirit filled. But at the end of the day this may be for no other reason than this is the space where we are comfortable and find it easier to relate to God.\r\n\r\nLet\'s take music for example. It might come as a shock to many of my evangelical-charismatic friends for me to say that the drums are not holier than the organ. Just because I might find I have a better worship experience with a modern rock band singing songs to Jesus doesn\'t make modern rock or rock instruments more authentic than Gregorian Chant or the organ. Perhaps it\'s just a style I prefer. That doesn\'t mean that God works through it any more than other styles. I have a sense that God is far less interested in relevancy than He is in worship that is done in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\nThere is also a reality in saying that most evangelical-charismatics are very practical people. It\'s in our heritage to put practicality first. We also do have the Calvinist-puritan influence when it comes to imagery. As a result, art is relegated to the weird people in the church. We\'ll give space for them in the worship band (as long as they play our rock music) but we\'re not so keen on it when they create any form of imagery. Because, for some reason, imagery is for the secular art gallery, not for the church.\r\n\r\nMaybe we\'re okay, as charismatics, for artists to indulge in \'prophetic art\' but so long as it\'s done in the way that we understand or see prophecy. Here\'s an example and within it lies the crunch: we don\'t classify Catholic imagery as \'art\' but as \'religious\', and we don\'t classify it is \'prophetic\' but as \'empty tradition\'. Meanwhile when you look at a lot of the meaning it is deeply prophetic. The problem is that most of us (many Catholics included) just don\'t understand what it all <em>means</em> (perhaps it\'s too much work to find out?) and if we can\'t understand its meaning we think it\'s empty and not in Spirit and in Truth.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_5226\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"I don&#039;t agree with all of Catholic theology but they sure know how to use imagery in their church buildings, which I enjoy.\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5226\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ChurchBuildingInside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Church Building\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor the first time in my life I\'m doing Lent this year. I\'ve decided to give up chocolate for forty days. That\'s actually going to be difficult because I find every day I have to have a piece of chocolate. And forty days is a long time.\r\n\r\nHaving an evangelical charismatic background, doing Lent can be a bit of a surprise for many of my friends. It seems so, well, <em>religious</em>. But for many Christians throughout the ages and across the world today, Lent carries meaning. For many others they do it because it\'s their culture or tradition. But that doesn\'t mean the practice of Lent doesn\'t have any meaning in itself, it simply means that people are all in different places.\r\n\r\nReligion is actually about <em>devotion</em>, not empty rituals. We find ways in which we can devote ourselves to God. Some of these ways incorporate ideas and imagery we might not understand but for others carry incredibly deep meaning. To look on that negatively might make us evangelical-charismatics the real \'religious\' ones because we\'re basically saying that if Christianity doesn\'t look or smell or taste the way we like it to (according to our tradition, but we\'d never call it that!) then it isn\'t genuine.\r\n\r\nI\'m doing Lent because I want to connect, in a spiritual kind of way, with my Christian brothers and sisters throughout history and across the world today. I want to tap into faith treasures ancient and new (Matthew 13:52). I want to draw out depth wherever I can.\r\n\r\nIn some ways I find I get tired of being a charismatic, which seeks to often separate itself from the rest of the church and church history because it\'s scared of becoming \'religious\' or being associated with religion. Over the last couple of years I\'ve been drawn to liturgical ideas, Christian imagery throughout the ages (I love old church buildings with a strange passion) and all kinds of worship styles (from rock music to Gregorian Chant to Lectio Divina to silent prayer) because if it\'s done in Spirit and in Truth and its focus is on Jesus, I can\'t see why there is a problem.\r\n\r\nThankfully, I\'m in a church family where how I worship isn\'t prescriptive and relationships with each other are put ahead of anything else, except our relationship with Jesus. This makes it a real family (not just a church that claims to be a family but isn\'t) and it\'s the reason why I would never change churches because I\'m looking to worship in a different style (on some Sundays). My post isn\'t a reaction to what happens at my own church – friends I love deeply – but more a statement on the larger evangelical-charismatic culture.','Religion Isn\'t Evil After All','','inherit','open','open','','5225-revision-5','','','2012-02-22 23:14:00','2012-02-23 07:14:00','',5225,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/22/5225-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5342,167,'2012-03-02 08:00:53','2012-03-02 16:00:53','<div>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n-e1330662501400.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-5366\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n-e1330662501400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"243\" /></a>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you have not come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues?\r\n\r\nWell, there probably is no simple answer to why so much religious tension exists; could it be, however, that the starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves <strong>why </strong>we believe what<strong> </strong>believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, <strong>we believe what we are told to believe </strong>or at least for a time we do. This simple statement likely defines the genesis of all of our beliefs which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project that\'s just getting off the ground, which highlights these people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is called  <strong><em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em></strong> and it is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">Kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer—for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At the very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com/\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in this film could help to facilitate this change. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\r\n\r\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized?ref=card\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\r\n\r\n</div>','Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','publish','open','open','','anything-less-would-be-uncivilized','','','2012-03-02 10:17:02','2012-03-02 18:17:02','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5342',0,'post','',0),(5322,12,'2012-02-27 18:10:42','2012-02-28 02:10:42','','list','','inherit','open','open','','list','','','2012-02-27 18:10:42','2012-02-28 02:10:42','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/list.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5323,12,'2012-02-27 18:08:56','2012-02-28 02:08:56','On my blog at <a href=\"www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>, Wordpress keeps track of how people arrive through my site through search engines. the most searched for word combination is \"<em>list of fallen pastors</em>.\" It\'s not rocket surgery that my site would come up since I <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330393386&amp;sr=8-1\">wrote a book on the subject of fallen pastors</a> and I am one.\n\nI\'ve thought about that for a long time. It has boiled in the back of my cerebral cortex for over a year. Why are people searching for a list of fallen pastors?\n\nThere are several types of people who would be looking for that kind of list, I suppose. News outlets, other fallen pastors, people who are judgmental, those outside the church who are looking to brand pastors as hypocrites . . . and the list goes on.\n\nThen I began to ponder - who would have such a list? Is it even possible? There are a lot of pastors in the public eye who have fallen from the ministry. I don\'t even have to list their names here. They\'ve written books, been shamed by the media, been the object of scorn for decades as how not to act in ministry.\n\nI know of one who has such a functional list of the wretched pastors who fell from ministry. These men who once stood high in the pulpit as I once did and fell due to adultery, financial woe, or other sin.\n\n<strong>Who Has a List?</strong>\n\nGod has that list. He knows of all of our transgressions. But there\'s good news. When His people sin and repent, He takes those sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When His people weep over their sin, the bible says he keeps a count of our tossings and our tears, as he traps them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). God doesn\'t keep track of sins like man does. He watches His children as we repent and cast ourselves on Him. He pursues His children when we wander astray like sheep.\n\nThat\'s what He does with His list.\n\n<strong>Who is on the List?</strong>\n\nNext question, who is on the list? Who is a fallen pastor? In my book, I shared the statistic that 33% of active pastors admitted to crossing the line of morality and not confessing it. 1,500 pastors a month leave the pastorate due to conflict, moral failure or burnout. There is a crisis at hand. It would seem that all pastors are fallen. All of us are weak and inept at what we do. We are all incapable of meeting the standards of the human built pedestal. Hidden sins, public sins, and personal conflict make each of us weak at some point.\n\nWhy stop at pastors? It\'s easy to cast a stone at a pastor who has been called by God and placed at the forefront. His is the greater calling. He is called to a higher standard. If any of us needs to remember, we should recall Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us meets the gold standard of God\'s righteousness.\n\nI\'m afraid that there may be a scant few who type in \"list of fallen pastors\" who are seeking to justify their own hearts. None of us is righteous. All of us are stained with sin. It is inescapable. We are all on the list of the fallen. None of us is perfect.\n\nGood news? The forgiveness, love, mercy and grace that God shows to fallen pastors is the same grace He lavishes upon all who seek His face.\n\n<strong>Who Needs the List?</strong>\n\n(Thanks to my amazing wife Allison who just reminded me of this point.)\n\nLets say that this list of fallen pastors existed out there. It doesn\'t. But what if it did? Who would it be for? The media? Those who would be able to scorn and be angry at fallen pastors?\n\nHebrews chapter 11 looks back on the heroes of our faith. Noah. Great guy, built an ark. Got drunk. Abraham, father of Israel, slept with his handmaiden, amongst other things. Moses, great dude. Murderer. David? Did the writer of Hebrews mention David? Really? Great king of Israel. Slept with Bathsheba, killed her husband, had a child by her. He had another child by her. Guess what? That child was in the line of Christ. Hebrews 11 mentions Samson? Really?\n\nI\'m afraid we read our bibles selectively. We view people selectively. We show our love and give our disdain selectively.\n\nIf someone close to us sins, we tend to show anger. We tend to withhold forgiveness. But Galatians 6:1 tells us that those who are closest to those in transgression are those who are most qualified to restore those who sin.\n\nWho needs the list? The churches of those who fall. Find those who fall. Restore them. Seek them out. Because they are hurting. They are lost. They need light. They need help. Without them, we are an incomplete community. You are a body of Christ without an arm. Go get them. I don\'t care if they don\'t want to listen to you at first. They are going to be in rebellion and sin. They need your love and patience. They may never listen. If that\'s the case, Scripture speaks to that too.\n\nYou know who else needs the list? Churches who have fallen pastors wander in looking for a church home. I\'ve got a friend who fell from the ministry 10 years ago. He has tried eight different churches. Each time, he has visited these churches for about a month. Then, he goes to the pastor and says, \"I like what you\'re doing here, I\'d like to be a part of it, but let me tell you what I\'ve been through.\" The second the pastor finds out that he is a fallen minister, he gets arrogant, full of himself and sends him on his way.\n\nFor just a moment, I wish Christ would appear in that meeting. To show my friend His love. To show Him that he is worthy of love and care.\n\nI want my friend to be a part of an authentic Christian community. A community who can look at that list and say, \"We don\'t care where you\'ve bee\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','List of Fallen Pastors','','inherit','open','open','','5321-revision','','','2012-02-27 18:08:56','2012-02-28 02:08:56','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/27/5321-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5324,12,'2012-02-27 18:12:24','2012-02-28 02:12:24','','list5','','inherit','open','open','','list5','','','2012-02-27 18:12:24','2012-02-28 02:12:24','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/list5.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5325,12,'2012-02-27 18:13:43','2012-02-28 02:13:43','','romans323','','inherit','open','open','','romans323','','','2012-02-27 18:13:43','2012-02-28 02:13:43','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/romans323.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5326,12,'2012-02-27 18:11:57','2012-02-28 02:11:57','On my blog at <a href=\"www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>, Wordpress keeps track of how people arrive through my site through search engines. the most searched for word combination is \"<em>list of fallen pastors</em>.\" It\'s not rocket surgery that my site would come up since I <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330393386&amp;sr=8-1\">wrote a book on the subject of fallen pastors</a> and I am one.\n\nI\'ve thought about that for a long time. It has boiled in the back of my cerebral cortex for over a year. Why are people searching for a list of fallen pastors?\n\nThere are several types of people who would be looking for that kind of list, I suppose. News outlets, other fallen pastors, people who are judgmental, those outside the church who are looking to brand pastors as hypocrites . . . and the list goes on.\n\nThen I began to ponder - who would have such a list? Is it even possible? There are a lot of pastors in the public eye who have fallen from the ministry. I don\'t even have to list their names here. They\'ve written books, been shamed by the media, been the object of scorn for decades as how not to act in ministry.\n\nI know of one who has such a functional list of the wretched pastors who fell from ministry. These men who once stood high in the pulpit as I once did and fell due to adultery, financial woe, or other sin.\n\n<strong>Who Has a List?</strong>\n\nGod has that list. He knows of all of our transgressions. But there\'s good news. When His people sin and repent, He takes those sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When His people weep over their sin, the bible says he keeps a count of our tossings and our tears, as he traps them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). God doesn\'t keep track of sins like man does. He watches His children as we repent and cast ourselves on Him. He pursues His children when we wander astray like sheep.\n\nThat\'s what He does with His list.\n\n<strong>Who is on the List?</strong>\n\nNext question, who is on the list? Who is a fallen pastor? In my book, I shared the statistic that 33% of active pastors admitted to crossing the line of morality and not confessing it. 1,500 pastors a month leave the pastorate due to conflict, moral failure or burnout. There is a crisis at hand. It would seem that all pastors are fallen. All of us are weak and inept at what we do. We are all incapable of meeting the standards of the human built pedestal. Hidden sins, public sins, and personal conflict make each of us weak at some point.\n\nWhy stop at pastors? It\'s easy to cast a stone at a pastor who has been called by God and placed at the forefront. His is the greater calling. He is called to a higher standard. If any of us needs to remember, we should recall Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us meets the gold standard of God\'s righteousness.\n\nI\'m afraid that there may be a scant few who type in \"list of fallen pastors\" who are seeking to justify their own hearts. None of us is righteous. All of us are stained with sin. It is inescapable. We are all on the list of the fallen. None of us is perfect.\n\nGood news? The forgiveness, love, mercy and grace that God shows to fallen pastors is the same grace He lavishes upon all who seek His face.\n\n<strong>Who Needs the List?</strong>\n\n(Thanks to my amazing wife Allison who just reminded me of this point.)\n\nLets say that this list of fallen pastors existed out there. It doesn\'t. But what if it did? Who would it be for? The media? Those who would be able to scorn and be angry at fallen pastors?\n\nHebrews chapter 11 looks back on the heroes of our faith. Noah. Great guy, built an ark. Got drunk. Abraham, father of Israel, slept with his handmaiden, amongst other things. Moses, great dude. Murderer. David? Did the writer of Hebrews mention David? Really? Great king of Israel. Slept with Bathsheba, killed her husband, had a child by her. He had another child by her. Guess what? That child was in the line of Christ. Hebrews 11 mentions Samson? Really?\n\nI\'m afraid we read our bibles selectively. We view people selectively. We show our love and give our disdain selectively.\n\nIf someone close to us sins, we tend to show anger. We tend to withhold forgiveness. But Galatians 6:1 tells us that those who are closest to those in transgression are those who are most qualified to restore those who sin.\n\nWho needs the list? The churches of those who fall. Find those who fall. Restore them. Seek them out. Because they are hurting. They are lost. They need light. They need help. Without them, we are an incomplete community. You are a body of Christ without an arm. Go get them. I don\'t care if they don\'t want to listen to you at first. They are going to be in rebellion and sin. They need your love and patience. They may never listen. If that\'s the case, Scripture speaks to that too.\n\nYou know who else needs the list? Churches who have fallen pastors wander in looking for a church home. I\'ve got a friend who fell from the ministry 10 years ago. He has tried eight different churches. Each time, he has visited these churches for about a month. Then, he goes to the pastor and says, \"I like what you\'re doing here, I\'d like to be a part of it, but let me tell you what I\'ve been through.\" The second the pastor finds out that he is a fallen minister, he gets arrogant, full of himself and sends him on his way.\n\nFor just a moment, I wish Christ would appear in that meeting. To show my friend His love. To show Him that he is worthy of love and care.\n\nI want my friend to be a part of an authentic Christian community. A community who can look at that list and say, \"We don\'t care where you\'ve been. We love you for who you are. You belong to us. We are no better, but we serve the same God.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','List of Fallen Pastors','','inherit','open','open','','5321-revision-2','','','2012-02-27 18:11:57','2012-02-28 02:11:57','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/27/5321-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5239,0,'2012-02-23 14:30:13','2012-02-23 22:30:13','theology and the church, liberation theologies, process theology, ecology and the church, hispanics and the church\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Rafael Reyes III\nAUTHOR EMAIL: rafael.reyes@cst.edu\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.processmusings.com,nyts.edu,visionariesofchrist.org\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 108.23.124.40\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Rafael Reyes III\n    [Email] =&gt; rafael.reyes@cst.edu\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.processmusings.com, nyts.edu, visionariesofchrist.org\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; theology and the church, liberation theologies, process theology, ecology and the church, hispanics and the church\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; rafaelr3\n)\n','Rafael Reyes III - 2012-02-23 14:30:13','','publish','open','open','','823e286e901f34ce9c1744ead088af5c','','','2012-02-23 14:30:13','2012-02-23 22:30:13','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5239',0,'feedback','',0),(5240,0,'2012-02-23 14:50:14','2012-02-23 22:50:14','Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Philosophy, Spiritual Practices, and Questions\r\n\r\nJustice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics\r\n\r\nCulture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Poetry and Interviews\r\n\r\nAdditional:\r\nProcess Theology, Liberation Theology, Hispanic Theology, in combination with the church\r\n\r\nI resubmitted to say that I can write in these areas, as well as the additional.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Rafael Reyes III\nAUTHOR EMAIL: rafael.reyes@cst.edu\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.processmusings.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 108.23.124.40\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Rafael Reyes III\n    [Email] =&gt; rafael.reyes@cst.edu\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.processmusings.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith: Spirituality, Theology, Interfaith Dialogue, Philosophy, Spiritual Practices, and Questions\r\n\r\nJustice: Social Justice, Gender Equality, Politics and Economics\r\n\r\nCulture: Movies, Books, Music, Art, Poetry and Interviews\r\n\r\nAdditional:\r\nProcess Theology, Liberation Theology, Hispanic Theology, in combination with the church\r\n\r\nI resubmitted to say that I can write in these areas, as well as the additional.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; rafaelr3\n)\n','Rafael Reyes III - 2012-02-23 14:50:14','','publish','open','open','','1614fccd1c4f86b523632389965c4d46','','','2012-02-23 14:50:14','2012-02-23 22:50:14','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5240',0,'feedback','',0),(5474,154,'2012-03-15 15:16:55','2012-03-15 22:16:55','','areyousure','','inherit','open','open','','areyousure','','','2012-03-15 15:16:55','2012-03-15 22:16:55','',5472,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/areyousure.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5475,154,'2012-03-15 15:17:52','2012-03-15 22:17:52','It was the last week of April and, as usual, we were taking our weekly walk down the tiny trails trying to get to know our neighbors.  We had been in Paraguay about seven months when talk of Mother’s Day rolled around. While we visited that day I noticed a lot of small children. It’s not uncommon for a struggling family to still have six or more kids.\n\nI looked at the economic condition of these people living in what amounted to lean-to’s. Two, sometimes three walls of split coco-palm logs lashed together with vines and topped with grass provided cover from rain. I knew they didn’t have many possessions. I thought how sad it must be for these mothers to watch their little ones grow up and not have any memorabilia of their childhood. Seeing all these little ones bouncing around an idea bounced into my head.\n\nI decided, with each family’s permission, that I would take photos of the kids, have them printed, and mount them in a simple frame as a gift for these hard-working moms. So off we went, walking the 2 ½ kilometers away from the dirt road down foot paths. We spent the afternoon convincing our neighbors that we were not with the CIA and that we were not going to profit from the photos.\n\nI began to snap shots and chat. The more we chatted the more photos we took. Not all of the photos were of the kids; some were of other members of this community. One in particular was of an elderly couple. They were sisters who had lived many years out in these woods. They were probably in their late 60’s and looked enough alike that it was clear they were siblings. I took their picture and told them we would be back to bring the gift in a few days.\n\nTwo weeks passed and we had our photos printed and put in sturdy frames. We piled them in bags and trudged off down the dusty path. After the first couple of drop-offs the kids ran ahead and word spread. Folks were waiting on us as we got close to their homes. Everyone was thrilled with their memories in hand. Then, maybe the oddest thing in my life happened.\n\nOne of the sisters came to get their photo while the other had gone to the creek to fetch water. When she took it, my wife pointed to her face in the picture, saying the word for <em>pretty</em>. <strong>The woman asked who it was.</strong>  We stood there stunned.\n\n<strong>By that question she was telling us that she didn’t know what she looked like.</strong>\n\nShe didn’t have a mirror. She shared clothing with her sister, so that didn’t tip her off. They had no transportation and lived nearly two miles from the closest road that could accommodate a vehicle. They had lived their much of their lives down that winding trail. I don’t know if she had never seen her face reflected or if it had been so long that she had forgotten, but I was caught totally off guard.\n\nOf all the things I take for granted, never once has my reflection even made the list. My wife pointed her out again in the photo, and the lady said “Are you sure?”\n\nShe started touching her hair and face and straightening her clothes like women do. She touched her face with one hand and her image with the other. While we stood their trying to shake away the shock the other woman came back from the creek.\n\nOur friend called out for her to come and see the photo we had brought. The other sister came and looked and asked, “Which one am I?”\n\nThis time her sister pointed out “They said this is me and that one is you.” The second sister primped a little and asked the same question as the first, “Are you sure?”\n\nThere are days I get up and I go to my bathroom and look into that mirror. I wonder, “Who is that guy looking at me?” Then I hear the whisper of my God speak something to my soul and tell me who I am. Stunned I stare back and ask “Are you sure?”\n\n<strong>Have you ever forgotten who you are? Do you trust God when He tells you who you are?</strong>','Are You Sure?','','inherit','open','open','','5472-revision-2','','','2012-03-15 15:17:52','2012-03-15 22:17:52','',5472,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5472-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5476,154,'2012-03-15 15:19:15','2012-03-15 22:19:15','It was the last week of April and, as usual, we were taking our weekly walk down the tiny trails trying to get to know our neighbors.  We had been in Paraguay about seven months when talk of Mother’s Day rolled around. While we visited that day I noticed a lot of small children. It’s not uncommon for a struggling family to still have six or more kids.\n\nI looked at the economic condition of these people living in what amounted to lean-to’s. Two, sometimes three walls of split coco-palm logs lashed together with vines and topped with grass provided cover from rain. I knew they didn’t have many possessions. I thought how sad it must be for these mothers to watch their little ones grow up and not have any memorabilia of their childhood. Seeing all these little ones bouncing around an idea bounced into my head.\n\nI decided, with each family’s permission, that I would take photos of the kids, have them printed, and mount them in a simple frame as a gift for these hard-working moms. So off we went, walking the 2 ½ kilometers away from the dirt road down foot paths. We spent the afternoon convincing our neighbors that we were not with the CIA and that we were not going to profit from the photos.\n\nI began to snap shots and chat. The more we chatted the more photos we took. Not all of the photos were of the kids; some were of other members of this community. One in particular was of an elderly couple. They were sisters who had lived many years out in these woods. They were probably in their late 60’s and looked enough alike that it was clear they were siblings. I took their picture and told them we would be back to bring the gift in a few days.\n\nTwo weeks passed and we had our photos printed and put in sturdy frames. We piled them in bags and trudged off down the dusty path. After the first couple of drop-offs the kids ran ahead and word spread. Folks were waiting on us as we got close to their homes. Everyone was thrilled with their memories in hand. Then, maybe the oddest thing in my life happened.\n\nOne of the sisters came to get their photo while the other had gone to the creek to fetch water. When she took it, my wife pointed to her face in the picture, saying the word for <em>pretty</em>. <strong>The woman asked who it was.</strong>  We stood there stunned.\n\n<strong>By that question she was telling us that she didn’t know what she looked like.</strong>\n\nShe didn’t have a mirror. She shared clothing with her sister, so that didn’t tip her off. They had no transportation and lived nearly two miles from the closest road that could accommodate a vehicle. They had lived there much of their lives down that winding trail. I don’t know if she had never seen her face reflected or if it had been so long that she had forgotten, but I was caught totally off guard.\n\nOf all the things I take for granted, never once has my reflection even made the list. My wife pointed her out again in the photo, and the lady said “Are you sure?”\n\nShe started touching her hair and face and straightening her clothes like women do. She touched her face with one hand and her image with the other. While we stood their trying to shake away the shock the other woman came back from the creek.\n\nOur friend called out for her to come and see the photo we had brought. The other sister came and looked and asked, “Which one am I?”\n\nThis time her sister pointed out “They said this is me and that one is you.” The second sister primped a little and asked the same question as the first, “Are you sure?”\n\nThere are days I get up and I go to my bathroom and look into that mirror. I wonder, “Who is that guy looking at me?” Then I hear the whisper of my God speak something to my soul and tell me who I am. Stunned I stare back and ask “Are you sure?”\n\n<strong>Have you ever forgotten who you are? Do you trust God when He tells you who you are?</strong>','Are You Sure?','','inherit','open','open','','5472-revision-3','','','2012-03-15 15:19:15','2012-03-15 22:19:15','',5472,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5472-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5321,12,'2012-03-07 08:00:13','2012-03-07 16:00:13','On my blog at <a href=\"www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>, Wordpress keeps track of how people arrive to my site through search engines. The most searched for word combination is \"<em>list of fallen pastors</em>.\" It\'s not rocket surgery that my site would come up since I <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330393386&amp;sr=8-1\">wrote a book on the subject of fallen pastors</a> and I am one.\r\n\r\nI\'ve thought about that for a long time. It has boiled in the back of my cerebral cortex for over a year. Why are people searching for a list of fallen pastors?\r\n\r\nThere are several types of people who would be looking for that kind of list, I suppose. News outlets, other fallen pastors, people who are judgmental, those outside the church who are looking to brand pastors as hypocrites . . . and the list goes on.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/list5.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-5324\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/list5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" /></a>Then I began to ponder - who would have such a list? Is it even possible? There are a lot of pastors in the public eye who have fallen from the ministry. I don\'t even have to list their names here. They\'ve written books, been shamed by the media, been the object of scorn for decades as how not to act in ministry.\r\n\r\nI know of one who has such a functional list of the wretched pastors who fell from ministry. These men who once stood high in the pulpit as I once did and fell due to adultery, financial woe, or other sin.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who Has a List?</strong>\r\n\r\nGod has that list. He knows of all of our transgressions. But there\'s good news. When His people sin and repent, He takes those sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When His people weep over their sin, the bible says he keeps a count of our tossings and our tears, as he traps them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). God doesn\'t keep track of sins like man does. He watches His children as we repent and cast ourselves on Him. He pursues His children when we wander astray like sheep.\r\n\r\nThat\'s what He does with His list.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who is on the List?</strong>\r\n\r\nNext question, who is on the list? Who is a fallen pastor? In my book, I shared the statistic that 33% of active pastors admitted to crossing the line of morality and not confessing it. 1,500 pastors a month leave the pastorate due to conflict, moral failure or burnout. There is a crisis at hand. It would seem that all pastors are fallen. All of us are weak and inept at what we do. We are all incapable of meeting the standards of the human built pedestal. Hidden sins, public sins, and personal conflict make each of us weak at some point.\r\n\r\nWhy stop at pastors? It\'s easy to cast a stone at a pastor who has been called by God and placed at the forefront. His is the greater calling. He is called to a higher standard. If any of us needs to remember, we should recall Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us meets the gold standard of God\'s righteousness.\r\n\r\nI\'m afraid that there may be a scant few who type in \"list of fallen pastors\" who are seeking to justify their own hearts. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/romans323.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5325\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/romans323-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" /></a>None of us is righteous. All of us are stained with sin. It is inescapable. We are all on the list of the fallen. None of us is perfect.\r\n\r\nGood news? The forgiveness, love, mercy and grace that God shows to fallen pastors is the same grace He lavishes upon all who seek His face.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who Needs the List?</strong>\r\n\r\n(Thanks to my amazing wife Allison who just reminded me of this point.)\r\n\r\nLets say that this list of fallen pastors existed out there. It doesn\'t. But what if it did? Who would it be for? The media? Those who would be able to scorn and be angry at fallen pastors?\r\n\r\nHebrews chapter 11 looks back on the heroes of our faith. Noah. Great guy, built an ark. Got drunk. Abraham, father of Israel, slept with his handmaiden, amongst other things. Moses, great dude. Murderer. David? Did the writer of Hebrews mention David? Really? Great king of Israel. Slept with Bathsheba, killed her husband, had a child by her. He had another child by her. Guess what? That child was in the line of Christ. Hebrews 11 mentions Samson? Really?\r\n\r\nI\'m afraid we read our bibles selectively. We view people selectively. We show our love and give our disdain selectively.\r\n\r\nIf someone close to us sins, we tend to show anger. We tend to withhold forgiveness. But Galatians 6:1 tells us that those who are closest to those in transgression are those who are most qualified to restore those who sin.\r\n\r\nWho needs the list? The churches of those who fall. Find those who fall. Restore them. Seek them out. Because they are hurting. They are lost. They need light. They need help. Without them, we are an incomplete community. You are a body of Christ without an arm. Go get them. I don\'t care if they don\'t want to listen to you at first. They are going to be in rebellion and sin. They need your love and patience. They may never listen. If that\'s the case, Scripture speaks to that too.\r\n\r\nYou know who else needs the list? Churches who have fallen pastors wander in looking for a church home. I\'ve got a friend who fell from the ministry 10 years ago. He has tried eight different churches. Each time, he has visited these churches for about a month. Then, he goes to the pastor and says, \"I like what you\'re doing here, I\'d like to be a part of it, but let me tell you what I\'ve been through.\" The second the pastor finds out that he is a fallen minister, he gets arrogant, full of himself and sends him on his way.\r\n\r\nFor just a moment, I wish Christ would appear in that meeting. To show my friend His love. To show Him that he is worthy of love and care.\r\n\r\nI want my friend to be a part of an authentic Christian community. A community who can look at that list and say, \"We don\'t care where you\'ve been. We love you for who you are. You belong to us. We are no better, but we serve the same God.\"','List of Fallen Pastors','','publish','open','open','','list-of-fallen-pastors','','','2012-03-30 09:48:29','2012-03-30 16:48:29','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5321',0,'post','',7),(5242,1,'2012-02-12 00:32:56','2012-02-12 08:32:56','I can\'t state it for a fact, but I may be the most conservative writer on Provoketive. That being said, I love the opinions that are shared here. I don\'t always agree with my fellow writers, but I would die for their rights to share their opinions.\r\n\r\nAll of us have the absolute right to share our opinions. The freedom we have to express our opinions is guaranteed by the Constitution. And the suppression of any of any person\'s rights is the suppression of all of our rights.\r\n\r\nI was surfing the glorious Internet tonight and came across Garth Brooks\' song, \"We Shall Be Free.\" This year is the 2oth anniversary of that song. Let me give a disclaimer. I cannot stand country music. I would rather listen to someone scrape their nails across a blackboard for 24 hours than listen to \"Red Solo Cup\" by Toby Keith one more time. I even live less than an hour from Nashville and can say that.\r\n\r\nThat being said, Garth Brooks\' song, \"We Shall Be Free\" was a very controversial song in 1992. It wasn\'t written by him, but after seeing the L. A. Riots, he took it to heart and recorded it. It became a song that decried against intolerance for many things.\r\n\r\nFor a man like Garth Brooks, it was a huge thing. He was at the pinnacle of his career. He had the attention of the Bible Belt, the South, and much of the country. He had a sellout crowd wherever he went and if he wanted to, all he had to do was sing, \"Friends in Low Places\" and wear his headset and cowboy boots and make a fortune. But that wasn\'t enough.\r\n\r\nSet the stage for Super Bowl XXVII. He was asked to sing the national anthem. He agreed to do it, but he told NBC that he wanted them to air his video for \"We Shall Be Free\" as well. Here it is:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ0DXLm5pd4\r\n\r\nFor 1992, it was hugely controversial. He was taking to task topics like <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Shall_Be_Free\">homophobia, world hunger, racism, and freedom of religion</a>. NBC balked and told him they wouldn\'t air it. He walked out of the stadium. That\'s a man of principle. Finally, at the last minute, they made a deal to air part of the video later.\r\n\r\nA video like that today would have been aired with no problem. The network executives wouldn\'t have batted an eye. But back in 1992, there was a war going on. Not just on the ground, but of values and sensitivity.\r\n\r\nI don\'t always agree with my fellow writers here, but I stand by their right to say whatever they want. And here, I stand by a man like Garth Brooks who stood firm in his resolve. A man who had millions in his bank account yet knew there was something larger on the horizon. He saw suffering in the world and used his voice to make sure people heard him. He knew people would listen if he spoke.\r\n\r\nThe point? Use your voice. People won\'t always agree, and that\'s fine. Every person in this world has the capacity to make their own mind up. They have the same resources everyone else does. Everyone has a story and a right to speak. The truth will always come to be known in the end. So be bold, be loud and be courageous.\r\n\r\nKnow what is right by digging deep and being sure. And in the end, stand for truth.\r\n\r\nEndnotes: <em>\"We Shall Be Free\" won video of the year at the 1993 Academy of Country Music Awards; It was also played during Obama\'s inaugural celebration.</em>','\"We Shall Be Free\"','','inherit','open','open','','5054-revision-6','','','2012-02-12 00:32:56','2012-02-12 08:32:56','',5054,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/12/5054-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5243,1,'2012-02-23 20:03:16','2012-02-24 04:03:16','<em><strong>Kindness</strong>. Kindness, one could say, is one of the ways love paints itself on the world. An act of kindness can be imprinted on our lives and impact us for years to come. </em>\n\nIn honor of this season of love, I remember moments of kindness. And in remembering I notice the impact of kindness in the past still emanating and touching me. How will you engage kindness today?\n\n<strong>Wheelchair Key</strong>\nThe wheelchair was the golden key. As old and sketchy as it was, fake brown leather on the back and bits of rust on the handles, showing its years of living in the Elks Club basement—it was the golden key. It was the key that let us through the entrance, around the bock side of the stadium, past the line of people wrapping around the block.\n\n“Right this way ‘mam”, the guard said as he unhooked the barrier and waved us through.\n\n“To the left and to the front row of the second level”, the usher pointed us to the area where wheelchairs and their pushers could see.\n\nWhere we could see Candidate Barack Obama speak. The wheel chair was the key. Or was it kindness?\n\nThe kindness of the friend who offered to take me, a woman who had been severely ill, still struggling to stand up to shower, to the one outing she’d had in months that didn’t involve a hospital or a doctors office. The kindness of a friend who was willing to turn around and go home at any time if I needed to. A friend who put her desire to see our future president aside and did what ever she could to get me there.\n\nHer kindness was the key.\n\n<strong>A Rose</strong>\nA long stemmed rose.\nFrom a grinning four-year-old.\nOn Mother’s Day.\nTo one without children of her own.\nTransported through the aisle of the church,\nClutched in his little hands,\nOffering love to a\nMothering presence in his life.\n\n<strong>One Hug</strong>\nIt was time to leave the local potluck. I’d been brave. Having lived in a new city for only a week or two, I’d shown up at an event where I didn’t know anyone and proceeded to meet many.\n\nI reached out my hand to our hosts, Bob and Carol, a lovely older couple with salt-of-the-earth souls.\n\n“We hug in this house” said Bob, and embraced me with my first Richmond hug.','Kindness: The Arms of Love','','inherit','open','open','','5082-autosave','','','2012-02-23 20:03:16','2012-02-24 04:03:16','',5082,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5082-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5244,1,'2012-02-12 18:14:12','2012-02-13 02:14:12','<em><strong>Kindness</strong>. Kindness, one could say, is one of the ways love paints itself on the world.  An act of kindness can be imprinted on our lives and impact us for years to come. \r\n\r\nIn honor of this season of love, I remember moments of kindness. And in remembering I notice the impact of kindness in the past still emanating and touching me.  How will you engage kindness today? </em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Wheelchair Key</strong>\r\nThe wheelchair was the golden key. As old and sketchy as it was, fake brown leather on the back and bits of rust on the handles, showing its years of living in the Elks Club basement—it was the golden key.  It was the key that let us through the entrance, around the bock side of the stadium, past the line of people wrapping around the block.  \r\n\r\n“Right this way ‘mam”, the guard said as he unhooked the barrier and waved us through.  \r\n\r\n“To the left and to the front row of the second level”, the usher pointed us to the area where wheelchairs and their pushers could see. \r\n\r\nWhere we could see Candidate Barack Obama speak. The wheel chair was the key. Or was it kindness?\r\n\r\nThe kindness of the friend who offered to take me, a woman who had been severely ill, still struggling to stand up to shower, to the one outing she’d had in months that didn’t involve a hospital or a doctors office. The kindness of a friend who was willing to turn around and go home at any time if I needed to. A friend who put her desire to see our future president aside and did what ever she could to get me there.  \r\n\r\nHer kindness was the key. \r\n\r\n<strong>A Rose</strong>\r\nA long stemmed rose. \r\nFrom a grinning four-year-old.  \r\nOn Mother’s Day. \r\nTo one without children of her own.\r\nTransported through the aisle of the church, \r\nClutched in his little hands, \r\nOffering love to a\r\nMothering presence in his life.  \r\n\r\n\r\n<strong>One Hug</strong>\r\nIt was time to leave the local potluck. I’d been brave. Having lived in a new city for only a week or two, I’d shown up at an event where I didn’t know anyone and proceeded to meet many. \r\n\r\nI reached out my hand to our hosts, Bob and Carol, a lovely older couple with salt-of-the-earth souls.  \r\n\r\n“We hug in this house” said Bob, and embraced me with my first Richmond hug.  \r\n','Kindness: The Arms of Love','','inherit','open','open','','5082-revision-7','','','2012-02-12 18:14:12','2012-02-13 02:14:12','',5082,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/12/5082-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5245,1,'2012-02-23 20:02:08','2012-02-24 04:02:08','<em><strong>Kindness</strong>. Kindness, one could say, is one of the ways love paints itself on the world. An act of kindness can be imprinted on our lives and impact us for years to come. </em>\r\n\r\nIn honor of this season of love, I remember moments of kindness. And in remembering I notice the impact of kindness in the past still emanating and touching me. How will you engage kindness today?\r\n\r\n<strong>Wheelchair Key</strong>\r\nThe wheelchair was the golden key. As old and sketchy as it was, fake brown leather on the back and bits of rust on the handles, showing its years of living in the Elks Club basement—it was the golden key. It was the key that let us through the entrance, around the bock side of the stadium, past the line of people wrapping around the block.\r\n\r\n“Right this way ‘mam”, the guard said as he unhooked the barrier and waved us through.\r\n\r\n“To the left and to the front row of the second level”, the usher pointed us to the area where wheelchairs and their pushers could see.\r\n\r\nWhere we could see Candidate Barack Obama speak. The wheel chair was the key. Or was it kindness?\r\n\r\nThe kindness of the friend who offered to take me, a woman who had been severely ill, still struggling to stand up to shower, to the one outing she’d had in months that didn’t involve a hospital or a doctors office. The kindness of a friend who was willing to turn around and go home at any time if I needed to. A friend who put her desire to see our future president aside and did what ever she could to get me there.\r\n\r\nHer kindness was the key.\r\n\r\n<strong>A Rose</strong>\r\nA long stemmed rose.\r\nFrom a grinning four-year-old.\r\nOn Mother’s Day.\r\nTo one without children of her own.\r\nTransported through the aisle of the church,\r\nClutched in his little hands,\r\nOffering love to a\r\nMothering presence in his life.\r\n\r\n<strong>One Hug</strong>\r\nIt was time to leave the local potluck. I’d been brave. Having lived in a new city for only a week or two, I’d shown up at an event where I didn’t know anyone and proceeded to meet many.\r\n\r\nI reached out my hand to our hosts, Bob and Carol, a lovely older couple with salt-of-the-earth souls.\r\n\r\n“We hug in this house” said Bob, and embraced me with my first Richmond hug.','Kindness: The Arms of Love','','inherit','open','open','','5082-revision-8','','','2012-02-23 20:02:08','2012-02-24 04:02:08','',5082,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5082-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5246,1,'2012-02-17 10:13:04','2012-02-17 18:13:04','Many of us maybe have maybe heard in church that we\'re supposed to \"put\" God at the center of everything, consider God<em> first</em>, or something along those lines.  This probably works well when it comes to the evangelical notion of \"spending time with God,\" but I think it might betray something unworkable about how we often think of God\'s relationship to the world. What I\'ve noticed is that there seems to be, very generally speaking, at least two kinds of faith that are being practiced in the Christian context that reveal this.  My suggestion is that the second kind is far more livable than the first.\r\n\r\nFirst, there\'s the faith that takes this teaching quite literally and attempts to see God in everything with the best of intentions.  The consequence here though sometimes amounts to interventionist supernaturalism, in which God is understood to be playing a coercive orchestration game in all areas of life, and is thought of as related to us only <em>externally</em>.  In other words, God becomes the direct cause of everything good that happens to us, from <em>outside</em> and<em> above, </em>while the bad things are just seen as mysterious and sort of swept under the rug.\r\n\r\nThe other kind of faith - one that I\'m trying to explore and practice more in my own life - might go something like what Henri Nouwen says here:\r\n<blockquote>\"While personal concern is sustained by a continuously growing faith in the value and meaning of life, the deepest motivation [going into] the future is hope.  For hope makes it possible to look <em>beyond the fulfillment of urgent wishes</em> <em>and pressing desires</em> and offers a vision beyond human suffering and even death. <strong>[The Christian life] therefore is not called \"Christian\" because it is permeated with optimism against all the odds of life</strong>, <strong>but because it is grounded in the historic Christ-event which is understood as a definitive breach in the deterministic chain of human trial and error</strong>, and as a dramatic affirmation that there is light on the other side of darkness.\" - from <em>The Wounded Healer</em></blockquote>\r\nI do not see this as the easy solution or as the only clear alternative necessarily, but I think the juxtaposition of these two approaches can be helpful - especially with respect to reducing anxiety and simplifying, at least conceptually<em>,</em> the path of discipleship that is already difficult enough to lead.  Why?  Because on the one hand, God is still being trusted and credited as the one who empowers and persuades - enables - where human striving has been exhausted, but on the other hand is not trusted or credited in such a way that distracts us with personalistic ideas of God\'s will - a way of faith that sounds synonymous with Western cultural tendency of individualist exceptionalism.  We want so bad for our lives to matter and for there to be meaning or calling in our vocations.  And I believe that there is.  The problems comes when we cross the fine line that separates this genuine human desire from egoism and idolatry that waits on the other side.\r\n\r\nI hope that this distinction makes sense, and I\'m curious as to whether it resonates with others.\r\n\r\nIn case we think, however, that this is an excuse to wait around and hope for God in mere contemplative inaction, Nouwen elsewhere declares the following:\r\n<blockquote>“You are Christian only so long as you constantly pose critical questions to the society you live in, so long as you emphasize the need of conversion both for yourself and for the world, so long as you in no way let yourself become established in the situation of the world, so long as you stay unsatisfied with the status quo and keep saying that a new world is yet to come. You are Christian only when you believe you have a role to play in the realization of the new kingdom, and when you urge everyone you meet with holy unrest to make haste so that the promise might soon be fulfilled. So long as you live as a Christian you keep looking for a new order, a new structure, a new life.”</blockquote>\r\nThis presents a challenge to those in the ministry for instance who make it their first priority to preserve and grow specific institutions or to please their constituencies.  It is likewise a charge against those who\'d like to serve their own ends while giving only occasional credence to \"what really matters.\"  I\'ve definitely been guilty of this one.  So rather, we must somehow strive to order our lives in such a way as to be at once full of hope for the coming of God and yet faithful to the everyday mission of reconciliation, with God as our enabler.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','two kinds of faith: from interventional to enabling ','','inherit','open','open','','4866-revision-10','','','2012-02-17 10:13:04','2012-02-17 18:13:04','',4866,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/17/4866-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(5248,1,'2012-02-23 20:48:43','2012-02-24 04:48:43','Many of us maybe have maybe heard in church that we\'re supposed to \"put\" God at the center of everything, consider God<em> first</em>, or something along those lines.  This probably works well when it comes to the evangelical notion of \"spending time with God,\" but I think it might betray something unworkable about how we often think of God\'s relationship to the world. What I\'ve noticed is that there seems to be, very generally speaking, at least two kinds of faith that are being practiced in the Christian context that reveal this.  My suggestion is that the second kind is far more livable than the first.\r\n\r\nFirst, there\'s the faith that takes this teaching quite literally and attempts to see God in everything with the best of intentions.  The consequence here though sometimes amounts to interventionist supernaturalism, in which God is understood to be playing a coercive orchestration game in all areas of life, and is thought of as related to us only <em>externally</em>.  In other words, God becomes the direct cause of everything good that happens to us, from <em>outside</em> and<em> above, </em>while the bad things are just seen as mysterious and sort of swept under the rug.\r\n\r\nThe other kind of faith - one that I\'m trying to explore and practice more in my own life - might go something like what Henri Nouwen says here:\r\n<blockquote>\"While personal concern is sustained by a continuously growing faith in the value and meaning of life, the deepest motivation [going into] the future is hope.  For hope makes it possible to look <em>beyond the fulfillment of urgent wishes</em> <em>and pressing desires</em> and offers a vision beyond human suffering and even death. <strong>[The Christian life] therefore is not called \"Christian\" because it is permeated with optimism against all the odds of life</strong>, <strong>but because it is grounded in the historic Christ-event which is understood as a definitive breach in the deterministic chain of human trial and error</strong>, and as a dramatic affirmation that there is light on the other side of darkness.\" - from <em>The Wounded Healer</em></blockquote>\r\nI do not see this as the easy solution or as the only clear alternative necessarily, but I think the juxtaposition of these two approaches can be helpful - especially with respect to reducing anxiety and simplifying, at least conceptually<em>,</em> the path of discipleship that is already difficult enough to lead.  Why?  Because on the one hand, God is still being trusted and credited as the one who empowers and persuades - enables - where human striving has been exhausted, but on the other hand is not trusted or credited in such a way that distracts us with personalistic ideas of God\'s will - a way of faith that sounds synonymous with Western cultural tendency of individualist exceptionalism.  We want so bad for our lives to matter and for there to be meaning or calling in our vocations.  And I believe that there is.  The problems comes when we cross the fine line that separates this genuine human desire from egoism and idolatry that waits on the other side.\r\n\r\nI hope that this distinction makes sense, and I\'m curious as to whether it resonates with others.\r\n\r\nIn case we think, however, that this is an excuse to wait around and hope for God in mere contemplative inaction, Nouwen elsewhere declares the following:\r\n<blockquote>“You are Christian only so long as you constantly pose critical questions to the society you live in, so long as you emphasize the need of conversion both for yourself and for the world, so long as you in no way let yourself become established in the situation of the world, so long as you stay unsatisfied with the status quo and keep saying that a new world is yet to come. You are Christian only when you believe you have a role to play in the realization of the new kingdom, and when you urge everyone you meet with holy unrest to make haste so that the promise might soon be fulfilled. So long as you live as a Christian you keep looking for a new order, a new structure, a new life.”</blockquote>\r\nThis presents a challenge to those in the ministry for instance who make it their first priority to preserve and grow specific institutions or to please their constituencies.  It is likewise a charge against those who\'d like to serve their own ends while giving only occasional credence to \"what really matters.\"  I\'ve definitely been guilty of this one.  So rather, we must somehow strive to order our lives in such a way as to be at once full of hope for the coming of God and yet faithful to the everyday mission of reconciliation, with God as our enabler.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','From Interventional to Enabling ','','inherit','open','open','','4866-revision-11','','','2012-02-23 20:48:43','2012-02-24 04:48:43','',4866,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/4866-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(5249,1,'2012-02-23 20:57:04','2012-02-24 04:57:04','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#39;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this opening gambit of Hauerwas I could not help but be reminded of my own experience encountering similar teaching in a different context.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well-known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day-to-day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\n\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\n\nWhilst theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptoms of their ailment. And, of course, - so the logic went - since that individual \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for continued medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\n\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammar of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C.\n\nTo say that Jesus defeated war in that he opened the possibility for the humanity to share in seeing the unveiling of the reign of God where, as another chapter of Isaiah (11) puts it the \"wolf and the lamb shall feed together\", and end all strife is one thing. To say that the wolf and lamb are actually feeding together when, in fact, the wolf is neck-deep feeding on the lamb\'s bloody carcass is another thing entirely. To deny this is the case now (which is not the same as saying it always will be the case) amounts to nothing less than a denial of human freedom.\n\nHauerwas\' broader point - which is surely right - is that the Church should be taking its cue on how it views in the light of the new creation that was begun in Christ.  Hauerwas thinks this should be done by denying the reality of war - the problem with such an approach is that this places the imperfect messy church that is made up of sinners on the way to salvation in the same situation as those who \'named and claimed\' their healing. The New Testament talks of a Church that is vulnerable and riven with strife and offers advice on how to resolve these differences according to a different ethic from that of the world according to the way of Jesus. As the Bride of Christ the church will be \'made ready\' but we are not there yet; saying otherwise is simply denial.\n\n&nbsp;\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important; margin: 0!important;\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-autosave','','','2012-02-23 20:57:04','2012-02-24 04:57:04','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5177-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5250,1,'2012-02-23 20:59:34','2012-02-24 04:59:34','','end of war','','inherit','open','open','','end-of-war','','','2012-02-23 20:59:34','2012-02-24 04:59:34','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/end-of-war.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5251,1,'2012-02-19 13:31:04','2012-02-19 21:31:04','[caption id=\"attachment_5180\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Source: Wikimedia Commons - Delacroix&#039;s Christ on the Cross\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5180\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/360px-Eugène_Delacroix_Christ_on_the_Cross_sketch_1845-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe theologian Stanley Hauerwas begins his recent book <em>War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity</em> with the typically Hauerwasian statement:\r\n<blockquote>This is a modest book with an immodest purpose: to convince Christians that war has been abolished. The grammar of that sentence is very important: the past tense is deliberate. I do not want to convince Christians to work for the abolition of war, but rather I want us to live recognizing that in the cross of Christ war has already been abolished (Kindle 98)</blockquote>\r\nIs it really the case that war has been abolished? Clearly much depends on what Hauerwas means by \"already been abolished\". However, reading this opening gambit of Hauerwas I could not help but be reminded of my own experience encountering similar teaching in a different context.  I began my Christian life within pentecostalism, even to the point of attending a pentecostal theological college (seminary for US readers). As is well-known pentecostalism is an expressive form of Christianity and one in which God was seen to be very active in the day-to-day affairs of her followers. Miracles were regularly claimed to have happened and, following the interpolated end of Mark\'s gospel it was thought divine healing, after the fashion of Jesus\' own ministry, would be a regular feature of the believers\' life.\r\n\r\nBelief in divine healing, or at least the possibility of divine healing, is widespread across the Christian church but where a lot of pentecostalism (not all) differed was in the belief put forward in precisely the same terms set out by Hauerwas. In the atonement Jesus made provision for the healing of all sickness. Taking their cue from Isaiah 53 teachers would proclaim that \'by his stripes you have been healed\' (i.e., the death of Christ provided for the healing of the body in the here and now).\r\n\r\nWhilst theologically problematic what made the doctrine extremely damaging was not the conviction that on the cross Jesus defeated sickness but rather the belief that since this healing had already been provided for in the atonement any failure to see healing was a consequence of a lack of faith. The result was a plethora of individuals who claimed their healing \'in faith\' whilst continuing to exhibit the symptoms of their ailment. And, of course, - so the logic went - since that individual \'had\' (note the grammar) been healed what reason was there for continued medication? For most this resulted in trials of faith and self recrimination but for an unfortunate few the result was serious illness or death. All because, like Hauerwas, they paid attention to the \'grammar\' of what Jesus achieved in his atoning death.\r\n\r\nSo, am I saying Hauerwas is guilty of spiritual abuse in the same manner of these huckster preachers? No, but that does not mean that this line of thinking is not problematic. Hauerwas comments that some may think his grammar of the atonement is \'foolish,\' he is right, and I count myself among the number of those who do so. Whether God is, to use philosophical language, atemporal (timeless) is a question that has been outstanding for millennia (for the record, I answer in the negative) but the Church is, very much, a product of the world where B follows A and precedes C.\r\n\r\nTo say that Jesus defeated war in that he opened the possibility for the humanity to share in seeing the unveiling of the reign of God where, as another chapter of Isaiah (11) puts it the \"wolf and the lamb shall feed together\", and end all strife is one thing. To say that the wolf and lamb are actually feeding together when, in fact, the wolf is neck-deep feeding on the lamb\'s bloody carcass is another thing entirely. To deny this is the case now (which is not the same as saying it always will be the case) amounts to nothing less than a denial of human freedom.\r\n\r\nHauerwas\' broader point - which is surely right - is that the Church should be taking its cue on how it views in the light of the new creation that was begun in Christ.  Hauerwas thinks this should be done by denying the reality of war - the problem with such an approach is that this places the imperfect messy church that is made up of sinners on the way to salvation in the same situation as those who \'named and claimed\' their healing. The New Testament talks of a Church that is vulnerable and riven with strife and offers advice on how to resolve these differences according to a different ethic from that of the world according to the way of Jesus. As the Bride of Christ the church will be \'made ready\' but we are not there yet; saying otherwise is simply denial.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<blockquote><img class=\" guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq guqmleqgnbrgvrovzzzq\" style=\"border: none!important;margin: 0!important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=nicodemist-21&amp;l=as2&amp;o=2&amp;a=0801039290\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" /></blockquote>','The Death of War?','','inherit','open','open','','5177-revision-14','','','2012-02-19 13:31:04','2012-02-19 21:31:04','',5177,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/19/5177-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(5252,1,'2012-02-23 21:01:58','2012-02-24 05:01:58','One of my favorite things to do as a kid was run off to the convenience store down from my neighborhood, search through the little book section they had, and find all of the Choose Your Own Adventure books that I could get my hands on. I would always sit down with it on my bed, and coach myself before opening it.\n\n“Just do what you think will make the best ending. Read through it once, don’t skip back or ahead, and enjoy the story.”\nHowever fast-forward ten minutes and you would see a child shuffling back and forth through every single page, scouring the little paperback for every possible ending to the story.\n\nIn some ways, these experiences jaded me as an adult. I look at my own life, and paired against the backdrop of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, the real world is so much more stressful.\n\nIt’s stressful because you get one shot to do the right thing. It’s stressful because, if you choose poorly, you can’t just flip back a few pages and try again.\n\nIf life were more like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, it would not only have more dinosaurs and spies (the best of those books had both), it would make decisions much easier.\n\nBut for every moment that I feel jaded about not having the chance to go back and redo some of the major milestones in my life there are many more moments of joy in the realization that I have to fully rely on God.\n\nIt isn’t up to me to choose the right adventure for my life. God’s already planned it out. I don’t have the ability to look ahead a few pages and see how things will end up, but I do have the ability to rest in the knowledge that, so long as I follow Him, my story will have the best ending it possibly could have.\n\nWe are given this wisdom in Jeremiah:\n\n<em>“For I know the plans I have for you,\" declares the LORD, \"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”</em> – Jeremiah 29:11\n\nSure, if I wanted to I could ruin the adventure by charging full-force towards what I feel the best ending would be. But just as on my bed as a kid, my idea of the best ending is never quite as good as the one I actually find by just sitting back and enjoying the story.\n\nIn my own life, the plans I have for myself will forever pale in comparison to the awesome things God wants to do through me…and through you…if we only let Him.\n\nSo the next time you find yourself wondering if you’re the best adventure has been chosen for your life, don’t be upset that you can’t read ahead.\n\nJust rest in knowing that God can.','Choose To Not Choose Your Own Adventure','','inherit','open','open','','5200-autosave','','','2012-02-23 21:01:58','2012-02-24 05:01:58','',5200,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/23/5200-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5253,1,'2012-02-23 21:06:33','2012-02-24 05:06:33','','jump','','inherit','open','open','','jump','','','2012-02-23 21:06:33','2012-02-24 05:06:33','',5200,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jump.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5254,1,'2012-02-20 09:22:29','2012-02-20 17:22:29','One of my favorite things to do as a kid was run off to the convenience store down from my neighborhood, search through the little book section they had, and find all of the Choose Your Own Adventure books that I could get my hands on. I would always sit down with it on my bed, and coach myself before opening it.\r\n“Just do what you think will make the best ending. Read through it once, don’t skip back or ahead, and enjoy the story.”\r\nHowever fast-forward ten minutes and you would see a child shuffling back and forth through every single page, scouring the little paperback for every possible ending to the story.\r\nIn some ways, these experiences jaded me as an adult. I look at my own life, and paired against the backdrop of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, the real world is so much more stressful.\r\nIt’s stressful because you get one shot to do the right thing. It’s stressful because, if you choose poorly, you can’t just flip back a few pages and try again.\r\nIf life were more like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, it would not only have more dinosaurs and spies (the best of those books had both), it would make decisions much easier.\r\nBut for every moment that I feel jaded about not having the chance to go back and redo some of the major milestones in my life there are many more moments of joy in the realization that I have to fully rely on God.\r\nIt isn’t up to me to choose the right adventure for my life. God’s already planned it out. I don’t have the ability to look ahead a few pages and see how things will end up, but I do have the ability to rest in the knowledge that, so long as I follow Him, my story will have the best ending it possibly could have.\r\nWe are given this wisdom in Jeremiah:\r\n“For I know the plans I have for you,\" declares the LORD, \"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11\r\nSure, if I wanted to I could ruin the adventure by charging full-force towards what I feel the best  ending would be. But just as on my bed as a kid, my idea of the best ending is never quite as good as the one I actually find by just sitting back and enjoying the story.\r\nIn my own life, the plans I have for myself will forever pale in comparison to the awesome things God wants to do through me…and through you…if we only let Him.\r\nSo the next time you find yourself wondering if you’re the best adventure has been chosen for your life, don’t be upset that you can’t read ahead.\r\nJust rest in knowing that God can.\r\n','Choose To Not Choose Your Own Adventure','','inherit','open','open','','5200-revision-2','','','2012-02-20 09:22:29','2012-02-20 17:22:29','',5200,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/20/5200-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),