(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),(7363,189,'2012-08-06 12:54:16','2012-08-06 19:54:16','Explain the two words spoken by Jesus—“Follow me”—in 1000 words or less? Hmmm. Maybe I should just stop right there and let you think this through on your own.\n\nMy understanding of what it means to follow Him has changed over the years. Perhaps our understanding of “following” is <em>supposed</em> to change over time as our maturity in the Lord grows in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the ways we experience Him with others. Because I can’t claim to know <em>everything</em> about following Jesus, the best I can offer is to share <em>some</em> of the things I’ve learned about following Jesus—beginning with what “following Jesus” is <strong><em>not</em><em>.</em></strong>\n\n<strong>Following Jesus is not the same thing as: </strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Following the teachings of Jesus, or following doctrines, creeds, or denominational statements of faith.</li>\n	<li>Following a Bible Reading Plan, memorizing scripture, or claiming a “life verse”.</li>\n	<li>Following “religious convictions”, or acting upon those convictions, alone or as a group, purely for the sake of acting upon convictions.</li>\n	<li>Attending a weekly worship service, and maybe a midweek prayer meeting or Bible study, or meeting with a small group or accountability partner.</li>\n</ul>\nThere isn’t anything wrong with doing these things. In fact, I  follow  Jesus today because others encouraged me to do these things over the course of my spiritual journey.  “Christian practices” are not the same thing as following Jesus. <em></em>I know a lot <em>about</em> <em>Jesus</em> by studying, talking about or meditating on these things—but knowing a lot <em>about Jesus</em> isn’t the same as <em>knowing Jesus</em>. It helps to know Who you’re following.<strong><em></em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>“Follow me.”</em></strong>  Two words caused Simon and Andrew to drop their fishing nets.  James and John “left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went off after Him.” (Mark 1:20 Amplified). Levi, son of Alphaeus, left his tax booth: “he arose and joined Him and His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him.” (Mark 2:14 Amp). Philip ran to find his friend Nathanael and they too followed Him. Twelve men, in all, apparently left their life’s work to follow Jesus.\n\nI find it interesting that the Amplified Version conveys that the words “follow me” carry the connotation, “side with my party\".  Against the backdrop of  first century Hebrew culture—oppressed by the conquering Romans, looking for Messiah to deliver the Children of Israel and fulfill all the promises of the Old Testament—we read Nathanael’s confession, “Teacher, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49) and the reason the twelve “followed” begins to come into focus.  Over the course of the next three and a half years, these men—and later Saul of Tarsus, among others—would come to understand that following Jesus isn’t about following teachings, doctrines, scriptures, convictions or attending religious meetings.  Men and women down through centuries found, in the Gospels and other writings of the New Testament, not <em>something</em> to believe in and follow, but rather <strong><em>Someone</em></strong> to believe in and follow.\n\nTo follow Jesus is to follow a living <strong><em>Person!</em></strong>\n<blockquote><strong><em> </em></strong>“And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.”__John 1:14 (Amp)\n\n“For it has <strong>pleased</strong> [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should <strong>dwell</strong> in Him permanently.”__ Colossians 1:19 (Amp)</blockquote>\nFollowing a living Person, who is the Christ, comes with a cost, which He explained Himself to His disciples:\n<blockquote>“And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, <sup> </sup>forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].” __Luke 9:23 (Amp)</blockquote>\nWhat do we have to gain by following this all-wonderful, all-glorious, all-divine Person? What is the outcome we look forward to? For starters, eternal life! Make that eternal, <strong><em>abundant</em> </strong>life, sustained by Christ who <strong><em>is</em></strong> our life! Many more “rewards” are promised to faithful followers who overcome the trials and temptations of this world—check out the letters to the seven churches in John’s last book!\n\nThere’s another important thing I’ve learned about following Jesus: it’s something we do <strong><em>together</em></strong>.\n\nFollowing Jesus is following a living <strong><em>Person</em></strong>…<strong><em>together!</em></strong>\n<blockquote>“When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory. __Colossians 3:4 (Amp)</blockquote>','Two Words','','inherit','open','open','','7337-autosave','','','2012-08-06 12:54:16','2012-08-06 19:54:16','',7337,'http://provoketive.com/2012/07/31/7337-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5468,30,'2012-03-15 06:52:01','2012-03-15 13:52:01','<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>\n<strong>\n</strong>\n\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.','Apologies to the Old Feminists','','inherit','open','open','','5465-revision-2','','','2012-03-15 06:52:01','2012-03-15 13:52:01','',5465,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5465-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5469,30,'2012-03-15 07:04:33','2012-03-15 14:04:33','<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>\n<strong>\n</strong>\n\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','Apologies to the Old Feminists','','inherit','open','open','','5465-revision-3','','','2012-03-15 07:04:33','2012-03-15 14:04:33','',5465,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5465-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5470,30,'2012-03-15 07:43:57','2012-03-15 14:43:57','<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>\n<strong>\n</strong>\n\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 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 run with them.','The Old Feminists Were Right','','inherit','open','open','','5465-revision-4','','','2012-03-15 07:43:57','2012-03-15 14:43:57','',5465,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5465-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5472,154,'2012-03-24 08:00:20','2012-03-24 15:00:20','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?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-sure','','','2012-03-23 09:30:46','2012-03-23 16:30:46','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5472',0,'post','',10),(5473,154,'2012-03-15 11:24:46','2012-03-15 18:24:46','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','','','2012-03-15 11:24:46','2012-03-15 18:24:46','',5472,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5472-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5257,1,'2012-02-23 21:42:03','2012-02-24 05:42:03','','waiting','','inherit','open','open','','waiting-2','','','2012-02-23 21:42:03','2012-02-24 05:42:03','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/waiting.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5258,1,'2012-02-20 10:44:14','2012-02-20 18:44:14','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-2','','','2012-02-20 10:44:14','2012-02-20 18:44:14','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/20/5205-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5291,82,'2012-02-24 17:02:32','2012-02-25 01:02:32','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-5','','','2012-02-24 17:02:32','2012-02-25 01:02:32','',5205,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5205-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5262,134,'2012-02-29 08:00:13','2012-02-29 16:00:13','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&nbsp;<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&nbsp;<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','','publish','open','open','','lent-then-and-now','','','2012-02-28 10:57:24','2012-02-28 18:57:24','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5262',0,'post','',0),(5263,134,'2012-02-24 06:04:57','2012-02-24 14:04:57','','800px-St.Ulrich_am_Pillersee_-_Deckenfresko_1b_500x250','','inherit','open','open','','800px-st-ulrich_am_pillersee_-_deckenfresko_1b_500x250','','','2012-02-24 06:04:57','2012-02-24 14:04:57','',5262,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/800px-St.Ulrich_am_Pillersee_-_Deckenfresko_1b_500x250.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (5264,134,'2012-02-24 05:52:45','2012-02-24 13:52:45','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-revision','','','2012-02-24 05:52:45','2012-02-24 13:52:45','',5262,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5262-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5265,134,'2012-02-24 06:06:03','2012-02-24 14:06:03','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-2','','','2012-02-24 06:06:03','2012-02-24 14:06:03','',5262,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5262-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5458,0,'2012-03-14 14:46:30','2012-03-14 21:46:30','Faith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Chaz Henderson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: chazwhend@aol.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://upfromthemat.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 99.103.14.76\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Chaz Henderson\n    [Email] =&gt; chazwhend@aol.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://upfromthemat.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; chazwhend\n)\n','Chaz Henderson - 2012-03-14 14:46:30','','publish','open','open','','54ecd1f29526e05a1bfc2bbd5a2144e6','','','2012-03-14 14:46:30','2012-03-14 21:46:30','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5458',0,'feedback','',0),(6358,178,'2012-05-01 10:56:15','2012-05-01 17:56:15','What is religion?  What is spirituality?  Are the two at odds with one another?  Or can a person be both spiritual and religious?  And can a person truly be one without the other?\n\nEarlier this month, Amy Julia Becker <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-julia-becker/why-i-am-both-spiritual-and-religious_b_1386187.html?ref=parents\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">wrote a piece for the Huffington Post</span></strong></a> in which she eloquently and persuasively lays out the reasons why religion and spirituality are not at odds with one another.  She explains that she needs the freedom of spirituality and the authority of religion in order to “remember or discover meaning and purpose” within her day-to-day life.\n\n“[R]eligion and spirituality are not opposed to each other,” she says. “Rather, they are two poles on a continuum, and both reflect the human need to know God\'s presence and to experience the deep rest and purpose that comes from that knowledge.”\n\nTrue, indeed. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/979763_hope.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6345\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/979763_hope.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"209\" /></a>\n\nI can’t help but notice, however, that religion is frequently portrayed as the bad cop to spirituality’s good cop in the religion versus spirituality debate.  Religion is the rule-setting parent; spirituality is the free-loving older sister.  Religion is standardized tests; spirituality is an independent study course.  Religion is a curfew on prom night; spirituality is trustful permission and keys to the car.\n\nDiscussions about religion and spirituality tend to focus on religion as a structure of rules, judgment, rituals, and inconvenience, and certainly some religions do prioritize these components of their theology.  But what these characterizations miss is the fact that, at its heart, religion is about <em>community</em>.  It is about accountability to oneself and one’s community, not just to God.   It is about support and friendship and love given from one’s religious network, not just from God.  It is about respect and faithfulness to one’s neighbors, not just allegiance to God’s will.\n\nGroundbreaking studies revealed in the book <a href=\"http://americangrace.org/\"><strong><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us</span></em></strong></a> show that religious Americans are generally nicer, happier, better citizens.  Religious Americans tend to be more generous with their time, talent, and resources to both religious and secular causes.  They are more likely to join volunteer associations, attend public meetings, and respond more compassionately when others wrong them.\n\nBut, perhaps, the most startling revelation in the book comes from studies showing that good neighborliness and happiness is attributed not to theology, but rather to religious <em>communities</em>.  According to the book’s authors, Robert Putnam and David Campbell, data reveals that “communities of faith seem more important than faith itself.”\n\nChurchgoers are not hardwired to be more generous and nicer people; instead, being part of a religious community promotes altruistic acts.  Religion fosters accountability, not through God-fearing rules or antiquated rituals, but through supportive and encouraging faith communities.\n\nA strong faith network affects neighborliness and generosity even more than the frequency with which one participates in religious activities and spiritual practices.   In other words, it is a faith-based social network formed through simple things like making friends at church, chatting at coffee hour following church service, joining a small group, or even discussing religion or theology with friends and family that is a far greater contributor to the level of generosity and altruism that person exhibits than the frequency with which a person attends worship services.    In fact, according to Putnam and Campbell, an atheist who is socially involved in a church community is more likely to volunteer than a believer who worships in isolation.\n\nReligious communities – like all communities – have their drawbacks and my own faith in organized religion is frequently called in doubt.  But accepting a religious community requires the recognition that a religious community is flawed, just as each of its human components is flawed.  It is not the commission of mistakes, but the response to the mistakes, that matter.\n\nReligion is not about regular Sunday church attendance.  Religion is not about making the sign of the cross or genuflecting or saying the “Our Father.”  Religion is not even about a devout and unwavering belief in God.\n\nReligion is about deliberate and intentional behaviors and practices within a faith-based community that allow grace, compassion, love and forgiveness to thrive.  Religion is about drawing on the support of God through the presence of a supportive community.  Religion is about the awareness of the things in our life that may be out of sync with living a graceful and grace-filled life, and purposefully trying to correct those flaws.\n\nBy refocusing religion on the communities that it creates, we can rid ourselves of the characterizations of fear, judgment, and rigidity that many of us have come to associate with religion.  We are free to create our own definitions of what it means to engage in spiritual practices within a religion.  Spirituality and religion need not be “two poles on the continuum,” but spirituality and religion can be part and parcel of each other, each of which is sustained by a vibrant community.\n\nReligion is often associated with regular church attendance and, for some, worship services are a crucial part of their personal religious and spiritual practices.  For others, religion need not be so narrowly defined.  For the past four years I have been part of a small faith group – there are about five of us - that meets monthly over dinner to talk about God and social justice, personal struggles and work stress, emotional failures and successes, spirituality and religion.  Some of us go to church on a regular basis, many of us don’t.  Some of us believe in God, some of us doubt.  What we lack in rules and rituals, shared beliefs and theology, we more than make up for through our supportive, intentional, contemplative, and grace-filled community.  And it is in that community, that our group is religion.','The Smallest Church in the World','','inherit','open','open','','6339-autosave','','','2012-05-01 10:56:15','2012-05-01 17:56:15','',6339,'http://provoketive.com/2012/04/28/6339-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5463,125,'2012-03-23 08:00:42','2012-03-23 15:00:42','Rest is good. We are creatures with a desire to rest built into our systems. Sure, many of us choose to ignore this part of our design, and would rather fill the Sabbath times with as many distractions as possible. But sooner or later, running our bodies like this will shut them down. Our very Creator rested, not necessarily because He needed it but as a model for how we should approach living.\r\n\r\nHe also designed the Sabbath so we can reflect on our limitations, and how it is only through Him we really get anything done.\r\n\r\n“Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ” Ezekiel 20:12\r\n\r\nThe world and culture in which we as humans are tasked to care for and maintain was specifically created to include Sabbath times. There is darkness, each night, for Sabbath hours. There are weekends, each week, for Sabbath days. There are sunny weeks and months of summer, each year, for Sabbath vacations.\r\n\r\nThere is retirement, when we get older, for Sabbath seasons.\r\n\r\nGod wants us to rest. But are we really doing it? When is the last time that your Sabbath rest really accomplished the goal of entering God’s rest?\r\n\r\n“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11\r\n\r\nGranted, the question here is not whether you are strictly observing Saturday or Sunday as your Sabbath day, or summer vacation as your Sabbath time. We have freedom in Christ and there is freedom in when we share that time.\r\n\r\nThe question is…are you resting at all?\r\n\r\nI know that I tend to err on the side of not resting. I try and load in as much stuff as I can, often to the point of failing to meet some of my commitments simply because I have made too many. But our rest is divinely instituted. Who am I to ignore that part of God’s command? When you work and work without resting, it is as if you are telling God that you can handle it on your own. You don’t need His rest.\r\n\r\n“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30\r\n\r\nI have recently really had this lesson brought down on me the hard way. As a senior in high school, I felt God call me into pastoral ministry. It is a calling I still cling to, and I am, for the first time, feeling Him lead me into ministry rather than simply put the calling in me.\r\n\r\nFor the past several years, I have been working in my own strength, trying to accomplish as much as possible on my own.\r\n\r\nAnd I realized that I wasn’t doing very much.\r\n\r\nI wasn’t doing much because I wasn’t setting aside time to rest. But it is when we rest in our Creator that we are empowered to do the big stuff He wants us to do. It is when we take the time to soak Him in that we are able to pour Him out.\r\n\r\nThat being said, I am fully planning on resting as much as I can this summer. I have not taken the opportunity to do it since I was a kid, where summers of Sabbath are probably best experienced. But until we realize that we cannot work without rest…\r\n\r\n…I wonder if we will ever reach our real calling?\r\n\r\nI will be praying that you find time to rest, worship in your rest, and realize the power you have when you aren’t struggling to get work done with just your own puny strength. Don’t ever feel bad for relaxing from your work.\r\n\r\n“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” Mark 6:31\r\n\r\nNow I am going to lay on the porch.','The Habit of Shabbat','','publish','open','open','','the-habit-of-shabbat','','','2012-03-22 14:00:32','2012-03-22 21:00:32','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5463',0,'post','',0),(5464,125,'2012-03-15 05:57:54','2012-03-15 12:57:54','Rest is good. We are creatures with a desire to rest built into our systems. Sure, many of us choose to ignore this part of our design, and would rather fill the Sabbath times with as many distractions as possible. But sooner or later, running our bodies like this will shut them down. Our very Creator rested, not necessarily because He needed it but as a model for how we should approach living.\n\nHe also designed the Sabbath so we can reflect on our limitations, and how it is only through Him we really get anything done.\n\n“Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ” Ezekiel 20:12\n\nThe world and culture in which we as humans are tasked to care for and maintain was specifically created to include Sabbath times. There is darkness, each night, for Sabbath hours. There are weekends, each week, for Sabbath days. There are sunny weeks and months of summer, each year, for Sabbath vacations.\n\nThere is retirement, when we get older, for Sabbath seasons.\n\nGod wants us to rest. But are we really doing it? When is the last time that your Sabbath rest really accomplished the goal of entering God’s rest?\n\n“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11\n\nGranted, the question here is not whether you are strictly observing Saturday or Sunday as your Sabbath day, or summer vacation as your Sabbath time. We have freedom in Christ and there is freedom in when we share that time.\n\nThe question is…are you resting at all?\n\nI know that I tend to err on the side of not resting. I try and load in as much stuff as I can, often to the point of failing to meet some of my commitments simply because I have made too many. But our rest is divinely instituted. Who am I to ignore that part of God’s command? When you work and work without resting, it is as if you are telling God that you can handle it on your own. You don’t need His rest.\n\n“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30\n\nI have recently really had this lesson brought down on me the hard way. As a senior in high school, I felt God call me into pastoral ministry. It is a calling I still cling to, and I am, for the first time, feeling Him lead me into ministry rather than simply put the calling in me.\n\nFor the past several years, I have been working in my own strength, trying to accomplish as much as possible on my own.\n\nAnd I realized that I wasn’t doing very much.\n\nI wasn’t doing much because I wasn’t setting aside time to rest. But it is when we rest in our Creator that we are empowered to do the big stuff He wants us to do. It is when we take the time to soak Him in that we are able to pour Him out.\n\nThat being said, I am fully planning on resting as much as I can this summer. I have not taken the opportunity to do it since I was a kid, where summers of Sabbath are probably best experienced. But until we realize that we cannot work without rest…\n\n…I wonder if we will ever reach our real calling?\n\nI will be praying that you find time to rest, worship in your rest, and realize the power you have when you aren’t struggling to get work done with just your own puny strength. Don’t ever feel bad for relaxing from your work.\n\n“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” Mark 6:31\n\nNow I am going to lay on the porch.','','','inherit','open','open','','5463-revision','','','2012-03-15 05:57:54','2012-03-15 12:57:54','',5463,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5463-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5465,30,'2012-03-16 08:00:24','2012-03-16 15:00:24','<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>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<strong>~Erma Bombeck</strong>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\nI\'m pretty sure Erma was talking about me in that quote.\r\n\r\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.\r\n\r\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.\r\n\r\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.\r\n\r\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.\r\n\r\nSuddenly those old feminists don\'t sound so crazy. That torch that Erma was talking about is starting to look pretty dim.\r\n\r\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.\r\n\r\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','','publish','open','open','','the-old-feminists-were-right','','','2012-03-16 07:38:17','2012-03-16 14:38:17','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5465',0,'post','',9),(5466,30,'2012-03-15 06:37:00','2012-03-15 13:37:00','<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>\n<strong>\n</strong>\n\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.','Apologies to the Old Feminists','','inherit','open','open','','5465-revision','','','2012-03-15 06:37:00','2012-03-15 13:37:00','',5465,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/15/5465-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5267,0,'2012-02-24 06:58:47','2012-02-24 14:58:47','Faith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Alex Bowens\nAUTHOR EMAIL: alexwbowens@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://creativeinvironment.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 206.81.250.254\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Alex Bowens\n    [Email] =&gt; alexwbowens@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; creativeinvironment.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; creativei\n)\n','Alex Bowens - 2012-02-24 06:58:47','','publish','open','open','','7204e0c0bedf33723c9744ad85d84aa1','','','2012-02-24 06:58:47','2012-02-24 14:58:47','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5267',0,'feedback','',0),(5327,12,'2012-02-27 18:14:25','2012-02-28 02:14:25','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-3','','','2012-02-27 18:14:25','2012-02-28 02:14:25','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/27/5321-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5328,12,'2012-02-27 18:14:47','2012-02-28 02:14:47','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-4','','','2012-02-27 18:14:47','2012-02-28 02:14:47','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/27/5321-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5335,1,'2012-02-28 10:56:51','2012-02-28 18:56:51','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-4','','','2012-02-28 10:56:51','2012-02-28 18:56:51','',5262,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/28/5262-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5336,1,'2012-02-28 11:02:19','2012-02-28 19:02:19','','rihanna and chris','','inherit','open','open','','rihanna-and-chris','','','2012-02-28 11:02:19','2012-02-28 19:02:19','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/rihanna-and-chris.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5337,1,'2012-02-24 19:38:27','2012-02-25 03:38:27','“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>','Abuse and Baked Goods: Changing the Narrative','','inherit','open','open','','5281-revision-7','','','2012-02-24 19:38:27','2012-02-25 03:38:27','',5281,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/24/5281-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5338,0,'2012-02-28 22:16:05','2012-02-29 06:16:05','Hi,\r\n\r\nI wanted to show you a cool web dictionary. I\'m sure you\'ll like it and your blog readers would find it interesting, useful and fun-to-use.\r\n\r\nURL - http://www.soslang.com\r\n\r\nSo Slang is an un-complicated online slang dictionary which is contributed and edited by thousands of people online just like you. Unlike formal dictionaries, you can add your own meaning to millions of words.\r\n\r\nIn Short, So Slang is the biggest hub for street definitions of each and every word in the dictionary. You can read more about SoSlang at http://www.soslang.com/about/.\r\n\r\nHave a look at it, it would surely interest you.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Linda Malone\nAUTHOR EMAIL: lindamalone4@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 122.161.28.211\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Linda Malone\n    [Email] =&gt; lindamalone4@yahoo.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; Hi,\r\n\r\nI wanted to show you a cool web dictionary. I\'m sure you\'ll like it and your blog readers would find it interesting, useful and fun-to-use.\r\n\r\nURL - http://www.soslang.com\r\n\r\nSo Slang is an un-complicated online slang dictionary which is contributed and edited by thousands of people online just like you. Unlike formal dictionaries, you can add your own meaning to millions of words.\r\n\r\nIn Short, So Slang is the biggest hub for street definitions of each and every word in the dictionary. You can read more about SoSlang at http://www.soslang.com/about/.\r\n\r\nHave a look at it, it would surely interest you.\n)\n','Linda Malone - 2012-02-28 22:16:05','','publish','open','open','','ace13e6c8aa0916d29cab3f8957b2283','','','2012-02-28 22:16:05','2012-02-29 06:16:05','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5338',0,'feedback','',0),(5340,0,'2012-02-29 11:41:58','2012-02-29 19:41:58','Spirituality practiced together as couples--and in particular the healing properties of such practices.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Joseph Farmer\nAUTHOR EMAIL: dd964vet@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://lightontoourpath.wordpress.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 98.144.6.122\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Joseph Farmer\n    [Email] =&gt; dd964vet@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://lightontoourpath.wordpress.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Spirituality practiced together as couples--and in particular the healing properties of such practices. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; GTSjoe\n)\n','Joseph Farmer - 2012-02-29 11:41:58','','publish','open','open','','7618c763d07ef924fa14eeff3ef28e87','','','2012-02-29 11:41:58','2012-02-29 19:41:58','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5340',0,'feedback','',0),(5358,167,'2012-03-01 13:30:11','2012-03-01 21:30:11','<div>\n\nDo 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? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\n\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a 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 most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-16','','','2012-03-01 13:30:11','2012-03-01 21:30:11','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(5359,35,'2012-03-03 08:00:57','2012-03-03 16:00:57','In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me.”  “Follow” means to pursue the one in front of you.  But later in John 15:26, Jesus said he would send us the Helper, the Spirit of Truth once he ascended to the Father.  The name “Helper” is translated from the Greek word “Paracletos” which means “one called alongside to help”.  Here’s a poem about my sidecar travels with God.\r\n\r\n<strong>Road Trip</strong>\r\n\r\nYou always take me out of my comfort zone.\r\n\r\nDo I take you out of yours?\r\n\r\nI feel like you write\r\n\r\n“Problem Child” on my report card\r\n\r\nand let the angels see it\r\n\r\nwho are assigned to the war zone\r\n\r\nthat’s my life.\r\n\r\nI want to please you, then I don’t\r\n\r\nand have to apologize later.\r\n\r\nI read that you accept me as I am,\r\n\r\nforgive and forget, etc.\r\n\r\nWhat’s up with that?\r\n\r\nAre you sure?  Are you safe?\r\n\r\nHow do I know for real?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYes, I read the story of David\r\n\r\nand Peter and sweet little Samuel.\r\n\r\nSo?  That’s them, not me.\r\n\r\nThey made it in the Book.\r\n\r\nGoody for them.\r\n\r\nGold stars on the refrigerator.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI vacillate wildly\r\n\r\nbetween trust and despair\r\n\r\nand keeping out of your hair\r\n\r\n(do you have hair?).\r\n\r\nAnd here you go again,\r\n\r\nasking me to follow you.\r\n\r\nI haven’t exactly been an angel lately.\r\n\r\nI’m not at my best, and you know that, but…\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou’re going to butt in, aren’t you.\r\n\r\nSometimes I can predict you,\r\n\r\nbut mostly not.\r\n\r\nAlright, if you really want me that badly,\r\n\r\nhere I am with my imperfections,\r\n\r\njumping into the sidecar again.','Road Trip','','publish','open','open','','road-trip','','','2012-03-01 22:09:59','2012-03-02 06:09:59','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5359',0,'post','',0),(5360,35,'2012-03-01 13:47:40','2012-03-01 21:47:40','','sidecar','','inherit','open','open','','sidecar','','','2012-03-01 13:47:40','2012-03-01 21:47:40','',5359,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sidecar.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5361,35,'2012-03-01 13:45:51','2012-03-01 21:45:51','In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me.”  “Follow” means to pursue the one in front of you.  But later in John 15:26, Jesus said he would send us the Helper, the Spirit of Truth once he ascended to the Father.  The name “Helper” is translated from the Greek word “Paracletos” which means “one called alongside to help”.  Here’s a poem about my sidecar travels with God.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRoad Trip\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou always take me out of my comfort zone.\n\nDo I take you out of yours?\n\nI feel like you write\n\n“Problem Child” on my report card\n\nand let the angels see it\n\nwho are assigned to the war zone\n\nthat’s my life.\n\nI want to please you, then I don’t\n\nand have to apologize later.\n\nI read that you accept me as I am,\n\nforgive and forget, etc.\n\nWhat’s up with that?\n\nAre you sure?  Are you safe?\n\nHow do I know for real?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYes, I read the story of David\n\nand Peter and sweet little Samuel.\n\nSo?  That’s them, not me.\n\nThey made it in the Book.\n\nGoody for them.\n\nGold stars on the refrigerator.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI vacillate wildly\n\nbetween trust and despair\n\nand keeping out of your hair\n\n(do you have hair?).\n\nAnd here you go again,\n\nasking me to follow you.\n\nI haven’t exactly been an angel lately.\n\nI’m not at my best, and you know that, but…\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou’re going to butt in, aren’t you.\n\nSometimes I can predict you,\n\nbut mostly not.\n\nAlright, if you really want me that badly,\n\nhere I am with my imperfections,\n\njumping into the sidecar again.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','Road Trip','','inherit','open','open','','5359-revision','','','2012-03-01 13:45:51','2012-03-01 21:45:51','',5359,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5359-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5362,35,'2012-03-01 13:48:22','2012-03-01 21:48:22','In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me.”  “Follow” means to pursue the one in front of you.  But later in John 15:26, Jesus said he would send us the Helper, the Spirit of Truth once he ascended to the Father.  The name “Helper” is translated from the Greek word “Paracletos” which means “one called alongside to help”.  Here’s a poem about my sidecar travels with God.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRoad Trip\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou always take me out of my comfort zone.\r\n\r\nDo I take you out of yours?\r\n\r\nI feel like you write\r\n\r\n“Problem Child” on my report card\r\n\r\nand let the angels see it\r\n\r\nwho are assigned to the war zone\r\n\r\nthat’s my life.\r\n\r\nI want to please you, then I don’t\r\n\r\nand have to apologize later.\r\n\r\nI read that you accept me as I am,\r\n\r\nforgive and forget, etc.\r\n\r\nWhat’s up with that?\r\n\r\nAre you sure?  Are you safe?\r\n\r\nHow do I know for real?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYes, I read the story of David\r\n\r\nand Peter and sweet little Samuel.\r\n\r\nSo?  That’s them, not me.\r\n\r\nThey made it in the Book.\r\n\r\nGoody for them.\r\n\r\nGold stars on the refrigerator.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI vacillate wildly\r\n\r\nbetween trust and despair\r\n\r\nand keeping out of your hair\r\n\r\n(do you have hair?).\r\n\r\nAnd here you go again,\r\n\r\nasking me to follow you.\r\n\r\nI haven’t exactly been an angel lately.\r\n\r\nI’m not at my best, and you know that, but…\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou’re going to butt in, aren’t you.\r\n\r\nSometimes I can predict you,\r\n\r\nbut mostly not.\r\n\r\nAlright, if you really want me that badly,\r\n\r\nhere I am with my imperfections,\r\n\r\njumping into the sidecar again.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','Road Trip','','inherit','open','open','','5359-revision-2','','','2012-03-01 13:48:22','2012-03-01 21:48:22','',5359,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5359-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5363,167,'2012-03-01 14:15:24','2012-03-01 22:15:24','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer as to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-17','','','2012-03-01 14:15:24','2012-03-01 22:15:24','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(5366,167,'2012-03-01 14:31:53','2012-03-01 22:31:53','','378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n','','inherit','open','open','','378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n','','','2012-03-01 14:31:53','2012-03-01 22:31:53','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5365,167,'2012-03-01 14:22:56','2012-03-01 22:22:56','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer as to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-18','','','2012-03-01 14:22:56','2012-03-01 22:22:56','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(5367,167,'2012-03-01 15:29:56','2012-03-01 23:29:56','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer as to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-19','','','2012-03-01 15:29:56','2012-03-01 23:29:56','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(5370,167,'2012-03-01 20:27:01','2012-03-02 04:27:01','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer as to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','RELIGION ','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-21','','','2012-03-01 20:27:01','2012-03-02 04:27:01','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(5371,167,'2012-03-01 20:34:42','2012-03-02 04:34:42','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer as to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 the film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','RELIGION:The great uncivil ','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-22','','','2012-03-01 20:34:42','2012-03-02 04:34:42','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(5372,167,'2012-03-01 20:51:02','2012-03-02 04:51:02','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer as to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 the film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','Because anything less','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-23','','','2012-03-01 20:51:02','2012-03-02 04:51:02','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(5377,167,'2012-03-01 21:42:20','2012-03-02 05:42:20','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer to why so much religion 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.\n\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 the it is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help to facilitate this long overdue change. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','Anything less would be uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-28','','','2012-03-01 21:42:20','2012-03-02 05:42:20','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(5373,167,'2012-03-01 21:11:17','2012-03-02 05:11:17','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 the film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','Because anything less would be uncivilized...','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-24','','','2012-03-01 21:11:17','2012-03-02 05:11:17','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(5374,167,'2012-03-01 21:20:18','2012-03-02 05:20:18','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 the film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','Anything less would be uncivilized...','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-25','','','2012-03-01 21:20:18','2012-03-02 05:20:18','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(5375,167,'2012-03-01 21:30:17','2012-03-02 05:30:17','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer to why so much religion 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 systems which gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 the it is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help to facilitate this long overdue change. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','Anything less would be uncivilized.','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-26','','','2012-03-01 21:30:17','2012-03-02 05:30:17','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(5376,167,'2012-03-01 21:36:06','2012-03-02 05:36:06','<div>\n\nDo 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?\n\nWell, there probably is no simple answer to why so much religion 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.\n\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 this emerging group of 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 the it is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\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.\n\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 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.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help to facilitate this long overdue change. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','Anything less would be uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-27','','','2012-03-01 21:36:06','2012-03-02 05:36:06','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(5378,167,'2012-03-02 10:59:21','2012-03-02 18:59:21','<div>\n\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?\n\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.\n\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:\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\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.\n\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.\n\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!\n\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>\n\n</div>','Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-autosave','','','2012-03-02 10:59:21','2012-03-02 18:59:21','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5379,1,'2012-03-01 22:05:14','2012-03-02 06:05:14','','uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','uncivilized','','','2012-03-01 22:05:14','2012-03-02 06:05:14','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/uncivilized.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5380,1,'2012-03-01 21:48:48','2012-03-02 05:48:48','<div>\r\n\r\nDo 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 religion 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 the it is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\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 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 the film could help to facilitate this long overdue 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://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\r\n\r\n</div>','Anything less would be uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-29','','','2012-03-01 21:48:48','2012-03-02 05:48:48','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(5381,1,'2012-03-01 22:05:40','2012-03-02 06:05:40','<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\" title=\"378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n\" 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 religion 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 the it is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\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 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 the film could help to facilitate this long overdue 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://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\r\n\r\n</div>','Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-30','','','2012-03-01 22:05:40','2012-03-02 06:05:40','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(5382,1,'2012-03-01 22:06:15','2012-03-02 06:06:15','<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\" title=\"378792_293479100704122_293478734037492_870342_981056030_n\" 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 religion 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 the 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 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 the film could help to facilitate this long overdue 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://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\r\n\r\n</div>','Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-31','','','2012-03-01 22:06:15','2012-03-02 06:06:15','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(5383,1,'2012-03-01 22:08:58','2012-03-02 06:08:58','In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me.”  “Follow” means to pursue the one in front of you.  But later in John 15:26, Jesus said he would send us the Helper, the Spirit of Truth once he ascended to the Father.  The name “Helper” is translated from the Greek word “Paracletos” which means “one called alongside to help”.  Here’s a poem about my sidecar travels with God.\r\n\r\n<strong>Road Trip</strong>\r\n\r\nYou always take me out of my comfort zone.\r\n\r\nDo I take you out of yours?\r\n\r\nI feel like you write\r\n\r\n“Problem Child” on my report card\r\n\r\nand let the angels see it\r\n\r\nwho are assigned to the war zone\r\n\r\nthat’s my life.\r\n\r\nI want to please you, then I don’t\r\n\r\nand have to apologize later.\r\n\r\nI read that you accept me as I am,\r\n\r\nforgive and forget, etc.\r\n\r\nWhat’s up with that?\r\n\r\nAre you sure?  Are you safe?\r\n\r\nHow do I know for real?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYes, I read the story of David\r\n\r\nand Peter and sweet little Samuel.\r\n\r\nSo?  That’s them, not me.\r\n\r\nThey made it in the Book.\r\n\r\nGoody for them.\r\n\r\nGold stars on the refrigerator.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI vacillate wildly\r\n\r\nbetween trust and despair\r\n\r\nand keeping out of your hair\r\n\r\n(do you have hair?).\r\n\r\nAnd here you go again,\r\n\r\nasking me to follow you.\r\n\r\nI haven’t exactly been an angel lately.\r\n\r\nI’m not at my best, and you know that, but…\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou’re going to butt in, aren’t you.\r\n\r\nSometimes I can predict you,\r\n\r\nbut mostly not.\r\n\r\nAlright, if you really want me that badly,\r\n\r\nhere I am with my imperfections,\r\n\r\njumping into the sidecar again.','Road Trip','','inherit','open','open','','5359-autosave','','','2012-03-01 22:08:58','2012-03-02 06:08:58','',5359,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5359-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5384,1,'2012-03-01 13:51:41','2012-03-01 21:51:41','In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me.”  “Follow” means to pursue the one in front of you.  But later in John 15:26, Jesus said he would send us the Helper, the Spirit of Truth once he ascended to the Father.  The name “Helper” is translated from the Greek word “Paracletos” which means “one called alongside to help”.  Here’s a poem about my sidecar travels with God.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRoad Trip\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou always take me out of my comfort zone.\r\n\r\nDo I take you out of yours?\r\n\r\nI feel like you write\r\n\r\n“Problem Child” on my report card\r\n\r\nand let the angels see it\r\n\r\nwho are assigned to the war zone\r\n\r\nthat’s my life.\r\n\r\nI want to please you, then I don’t\r\n\r\nand have to apologize later.\r\n\r\nI read that you accept me as I am,\r\n\r\nforgive and forget, etc.\r\n\r\nWhat’s up with that?\r\n\r\nAre you sure?  Are you safe?\r\n\r\nHow do I know for real?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYes, I read the story of David\r\n\r\nand Peter and sweet little Samuel.\r\n\r\nSo?  That’s them, not me.\r\n\r\nThey made it in the Book.\r\n\r\nGoody for them.\r\n\r\nGold stars on the refrigerator.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI vacillate wildly\r\n\r\nbetween trust and despair\r\n\r\nand keeping out of your hair\r\n\r\n(do you have hair?).\r\n\r\nAnd here you go again,\r\n\r\nasking me to follow you.\r\n\r\nI haven’t exactly been an angel lately.\r\n\r\nI’m not at my best, and you know that, but…\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou’re going to butt in, aren’t you.\r\n\r\nSometimes I can predict you,\r\n\r\nbut mostly not.\r\n\r\nAlright, if you really want me that badly,\r\n\r\nhere I am with my imperfections,\r\n\r\njumping into the sidecar again.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','Road Trip','','inherit','open','open','','5359-revision-3','','','2012-03-01 13:51:41','2012-03-01 21:51:41','',5359,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5359-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5423,160,'2012-03-26 08:00:25','2012-03-26 15:00:25','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal.1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-5426\" title=\"Mayan cal.\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mayan-cal.1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"218\" /></a>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 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?\r\n\r\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.\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 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.\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>.','2012: The End Of The World','','publish','open','open','','2012-the-end-of-the-world','','','2012-03-25 20:49:01','2012-03-26 03:49:01','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5423',0,'post','',0),(5387,167,'2012-03-01 22:06:34','2012-03-02 06:06:34','<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 religion 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 the 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 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 the film could help to facilitate this long overdue 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://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\r\n\r\n</div>','Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-32','','','2012-03-01 22:06:34','2012-03-02 06:06:34','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-32/',0,'revision','',0),(5388,167,'2012-03-02 09:47:21','2012-03-02 17:47:21','<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 the 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','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-33','','','2012-03-02 09:47:21','2012-03-02 17:47:21','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/02/5342-revision-33/',0,'revision','',0),(7403,136,'2012-08-01 17:08:18','2012-08-02 00:08:18','In practical and academic theological circles it\'s popular to ponder, write, consider, and act upon the meaning of following Jesus, especially following Jesus to the cross. You read scripture and start to realize going to the cross of Calvary means resisting death-dealing secular and religious bureaucratic and \"other\" assorted authorities, rejecting anything but love and justice as the measuring line, disallowing all that\'s other than righteousness as the plumbline; after a few years of living out our baptism, we start discovering Resurrection Sunday morning is every bit as demanding as Good Friday afternoon. It\'s easy to take pride in demonstrating visibly for ecclesiastically popular causes, maybe getting onto the evening news, feeling good about ourselves for sometimes getting too involved with concerns not popular with our local judicatories. Soundbite on the late night news, anyone? Spending a season with Mother Teresa\'s peeps or serving Thanksgiving dinner at Father Joe\'s place. Those bigger, more obvious, more stars-in-our-crowns activities. And for the most part, they\'re all good. Often very good and life-transformative.\r\n\r\nBut in the ambient heat and humidity of mid-summer 2012, I like to remember Jesus partying with friends and with strangers. A spontaneous feast because they\'d hauled in a big catch, had freshly baked bread, and the grapes were ripe and juicy. Or a quick roundup of \"whatever\" resources because so many hungry people had surrounded them. I love stories of Jesus making sure everyone got enough to eat, commanding and demanding his disciples feed others, too. I love how we keep celebrating holy communion, the sacrament of the welcome table, the holy eucharist, with each other. More than simply \"liking\" the way potluck dinners, annual picnics, and strawberry ice cream socials have becoming close to definitive for the church. Ever attended a new to you church that didn\'t have an after worship (or between services) social hour? It\'s all about gathering, talking, relating, feeding, eating, and being fed. And we\'re not likely to keep on performing an action unless it has meaning, unless it says something to us and about us, unless it meets a basic need.\r\n\r\nA religious ritual? There are plenty of those. If we are to remember Jesus, do we need bread and wine? Do we need potlucks and picnics? Throughout the records of Jesus\' life we find accounts of Jesus feeding other people and feasting with his friends; Jesus repeatedly talks about those who will banquet in the Kingdom... and about giving his body for the life of the world. But is that gift of a body broken unto death for the life of the world the whole, entire thing?\r\n\r\nIn feeding friends and strangers, in celebrating bounty of the sea, gifts from the ground, and fruit of the vine, Jesus reveals a worldview that\'s at a 180-degree angle to most common ideas of religion and religiousness. We find loving justice, mercy, and embrace graciously at work wherever Jesus goes, and wherever we follow him into the world so hunger, greed, need, judgment, and exclusion are wiped out.\r\n\r\nLike Jesus, will we actively search for the lonely, the different, the outcast, and the stranger, welcoming them not only to our more formally scheduled eucharistic liturgies (well, turning them out of the narthex, back into the street <em>would</em> be awkward), but also afterwards at social hour (no snarkiness allowed), week night potlucks or annual picnics (I brought enough for everyone and would love to try your special dish), ice cream socials (we\'ve never done it that way, but we\'d love to try your way)? Will we be making our worlds, our neighborhoods and our churches into sanctuaries, holy places, into a foretaste of the reign of God on earth? Will we follow Jesus by including everyone, excluding no one? Will the world recognize us as the body of Christ when we pour out our everyday lives with compassion just as we pour out the eucharistic wine?','following Jesus everywhere','','inherit','open','open','','7367-revision-8','','','2012-08-01 17:08:18','2012-08-02 00:08:18','',7367,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/01/7367-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5394,1,'2012-02-26 18:25:37','2012-02-27 02:25:37','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','','inherit','open','open','','5305-revision-6','','','2012-02-26 18:25:37','2012-02-27 02:25:37','',5305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/26/5305-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5395,1,'2012-02-27 18:30:20','2012-02-28 02:30:20','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','','inherit','open','open','','5321-revision-6','','','2012-02-27 18:30:20','2012-02-28 02:30:20','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/02/27/5321-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5396,1,'2012-03-05 18:59:53','2012-03-06 02:59:53','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.\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\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.\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. <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.\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.\"','List of Fallen Pastors','','inherit','open','open','','5321-autosave','','','2012-03-05 18:59:53','2012-03-06 02:59:53','',5321,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/05/5321-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5397,0,'2012-03-06 05:41:27','2012-03-06 13:41:27','Faith\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Chaz Henderson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: chazwhend@aol.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://upfromthemat.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 99.103.14.76\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Chaz Henderson\n    [Email] =&gt; chazwhend@aol.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://upfromthemat.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith\r\n\r\n\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Chazwhend\n)\n','Chaz Henderson - 2012-03-06 05:41:27','','publish','open','open','','9c2a8dcd0a2ad8471904c1f9a614d240','','','2012-03-06 05:41:27','2012-03-06 13:41:27','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5397',0,'feedback','',0),(5401,127,'2012-03-09 08:00:54','2012-03-09 16:00:54','Last night I dreamed of a parade, and a strange affair it was. Interminably long, an odd single-file line of marchers walked past, each person a virtual twin of the one before them, yet with only the slightest differences. After a thousand or so had passed by the small changes had added up to someone who looked very different from the marchers so far ahead. On and on went the line: 25,000 long, perhaps 30,000 or more before I woke. Above each one arched the sun and the moon in their turn, casting golden--then silver, light upon each person. Some marchers danced, others wept, still others trudged in dreary sameness.\r\n\r\nThrough the night I dreamt and the parade continued by, each member ever-so slightly older than the one before. As I began the transition between sleep and wakefulness I realized I had witnessed the march of a single lifetime: 70 years, or eighty if our strength endures. I was awake, and the revelation was complete: we experience life in a single-file parade of 25,000 days or more, each one so much like the day before, yet unique as if a new creation.\r\n\r\nWhich of us has ever lived life backwards? Even Benjamin Button, who grew from old to young, lived his life in a succession of days, one after the other, never two together. The days march in line, each one connected to the previous, linked to the next, but never overlapping.\r\n\r\nIt is a quiet revelation, but no less true: God created the march of days and has ordained that each one of us will experience them in the same manner. Which of us has ever lived two days simultaneously? Or jumped from day 4,000 to day 7,000? It is beyond us to do so, though in our hearts and thoughts we may try. It may seem like a no-brainer, but we all are given the gift of life one day at a time, and our attempts to live them out of order come at great expense.\r\n\r\n“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself,” said Jesus. Then he added one of the strangest promises found in scripture: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6: 34)\r\n\r\nYet some people are obsessed with future days. The financial advisor pushes his chair away from his desk after reading these words and thinks, surely he can’t be serious. The student facing final exams in the coming weeks wonders if Jesus has lost his mind. The family trying to find the money for the next mortgage payment are convinced he never had a bill to pay. For each of them, sleep is a fair-weather friend. Meanwhile Jesus rambles on about birds and flowers. He instructs us to seek first God’s Kingdom and everything else will be magically “added to us.” Clearly, he doesn’t get the same emails we do.\r\n\r\nThe Creator, who exists outside of time and space, has ordained that should live in a world mediated by the passage of time. God set the whole thing up: we live our lives in the succession of days one after another because he wanted it to be so. Have we ever considered the fact that God chose this manner of living for us? He designed our minds, our hearts, our bodies, and our souls to live in this moment and not any other. He demonstrates his wisdom and care for us in the passage of time: we do not have to drag the past along with us nor bear the burden of future days on our shoulders all at once.\r\n\r\nThe past can store the treasures of lessons and memories, the future can be the repository of hopes or fears, but both of them are inhospitable homes for our hearts--or his Spirit.\r\n\r\nHe is the Eternal Now. God’s presence is available to us only in the now. We cannot experience his presence in the future because we do not live there. We cannot experience his presence in the past because we have moved on. His presence is here for us today. We do not need to worry about the future because he is not bound by time. He sits in the future and awaits our arrival. He’ll be there when we get there, but wouldn’t it be a shame to miss him in the now?','The Single-File Parade','','publish','open','open','','the-single-file-parade','','','2012-03-08 17:51:37','2012-03-09 01:51:37','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5401',0,'post','',0),(5402,127,'2012-03-06 17:08:43','2012-03-07 01:08:43','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','5401-revision','','','2012-03-06 17:08:43','2012-03-07 01:08:43','',5401,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/06/5401-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5405,121,'2012-03-13 14:03:45','2012-03-13 21:03:45','I stood slowly after the closing prayer. The long sit on hard wooden pews had stiffened my muscles. I rubbed my back as I slid sideways into the aisle. My mother-in-law motioned me to stay put.\r\n\r\n“I’ll go get the kids.\"\r\n\r\nAs I gathered up Bibles, papers, and bags, an older lady approached. “Joy, I just love to watch Elli while you and Scott sing. It makes her so happy.”\r\n\r\nI never know what to say in situations like these, so I just smiled at her. Elli\'s face shone and the joy in her soul exploded from her entire body when she heard music she loved.\r\n\r\nShe continued. “I pray every day for Elli to be healed.”\r\n\r\nMy smile froze. Elli was five years old. She had a permanent brain injury from lack of oxygen. Her heart hadn’t formed right. How could she be healed of that? These weren’t ongoing processes that could stop or reverse. It simply <em>was</em>.\r\n\r\n“Oh! Well, thank you,” I managed. I knew her intention was good.\r\n\r\nAs we rolled Elli down the wheelchair ramp and into the sunny parking lot, the second-guessing started. Mother-guilt, my old faithful companion, back again. Had I failed her? Was my faith weak? <em>Should</em> I be asking God to heal her?\r\n\r\nThen the thought (maybe it was from the Holy Spirit?). <em>I need to accept our circumstances as they are today. Praying for healing would feed my discontent, my anger, my resentment, and my clamor for relief from the suffering.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>I realized that it’s ok to stop praying for something. </strong>I hadn’t stopped praying altogether. I asked God for help to be a good mother to a child who couldn’t talk to me, feed herself, or walk. I asked for wisdom for the doctors treating her. I asked for help not to waste my scant energy on worthless activities like worry.\r\n\r\nThat didn’t mean it was wrong for others to pray for different things, like for Elli to be healed. I could thank this dear lady for her prayers and genuinely appreciate them as a gift of love from her to us. But it was no reflection on me, my effectiveness as a mother, or my faith in God, that I could not join her in that prayer.\r\n<img style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=joyinthijou-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1596381035\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" />\r\nThis past week, I read the following in the book \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596381035/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=joyinthijou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1596381035\">The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us</a>\" by Jerram Barrs. I had never read or heard anything like it before. It speaks directly to our experience with our daughter.\r\n<blockquote>\"We do not know the precise nature of the thorn in the flesh with which the apostle Paul wrestled--whether it was a physical malady or some other problem. In this particular case, Paul tells us that he prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh would be taken away. And then he stopped praying for the thorn\'s removal, but this was because he sensed God telling him that he would have to endure the thorn (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul had to be ready for a different kind of perseverance, and to be willing to persist in different prayers from those for healing. His calling was to pray for grace to endure the thorn, to pray for God\'s strength to sustain him in his ongoing weakness.\"</blockquote>\r\n<em><strong>Have you ever stopped praying for something? Why or why not?</strong></em>','Is It Okay To Stop Praying?','','publish','open','open','','is-it-okay-to-stop-praying','','','2012-03-13 14:03:45','2012-03-13 21:03:45','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5405',0,'post','',0),(5406,121,'2012-03-07 04:10:15','2012-03-07 12:10:15','<a href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/praying-hands.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1918\" src=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/praying-hands-460x377.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"377\" /></a>I stood slowly after the closing prayer. The long sit on hard wooden pews had stiffened my muscles. I rubbed my back as I slid sideways into the aisle. My mother-in-law motioned me to stay put.\n\n“I’ll go get the kids.\"\n\nAs I gathered up Bibles, papers, and bags, an older lady approached. “Joy, I just love to watch Elli while you and Scott sing. It makes her so happy.”\n\nI never know what to say in situations like these, so I just smiled at her. Elli\'s face shone and the joy in her soul exploded from her entire body when she heard music she loved.\n\nShe continued. “I pray every day for Elli to be healed.”\n\nMy smile froze. Elli was five years old. She had a permanent brain injury from lack of oxygen. Her heart hadn’t formed right. How could she be healed of that? These weren’t ongoing processes that could stop or reverse. It simply <em>was</em>.\n\n“Oh! Well, thank you,” I managed. I knew her intention was good.\n\nAs we rolled Elli down the wheelchair ramp and into the sunny parking lot, the second-guessing started. Mother-guilt, my old faithful companion, back again. Had I failed her? Was my faith weak? <em>Should</em> I be asking God to heal her?\n\nThen the thought (maybe it was from the Holy Spirit?). <em>I need to accept our circumstances as they are today. Praying for healing would feed my discontent, my anger, my resentment, and my clamor for relief from the suffering.</em>\n\n<strong>I realized that it’s ok to stop praying for something. </strong>I hadn’t stopped praying altogether. I asked God for help to be a good mother to a child who couldn’t talk to me, feed herself, or walk. I asked for wisdom for the doctors treating her. I asked for help not to waste my scant energy on worthless activities like worry.\n\nThat didn’t mean it was wrong for others to pray for different things, like for Elli to be healed. I could thank this dear lady for her prayers and genuinely appreciate them as a gift of love from her to us. But it was no reflection on me, my effectiveness as a mother, or my faith in God, that I could not join her in that prayer.\n<img style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0px !important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=joyinthijou-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1596381035\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" />\nThis past week, I read the following in the book \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596381035/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=joyinthijou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1596381035\">The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us</a>\" by Jerram Barrs. I had never read or heard anything like it before. It speaks directly to our experience with our daughter.\n<blockquote>\"We do not know the precise nature of the thorn in the flesh with which the apostle Paul wrestled--whether it was a physical malady or some other problem. In this particular case, Paul tells us that he prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh would be taken away. And then he stopped praying for the thorn\'s removal, but this was because he sensed God telling him that he would have to endure the thorn (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul had to be ready for a different kind of perseverance, and to be willing to persist in different prayers from those for healing. His calling was to pray for grace to endure the thorn, to pray for God\'s strength to sustain him in his ongoing weakness.\"</blockquote>\n<em><strong>Have you ever stopped praying for something? Why or why not?</strong></em>','','','inherit','open','open','','5405-revision','','','2012-03-07 04:10:15','2012-03-07 12:10:15','',5405,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/07/5405-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5407,121,'2012-03-07 04:10:24','2012-03-07 12:10:24','<a href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/praying-hands.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1918\" src=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/praying-hands-460x377.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"377\" /></a>I stood slowly after the closing prayer. The long sit on hard wooden pews had stiffened my muscles. I rubbed my back as I slid sideways into the aisle. My mother-in-law motioned me to stay put.\r\n\r\n“I’ll go get the kids.\"\r\n\r\nAs I gathered up Bibles, papers, and bags, an older lady approached. “Joy, I just love to watch Elli while you and Scott sing. It makes her so happy.”\r\n\r\nI never know what to say in situations like these, so I just smiled at her. Elli\'s face shone and the joy in her soul exploded from her entire body when she heard music she loved.\r\n\r\nShe continued. “I pray every day for Elli to be healed.”\r\n\r\nMy smile froze. Elli was five years old. She had a permanent brain injury from lack of oxygen. Her heart hadn’t formed right. How could she be healed of that? These weren’t ongoing processes that could stop or reverse. It simply <em>was</em>.\r\n\r\n“Oh! Well, thank you,” I managed. I knew her intention was good.\r\n\r\nAs we rolled Elli down the wheelchair ramp and into the sunny parking lot, the second-guessing started. Mother-guilt, my old faithful companion, back again. Had I failed her? Was my faith weak? <em>Should</em> I be asking God to heal her?\r\n\r\nThen the thought (maybe it was from the Holy Spirit?). <em>I need to accept our circumstances as they are today. Praying for healing would feed my discontent, my anger, my resentment, and my clamor for relief from the suffering.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>I realized that it’s ok to stop praying for something. </strong>I hadn’t stopped praying altogether. I asked God for help to be a good mother to a child who couldn’t talk to me, feed herself, or walk. I asked for wisdom for the doctors treating her. I asked for help not to waste my scant energy on worthless activities like worry.\r\n\r\nThat didn’t mean it was wrong for others to pray for different things, like for Elli to be healed. I could thank this dear lady for her prayers and genuinely appreciate them as a gift of love from her to us. But it was no reflection on me, my effectiveness as a mother, or my faith in God, that I could not join her in that prayer.\r\n<img style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0px !important\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=joyinthijou-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1596381035\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" />\r\nThis past week, I read the following in the book \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596381035/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=joyinthijou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1596381035\">The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us</a>\" by Jerram Barrs. I had never read or heard anything like it before. It speaks directly to our experience with our daughter.\r\n<blockquote>\"We do not know the precise nature of the thorn in the flesh with which the apostle Paul wrestled--whether it was a physical malady or some other problem. In this particular case, Paul tells us that he prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh would be taken away. And then he stopped praying for the thorn\'s removal, but this was because he sensed God telling him that he would have to endure the thorn (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul had to be ready for a different kind of perseverance, and to be willing to persist in different prayers from those for healing. His calling was to pray for grace to endure the thorn, to pray for God\'s strength to sustain him in his ongoing weakness.\"</blockquote>\r\n<em><strong>Have you ever stopped praying for something? Why or why not?</strong></em>','','','inherit','open','open','','5405-revision-2','','','2012-03-07 04:10:24','2012-03-07 12:10:24','',5405,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/07/5405-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5457,0,'2012-03-13 14:11:51','2012-03-13 21:11:51','Hello~\r\n\r\nIs possible to offer an RSS via email option? I would so love that. \r\n\r\nThank you :)\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: karla\nAUTHOR EMAIL: karla.porter71@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 67.78.229.17\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; karla\n    [Email] =&gt; karla.porter71@gmail.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; Hello~\r\n\r\nIs possible to offer an RSS via email option? I would so love that. \r\n\r\nThank you :)\n)\n','karla - 2012-03-13 14:11:51','','publish','open','open','','93ead49a1ab7957044157b3b5417388c','','','2012-03-13 14:11:51','2012-03-13 21:11:51','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5457',0,'feedback','',0),(5408,1,'2012-03-13 13:56:50','2012-03-13 20:56:50','I stood slowly after the closing prayer. The long sit on hard wooden pews had stiffened my muscles. I rubbed my back as I slid sideways into the aisle. My mother-in-law motioned me to stay put.\n\n“I’ll go get the kids.\"\n\nAs I gathered up Bibles, papers, and bags, an older lady approached. “Joy, I just love to watch Elli while you and Scott sing. It makes her so happy.”\n\nI never know what to say in situations like these, so I just smiled at her. Elli\'s face shone and the joy in her soul exploded from her entire body when she heard music she loved.\n\nShe continued. “I pray every day for Elli to be healed.”\n\nMy smile froze. Elli was five years old. She had a permanent brain injury from lack of oxygen. Her heart hadn’t formed right. How could she be healed of that? These weren’t ongoing processes that could stop or reverse. It simply <em>was</em>.\n\n“Oh! Well, thank you,” I managed. I knew her intention was good.\n\nAs we rolled Elli down the wheelchair ramp and into the sunny parking lot, the second-guessing started. Mother-guilt, my old faithful companion, back again. Had I failed her? Was my faith weak? <em>Should</em> I be asking God to heal her?\n\nThen the thought (maybe it was from the Holy Spirit?). <em>I need to accept our circumstances as they are today. Praying for healing would feed my discontent, my anger, my resentment, and my clamor for relief from the suffering.</em>\n\n<strong>I realized that it’s ok to stop praying for something. </strong>I hadn’t stopped praying altogether. I asked God for help to be a good mother to a child who couldn’t talk to me, feed herself, or walk. I asked for wisdom for the doctors treating her. I asked for help not to waste my scant energy on worthless activities like worry.\n\nThat didn’t mean it was wrong for others to pray for different things, like for Elli to be healed. I could thank this dear lady for her prayers and genuinely appreciate them as a gift of love from her to us. But it was no reflection on me, my effectiveness as a mother, or my faith in God, that I could not join her in that prayer.\n<img style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=joyinthijou-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1596381035\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" />\nThis past week, I read the following in the book \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596381035/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=joyinthijou-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1596381035\">The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us</a>\" by Jerram Barrs. I had never read or heard anything like it before. It speaks directly to our experience with our daughter.\n<blockquote>\"We do not know the precise nature of the thorn in the flesh with which the apostle Paul wrestled--whether it was a physical malady or some other problem. In this particular case, Paul tells us that he prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh would be taken away. And then he stopped praying for the thorn\'s removal, but this was because he sensed God telling him that he would have to endure the thorn (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul had to be ready for a different kind of perseverance, and to be willing to persist in different prayers from those for healing. His calling was to pray for grace to endure the thorn, to pray for God\'s strength to sustain him in his ongoing weakness.\"</blockquote>\n<em><strong>Have you ever stopped praying for something? Why or why not?</strong></em>','Is It Okay To Stop Praying?','','inherit','open','open','','5405-autosave','','','2012-03-13 13:56:50','2012-03-13 20:56:50','',5405,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/07/5405-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5455,1,'2012-03-13 14:03:02','2012-03-13 21:03:02','','prayer_statue','','inherit','open','open','','prayer_statue','','','2012-03-13 14:03:02','2012-03-13 21:03:02','',5405,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/prayer_statue.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5409,121,'2012-03-21 08:00:18','2012-03-21 15:00:18','<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dear Scott,</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-1914\" src=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths-312x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"500\" /></a>Used to be that when I heard the phrase “equally yoked,” I didn’t hear any patience undertones. I do now, and I’m not just thinking of all the time you spend waiting for me to finish in the bathroom. We’re approaching 14 years of marriage, and we’ve both discovered just how much work it takes to remain side by side, headed in the same direction, pulling together.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Marriage Letters: Opposites Attract\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/02/marriage-letters-opposites-attract/\">We’ve already written</a> about many of the ways <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-opposites-attract.html\" target=\"_blank\">we’re well matched</a>. It is a good thing to <a title=\"A Plain Ol’ Ordinary Love Letter\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/01/a-plain-ol-ordinary-love-letter/\" target=\"_blank\">celebrate those things</a> and <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">bask in that harmony we have</a>. We need that when we bump up against the hard days.\r\n\r\nOur marriage isn’t perfect. Our faith journeys have diverged, and it isn’t comfortable or easy or pleasant. We’re still walking it out on unfamiliar terrain without a map.\r\n\r\n<strong>This place we’re in needs waiting.</strong> It takes every ounce of patience we can muster and more. My prayers are filled with pleas for help, direction, and patience. Will we find our way closer together again or will we stay akimbo? How long til we know? What do we do in the waiting? What if our paths remain apart?\r\n\r\nYou’ve shared your frustration and discouragement with me, and your questions and fears for the future. I am no different. The waiting, the uncertainty, the sense of spiritual homelessness… it is miserable.\r\n\r\nI think our instinct not to force anything is right. <strong>Me pushing you or you pushing me would lead to drawing lines in sand, violated consciences, soul wounds, and that marriage-murdering poison called bitterness.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, we both find ourselves stuck, unable to do what we’re used to doing, and unable to see a way forward…yet. But I could never ask you to violate your conscience, and I cannot violate mine either. So we wait. We talk long and lean into the discomfort. <strong>We love each other as hard as we can.</strong> <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">We find and celebrate and bask in the places where our paths converge</a>.\r\n\r\nSpiritual journeys take time. All change takes time. I remind myself of that often, especially on days like today when the strain begins to wear on us. I hope you know that I am your biggest fan, no matter what.\r\n\r\nWhile our feet find different footing, we stumble and trip and wobble, trying to learn new steps to stay together. No-one talks about how to agree to disagree with the person you love most, when both of you believe so strongly but so differently.\r\n\r\nI know I can be cynical, but <strong>today I choose hope.</strong> I believe that we’ll find a way through. I believe that a path forward lies just ahead if we\'re patient and keep looking. When we find it, maybe we can write a book together. <em>We do write together well.</em>\r\n\r\nI love you. That I do know. Wait for me, ok? I’ll be right here.\r\n\r\nLove,\r\n\r\nJoy\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\r\nOn Mondays in February, <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Scott</a> (<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">don\'t miss his letter this week</a>) and I joined <a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Seth</a> and <a href=\"http://therunamuck.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-on-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Amber</a> in a weekly blog series t<a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/a-letter-to-amber-bringing-sexy-back-yeah/\" target=\"_blank\">hey called \"Marriage Letters,\"</a> We hoped to encourage one another in the hard work of marriage. The prompt for this post was patience.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>How have you had to practice patience in your marriage?</strong></em></p>','When Faith Takes You Down Different Roads','','publish','open','open','','when-faith-takes-you-down-different-roads','','','2012-03-20 18:07:02','2012-03-21 01:07:02','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5409',0,'post','',1),(5410,121,'2012-03-07 04:28:18','2012-03-07 12:28:18','<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dear Scott,</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-1914\" src=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths-312x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"500\" /></a>Used to be that when I heard the phrase “equally yoked,” I didn’t hear any patience undertones. I do now, and I’m not just thinking of all the time you spend waiting for me to finish in the bathroom. We’re approaching 14 years of marriage, and we’ve both discovered just how much work it takes to remain side by side, headed in the same direction, pulling together.\n\n<a title=\"Marriage Letters: Opposites Attract\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/02/marriage-letters-opposites-attract/\">We’ve already written</a> about many of the ways <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-opposites-attract.html\" target=\"_blank\">we’re well matched</a>. It is a good thing to <a title=\"A Plain Ol’ Ordinary Love Letter\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/01/a-plain-ol-ordinary-love-letter/\" target=\"_blank\">celebrate those things</a> and <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">bask in that harmony we have</a>. We need that when we bump up against the hard days.\n\nOur marriage isn’t perfect. Our faith journeys have diverged, and it isn’t comfortable or easy or pleasant. We’re still walking it out on unfamiliar terrain without a map.\n\n<strong>This place we’re in needs waiting.</strong> It takes every ounce of patience we can muster and more. My prayers are filled with pleas for help, direction, and patience. Will we find our way closer together again or will we stay akimbo? How long til we know? What do we do in the waiting? What if our paths remain apart?\n\nYou’ve shared your frustration and discouragement with me, and your questions and fears for the future. I am no different. The waiting, the uncertainty, the sense of spiritual homelessness… it is miserable.\n\nI think our instinct not to force anything is right. <strong>Me pushing you or you pushing me would lead to drawing lines in sand, violated consciences, soul wounds, and that marriage-murdering poison called bitterness.</strong>\n\nIn the meantime, we both find ourselves stuck, unable to do what we’re used to doing, and unable to see a way forward…yet. But I could never ask you to violate your conscience, and I cannot violate mine either. So we wait. We talk long and lean into the discomfort. <strong>We love each other as hard as we can.</strong> <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">We find and celebrate and bask in the places where our paths converge</a>.\n\nSpiritual journeys take time. All change takes time. I remind myself of that often, especially on days like today when the strain begins to wear on us. I hope you know that I am your biggest fan, no matter what.\n\nWhile our feet find different footing, we stumble and trip and wobble, trying to learn new steps to stay together. No-one talks about how to agree to disagree with the person you love most, when both of you believe so strongly but so differently.\n\nI know I can be cynical, but <strong>today I choose hope.</strong> I believe that we’ll find a way through. I believe that a path forward lies just ahead if we\'re patient and keep looking. When we find it, maybe we can write a book together. <em>We do write together well.</em>\n\nI love you. That I do know. Wait for me, ok? I’ll be right here.\n\nLove,\n\nJoy\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***</p>\nOn Mondays in February, <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Scott</a> (<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">don\'t miss his letter this week</a>) and I joined <a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Seth</a> and <a href=\"http://therunamuck.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-on-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Amber</a> in a weekly blog series t<a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/a-letter-to-amber-bringing-sexy-back-yeah/\" target=\"_blank\">hey called \"Marriage Letters,\"</a> We hoped to encourage one another in the hard work of marriage. The prompt for this post was patience.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em><strong>How have you had to practice patience in your marriage?</strong></em></p>','How To Stay Together When Faith Takes You Down Different Roads','','inherit','open','open','','5409-revision','','','2012-03-07 04:28:18','2012-03-07 12:28:18','',5409,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/07/5409-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5552,153,'2012-03-29 08:00:14','2012-03-29 15:00:14','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\r\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry. According to the gospel of Matthew, Jesus was fasting in the desert for 40 days when the devil approached him in the wasteland - questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\r\n<h3>Appealing to Appetite</h3>\r\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the desert sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...<em>man shall not live by bread alone...</em>\" verbal retort despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange points as proof that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man, yet Jesus wasn\'t compelled to prove that point to anybody.\r\n<h3>Appealing to Prophecy</h3>\r\nSubsequently the devil quoted scripture to Jesus, as seen in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A5-7&amp;version=NIV\">Matthew 4:5-7</a>, where the adversary asserted that Jesus could fling himself from the cliff and the \"<em>...angels would bear him up...</em>\" in a seeming appeal for Jesus to fulfill prophecy written centuries before that the Messiah would have to die. Jesus didn\'t fall for it - figuratively nor literally. The scriptures state that Jesus was closely attuned to the will and timing of God, and that his time of death had not yet come - further solidifying his deity identity.\r\n<h3>Appealing to Compassion</h3>\r\nThe chapter goes on to state in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+4.8-11/\">Matthew 4:8-11</a> that the devil changed tactics and tried to appeal to Christ\'s love of humanity by offering him the world which had been subjected to demonic control since \"The Fall\" in Eden, in exchange for Jesus falling to his knees to worship the first fallen angel.\r\n\r\nHad Jesus agreed to this quick-fix alternative to salvation - and he could have - the earth might have been redeemed but not the way that God had wanted. Jesus understood that fact because of his celestial connection to the Father.\r\n\r\nOne stern rebuke from Jesus and the devil left.  While Jesus\' divine identity had been challenged it was not diminished in any way.\r\n\r\nHowever, had Jesus yielded to any of those temptation attempts it would have resulted in the most epic identity theft in the history of the universe because the devil would have ascended above the Most High.\r\n\r\nAgain, the fact that Jesus knew who he was prevented that theft from happening.\r\n<h3>Other Divine Identity Theft Attempts</h3>\r\nRegardless, throughout the remainder of Jesus\' recorded life the scriptures state that his heavenly sonship continued to be questioned. Perhaps most notable are several examples that occurred at the time of his crucifixion:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Roman guards beat and mocked Jesus demanding a display of his power - <a href=\"http://bible.cc/luke/22-64.htm\">Luke 22:64</a> and <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23%3A36-38&amp;version=AMP\">Luke 23:36-38</a></li>\r\n	<li>The magistrate Herod similarly demanded a miracle - <a href=\"http://www.biblica.com/bibles/chapter/?q=Luke%2023:8-11\">Luke 23: 8-11</a></li>\r\n	<li>One of the thieves crucified along side of Jesus also demanded a sign and power display - <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/Luke+23.39-43/\">Luke 23:39-43</a></li>\r\n	<li>As well as local leaders who stood and watched Jesus die, while questioning his divinity claim - <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23%3A33-35&amp;version=NIV\">Luke 33:35</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3>Restraint Was Jesus\' Greatest Miracle</h3>\r\nPerhaps one of the most interesting yet overlooked aspects of Jesus\' identity was that he never felt compelled to prove himself to anybody.\r\n\r\nHe knew who he was.\r\n\r\nThroughout all of scripture, Jesus wasn\'t moved to perform miracles by violence, coercion or even threat of death. He did however move in the miraculous when he was moved by compassion, faith and the simple realization by the needy that he was indeed, who he said he was.\r\n\r\nAccording to the bible, those who recognized his true identity as the son of God were the only ones who received his miracles and blessings.\r\n\r\nEven while hanging on the cross, amidst the sneering jeers to save himself and thereby prove his divinity to the people, Jesus knew that if he came down off that tree his true identity as a sinless sacrifice and sole path for redemption would have been abdicated and his divine mission forfeited.\r\n\r\nJesus was the only one who knew that, and his restraint to maintain that identity ultimately reconciled us back to the Father.\r\n<h3>Hijacking Jesus\' Identity Today</h3>\r\nFast forward 2,000 years to the current era where we routinely, albeit unwittingly perhaps, try to strip Jesus of his divinity today.\r\n\r\nWe do that when believers and non-believers alike give God an ultimatum that we will <em><strong>only</strong></em> believe in him if he acts or intervenes on our behalf for healing, finances, peace, relational restoration or any other legitimate need within our pre-specified time line.\r\n\r\nBut when we make such demands, how are we any different from those in the bible who goaded God to act - such as the robber, Herod, the centurions or even Satan himself?\r\n\r\nWe aren\'t.\r\n\r\nHopefully we can identify with that personal failing on our part and find grace waiting in the arms of a loving savior who can identify with every aspect of our frailties.','Hijacking Jesus\' Identity','','publish','open','open','','hijacking-jesus-identity','','','2012-03-27 15:01:15','2012-03-27 22:01:15','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5552',0,'post','',0),(7401,1,'2012-08-01 17:07:07','2012-08-02 00:07:07','','freedom_march','','inherit','open','open','','freedom_march','','','2012-08-01 17:07:07','2012-08-02 00:07:07','',7294,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/freedom_march.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7402,136,'2012-08-01 16:39:26','2012-08-01 23:39:26','In practical and academic theological circles it\'s popular to ponder, write, consider, and act upon the meaning of following Jesus, especially following Jesus to the cross. You read scripture and start to realize going to the cross of Calvary means resisting death-dealing secular and religious bureaucratic and \"other\" assorted authorities, rejecting anything but love and justice as the measuring line, disallowing all that\'s other than righteousness as the plumbline; after a few years of living out our baptism, we start discovering Resurrection Sunday morning is every bit as demanding as Good Friday afternoon. It\'s easy to take pride in demonstrating visibly for ecclesiastically popular causes, maybe getting onto the evening news, feeling good about ourselves for sometimes getting too involved with concerns not popular with our local judicatories. Soundbite on the late night news, anyone? Spending a season with Mother Teresa\'s peeps or serving Thanksgiving dinner at Father Joe Carroll\'s place. Those bigger, more obvious, more stars-in-our-crowns activities. And for the most part, they\'re all good. Often very good and life-transformative.\n\nBut in the ambient heat and humidity of mid-summer 2012, I like to remember Jesus partying with friends and with strangers. A spontaneous feast because they\'d hauled in a big catch, had freshly baked bread, and the grapes were ripe and juicy. Or a quick roundup of \"whatever\" resources because so many hungry people had surrounded them. I love stories of Jesus making sure everyone got enough to eat, commanding and demanding his disciples feed others, too. I love how we keep celebrating holy communion, the sacrament of the welcome table, the holy eucharist, with each other. More than simply \"liking\" the way potluck dinners, annual picnics, and strawberry ice cream socials have becoming close to definitive for the church. Ever attended a new to you church that didn\'t have an after worship (or between services) social hour? It\'s all about gathering, talking, relating, feeding, eating, and being fed. And we\'re not likely to keep on performing an action unless it has meaning, unless it says something to us and about us, unless it meets a basic need.\n\nA religious ritual? There are plenty of those. If we are to remember Jesus, do we need bread and wine? Do we need potlucks and picnics? Throughout the records of Jesus\' life we find accounts of Jesus feeding other people and feasting with his friends; Jesus repeatedly talks about those who will banquet in the Kingdom... and about giving his body for the life of the world. But is that gift of a body broken unto death for the life of the world the whole, entire thing?\n\nIn feeding friends and strangers, in celebrating bounty of the sea, gifts from the ground, and fruit of the vine, Jesus reveals a worldview that\'s at a 180-degree angle to most common ideas of religion and religiousness. We find loving justice, mercy, and embrace graciously at work wherever Jesus goes, and wherever we follow him into the world so hunger, greed, need, judgment, and exclusion are wiped out.\n\nLike Jesus, will we actively search for the lonely, the different, the outcast, and the stranger, welcoming them not only to our more formally scheduled eucharistic liturgies (well, turning them out of the narthex, back into the street <em>would</em> be awkward), but also afterwards at social hour (no snarkiness allowed), week night potlucks or annual picnics (I brought enough for everyone and would love to try your special dish), ice cream socials (we\'ve never done it that way, but we\'d love to try your way)? Will we be making our worlds, our neighborhoods and our churches into sanctuaries, holy places, into a foretaste of the reign of God on earth? Will we follow Jesus by including everyone, excluding no one? Will the world recognize us as the body of Christ when we pour out our everyday lives with compassion just as we pour out the eucharistic wine? I hope so!','following Jesus wherever he goes','','inherit','open','open','','7367-revision-7','','','2012-08-01 16:39:26','2012-08-01 23:39:26','',7367,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/01/7367-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5414,0,'2012-03-07 12:51:29','2012-03-07 20:51:29','Hey Christine.  \r\n\r\nI am wondering if you would be interested in reading a remix of the Lord\'s prayer that i put together.  We have used it here at my church community in Calgary and i thought you might appreciate it. \r\nThanks, \r\nJames\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: james Wheeler\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jwheels67@hotmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Are We Afraid to Hope? \nIP: 173.181.44.251\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; james Wheeler\n    [Email] =&gt; jwheels67@hotmail.com\n    [Website] =&gt; \n    [Message] =&gt; Hey Christine.  \r\n\r\nI am wondering if you would be interested in reading a remix of the Lord\'s prayer that i put together.  We have used it here at my church community in Calgary and i thought you might appreciate it. \r\nThanks, \r\nJames \n)\n','james Wheeler - 2012-03-07 12:51:29','','publish','open','open','','b36ab8fb0df37c7b8c6c7b33f1b85446','','','2012-03-07 12:51:29','2012-03-07 20:51:29','',4196,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5414',0,'feedback','',0),(7400,1,'2012-08-01 16:53:04','2012-08-01 23:53:04','Everyone knows the story of Judas. He was the great betrayer of Christ. For silver, for mere money, he betrayed the Savior. For him, there was no Disney ending. There was suicide. There was no chance to redeem himself.\r\n\r\nEven at one point, he realized his error. In Matthew 27, it says: <em>\"Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, <strong>he changed his mind</strong> and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, <strong>\'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.\'</strong> They said, \'What is that to us? See to it yourself.\' And <strong>throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.</strong>\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nThere was not a happy ending for Judas. A man who had walked with Jesus for years and yet let deceit enter his heart.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/peterdenies.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7259\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/peterdenies-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>There\'s another betrayal of sorts mentioned of a disciple before Jesus dies. It is of one of the three disciples who are closest to Jesus. It is, of course, Peter, who denied Christ three times: <em>“\'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.\'” Peter said to him, \'Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.\' Jesus said, \'<strong>I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.</strong>\'\"</em> (Luke 22:31-34 ESV)\r\n\r\nPeter\'s denial wasn\'t as strong as Judas\' betrayal. But at that moment, it must have felt like it. Think about it for a moment. Peter had heard all of the teachings of Christ. Even this one: <em>\"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.\" </em>(Matthew 10:32-33 ESV)\r\n\r\nAfter the death of Christ, Peter must have felt the lowest of low. We know that he did. In John 21, we find the disciples out fishing. Peter must have still felt the sting of his betrayal and denial. The disciples went out to fish. They were returning to their pre-Jesus careers.\r\n\r\nSuddenly, on the shore, appeared Jesus. He said, \"Not catching anything? Try the other side of the boat.\" They didn\'t recognize him. Surely they were thinking, \"What do you think? That we\'ve been casting on one side of the boat?\" When they did, they caught so many fish they couldn\'t hold them.\r\n\r\nSuddenly, Peter realized it was Jesus. It was a moment only Scripture could capture. Hold that thought.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342915058&amp;sr=8-2\">I was in a position almost three years ago when I fell from ministry.</a> I had committed adultery while pastoring a church. A lot of people told me I didn\'t deserve the love of God ever again. That God could never use me again. I believed them. There I sat, in a proverbial boat, like Peter. I wondered where God was. Surely He was out there. Surely the Savior who had called me had not given up on me.\r\n\r\nI was the one who had denied Him. I was the one who had walked away from Him and His calling. I was the one who had fallen. Had He seen it coming? He had seen Peter\'s fall. But what was the purpose? It was still my fault.\r\n\r\nWhen I was called to ministry, the passage that God had laid on my heart was from John 21. Maybe again I would find solace from it. And I did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dives.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7260\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dives-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" /></a>In John 21, when Peter realized it was Jesus standing on the shore, he learned to follow again. He didn\'t wait for the boat to get to shore.\r\n\r\nHe jumped it the water and swam. Peter was like that. Impetuous. Guns blazing. He wanted to be where Christ was. He knew he had messed up, but he knew even more that he wanted to be where His Savior and friend was. So he jumped out of the boat and swam to Him.\r\n\r\nThen came the famous restoration of Peter. I won\'t go over it again for you here. But when Peter followed boldly by jumping out of the boat, after his miserable failure of denying Christ, Jesus restored Him.\r\n\r\nSimilarly, when we fail Christ, He\'s waiting on us. To swim to Him. To get out of the boat of our regular routine and follow Him anew. That\'s where I found Him after I fell. I had to have courage to seek Him out. When I did, He restored me. Fully, completely. He forgave me. What else did I expect from the merciful Christ?\r\n\r\n___________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342915058&amp;sr=8-2\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Following Christ After Extreme Failure','','inherit','open','open','','7257-revision-3','','','2012-08-01 16:53:04','2012-08-01 23:53:04','',7257,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/01/7257-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5416,125,'2012-03-17 08:00:57','2012-03-17 15:00:57','There are plenty of reasons to laugh at Stephen Colbert.\r\n\r\nI typically get most of my news from either him or Jon Stewart.\r\n\r\nMy thinking on this is that they actually do report the news…the difference is they make it palatable by using humor. They add a bit of sugar to the medicine, so to speak.\r\n\r\nThey also represent the common person. You can basically predict what will happen when a lawyer guest walks in, looking a bit like a Brooks Bros. model in their too-expensive suit.\r\n\r\nThey ride in on their high horse, seemingly unaware that they are going to be leaving on their hands and knees.\r\n\r\nThey come in riding the coattails of their supposedly earned respect, and leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense.\r\n\r\nSerious situations cast a very real burden onto our shoulders. And the life of the believer is going to hold plenty of serious situations.\r\n\r\nBut although the Bible never directly points towards the humor of Jesus, it certainly doesn’t cast Him as too serious either.\r\n\r\nSpend any amount of time watching most movies about Jesus, and you come away feeling as if He had two facial expressions: sadness and concentrated thought. He either looks like He is about to weep or like He is so deep in thought the disciples would never think to disturb Him.\r\n\r\nMark Driscoll once noted that among the 17,000 books on Jesus in the Library of Congress, he could only find one directly speaking towards the humor of Jesus.\r\n\r\nIn the words of the Joker, “Why so serious?”\r\n\r\nIf we step back from our preconceptions for a moment, we can realize that Jesus did not come in utter seriousness…He came to bring us a more abundant life, and to help alleviate the more serious parts of our journey…sometimes with humor.\r\n\r\nA surface-level example can be found in Matthew 23:24:\r\n\r\n“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”\r\n\r\nSpeaking to the Pharisees about their hypocrisy, he likens their actions to people eating soup, trying to strain out a gnat but swallowing a camel in the process.\r\n\r\nNow there may be some disagreement on this method, but if you look at the Aramaic, it can be argued that Jesus is using a…\r\n\r\n…wait for it…\r\n\r\nA pun.\r\n\r\nIn Aramaic, the word for gnat is “galma” and the word for camel is “gamla”! We serve a witty God.\r\n\r\nBut overall, I think that Jesus used His humor in much the same way as Stephen Colbert.\r\n\r\nHe presented what was happening, but often used humor to soften His listeners’ seriousness. Like in Mark 7, when Jesus exorcises a demon from a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter:\r\n\r\n“The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (v. 26-30)\r\n\r\nJesus’ initial response could be seen as harsh, if we read it as Him responding seriously. He had only been healing Jews up until this point, after all. Was He really calling Syrophoenicians “dogs”? But if we read it as if our Lord was smiling as He said it, utilizing irony to playfully show the woman that He cared for her just as much as the Jews, then her response that ““even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” can be seen as her playfully jabbing right back. She got His humor.\r\n\r\nAnd, ultimately, Jesus can be compared to Stephen Colbert in that every time we see someone that gives off an air of respect, wearing fancy clothes, spouting off their merits…\r\n\r\n…well they too typically leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense. But to those willing to hear it, Jesus has made a very clear point.\r\n\r\nThe rich man unwilling to give up his possessions and follow God was unwilling to listen to what Jesus had to say. He saw his earthly things as far too serious to even consider giving them up. What does Jesus do?\r\n\r\nHe simultaneously lightens the mood and offers a huge truth:\r\n\r\n“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)\r\n\r\nYou can almost hear Him smiling when you read this.\r\n\r\nUltimately, we should be careful in seeing Jesus as humorous, simply because our humor has become so tainted by sin.\r\n\r\nBut just as He perfectly represents all other traits, He perfectly demonstrates how gentle humor and having fun are part of who we are in God’s image.\r\n\r\nIn faith, hope and love, we can joke with each other in bad times because we know that our ultimate destiny is finally good.','Does God Laugh?, Part 2','','publish','open','open','','does-god-laugh-part-2','','','2012-03-16 13:14:33','2012-03-16 20:14:33','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5416',0,'post','',1),(5417,125,'2012-03-08 14:16:30','2012-03-08 22:16:30','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','5416-revision','','','2012-03-08 14:16:30','2012-03-08 22:16:30','',5416,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/08/5416-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5419,1,'2012-03-08 17:44:56','2012-03-09 01:44:56','Last night I dreamed of a parade, and a strange affair it was. Interminably long, an odd single-file line of marchers walked past, each person a virtual twin of the one before them, yet with only the slightest differences. After a thousand or so had passed by the small changes had added up to someone who looked very different from the marchers so far ahead. On and on went the line: 25,000 long, perhaps 30,000 or more before I woke. Above each one arched the sun and the moon in their turn, casting golden--then silver, light upon each person. Some marchers danced, others wept, still others trudged in dreary sameness.\n\nThrough the night I dreamt and the parade continued by, each member ever-so slightly older than the one before. As I began the transition between sleep and wakefulness I realized I had witnessed the march of a single lifetime: 70 years, or eighty if our strength endures. I was awake, and the revelation was complete: we experience life in a single-file parade of 25,000 days or more, each one so much like the day before, yet unique as if a new creation.\n\nWhich of us has ever lived life backwards? Even Benjamin Button, who grew from old to young, lived his life in a succession of days, one after the other, never two together. The days march in line, each one connected to the previous, linked to the next, but never overlapping.\n\nIt is a quiet revelation, but no less true: God created the march of days and has ordained that each one of us will experience them in the same manner. Which of us has ever lived two days simultaneously? Or jumped from day 4,000 to day 7,000? It is beyond us to do so, though in our hearts and thoughts we may try. It may seem like a no-brainer, but we all are given the gift of life one day at a time, and our attempts to live them out of order come at great expense.\n\n“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself,” said Jesus. Then he added one of the strangest promises found in scripture: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6: 34)\n\nYet some people are obsessed with future days. The financial advisor pushes his chair away from his desk after reading these words and thinks, surely he can’t be serious. The student facing final exams in the coming weeks wonders if Jesus has lost his mind. The family trying to find the money for the next mortgage payment are convinced he never had a bill to pay. For each of them, sleep is a fair-weather friend. Meanwhile Jesus rambles on about birds and flowers. He instructs us to seek first God’s Kingdom and everything else will be magically “added to us.” Clearly, he doesn’t get the same emails we do.\n\nThe Creator, who exists outside of time and space, has ordained that should live in a world mediated by the passage of time. God set the whole thing up: we live our lives in the succession of days one after another because he wanted it to be so. Have we ever considered the fact that God chose this manner of living for us? He designed our minds, our hearts, our bodies, and our souls to live in this moment and not any other. He demonstrates his wisdom and care for us in the passage of time: we do not have to drag the past along with us nor bear the burden of future days on our shoulders all at once.\n\nThe past can store the treasures of lessons and memories, the future can be the repository of hopes or fears, but both of them are inhospitable homes for our hearts--or his Spirit.\n\nHe is the Eternal Now. God’s presence is available to us only in the now. We cannot experience his presence in the future because we do not live there. We cannot experience his presence in the past because we have moved on. His presence is here for us today. We do not need to worry about the future because he is not bound by time. He sits in the future and awaits our arrival. He’ll be there when we get there, but wouldn’t it be a shame to miss him in the now?','The Single-File Parade','','inherit','open','open','','5401-autosave','','','2012-03-08 17:44:56','2012-03-09 01:44:56','',5401,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/08/5401-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5420,1,'2012-03-08 17:51:03','2012-03-09 01:51:03','','clock','','inherit','open','open','','clock','','','2012-03-08 17:51:03','2012-03-09 01:51:03','',5401,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/clock.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5421,1,'2012-03-06 17:12:08','2012-03-07 01:12:08','Last night I dreamed of a parade, and a strange affair it was. Interminably long, an odd single-file line of marchers walked past, each person a virtual twin of the one before them, yet with only the slightest differences. After a thousand or so had passed by the small changes had added up to someone who looked very different from the marchers so far ahead. On and on went the line: 25,000 long, perhaps 30,000 or more before I woke. Above each one arched the sun and the moon in their turn, casting golden--then silver, light upon each person. Some marchers danced, others wept, still others trudged in dreary sameness. \r\nThrough the night I dreamt and the parade continued by, each member ever-so slightly older than the one before. As I began the transition between sleep and wakefulness I realized I had witnessed the march of a single lifetime: 70 years, or eighty if our strength endures. I was awake, and the revelation was complete: we experience life in a single-file parade of 25,000 days or more, each one so much like the day before, yet unique as if a new creation.\r\n\r\nWhich of us has ever lived life backwards? Even Benjamin Button, who grew from old to young, lived his life in a succession of days, one after the other, never two together. The days march in line, each one connected to the previous, linked to the next, but never overlapping.\r\nIt is a quiet revelation, but no less true: God created the march of days and has ordained that each one of us will experience them in the same manner. Which of us has ever lived two days simultaneously? Or jumped from day 4,000 to day 7,000? It is beyond us to do so, though in our hearts and thoughts we may try. It may seem like a no-brainer, but we all are given the gift of life one day at a time, and our attempts to live them out of order come at great expense.\r\n\r\n“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself,” said Jesus. Then he added one of the strangest promises found in scripture: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6: 34)\r\n\r\nYet some people are obsessed with future days. The financial advisor pushes his chair away from his desk after reading these words and thinks, surely he can’t be serious. The student facing final exams in the coming weeks wonders if Jesus has lost his mind. The family trying to find the money for the next mortgage payment are convinced he never had a bill to pay. For each of them, sleep is a fair-weather friend. Meanwhile Jesus rambles on about birds and flowers. He instructs us to seek first God’s Kingdom and everything else will be magically “added to us.” Clearly, he doesn’t get the same emails we do.\r\n\r\nThe Creator, who exists outside of time and space, has ordained that should live in a world mediated by the passage of time. God set the whole thing up: we live our lives in the succession of days one after another because he wanted it to be so. Have we ever considered the fact that God chose this manner of living for us? He designed our minds, our hearts, our bodies, and our souls to live in this moment and not any other. He demonstrates his wisdom and care for us in the passage of time: we do not have to drag the past along with us nor bear the burden of future days on our shoulders all at once.\r\n\r\nThe past can store the treasures of lessons and memories, the future can be the repository of hopes or fears, but both of them are inhospitable homes for our hearts--or his Spirit.\r\n\r\nHe is the Eternal Now. God’s presence is available to us only in the now. We cannot experience his presence in the future because we do not live there. We cannot experience his presence in the past because we have moved on. His presence is here for us today. We do not need to worry about the future because he is not bound by time. He sits in the future and awaits our arrival. He’ll be there when we get there, but wouldn’t it be a shame to miss him in the now?','The Single-File Parade','','inherit','open','open','','5401-revision-2','','','2012-03-06 17:12:08','2012-03-07 01:12:08','',5401,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/06/5401-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5496,160,'2012-03-09 08:00:23','2012-03-09 16:00:23','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-4','','','2012-03-09 08:00:23','2012-03-09 16:00:23','',5423,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/09/5423-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5754,46,'2012-04-04 08:00:46','2012-04-04 15:00:46','Just before Christmas in 2008, St. John’s Church in Broadbridge Heath, England took down its 10ft crucifix after numerous parishioners complained that it frightened children. The crucifix, created in the 1960s, shows an emaciated Jesus hanging on the cross with a look of horror and despair on His face. <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7816941.stm\">The BBC asked two different clergymen</a> whether or not the church should have removed the crucifix. One of the two men, Rev. John Caperon, said for any church to disregard the cross would mean ignoring the reality of suffering. “For Christians, of course,” he said, “the great comfort in the crucifix is the thought not that it represents simply human pain, but that it represents also the love of God. For what we’re saying, I think, is this: the God who created us is also to God who suffers with us.”\r\n\r\nComing from an evangelical background, I was taught that the only thing the cross represents is Jesus paying the price for our sins. I never thought of the cross as a symbol of God identifying with human suffering. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, then that means God was hanging on that cross in agonizing pain. Think about that for second: Elohim the creator, the great I AM, hanging on a cross, rejected, humiliated, and dying.\r\n\r\nAs someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety since early childhood, this was a message I needed to hear. Even though it has been called ‘the common cold of mental illness,’ depression has a funny way of making me feel completely alone. No one else can possibly understand what I’m going through. If I try to put it into words, it won’t make any sense. But if God knows human suffering first hand, then maybe I’m not so crazy after all.\r\n\r\nYears later after several bouts of severe depression, I started wondering if maybe I was wrong. Maybe God isn’t able to relate to human suffering. If God is able, then why do I feel so alone when I’m in a bad place? Why do I feel like I’m not man enough for God’s approval? The pain and confusion got so bad at one point that I wrote an angry letter to God telling God to fuck off. In my mind, God no longer suffered with me; God was laughing at me.\r\n\r\nWithin the past couple of months, however, I kept coming across passages, blogs, and conversations that made me wonder if perhaps God isn’t a jerk after all. The most recent example has been Dr. Tony Jones’ eBook <em>A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin</em>:\r\n<blockquote>[I]n Christianity alone, the God and Creator of the universe deigned to become human, to be tempted, to reach out to those who had be de-humanized and restore their humanity, and ultimately to die in solidarity with every one of us . . . The hope [Jesus] offers is that, by dying on that cross, the eternal Trinity became forever bound to my humanity. The God of the universe identified with me, and I have the opportunity to identify with him.</blockquote>\r\nReally? God identifies with me and my brokenness? All my Calvinist friends said God was way too holy to identify with my brokenness. But maybe it was true; maybe God does suffer with us after all.\r\n\r\nSo like a good Protestant brought up on sola scriptura, I looked through the scriptures to see if God can relate to suffering or not. And what I found was . . .\r\n\r\n. . . a God who hears the cries of a suffering people (Exodus 3:7).\r\n\r\n. . . a God who becomes the suffering servant in Isaiah (1 Peter 2:24).\r\n\r\n. . . a God who became human, faced temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), wept with those in mourning (John 11:35), became “overwhelmed with sorrow” in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-44), and was ultimately died the humiliating death of a criminal, rejected and abandoned (Mark 15:22-39).\r\n\r\n. . . a God who rose again.\r\n\r\nWhen darkness fills my life, I can\'t imagine how anyone could possibly understand my pain. But if the God of the universe has experienced ultimate human suffering firsthand, then, to echo the words of the psalmist, \"what can man do to me?\" (Psalm 56:11)','The Suffering God','','publish','open','open','','the-suffering-god','','','2012-04-04 07:52:47','2012-04-04 14:52:47','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5754',0,'post','',2),(5630,0,'2012-03-24 19:27:26','2012-03-25 02:27:26','Along with every little thing which seems to be evpdloeing within this area, your viewpoints are actually quite radical. Nonetheless, I beg your pardon, but I do not subscribe to your entire suggestion, all be it stimulating none the less. It seems to me that your remarks are actually not completely justified and in fact you are generally yourself not entirely certain of the point. In any case I did enjoy looking at it.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Edward\nAUTHOR EMAIL: kimapreuss@web.de\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003405660334\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Demystifying Hope\nIP: 208.49.101.65\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Edward\n    [Email] =&gt; kimapreuss@web.de\n    [Website] =&gt; http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003405660334\n    [Message] =&gt; Along with every little thing which seems to be evpdloeing within this area, your viewpoints are actually quite radical. Nonetheless, I beg your pardon, but I do not subscribe to your entire suggestion, all be it stimulating none the less. It seems to me that your remarks are actually not completely justified and in fact you are generally yourself not entirely certain of the point. In any case I did enjoy looking at it.\n)\n','Edward - 2012-03-24 19:27:26','','publish','open','open','','ab2de07178f90de7b2ee38fdf31da8ca','','','2012-03-24 19:27:26','2012-03-25 02:27:26','',4115,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5630',0,'feedback','',0),(5502,172,'2012-03-16 11:50:41','2012-03-16 18:50:41','','kahlil-gibran-wisdom','','inherit','open','open','','kahlil-gibran-wisdom','','','2012-03-16 11:50:41','2012-03-16 18:50:41','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5505,172,'2012-04-06 13:17:49','0000-00-00 00:00:00','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,\r\n\r\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\r\n\r\nand it is The Spirit\". - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>Life is our abundance!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us... within each of us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe... from the smallest nanoparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites what we only think we perceive as differing objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.\r\n\r\nMost of my experience praying is simply acknowledging that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as all of it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I have been thinking\'.  Stepping out of this routine and busyness of what I misperceive as me...to acknowledge this singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of the scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the silence of truly knowing.\r\n\r\nYou have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted by their harsh rhetoric daily!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgement upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.\r\n\r\nLook how we pray... See how we yearn... Hear our prayers... Listen for the eternal voice of  the Creator/Creation!\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5512\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"228\" /></a>\r\n\r\n\"I existed from all eternity and , behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\nChaz e.g.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-04-06 13:17:49','2012-04-06 20:17:49','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5505',0,'post','',0),(5506,1,'2012-03-16 13:05:00','2012-03-16 20:05:00','There are plenty of reasons to laugh at Stephen Colbert.\n\nI typically get most of my news from either him or Jon Stewart.\n\nMy thinking on this is that they actually do report the news…the difference is they make it palatable by using humor. They add a bit of sugar to the medicine, so to speak.\n\nThey also represent the common person. You can basically predict what will happen when a lawyer guest walks in, looking a bit like a Brooks Bros. model in their too-expensive suit.\n\nThey ride in on their high horse, seemingly unaware that they are going to be leaving on their hands and knees.\n\nThey come in riding the coattails of their supposedly earned respect, and leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense.\n\nSerious situations cast a very real burden onto our shoulders. And the life of the believer is going to hold plenty of serious situations.\n\nBut although the Bible never directly points towards the humor of Jesus, it certainly doesn’t cast Him as too serious either.\n\nSpend any amount of time watching most movies about Jesus, and you come away feeling as if He had two facial expressions: sadness and concentrated thought. He either looks like He is about to weep or like He is so deep in thought the disciples would never think to disturb Him.\n\nMark Driscoll once noted that among the 17,000 books on Jesus in the Library of Congress, he could only find one directly speaking towards the humor of Jesus.\n\nIn the words of the Joker, “Why so serious?”\n\nIf we step back from our preconceptions for a moment, we can realize that Jesus did not come in utter seriousness…He came to bring us a more abundant life, and to help alleviate the more serious parts of our journey…sometimes with humor.\n\nA surface-level example can be found in Matthew 23:24:\n\n“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”\n\nSpeaking to the Pharisees about their hypocrisy, he likens their actions to people eating soup, trying to strain out a gnat but swallowing a camel in the process.\n\nNow there may be some disagreement on this method, but if you look at the Aramaic, it can be argued that Jesus is using a…\n\n…wait for it…\n\nA pun.\n\nIn Aramaic, the word for gnat is “galma” and the word for camel is “gamla”! We serve a witty God.\n\nBut overall, I think that Jesus used His humor in much the same way as Stephen Colbert.\n\nHe presented what was happening, but often used humor to soften His listeners’ seriousness. Like in Mark 7, when Jesus exorcises a demon from a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter:\n\n“The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (v. 26-30)\n\nJesus’ initial response could be seen as harsh, if we read it as Him responding seriously. He had only been healing Jews up until this point, after all. Was He really calling Syrophoenicians “dogs”? But if we read it as if our Lord was smiling as He said it, utilizing irony to playfully show the woman that He cared for her just as much as the Jews, then her response that ““even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” can be seen as her playfully jabbing right back. She got His humor.\n\nAnd, ultimately, Jesus can be compared to Stephen Colbert in that every time we see someone that gives off an air of respect, wearing fancy clothes, spouting off their merits…\n\n…well they too typically leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense. But to those willing to hear it, Jesus has made a very clear point.\n\nThe rich man unwilling to give up his possessions and follow God was unwilling to listen to what Jesus had to say. He saw his earthly things as far too serious to even consider giving them up. What does Jesus do?\n\nHe simultaneously lightens the mood and offers a huge truth:\n\n“ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)\n\nYou can almost hear Him smiling when you read this.\n\nUltimately, we should be careful in seeing Jesus as humorous, simply because our humor has become so tainted by sin.\n\nBut just as He perfectly represents all other traits, He perfectly demonstrates how gentle humor and having fun are part of who we are in God’s image.\n\nIn faith, hope and love, we can joke with each other in bad times because we know that our ultimate destiny is finally good.','Does God Laugh?, Part 2','','inherit','open','open','','5416-autosave','','','2012-03-16 13:05:00','2012-03-16 20:05:00','',5416,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5416-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5507,1,'2012-03-16 13:11:53','2012-03-16 20:11:53','','child laughing','','inherit','open','open','','child-laughing','','','2012-03-16 13:11:53','2012-03-16 20:11:53','',5416,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/child-laughing.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5508,1,'2012-03-08 14:17:32','2012-03-08 22:17:32','There are plenty of reasons to laugh at Stephen Colbert.\r\n\r\nI typically get most of my news from either him or Jon Stewart.\r\n\r\nMy thinking on this is that they actually do report the news…the difference is they make it palatable by using humor. They add a bit of sugar to the medicine, so to speak.\r\n\r\nThey also represent the common person. You can basically predict what will happen when a lawyer guest walks in, looking a bit like a Brooks Bros. model in their too-expensive suit.\r\n\r\nThey ride in on their high horse, seemingly unaware that they are going to be leaving on their hands and knees.\r\n\r\nThey come in riding the coattails of their supposedly earned respect, and leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense.\r\n\r\nSerious situations cast a very real burden onto our shoulders.  And the life of the believer is going to hold plenty of serious situations.\r\n\r\nBut although the Bible never directly points towards the humor of Jesus, it certainly doesn’t cast Him as too serious either.\r\n\r\nSpend any amount of time watching most movies about Jesus, and you come away feeling as if He had two facial expressions: sadness and concentrated thought. He either looks like He is about to weep or like He is so deep in thought the disciples would never think to disturb Him.\r\n\r\nMark Driscoll once noted that among the 17,000 books on Jesus in the Library of Congress, he could only find one directly speaking towards the humor of Jesus.\r\n\r\nIn the words of the Joker, “Why so serious?”\r\n\r\nIf we step back from our preconceptions for a moment, we can realize that Jesus did not come in utter seriousness…He came to bring us a more abundant life, and to help alleviate the more serious parts of our journey…sometimes with humor.\r\n\r\nA surface-level example can be found in Matthew 23:24:\r\n\r\n“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”\r\n\r\nSpeaking to the Pharisees about their hypocrisy, he likens their actions to people eating soup, trying to strain out a gnat but swallowing a camel in the process.\r\n\r\nNow there may be some disagreement on this method, but if you look at the Aramaic, it can be argued that Jesus is using a…\r\n\r\n…wait for it…\r\n\r\nA pun.\r\n\r\nIn Aramaic, the word for gnat is “galma” and the word for camel is “gamla”! We serve a witty God.\r\n\r\nBut overall, I think that Jesus used His humor in much the same way as Stephen Colbert.\r\n\r\nHe presented what was happening, but often used humor to soften His listeners’ seriousness. Like in Mark 7, when Jesus exorcises a demon from a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter:\r\n\r\n“The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (v. 26-30)\r\n\r\nJesus’ initial response could be seen as harsh, if we read it as Him responding seriously. He had only been healing Jews up until this point, after all. Was He really calling Syrophoenicians “dogs”? But if we read it as if our Lord was smiling as He said it, utilizing irony to playfully show the woman that He cared for her just as much as the Jews, then her response that ““even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” can be seen as her playfully jabbing right back. She got His humor.\r\n\r\nAnd, ultimately, Jesus can be compared to Stephen Colbert in that every time we see someone that gives off an air of respect, wearing fancy clothes, spouting off their merits…\r\n\r\n…well they too typically leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense. But to those willing to hear it, Jesus has made a very clear point.\r\n\r\nThe rich man unwilling to give up his possessions and follow God was unwilling to listen to what Jesus had to say. He saw his earthly things as far too serious to even consider giving them up. What does Jesus do?\r\n\r\nHe simultaneously lightens the mood and offers a huge truth:\r\n\r\n“ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)\r\n\r\nYou can almost hear Him smiling when you read this.\r\n\r\nUltimately, we should be careful in seeing Jesus as humorous, simply because our humor has become so tainted by sin.\r\n\r\nBut just as He perfectly represents all other traits, He perfectly demonstrates how gentle humor and having fun are part of who we are in God’s image.\r\n\r\nIn faith, hope and love, we can joke with each other in bad times because we know that our ultimate destiny is finally good.','Does God Laugh?, Part 2','','inherit','open','open','','5416-revision-2','','','2012-03-08 14:17:32','2012-03-08 22:17:32','',5416,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/08/5416-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5509,1,'2012-03-16 13:12:47','2012-03-16 20:12:47','There are plenty of reasons to laugh at Stephen Colbert.\r\n\r\nI typically get most of my news from either him or Jon Stewart.\r\n\r\nMy thinking on this is that they actually do report the news…the difference is they make it palatable by using humor. They add a bit of sugar to the medicine, so to speak.\r\n\r\nThey also represent the common person. You can basically predict what will happen when a lawyer guest walks in, looking a bit like a Brooks Bros. model in their too-expensive suit.\r\n\r\nThey ride in on their high horse, seemingly unaware that they are going to be leaving on their hands and knees.\r\n\r\nThey come in riding the coattails of their supposedly earned respect, and leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense.\r\n\r\nSerious situations cast a very real burden onto our shoulders. And the life of the believer is going to hold plenty of serious situations.\r\n\r\nBut although the Bible never directly points towards the humor of Jesus, it certainly doesn’t cast Him as too serious either.\r\n\r\nSpend any amount of time watching most movies about Jesus, and you come away feeling as if He had two facial expressions: sadness and concentrated thought. He either looks like He is about to weep or like He is so deep in thought the disciples would never think to disturb Him.\r\n\r\nMark Driscoll once noted that among the 17,000 books on Jesus in the Library of Congress, he could only find one directly speaking towards the humor of Jesus.\r\n\r\nIn the words of the Joker, “Why so serious?”\r\n\r\nIf we step back from our preconceptions for a moment, we can realize that Jesus did not come in utter seriousness…He came to bring us a more abundant life, and to help alleviate the more serious parts of our journey…sometimes with humor.\r\n\r\nA surface-level example can be found in Matthew 23:24:\r\n\r\n“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”\r\n\r\nSpeaking to the Pharisees about their hypocrisy, he likens their actions to people eating soup, trying to strain out a gnat but swallowing a camel in the process.\r\n\r\nNow there may be some disagreement on this method, but if you look at the Aramaic, it can be argued that Jesus is using a…\r\n\r\n…wait for it…\r\n\r\nA pun.\r\n\r\nIn Aramaic, the word for gnat is “galma” and the word for camel is “gamla”! We serve a witty God.\r\n\r\nBut overall, I think that Jesus used His humor in much the same way as Stephen Colbert.\r\n\r\nHe presented what was happening, but often used humor to soften His listeners’ seriousness. Like in Mark 7, when Jesus exorcises a demon from a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter:\r\n\r\n“The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (v. 26-30)\r\n\r\nJesus’ initial response could be seen as harsh, if we read it as Him responding seriously. He had only been healing Jews up until this point, after all. Was He really calling Syrophoenicians “dogs”? But if we read it as if our Lord was smiling as He said it, utilizing irony to playfully show the woman that He cared for her just as much as the Jews, then her response that ““even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” can be seen as her playfully jabbing right back. She got His humor.\r\n\r\nAnd, ultimately, Jesus can be compared to Stephen Colbert in that every time we see someone that gives off an air of respect, wearing fancy clothes, spouting off their merits…\r\n\r\n…well they too typically leave refusing to join the fun being had at their expense. But to those willing to hear it, Jesus has made a very clear point.\r\n\r\nThe rich man unwilling to give up his possessions and follow God was unwilling to listen to what Jesus had to say. He saw his earthly things as far too serious to even consider giving them up. What does Jesus do?\r\n\r\nHe simultaneously lightens the mood and offers a huge truth:\r\n\r\n“ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)\r\n\r\nYou can almost hear Him smiling when you read this.\r\n\r\nUltimately, we should be careful in seeing Jesus as humorous, simply because our humor has become so tainted by sin.\r\n\r\nBut just as He perfectly represents all other traits, He perfectly demonstrates how gentle humor and having fun are part of who we are in God’s image.\r\n\r\nIn faith, hope and love, we can joke with each other in bad times because we know that our ultimate destiny is finally good.','Does God Laugh?, Part 2','','inherit','open','open','','5416-revision-3','','','2012-03-16 13:12:47','2012-03-16 20:12:47','',5416,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5416-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5510,172,'2012-03-16 13:32:29','2012-03-16 20:32:29','','Bhuddist monks pray','','inherit','open','open','','bhuddist-monks-pray','','','2012-03-16 13:32:29','2012-03-16 20:32:29','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5511,172,'2012-03-16 13:36:07','2012-03-16 20:36:07','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\n\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons on one religion,\n\nand it is The Spirit\". - Khalil Gibran\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us... within each of us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe... from the smallest nanparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites what we only think we perceive as differing objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying is simply acknowledging that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as all of it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I have been thinking\'.  Stepping out of this routine and busyness of what I misperceive as me...to acknowledge this singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of the scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the silence of truly knowing.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted by their harsh rhetoric daily!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgement upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Look how we pray... </em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>\n\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5510\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray-300x195.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" /></a></em></strong>','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5505-revision','','','2012-03-16 13:36:07','2012-03-16 20:36:07','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5505-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5512,172,'2012-03-16 13:52:07','2012-03-16 20:52:07','','Bhuddist monks pray','','inherit','open','open','','bhuddist-monks-pray-2','','','2012-03-16 13:52:07','2012-03-16 20:52:07','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5513,172,'2012-03-16 13:54:55','2012-03-16 20:54:55','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\n\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\n\nand it is The Spirit\". - Khalil Gibran\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us... within each of us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe... from the smallest nanparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites what we only think we perceive as differing objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying is simply acknowledging that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as all of it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I have been thinking\'.  Stepping out of this routine and busyness of what I misperceive as me...to acknowledge this singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of the scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the silence of truly knowing.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted by their harsh rhetoric daily!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgement upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Look how we pray... See how we yearn... Hear our prayers... </em></strong><strong><em>Listen for the eternal voice of  the Creator/Creation!</em></strong> \n\n\"I existed from all eternity and , behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\n\nChaz e.g.\n\n<a href=\"http://upfromthemat.com\">http://upfromthemat.com</a>\n\n<strong><em></em></strong>','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5505-revision-2','','','2012-03-16 13:54:55','2012-03-16 20:54:55','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5505-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5514,1,'2012-03-27 14:45:37','2012-03-27 21:45:37','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,\n\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\n\nand it is The Spirit\". - Khalil Gibran\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>Life is our abundance!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us... within each of us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe... from the smallest nanoparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites what we only think we perceive as differing objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.\n\nMost of my experience praying is simply acknowledging that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as all of it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I have been thinking\'.  Stepping out of this routine and busyness of what I misperceive as me...to acknowledge this singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of the scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the silence of truly knowing.\n\nYou have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted by their harsh rhetoric daily!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgement upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.\n\nLook how we pray... See how we yearn... Hear our prayers... Listen for the eternal voice of  the Creator/Creation!\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5512\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"228\" /></a>\n\n\"I existed from all eternity and , behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\n\nChaz e.g.\n\n&nbsp;','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5505-autosave','','','2012-03-27 14:45:37','2012-03-27 21:45:37','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5505-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5515,172,'2012-03-16 13:56:44','2012-03-16 20:56:44','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\r\n\r\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\r\n\r\nand it is The Spirit\". - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us... within each of us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe... from the smallest nanparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites what we only think we perceive as differing objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying is simply acknowledging that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as all of it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I have been thinking\'.  Stepping out of this routine and busyness of what I misperceive as me...to acknowledge this singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of the scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the silence of truly knowing.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted by their harsh rhetoric daily!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgement upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Look how we pray... See how we yearn... Hear our prayers... </em></strong><strong><em>Listen for the eternal voice of  the Creator/Creation!</em></strong> \r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"I existed from all eternity and , behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\nChaz e.g.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://upfromthemat.com\">http://upfromthemat.com</a>\r\n\r\n<strong><em></em></strong>','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5505-revision-3','','','2012-03-16 13:56:44','2012-03-16 20:56:44','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5505-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5681,1,'2012-03-20 15:46:46','2012-03-20 22:46:46','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\r\n\r\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\r\n\r\nThat\'s why the music in that church at the weekend was a jarring shock - I\'d been living in a different world, singing a different tune, one that seems to be rare in our churches right now. Our worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon! Sometimes I feel I hardly have the heart to sing along or stand up with everyone else, sometimes there\'s just too much weighing me down.\r\n\r\nWe can deal with that feeling in different ways and each church probably has its own suggestions. It\'s not always my sin that makes me not want to worship, we should not be made to feel guilty for lack of energy. I should not be left questioning myself, looking for a problem or a barrier, sometimes it\'s obvious that there\'s a lot going on, painful and difficult experiences in my life. Those issues are not coming between me and God, I can\'t repent of bereavement or pain. What I need is music that reflects the key my life is playing in.\r\n\r\nFortunately, when we turn to the Bible, there are responses modelled there that are far more helpful than a lot of what our churches are saying. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the middle of our Bibles does not have that same overwhelmingly up-beat tone. So often, what we read there is the Psalmist struggling with some issue or another, wondering why God hasn\'t done something and then not coming up with a trite, easy answer, but letting the pain and disappointment sit there while affirming the greatness and goodness of God. Jeremiah writes a whole book (just a short one, but still...) of Lamentations over the destruction of his home, his whole world; pleading with God not to forget his people and promises, yet finishing with praise of the God who reigns forever.\r\n\r\nLament is not just saying how awful things are and wallowing in self-pity. It\'s a \'holy discontent\', always in the context of trust in God when it hurts. Job is another great example of this - though everything he loves and owns is destroyed, even his health, he still trusts God. He goes from super-rich to diseased and living on the town tip, with \'friends\' who taunt and blame him, yet all he wants is to see God and understand why.\r\n\r\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. Feeling cut off from worship at times unsurprisingly leads to disconnection from church and other Christians who seem to have it \'all together\'.\r\n\r\nPerhaps Lent can be a time for us to reconnect with this ancient way of worshipping in pain while staying real and vulnerable. Perhaps doing this will help us to be closer to the Christian communities we are a part of, help us to more genuinely understand and walk alongside others who are suffering in some way.\r\n\r\nMaybe that healing won\'t come, maybe she won\'t come back, maybe it will take a long time to ever find work again. Maybe it\'s not all ok, maybe it really hurts right now, maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe trusting God doesn\'t look like jumping up and down with my hands in the air right now. Actually, maybe all that <em>is</em> ok if we can just lament over it together before God.\r\n\r\nThe blues come to all of us. Pretending that they don\'t is dangerous to us personally and is already damaging our faith communities. The blues come to all of us. The challenge is in being able to sing them in a Christian way.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>What music do you sing or listen to which helps you to lament? What practices happen in your community to help you be alongside those who are in pain?</em></strong>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-revision-6','','','2012-03-20 15:46:46','2012-03-20 22:46:46','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/20/5530-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5680,1,'2012-03-16 14:00:23','2012-03-16 21:00:23','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\r\n\r\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\r\n\r\nand it is The Spirit\". - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us... within each of us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe... from the smallest nanoparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites what we only think we perceive as differing objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying is simply acknowledging that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as all of it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I have been thinking\'.  Stepping out of this routine and busyness of what I misperceive as me...to acknowledge this singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of the scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the silence of truly knowing.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted by their harsh rhetoric daily!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgement upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Look how we pray... See how we yearn... Hear our prayers... </em></strong><strong><em>Listen for the eternal voice of  the Creator/Creation!</em></strong> \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5512\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"228\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"I existed from all eternity and , behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\nChaz e.g.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://upfromthemat.com\">http://upfromthemat.com</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5505-revision-4','','','2012-03-16 14:00:23','2012-03-16 21:00:23','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5505-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5517,172,'2012-03-16 16:56:50','2012-03-16 23:56:50','','mu-jews-praying','','inherit','open','open','','mu-jews-praying','','','2012-03-16 16:56:50','2012-03-16 23:56:50','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5518,172,'2012-03-16 16:58:39','2012-03-16 23:58:39','','muslim_kids_praying','','inherit','open','open','','muslim_kids_praying','','','2012-03-16 16:58:39','2012-03-16 23:58:39','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5519,172,'2012-03-16 17:00:26','2012-03-17 00:00:26','','Prayer21','','inherit','open','open','','prayer21','','','2012-03-16 17:00:26','2012-03-17 00:00:26','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5520,172,'2012-03-16 17:02:20','2012-03-17 00:02:20','','hari krishna prayer','','inherit','open','open','','hari-krishna-prayer','','','2012-03-16 17:02:20','2012-03-17 00:02:20','',5505,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5987,0,'2012-04-16 05:05:22','2012-04-16 12:05:22','To whom it may concern:\r\nI represent AdSmoke, a video ad network focused on monetizing embedded videos. \r\nWe are interested in placing video ads on provoketive.com\r\nIs provoketive.com looking for video advertisers?  If so, then perhaps we can chat.\r\n\r\n\r\nPlacement:\r\nWe would place news and video content on your website. We pay you to play commercials and content on your website.   We provide the advertiser and the premium video content.\r\nCheck out AdSmoke Showcase in action at: http://adsmoke.com/products/adsmoke-showcase/\r\n\r\n\r\nFeel free to visit us at http://adsmoke.com\r\nThanks\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Eric Hamilton\nAUTHOR EMAIL: hamilton10@adsmoke.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 27.0.106.171\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Eric Hamilton\n    [Email] =&gt; hamilton10@adsmoke.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; To whom it may concern:\r\nI represent AdSmoke, a video ad network focused on monetizing embedded videos. \r\nWe are interested in placing video ads on provoketive.com\r\nIs provoketive.com looking for video advertisers?  If so, then perhaps we can chat.\r\n\r\n\r\nPlacement:\r\nWe would place news and video content on your website. We pay you to play commercials and content on your website.   We provide the advertiser and the premium video content.\r\nCheck out AdSmoke Showcase in action at: http://adsmoke.com/products/adsmoke-showcase/\r\n\r\n\r\nFeel free to visit us at http://adsmoke.com\r\nThanks\n)\n','Eric Hamilton - 2012-04-16 05:05:22','','publish','open','open','','33eda283fba911608e8c9483f10833de','','','2012-04-16 05:05:22','2012-04-16 12:05:22','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5987',0,'feedback','',0),(5523,172,'2012-04-04 07:45:34','0000-00-00 00:00:00','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"171\" height=\"187\" /></a>\r\n\r\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\r\n\r\nand it is The Spirit.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Life is abundant!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us...within us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe...from the smallest nanoparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites all that we only think we perceive as different objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying has simply acknowledged that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I am thinking\'.  Stepping out of those routines and the busyness of what I misperceive as \'me\'...to acknowledge the singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the great silent truth of knowing.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted daily by their harsh rhetoric!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgment upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.  The Christ is quoted  telling you the same...\"My Grace is enough for you\"!</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Look how we pray...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5512\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"386\" height=\"193\" /></a></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> See how we yearn...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5517\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"388\" height=\"249\" /></a> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Hear our prayers...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5518\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"387\" height=\"224\" /></a></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> Listen for the Eternal voice of the Creator/Creation...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5519\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"385\" height=\"240\" /></a> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!      Amen<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5520\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>  </em></strong>\r\n\r\n\"I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\nChaz e.g.','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-04-04 07:45:34','2012-04-04 14:45:34','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5523',0,'post','',0),(5524,172,'2012-03-16 17:17:11','2012-03-17 00:17:11','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,\n\npray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\n\nand it is The Spirit.\" - Khalil Gibran\n\n&nbsp;','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5523-revision','','','2012-03-16 17:17:11','2012-03-17 00:17:11','',5523,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5523-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5525,172,'2012-03-16 18:08:13','2012-03-17 01:08:13','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"171\" height=\"187\" /></a>\n\n pray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\n\n and it is The Spirit.\" - Khalil Gibran\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><em>Life is abundant!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us...within us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe...from the smallest nanoparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites all that we only think we perceive as different objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying has simply acknowledged that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I am thinking\'.  Stepping out of those routines and the busyness of what I misperceive as \'me\'...to acknowledge the singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the great silent truth of knowing.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted daily by their harsh rhetoric!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgment upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.  The Christ is quoted  telling you the same...\"My Grace is enough for you\"!</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Look how we pray...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5512\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"386\" height=\"193\" /></a></em></strong>\n\n<strong><em> See how we yearn...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5517\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"388\" height=\"249\" /></a> </em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Hear our prayers...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5518\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"387\" height=\"224\" /></a></em></strong>\n\n<strong><em> Listen for the Eternal voice of the Creator/Creation...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5519\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"385\" height=\"240\" /></a> </em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!      Amen<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5520\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>  </em></strong>\n\n\"I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\n\nChaz e.g.','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5523-revision-2','','','2012-03-16 18:08:13','2012-03-17 01:08:13','',5523,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5523-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5795,1,'2012-03-30 08:13:54','2012-03-30 15:13:54','[caption id=\"attachment_5730\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"193\" caption=\"Rev Bruce Epperly\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bruceepperly.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bruceepperly-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5730\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThis week we talk with Bruce Epperly. He\'s a theologian, ordained minister, blogger and author of several books, including \'A Holy Adventure\' and \'Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed.\' \r\n\r\nDuring our chat, he shares his thoughts on process theology and what it means to live a holy adventure.\r\n\r\n[audio=\"http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/022412.mp3\"]','Something Beautiful - Bruce Epperly','','inherit','open','open','','5729-revision-4','','','2012-03-30 08:13:54','2012-03-30 15:13:54','',5729,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/30/5729-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5526,172,'2012-03-16 18:09:03','2012-03-17 01:09:03','\"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple,<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5502\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/kahlil-gibran-wisdom-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"171\" height=\"187\" /></a>\r\n\r\n pray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion,\r\n\r\n and it is The Spirit.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Life is abundant!  Our universe is teeming with its energy.  It is the matrix for all that exists around us...within us.  It is the most sacred element of the Creator/Creation.  All material objects in the universe...from the smallest nanoparticle to the most immense object...are the progeny of this eternally living energy.  It is the singularity that unites all that we only think we perceive as different objects.  In such perceptions we deceive ourselves...always.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Most of my experience praying has simply acknowledged that I am integral, inseparable, from this most sacred Creator/Creation.  I am dependant upon all of it, just as it is dependant upon me.  This \'me\' is so much more than what I perceive when I am looking into a mirror, or thinking about \'who I am\', \'what I am doing\', \'what I am thinking\'.  Stepping out of those routines and the busyness of what I misperceive as \'me\'...to acknowledge the singular truth of Being...is the essence of worship of the divine Creator/Creation.  It requires no words for they would be inadequate though sincere.  The words of scripture writers and poet philosophers are only signposts pointing toward the great silent truth of knowing.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>You have seen and heard those who perceive themselves as having authority to promote separation from, exclusion of, or superiority over the spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and life commitments of other people.  In the current political environment we are assaulted daily by their harsh rhetoric!  Those who promote these dualities are misperceiving themselves as well as the people they hold judgment upon.  Your knowing of your own Grace in our Creator/Creation is truth enough.  The Christ is quoted  telling you the same...\"My Grace is enough for you\"!</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Look how we pray...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5512\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bhuddist-monks-pray1-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"386\" height=\"193\" /></a></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> See how we yearn...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5517\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mu-jews-praying-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"388\" height=\"249\" /></a> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Hear our prayers...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5518\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/muslim_kids_praying.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"387\" height=\"224\" /></a></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> Listen for the Eternal voice of the Creator/Creation...</em></strong><strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5519\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Prayer21-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"385\" height=\"240\" /></a> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Life is our abundance!      Amen<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5520\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hari-krishna-prayer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>  </em></strong>\r\n\r\n\"I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; I shall exist til the end of time, for my Being has no end.\" - Khalil Gibran\r\n\r\nChaz e.g.','Watch. Listen. Thank God!','','inherit','open','open','','5523-revision-3','','','2012-03-16 18:09:03','2012-03-17 01:09:03','',5523,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5523-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5528,1,'2012-03-27 15:05:43','2012-03-27 22:05:43','<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!\n\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\n<ol>\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>\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>\n</ol>\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 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.\n<ul>\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>\n</ul>','#ididnotreport','','inherit','open','open','','5480-autosave','','','2012-03-27 15:05:43','2012-03-27 22:05:43','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/19/5480-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5530,110,'2012-03-27 14:51:22','2012-03-27 21:51:22','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\r\n\r\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\r\n\r\nThat\'s why the music in that church at the weekend was a jarring shock - I\'d been living in a different world, singing a different tune, one that seems to be rare in our churches right now. Our worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon! Sometimes I feel I hardly have the heart to sing along or stand up with everyone else, sometimes there\'s just too much weighing me down.\r\n\r\nWe can deal with that feeling in different ways and each church probably has its own suggestions. It\'s not always my sin that makes me not want to worship, we should not be made to feel guilty for lack of energy. I should not be left questioning myself, looking for a problem or a barrier, sometimes it\'s obvious that there\'s a lot going on, painful and difficult experiences in my life. Those issues are not coming between me and God, I can\'t repent of bereavement or pain. What I need is music that reflects the key my life is playing in.\r\n\r\nFortunately, when we turn to the Bible, there are responses modelled there that are far more helpful than a lot of what our churches are saying. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the middle of our Bibles does not have that same overwhelmingly up-beat tone. So often, what we read there is the Psalmist struggling with some issue or another, wondering why God hasn\'t done something and then not coming up with a trite, easy answer, but letting the pain and disappointment sit there while affirming the greatness and goodness of God. Jeremiah writes a whole book (just a short one, but still...) of Lamentations over the destruction of his home, his whole world; pleading with God not to forget his people and promises, yet finishing with praise of the God who reigns forever.\r\n\r\nLament is not just saying how awful things are and wallowing in self-pity. It\'s a \'holy discontent\', always in the context of trust in God when it hurts. Job is another great example of this - though everything he loves and owns is destroyed, even his health, he still trusts God. He goes from super-rich to diseased and living on the town tip, with \'friends\' who taunt and blame him, yet all he wants is to see God and understand why.\r\n\r\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. Feeling cut off from worship at times unsurprisingly leads to disconnection from church and other Christians who seem to have it \'all together\'.\r\n\r\nPerhaps Lent can be a time for us to reconnect with this ancient way of worshipping in pain while staying real and vulnerable. Perhaps doing this will help us to be closer to the Christian communities we are a part of, help us to more genuinely understand and walk alongside others who are suffering in some way.\r\n\r\nMaybe that healing won\'t come, maybe she won\'t come back, maybe it will take a long time to ever find work again. Maybe it\'s not all ok, maybe it really hurts right now, maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe trusting God doesn\'t look like jumping up and down with my hands in the air right now. Actually, maybe all that <em>is</em> ok if we can just lament over it together before God.\r\n\r\nThe blues come to all of us. Pretending that they don\'t is dangerous to us personally and is already damaging our faith communities. The blues come to all of us. The challenge is in being able to sing them in a Christian way.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>What music do you sing or listen to which helps you to lament? What practices happen in your community to help you be alongside those who are in pain?</em></strong>','Worship in a Minor Key','','publish','open','open','','worship-in-a-minor-key','','','2012-03-27 14:51:22','2012-03-27 21:51:22','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5530',0,'post','',5),(5531,110,'2012-03-19 15:13:36','2012-03-19 22:13:36','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\n\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\n\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. The worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But if you\'re anything like me, that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon. We deal with that in different ways, ranging from guilt to\n<ul>\n	<li>upbeat worship feeling wrong</li>\n	<li>lack of lament a reason why YP leaving church</li>\n	<li>lent a time to remember mortality</li>\n	<li>need worship in a minor key to counter balance the upbeat</li>\n</ul>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-revision','','','2012-03-19 15:13:36','2012-03-19 22:13:36','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/19/5530-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5532,110,'2012-03-19 15:19:33','2012-03-19 22:19:33','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\n\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\n\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. The worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But if you\'re anything like me, that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon. We deal with that in different ways, ranging from guilt and self-questioning to dis-engagement from the church.\n\nI\'m not sure that those responses are helpful. But I\'m also sure that there are biblical responses that might be more helpful, primarily lament. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the mi\n<ul>\n	<li>upbeat worship feeling wrong</li>\n	<li>lack of lament a reason why YP leaving church</li>\n	<li>lent a time to remember mortality</li>\n	<li>need worship in a minor key to counter balance the upbeat</li>\n</ul>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-revision-2','','','2012-03-19 15:19:33','2012-03-19 22:19:33','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/19/5530-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7395,1,'2012-08-01 16:52:41','2012-08-01 23:52:41','','fallen','','inherit','open','open','','fallen-2','','','2012-08-01 16:52:41','2012-08-01 23:52:41','',7257,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/fallen.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7396,1,'2012-07-21 17:03:11','2012-07-22 00:03:11','Everyone knows the story of Judas. He was the great betrayer of Christ. For silver, for mere money, he betrayed the Savior. For him, there was no Disney ending. There was suicide. There was no chance to redeem himself.\r\n\r\nEven at one point, he realized his error. In Matthew 27, it says: <em>\"Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, <strong>he changed his mind</strong> and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, <strong>\'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.\'</strong> They said, \'What is that to us? See to it yourself.\' And <strong>throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.</strong>\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nThere was not a happy ending for Judas. A man who had walked with Jesus for years and yet let deceit enter his heart.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/peterdenies.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7259\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/peterdenies-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>There\'s another betrayal of sorts mentioned of a disciple before Jesus dies. It is of one of the three disciples who are closest to Jesus. It is, of course, Peter, who denied Christ three times: <em>“\'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.\'” Peter said to him, \'Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.\' Jesus said, \'<strong>I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.</strong>\'\"</em> (Luke 22:31-34 ESV)\r\n\r\nPeter\'s denial wasn\'t as strong as Judas\' betrayal. But at that moment, it must have felt like it. Think about it for a moment. Peter had heard all of the teachings of Christ. Even this one: <em>\"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.\" </em>(Matthew 10:32-33 ESV)\r\n\r\nAfter the death of Christ, Peter must have felt the lowest of low. We know that he did. In John 21, we find the disciples out fishing. Peter must have still felt the sting of his betrayal and denial. The disciples went out to fish. They were returning to their pre-Jesus careers.\r\n\r\nSuddenly, on the shore, appeared Jesus. He said, \"Not catching anything? Try the other side of the boat.\" They didn\'t recognize him. Surely they were thinking, \"What do you think? That we\'ve been casting on one side of the boat?\" When they did, they caught so many fish they couldn\'t hold them.\r\n\r\nSuddenly, Peter realized it was Jesus. It was a moment only Scripture could capture. Hold that thought.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342915058&amp;sr=8-2\">I was in a position almost three years ago when I fell from ministry.</a> I had committed adultery while pastoring a church. A lot of people told me I didn\'t deserve the love of God ever again. That God could never use me again. I believed them. There I sat, in a proverbial boat, like Peter. I wondered where God was. Surely He was out there. Surely the Savior who had called me had not given up on me.\r\n\r\nI was the one who had denied Him. I was the one who had walked away from Him and His calling. I was the one who had fallen. Had He seen it coming? He had seen Peter\'s fall. But what was the purpose? It was still my fault.\r\n\r\nWhen I was called to ministry, the passage that God had laid on my heart was from John 21. Maybe again I would find solace from it. And I did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dives.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7260\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dives-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" /></a>In John 21, when Peter realized it was Jesus standing on the shore, he learned to follow again. He didn\'t wait for the boat to get to shore.\r\n\r\nHe jumped it the water and swam. Peter was like that. Impetuous. Guns blazing. He wanted to be where Christ was. He knew he had messed up, but he knew even more that he wanted to be where His Savior and friend was. So he jumped out of the boat and swam to Him.\r\n\r\nThen came the famous restoration of Peter. I won\'t go over it again for you here. But when Peter followed boldly by jumping out of the boat, after his miserable failure of denying Christ, Jesus restored Him.\r\n\r\nSimilarly, when we fail Christ, He\'s waiting on us. To swim to Him. To get out of the boat of our regular routine and follow Him anew. That\'s where I found Him after I fell. I had to have courage to seek Him out. When I did, He restored me. Fully, completely. He forgave me. What else did I expect from the merciful Christ?\r\n\r\n___________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342915058&amp;sr=8-2\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Following Christ After Extreme Failure','','inherit','open','open','','7257-revision-2','','','2012-07-21 17:03:11','2012-07-22 00:03:11','',7257,'http://provoketive.com/2012/07/21/7257-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5535,134,'2012-03-16 05:12:41','2012-03-16 12:12:41','<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 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). 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 woman holding the sign that reads, <em>\"My rapist doesn\'t know he\'s a rapist.\" </em>Picture used in this post.\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>','#ididnotreport','','inherit','open','open','','5480-revision-7','','','2012-03-16 05:12:41','2012-03-16 12:12:41','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/16/5480-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(5692,1,'2012-03-27 08:13:29','2012-03-27 15:13:29','<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','','inherit','open','open','','5480-revision-9','','','2012-03-27 08:13:29','2012-03-27 15:13:29','',5480,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/27/5480-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(5536,110,'2012-03-20 05:24:25','2012-03-20 12:24:25','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\n\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\n\nThat\'s why the music in that church at the weekend was a jarring shock - I\'d been living in a different world, singing a different tune, one that seems to be rare in our churches right now. Our worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon! Sometimes I feel I hardly have the heart to sing along or stand up with everyone else, sometimes there\'s just too much weighing me down.\n\nWe can deal with that feeling in different ways and each church probably has its own suggestions. It\'s not always my sin that makes me not want to worship, we should not be made to feel guilty for lack of energy. I should not be left questioning myself, looking for a problem or a barrier, sometimes it\'s obvious that there\'s a lot going on, painful and difficult experiences in my life. Those issues are not coming between me and God, I can\'t repent of bereavement or pain. What I need is music that reflects the key my life is playing in.\n\nFortunately, when we turn to the Bible, there are responses modelled there that are far more helpful than a lot of what our churches are saying. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the middle of our Bibles does not have that same overwhelmingly up-beat tone. So often, what we read there is the Psalmist struggling with some issue or another, wondering why God hasn\'t done something and then not coming up with a trite, easy answer, but letting the pain and disappointment sit there while affirming the greatness and goodness of God. Jeremiah writes a whole book (just a short one, but still...) of Lamentations over the destruction of his home, his whole world; pleading with God not to forget his people and promises, yet finishing with praise of the God who reigns forever.\n\nLament is not just saying how awful things are and wallowing in self-pity. It\'s a \'holy discontent\', always in the context of trust in God when it hurts. Job is another great example of this - though everything he loves and owns is destroyed, even his health, he still trusts God. He goes from super-rich to diseased and living on the town tip, with \'friends\' who taunt and blame him, yet all he wants is to see God and understand why.\n\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. Feeling cut off from worship at times unsurprisingly leads to disconnection from church and other Christians who seem to have it \'all together\'.\n\nPerhaps Lent can be a time for us to reconnect with this ancient way of worshipping in pain while staying real and vulnerable. Perhaps doing this will help us to be closer to the Christian communities we are a part of, help us to more genuinely understand and walk alongside others who are suffering in some way.\n\nMaybe that healing won\'t come, maybe she won\'t come back, maybe it will take a long time to ever find work again. Maybe it\'s not all ok, maybe it really hurts right now, maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe trusting God doesn\'t look like jumping up and down with my hands in the air right now. Actually, maybe all that <em>is</em> ok if we can just lament over it together before God.\n\n<strong><em>What music do you sing or listen to which helps you to lament? What practices happen in your community to help you be alongside those who are in pain?</em></strong>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-revision-3','','','2012-03-20 05:24:25','2012-03-20 12:24:25','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/20/5530-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5537,110,'2012-03-20 06:09:17','2012-03-20 13:09:17','','Detail of \'Lamentation\' by Giotto','','inherit','open','open','','giotto-lamentation-detail','','','2012-03-20 06:09:17','2012-03-20 13:09:17','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Giotto-Lamentation-detail.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5538,110,'2012-03-20 05:26:12','2012-03-20 12:26:12','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\n\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\n\nThat\'s why the music in that church at the weekend was a jarring shock - I\'d been living in a different world, singing a different tune, one that seems to be rare in our churches right now. Our worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon! Sometimes I feel I hardly have the heart to sing along or stand up with everyone else, sometimes there\'s just too much weighing me down.\n\nWe can deal with that feeling in different ways and each church probably has its own suggestions. It\'s not always my sin that makes me not want to worship, we should not be made to feel guilty for lack of energy. I should not be left questioning myself, looking for a problem or a barrier, sometimes it\'s obvious that there\'s a lot going on, painful and difficult experiences in my life. Those issues are not coming between me and God, I can\'t repent of bereavement or pain. What I need is music that reflects the key my life is playing in.\n\nFortunately, when we turn to the Bible, there are responses modelled there that are far more helpful than a lot of what our churches are saying. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the middle of our Bibles does not have that same overwhelmingly up-beat tone. So often, what we read there is the Psalmist struggling with some issue or another, wondering why God hasn\'t done something and then not coming up with a trite, easy answer, but letting the pain and disappointment sit there while affirming the greatness and goodness of God. Jeremiah writes a whole book (just a short one, but still...) of Lamentations over the destruction of his home, his whole world; pleading with God not to forget his people and promises, yet finishing with praise of the God who reigns forever.\n\nLament is not just saying how awful things are and wallowing in self-pity. It\'s a \'holy discontent\', always in the context of trust in God when it hurts. Job is another great example of this - though everything he loves and owns is destroyed, even his health, he still trusts God. He goes from super-rich to diseased and living on the town tip, with \'friends\' who taunt and blame him, yet all he wants is to see God and understand why.\n\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. Feeling cut off from worship at times unsurprisingly leads to disconnection from church and other Christians who seem to have it \'all together\'.\n\nPerhaps Lent can be a time for us to reconnect with this ancient way of worshipping in pain while staying real and vulnerable. Perhaps doing this will help us to be closer to the Christian communities we are a part of, help us to more genuinely understand and walk alongside others who are suffering in some way.\n\nMaybe that healing won\'t come, maybe she won\'t come back, maybe it will take a long time to ever find work again. Maybe it\'s not all ok, maybe it really hurts right now, maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe trusting God doesn\'t look like jumping up and down with my hands in the air right now. Actually, maybe all that <em>is</em> ok if we can just lament over it together before God.\n\n<strong><em>What music do you sing or listen to which helps you to lament? What practices happen in your community to help you be alongside those who are in pain?</em></strong>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-revision-4','','','2012-03-20 05:26:12','2012-03-20 12:26:12','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/20/5530-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5539,110,'2012-03-20 15:46:19','2012-03-20 22:46:19','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\n\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\n\nThat\'s why the music in that church at the weekend was a jarring shock - I\'d been living in a different world, singing a different tune, one that seems to be rare in our churches right now. Our worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon! Sometimes I feel I hardly have the heart to sing along or stand up with everyone else, sometimes there\'s just too much weighing me down.\n\nWe can deal with that feeling in different ways and each church probably has its own suggestions. It\'s not always my sin that makes me not want to worship, we should not be made to feel guilty for lack of energy. I should not be left questioning myself, looking for a problem or a barrier, sometimes it\'s obvious that there\'s a lot going on, painful and difficult experiences in my life. Those issues are not coming between me and God, I can\'t repent of bereavement or pain. What I need is music that reflects the key my life is playing in.\n\nFortunately, when we turn to the Bible, there are responses modelled there that are far more helpful than a lot of what our churches are saying. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the middle of our Bibles does not have that same overwhelmingly up-beat tone. So often, what we read there is the Psalmist struggling with some issue or another, wondering why God hasn\'t done something and then not coming up with a trite, easy answer, but letting the pain and disappointment sit there while affirming the greatness and goodness of God. Jeremiah writes a whole book (just a short one, but still...) of Lamentations over the destruction of his home, his whole world; pleading with God not to forget his people and promises, yet finishing with praise of the God who reigns forever.\n\nLament is not just saying how awful things are and wallowing in self-pity. It\'s a \'holy discontent\', always in the context of trust in God when it hurts. Job is another great example of this - though everything he loves and owns is destroyed, even his health, he still trusts God. He goes from super-rich to diseased and living on the town tip, with \'friends\' who taunt and blame him, yet all he wants is to see God and understand why.\n\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. Feeling cut off from worship at times unsurprisingly leads to disconnection from church and other Christians who seem to have it \'all together\'.\n\nPerhaps Lent can be a time for us to reconnect with this ancient way of worshipping in pain while staying real and vulnerable. Perhaps doing this will help us to be closer to the Christian communities we are a part of, help us to more genuinely understand and walk alongside others who are suffering in some way.\n\nMaybe that healing won\'t come, maybe she won\'t come back, maybe it will take a long time to ever find work again. Maybe it\'s not all ok, maybe it really hurts right now, maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe trusting God doesn\'t look like jumping up and down with my hands in the air right now. Actually, maybe all that <em>is</em> ok if we can just lament over it together before God.\n\nThe blues come to all of us. Pretending that they don\'t is dangerous to us personally and is already damaging our faith communities. The blues come to all of us. The challenge is\n\n<strong><em>What music do you sing or listen to which helps you to lament? What practices happen in your community to help you be alongside those who are in pain?</em></strong>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-revision-5','','','2012-03-20 15:46:19','2012-03-20 22:46:19','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/20/5530-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5540,1,'2012-03-27 14:51:10','2012-03-27 21:51:10','Last weekend I attended a Christian event which began with sung worship. This was nothing unusual - a young guy with a guitar, songs I had heard before and sung along with  joyful songs, praising God\'s power and our salvation, songs full of encouragement and truth. Yet something felt wrong - the songs were in the wrong key for me.\n\nLent is traditionally a time when we remember two things: the forty days of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert at the start of his ministry and also the run up to holy week, the crucifixion on Good Friday. In preparation for the Good Friday service that I\'m planning, I\'ve really been living in the feeling of that day, exploring the imagery of the stations of the cross and music that reflects the minor key, the lament of Lent.\n\nThat\'s why the music in that church at the weekend was a jarring shock - I\'d been living in a different world, singing a different tune, one that seems to be rare in our churches right now. Our worship music is, as I experienced at the weekend, overwhelmingly up-beat, positive, happy. But that\'s not how I feel every Sunday morning, let alone Monday morning or even Friday afternoon! Sometimes I feel I hardly have the heart to sing along or stand up with everyone else, sometimes there\'s just too much weighing me down.\n\nWe can deal with that feeling in different ways and each church probably has its own suggestions. It\'s not always my sin that makes me not want to worship, we should not be made to feel guilty for lack of energy. I should not be left questioning myself, looking for a problem or a barrier, sometimes it\'s obvious that there\'s a lot going on, painful and difficult experiences in my life. Those issues are not coming between me and God, I can\'t repent of bereavement or pain. What I need is music that reflects the key my life is playing in.\n\nFortunately, when we turn to the Bible, there are responses modelled there that are far more helpful than a lot of what our churches are saying. Though you might not realise it from the song books we use, the book of worship songs and prayers in the middle of our Bibles does not have that same overwhelmingly up-beat tone. So often, what we read there is the Psalmist struggling with some issue or another, wondering why God hasn\'t done something and then not coming up with a trite, easy answer, but letting the pain and disappointment sit there while affirming the greatness and goodness of God. Jeremiah writes a whole book (just a short one, but still...) of Lamentations over the destruction of his home, his whole world; pleading with God not to forget his people and promises, yet finishing with praise of the God who reigns forever.\n\nLament is not just saying how awful things are and wallowing in self-pity. It\'s a \'holy discontent\', always in the context of trust in God when it hurts. Job is another great example of this - though everything he loves and owns is destroyed, even his health, he still trusts God. He goes from super-rich to diseased and living on the town tip, with \'friends\' who taunt and blame him, yet all he wants is to see God and understand why.\n\nAt another conference recently, a speaker who has a fairly high profile here in the UK made a throwaway comment on the reasons that many young people are leaving the church. One (among many) that he suggested was that there was no place for lament in our evangelical and charismatic churches. Feeling cut off from worship at times unsurprisingly leads to disconnection from church and other Christians who seem to have it \'all together\'.\n\nPerhaps Lent can be a time for us to reconnect with this ancient way of worshipping in pain while staying real and vulnerable. Perhaps doing this will help us to be closer to the Christian communities we are a part of, help us to more genuinely understand and walk alongside others who are suffering in some way.\n\nMaybe that healing won\'t come, maybe she won\'t come back, maybe it will take a long time to ever find work again. Maybe it\'s not all ok, maybe it really hurts right now, maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe trusting God doesn\'t look like jumping up and down with my hands in the air right now. Actually, maybe all that <em>is</em> ok if we can just lament over it together before God.\n\nThe blues come to all of us. Pretending that they don\'t is dangerous to us personally and is already damaging our faith communities. The blues come to all of us. The challenge is in being able to sing them in a Christian way.\n\n<strong><em>What music do you sing or listen to which helps you to lament? What practices happen in your community to help you be alongside those who are in pain?</em></strong>','Worship in a Minor Key','','inherit','open','open','','5530-autosave','','','2012-03-27 14:51:10','2012-03-27 21:51:10','',5530,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/20/5530-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5541,1,'2012-03-20 18:02:21','2012-03-21 01:02:21','<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dear Scott,</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-1914\" src=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths-312x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"500\" /></a>Used to be that when I heard the phrase “equally yoked,” I didn’t hear any patience undertones. I do now, and I’m not just thinking of all the time you spend waiting for me to finish in the bathroom. We’re approaching 14 years of marriage, and we’ve both discovered just how much work it takes to remain side by side, headed in the same direction, pulling together.\n\n<a title=\"Marriage Letters: Opposites Attract\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/02/marriage-letters-opposites-attract/\">We’ve already written</a> about many of the ways <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-opposites-attract.html\" target=\"_blank\">we’re well matched</a>. It is a good thing to <a title=\"A Plain Ol’ Ordinary Love Letter\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/01/a-plain-ol-ordinary-love-letter/\" target=\"_blank\">celebrate those things</a> and <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">bask in that harmony we have</a>. We need that when we bump up against the hard days.\n\nOur marriage isn’t perfect. Our faith journeys have diverged, and it isn’t comfortable or easy or pleasant. We’re still walking it out on unfamiliar terrain without a map.\n\n<strong>This place we’re in needs waiting.</strong> It takes every ounce of patience we can muster and more. My prayers are filled with pleas for help, direction, and patience. Will we find our way closer together again or will we stay akimbo? How long til we know? What do we do in the waiting? What if our paths remain apart?\n\nYou’ve shared your frustration and discouragement with me, and your questions and fears for the future. I am no different. The waiting, the uncertainty, the sense of spiritual homelessness… it is miserable.\n\nI think our instinct not to force anything is right. <strong>Me pushing you or you pushing me would lead to drawing lines in sand, violated consciences, soul wounds, and that marriage-murdering poison called bitterness.</strong>\n\nIn the meantime, we both find ourselves stuck, unable to do what we’re used to doing, and unable to see a way forward…yet. But I could never ask you to violate your conscience, and I cannot violate mine either. So we wait. We talk long and lean into the discomfort. <strong>We love each other as hard as we can.</strong> <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">We find and celebrate and bask in the places where our paths converge</a>.\n\nSpiritual journeys take time. All change takes time. I remind myself of that often, especially on days like today when the strain begins to wear on us. I hope you know that I am your biggest fan, no matter what.\n\nWhile our feet find different footing, we stumble and trip and wobble, trying to learn new steps to stay together. No-one talks about how to agree to disagree with the person you love most, when both of you believe so strongly but so differently.\n\nI know I can be cynical, but <strong>today I choose hope.</strong> I believe that we’ll find a way through. I believe that a path forward lies just ahead if we\'re patient and keep looking. When we find it, maybe we can write a book together. <em>We do write together well.</em>\n\nI love you. That I do know. Wait for me, ok? I’ll be right here.\n\nLove,\n\nJoy\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***</p>\nOn Mondays in February, <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Scott</a> (<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">don\'t miss his letter this week</a>) and I joined <a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Seth</a> and <a href=\"http://therunamuck.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-on-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Amber</a> in a weekly blog series t<a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/a-letter-to-amber-bringing-sexy-back-yeah/\" target=\"_blank\">hey called \"Marriage Letters,\"</a> We hoped to encourage one another in the hard work of marriage. The prompt for this post was patience.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>How have you had to practice patience in your marriage?</strong></em></p>','When Faith Takes You Down Different Roads','','inherit','open','open','','5409-autosave','','','2012-03-20 18:02:21','2012-03-21 01:02:21','',5409,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/20/5409-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5542,1,'2012-03-20 18:06:30','2012-03-21 01:06:30','','two paths','','inherit','open','open','','two-paths','','','2012-03-20 18:06:30','2012-03-21 01:06:30','',5409,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/two-paths.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(5543,1,'2012-03-07 04:29:13','2012-03-07 12:29:13','<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dear Scott,</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-1914\" src=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/paths-312x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"500\" /></a>Used to be that when I heard the phrase “equally yoked,” I didn’t hear any patience undertones. I do now, and I’m not just thinking of all the time you spend waiting for me to finish in the bathroom. We’re approaching 14 years of marriage, and we’ve both discovered just how much work it takes to remain side by side, headed in the same direction, pulling together.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Marriage Letters: Opposites Attract\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/02/marriage-letters-opposites-attract/\">We’ve already written</a> about many of the ways <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-opposites-attract.html\" target=\"_blank\">we’re well matched</a>. It is a good thing to <a title=\"A Plain Ol’ Ordinary Love Letter\" href=\"http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/01/a-plain-ol-ordinary-love-letter/\" target=\"_blank\">celebrate those things</a> and <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">bask in that harmony we have</a>. We need that when we bump up against the hard days.\r\n\r\nOur marriage isn’t perfect. Our faith journeys have diverged, and it isn’t comfortable or easy or pleasant. We’re still walking it out on unfamiliar terrain without a map.\r\n\r\n<strong>This place we’re in needs waiting.</strong> It takes every ounce of patience we can muster and more. My prayers are filled with pleas for help, direction, and patience. Will we find our way closer together again or will we stay akimbo? How long til we know? What do we do in the waiting? What if our paths remain apart?\r\n\r\nYou’ve shared your frustration and discouragement with me, and your questions and fears for the future. I am no different. The waiting, the uncertainty, the sense of spiritual homelessness… it is miserable.\r\n\r\nI think our instinct not to force anything is right. <strong>Me pushing you or you pushing me would lead to drawing lines in sand, violated consciences, soul wounds, and that marriage-murdering poison called bitterness.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, we both find ourselves stuck, unable to do what we’re used to doing, and unable to see a way forward…yet. But I could never ask you to violate your conscience, and I cannot violate mine either. So we wait. We talk long and lean into the discomfort. <strong>We love each other as hard as we can.</strong> <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/01/letter-to-joy-future-fantasies.html\" target=\"_blank\">We find and celebrate and bask in the places where our paths converge</a>.\r\n\r\nSpiritual journeys take time. All change takes time. I remind myself of that often, especially on days like today when the strain begins to wear on us. I hope you know that I am your biggest fan, no matter what.\r\n\r\nWhile our feet find different footing, we stumble and trip and wobble, trying to learn new steps to stay together. No-one talks about how to agree to disagree with the person you love most, when both of you believe so strongly but so differently.\r\n\r\nI know I can be cynical, but <strong>today I choose hope.</strong> I believe that we’ll find a way through. I believe that a path forward lies just ahead if we\'re patient and keep looking. When we find it, maybe we can write a book together. <em>We do write together well.</em>\r\n\r\nI love you. That I do know. Wait for me, ok? I’ll be right here.\r\n\r\nLove,\r\n\r\nJoy\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***</p>\r\nOn Mondays in February, <a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">Scott</a> (<a href=\"http://movingbusmeditations.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-to-joy-patience.html\" target=\"_blank\">don\'t miss his letter this week</a>) and I joined <a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Seth</a> and <a href=\"http://therunamuck.com/2012/02/13/marriage-letters-on-patience/\" target=\"_blank\">Amber</a> in a weekly blog series t<a href=\"http://sethhaines.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/a-letter-to-amber-bringing-sexy-back-yeah/\" target=\"_blank\">hey called \"Marriage Letters,\"</a> We hoped to encourage one another in the hard work of marriage. The prompt for this post was patience.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em><strong>How have you had to practice patience in your marriage?</strong></em></p>','How To Stay Together When Faith Takes You Down Different Roads','','inherit','open','open','','5409-revision-2','','','2012-03-07 04:29:13','2012-03-07 12:29:13','',5409,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/07/5409-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5544,1,'2012-03-10 04:58:25','2012-03-10 12:58:25','<em>You reminded me of Joyce Meyer, </em>she said.\r\n\r\nI didn\'t wince.\r\n\r\nI would have, once, though.  I don\'t agree with everything Joyce Meyer says.  Some of it is great.  And other parts...well, other parts are maybe not as great.\r\n\r\nBut I have come to respect this lady\'s immense skill at delivering her message when preaching.  Irrespective of some occasional question marks over some of her content, she knows how to connect with a congregation; she understands the importance of truth through personality when preaching.\r\n\r\nSo I took this statement from an African-origin lady as a massive compliment in respect of my preaching in the Bible college chapel that week.  An over-generous one, for sure.  But definitely a compliment for an introverted white-girl preacher from England whose default setting would be to preach like a quiet English girl.  To be compared with Joyce Meyer is a pretty awesome comparison, in fact.\r\n\r\nBut it was what came next that threw me.\r\n\r\n<em>Do you have a ministry, </em>she said.<em>  You should have a bigger ministry, a travelling one.  Not just the church you lead.</em>\r\n\r\nAnd when I demurred, taking it perhaps as lack of faith, she said, <em>Pray about it</em>.\r\n\r\nThis time, I did wince.\r\n\r\nI know she meant it well.  She was paying me a high compliment, one which I consider to have been loftier than the true assessment of my preach.  And I was honoured.  Of course I was.\r\n\r\nBut it made me start to think.\r\n\r\nWhy do we assume that success in Christian ministry means bigger platforms, larger crowds, more adoring listeners?  Why do we suppose that a certain degree of gifting demands a stage of equivalent size?  Why do we find it hard to conceive that to pastor one little church for all of our days might well be God\'s true will for our lives, his determination of the appropriate use of the gifts which he has given to us?\r\n\r\nI am not immune; I do this too.\r\n\r\nI claim that I must focus on the roots of my tree, deepening them ever-more in a search for the water of life.  I even <a href=\"http://theartofsteering.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/not-so-lost-in-2011/\" target=\"_blank\">go public on my blog </a>about it.  A statement that spiritual depth is what matters.  A declaration that if the branches of the tree which is my life grow wider and higher in their reach, then that is up to God; I will not promote myself because promotion comes only from the Lord.\r\n\r\nAnd yet within four weeks or so, I have already got myself confused about this.  I start to focus on growing my reach.  I don\'t forget the roots, but they become one priority among many.  I begin to succumb to the cult of Christian ministry.  I too assume that success means a platform.\r\n\r\nUntil God whispers in my heart one day.\r\n\r\nUntil the next day when he sends another to discern my heart and ask me what I think I\'m doing.\r\n\r\nAnd I remember the truth I have always known.  The truth that to be a minister is to labour in the field which God gives us, not the one we think should be ours.  That the work of God is often hidden to the world, though our Father in heaven sees it.  And that the cross redefines the way of success every time.\r\n\r\nI need this to be the theme of my life.  A life which chooses the way of the cross over a platform.  A life which can look at the gifts which God has bestowed and yet be willing to use them wherever he decides, rather than to seek my own \'bigger ministry\' wherever I decide.\r\n\r\nI am grateful for the kindness of those who honour me with compliments too big for me.  There is a ministry of encouragement in such things.\r\n\r\nBut I need others in my life too.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The ones who will remind me with just one look that\r\nto be a minister is to walk in the way of the cross.</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The ones who are not impressed by me\r\nbut can ask the right questions, bring the needed rebukes.</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The ones who, even as they celebrate my joys in ministry,\r\nwill perceive the state of my heart and hold it to its true call.</em></p>\r\nAnd so, lovely as the compliments from others are, these are the ones whose words matter most to me.  These are the ones with whom I can trust my heart.\r\n\r\nBut, enough of me; what about you?  Do you have those who will remind you of the true call in your life, a call which leads us downwards, a call away from the glory of the flesh and towards the glory of the One who became flesh?  And, if not, how could you start to become open to receiving - and, indeed, offering - such friendship?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/axelhartmann/5515495904/\" target=\"_blank\">Photo credit</a>','Platform for ministry?','','inherit','open','open','','5435-revision-8','','','2012-03-10 04:58:25','2012-03-10 12:58:25','',5435,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/10/5435-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5545,1,'2012-03-12 19:45:47','2012-03-13 02:45:47','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','','inherit','open','open','','5450-revision-4','','','2012-03-12 19:45:47','2012-03-13 02:45:47','',5450,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/12/5450-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5697,35,'2012-04-01 08:14:45','2012-04-01 15:14:45','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop</strong> will be offered online April 16 – May 18, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It’s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you’re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray. This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\n<strong>The instructor, Joy Wilson</strong>, is the author of Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God (Civitas Press, 2011).  Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the book from Amazon.com.  The five-week online class is self-paced so you can participate at any time during the week.  It includes readings in the textbook, prayer practice exercises, and online interactions with other students.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a> .  Class size is limited, so register early.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','publish','open','open','','uncensored-prayer-online-workshop-2','','','2012-04-01 08:14:45','2012-04-01 15:14:45','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5697',0,'post','',0),(5549,0,'2012-03-21 11:46:42','2012-03-21 18:46:42','Preventing adoption (not the way you might think)\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Kim Van Brunt\nAUTHOR EMAIL: kim@kimvanbrunt.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.kimvanbrunt.com/honestly-adoption-the-blog\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 96.42.222.3\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Kim Van Brunt\n    [Email] =&gt; kim@kimvanbrunt.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.kimvanbrunt.com/honestly-adoption-the-blog\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Preventing adoption (not the way you might think)\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; KimVanBrunt\n)\n','Kim Van Brunt - 2012-03-21 11:46:42','','publish','open','open','','8d1fc72bd240292a6b8c0e790a5df524','','','2012-03-21 11:46:42','2012-03-21 18:46:42','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5549',0,'feedback','',0),(5802,30,'2012-04-05 07:32:56','2012-04-05 14:32:56','Birth control has been in the news a lot lately.\n\nWell, let me rephrase.\n\nBirth control FOR WOMEN has been in the news a lot lately.\n\nWhether it\'s on the political spectrum or in the entertainment industry, women\'s reproductive rights have been hotly contested in the past months.','It\'s Not Just About Healthcare','','inherit','open','open','','5800-revision','','','2012-04-05 07:32:56','2012-04-05 14:32:56','',5800,'http://provoketive.com/2012/04/05/5800-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7394,1,'2012-08-01 16:54:13','2012-08-01 23:54:13','Everyone knows the story of Judas. He was the great betrayer of Christ. For silver, for mere money, he betrayed the Savior. For him, there was no Disney ending. There was suicide. There was no chance to redeem himself.\n\nEven at one point, he realized his error. In Matthew 27, it says: <em>\"Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, <strong>he changed his mind</strong> and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, <strong>\'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.\'</strong> They said, \'What is that to us? See to it yourself.\' And <strong>throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.</strong>\"</em> (ESV)\n\nThere was not a happy ending for Judas. A man who had walked with Jesus for years and yet let deceit enter his heart.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/peterdenies.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7259\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/peterdenies-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>There\'s another betrayal of sorts mentioned of a disciple before Jesus dies. It is of one of the three disciples who are closest to Jesus. It is, of course, Peter, who denied Christ three times: <em>“\'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.\'” Peter said to him, \'Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.\' Jesus said, \'<strong>I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.</strong>\'\"</em> (Luke 22:31-34 ESV)\n\nPeter\'s denial wasn\'t as strong as Judas\' betrayal. But at that moment, it must have felt like it. Think about it for a moment. Peter had heard all of the teachings of Christ. Even this one: <em>\"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.\" </em>(Matthew 10:32-33 ESV)\n\nAfter the death of Christ, Peter must have felt the lowest of low. We know that he did. In John 21, we find the disciples out fishing. Peter must have still felt the sting of his betrayal and denial. The disciples went out to fish. They were returning to their pre-Jesus careers.\n\nSuddenly, on the shore, appeared Jesus. He said, \"Not catching anything? Try the other side of the boat.\" They didn\'t recognize him. Surely they were thinking, \"What do you think? That we\'ve been casting on one side of the boat?\" When they did, they caught so many fish they couldn\'t hold them.\n\nSuddenly, Peter realized it was Jesus. It was a moment only Scripture could capture. Hold that thought.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342915058&amp;sr=8-2\">I was in a position almost three years ago when I fell from ministry.</a> I had committed adultery while pastoring a church. A lot of people told me I didn\'t deserve the love of God ever again. That God could never use me again. I believed them. There I sat, in a proverbial boat, like Peter. I wondered where God was. Surely He was out there. Surely the Savior who had called me had not given up on me.\n\nI was the one who had denied Him. I was the one who had walked away from Him and His calling. I was the one who had fallen. Had He seen it coming? He had seen Peter\'s fall. But what was the purpose? It was still my fault.\n\nWhen I was called to ministry, the passage that God had laid on my heart was from John 21. Maybe again I would find solace from it. And I did.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dives.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7260\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dives-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" /></a>In John 21, when Peter realized it was Jesus standing on the shore, he learned to follow again. He didn\'t wait for the boat to get to shore.\n\nHe jumped it the water and swam. Peter was like that. Impetuous. Guns blazing. He wanted to be where Christ was. He knew he had messed up, but he knew even more that he wanted to be where His Savior and friend was. So he jumped out of the boat and swam to Him.\n\nThen came the famous restoration of Peter. I won\'t go over it again for you here. But when Peter followed boldly by jumping out of the boat, after his miserable failure of denying Christ, Jesus restored Him.\n\nSimilarly, when we fail Christ, He\'s waiting on us. To swim to Him. To get out of the boat of our regular routine and follow Him anew. That\'s where I found Him after I fell. I had to have courage to seek Him out. When I did, He restored me. Fully, completely. He forgave me. What else did I expect from the merciful Christ?\n\n___________________\n\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342915058&amp;sr=8-2\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Following Christ After Extreme Failure','','inherit','open','open','','7257-autosave','','','2012-08-01 16:54:13','2012-08-01 23:54:13','',7257,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/01/7257-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5553,153,'2012-03-22 10:42:58','2012-03-22 17:42:58','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\n\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry and was fasting for 40 days. According to the gospel of Matthew, it was during that stretch, the devil approached Jesus in the desert and questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\n\nAppealing to Appetite\n\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...man shall not live by bread alone...\" block despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange clearly shows that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man.\n\nAppealing to Prophecy\n\nThroughout this passage in Matthew, the devil quotes scripture to Jesus as','How We Hijack Jesus\' Identity','','inherit','open','open','','5552-revision','','','2012-03-22 10:42:58','2012-03-22 17:42:58','',5552,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/22/5552-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5554,153,'2012-03-22 10:55:54','2012-03-22 17:55:54','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\n\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry and was fasting for 40 days. According to the gospel of Matthew, it was during that stretch, the devil approached Jesus in the desert and questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\n\nAppealing to Appetite\n\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...man shall not live by bread alone...\" block despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange clearly shows that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man.\n\nAppealing to Prophecy\n\nThroughout this particular passage the devil quotes scripture to Jesus, as seen in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A5-7&amp;version=NIV\">Matthew 4:5-7</a>, where the adversary asserts that Jesus could fling himself from the cliff and the \"...angels would bear him up...\" in a seeming appeal to prophecy written centuries before that the Messiah would have to die. Jesus didn\'t fall for it - figuratively nor literally. The scriptures state that Jesus was closely attuned to the will and timing of God, further solidifying his deity identity.\n\nAppealing to Compassion\n\nThe chapter goes on to state in Matthew 4:8-11 that the devil changed tactics and tried to appeal to Christ\'s love of humanity by offering the world which had been subject to demonic control since The Fall in Eden in exchange for Jesus worshiping the first fallen angel.\n\n&nbsp;','How We Hijack Jesus\' Identity','','inherit','open','open','','5552-revision-2','','','2012-03-22 10:55:54','2012-03-22 17:55:54','',5552,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/22/5552-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5555,153,'2012-03-22 11:05:27','2012-03-22 18:05:27','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\n\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry and was fasting for 40 days. According to the gospel of Matthew, it was during that stretch, the devil approached Jesus in the desert and questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\n<h3>Appealing to Appetite</h3>\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...man shall not live by bread alone...\" block despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange clearly shows that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man.\n<h3>Appealing to Prophecy</h3>\nThroughout this particular passage the devil quotes scripture to Jesus, as seen in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A5-7&amp;version=NIV\">Matthew 4:5-7</a>, where the adversary asserts that Jesus could fling himself from the cliff and the \"...angels would bear him up...\" in a seeming appeal to prophecy written centuries before that the Messiah would have to die. Jesus didn\'t fall for it - figuratively nor literally. The scriptures state that Jesus was closely attuned to the will and timing of God, further solidifying his deity identity.\n<h3>Appealing to Compassion</h3>\nThe chapter goes on to state in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+4.8-11/\">Matthew 4:8-11</a> that the devil changed tactics and tried to appeal to Christ\'s love of humanity by offering the world which had been subject to demonic control since The Fall in Eden in exchange for Jesus falling to his knees in worship of the first fallen angel.\n\nHad Jesus agreed to this quick-fix alternative to salvation - and he could have - the earth might have been redeemed but not the way that God had wanted. Jesus knew that because of his celestial connection to the father.\n\nOne stern rebuke from Jesus and the devil left - while Jesus\' divinity was challenged in was not diminished in anyway.\n\nHowever, had Jesus yielded to any of those temptation attempts it would have been the ultimate identity theft because the devil would have co-opted\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','HoHijack Jesus\' Identity','','inherit','open','open','','5552-revision-3','','','2012-03-22 11:05:27','2012-03-22 18:05:27','',5552,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/22/5552-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5556,153,'2012-03-22 11:12:44','2012-03-22 18:12:44','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\n\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry and was fasting for 40 days. According to the gospel of Matthew, it was during that stretch, the devil approached Jesus in the desert and questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\n<h3>Appealing to Appetite</h3>\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...man shall not live by bread alone...\" block despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange clearly shows that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man.\n<h3>Appealing to Prophecy</h3>\nThroughout this particular passage the devil quotes scripture to Jesus, as seen in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A5-7&amp;version=NIV\">Matthew 4:5-7</a>, where the adversary asserts that Jesus could fling himself from the cliff and the \"...angels would bear him up...\" in a seeming appeal to prophecy written centuries before that the Messiah would have to die. Jesus didn\'t fall for it - figuratively nor literally. The scriptures state that Jesus was closely attuned to the will and timing of God, further solidifying his deity identity.\n<h3>Appealing to Compassion</h3>\nThe chapter goes on to state in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+4.8-11/\">Matthew 4:8-11</a> that the devil changed tactics and tried to appeal to Christ\'s love of humanity by offering the world which had been subject to demonic control since The Fall in Eden in exchange for Jesus falling to his knees in worship of the first fallen angel.\n\nHad Jesus agreed to this quick-fix alternative to salvation - and he could have - the earth might have been redeemed but not the way that God had wanted. Jesus knew that because of his celestial connection to the father.\n\nOne stern rebuke from Jesus and the devil left - while Jesus\' divinity was challenged in was not diminished in anyway.\n\nHowever, had Jesus yielded to any of those temptation attempts it would have resulted in the most epic identity theft in the history of the universe because the devil would have ascended above the Most High.\n\nAgain Jesus\' divine identity prevented that.\n\nOther Divine Identity Theft Attempts\n\nThroughout the remainder of Jesus\' recorded life, the scriptures state that his heavenly sonship continued to be questioned. Perhaps most notable are several examples at the time of his c\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Hijacking Jesus\' Identity','','inherit','open','open','','5552-revision-4','','','2012-03-22 11:12:44','2012-03-22 18:12:44','',5552,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/22/5552-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(5557,153,'2012-03-22 11:17:21','2012-03-22 18:17:21','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\n\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry and was fasting for 40 days. According to the gospel of Matthew, it was during that stretch, the devil approached Jesus in the desert and questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\n<h3>Appealing to Appetite</h3>\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...man shall not live by bread alone...\" block despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange clearly shows that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man.\n<h3>Appealing to Prophecy</h3>\nThroughout this particular passage the devil quotes scripture to Jesus, as seen in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A5-7&amp;version=NIV\">Matthew 4:5-7</a>, where the adversary asserts that Jesus could fling himself from the cliff and the \"...angels would bear him up...\" in a seeming appeal to prophecy written centuries before that the Messiah would have to die. Jesus didn\'t fall for it - figuratively nor literally. The scriptures state that Jesus was closely attuned to the will and timing of God, further solidifying his deity identity.\n<h3>Appealing to Compassion</h3>\nThe chapter goes on to state in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+4.8-11/\">Matthew 4:8-11</a> that the devil changed tactics and tried to appeal to Christ\'s love of humanity by offering the world which had been subject to demonic control since The Fall in Eden in exchange for Jesus falling to his knees in worship of the first fallen angel.\n\nHad Jesus agreed to this quick-fix alternative to salvation - and he could have - the earth might have been redeemed but not the way that God had wanted. Jesus knew that because of his celestial connection to the father.\n\nOne stern rebuke from Jesus and the devil left - while Jesus\' divinity was challenged in was not diminished in any way.\n\nHowever, had Jesus yielded to any of those temptation attempts it would have resulted in the most epic identity theft in the history of the universe because the devil would have ascended above the Most High.\n\nAgain Jesus\' divine identity prevented that.\n\nOther Divine Identity Theft Attempts\n\nThroughout the remainder of Jesus\' recorded life, the scriptures state that his heavenly sonship continued to be questioned. Perhaps most notable are several examples at the time of his crucifixion:\n\nRoman guards beat and mocked Jesus demanding a display of his power (<a href=\"http://bible.cc/luke/22-64.htm\">Luke 22:64</a>) and (<a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23%3A36-38&amp;version=AMP\">Luke 23:36-38</a>)\n\nThe magistrate Herod demanded a sign or miracle - luc\n\n&nbsp;','Hijacking Jesus\' Identity','','inherit','open','open','','5552-revision-5','','','2012-03-22 11:17:21','2012-03-22 18:17:21','',5552,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/22/5552-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5558,153,'2012-03-22 11:17:43','2012-03-22 18:17:43','<h2>The Ongoing Identity Theft of Jesus</h2>\r\nThe divinity of Jesus has been questioned for thousands of years.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not surprising that one of the first recorded instances of this divine doubt occurred before Jesus officially started his ministry and was fasting for 40 days. According to the gospel of Matthew, it was during that stretch, the devil approached Jesus in the desert and questioning the Lord\'s deistic attributes.\r\n<h3>Appealing to Appetite</h3>\r\nWe read in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A3-4&amp;version=NKJV\">Matthew 4:3-4</a> that the tempter questioned that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God, then Jesus would be able to turn nearby rock piles warmed by the sun into piles of warm bread. Jesus parried with the classic, \"...man shall not live by bread alone...\" block despite the gnawing hunger in his human belly. This exchange clearly shows that both individuals knew that Jesus was both God and man.\r\n<h3>Appealing to Prophecy</h3>\r\nThroughout this particular passage the devil quotes scripture to Jesus, as seen in <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A5-7&amp;version=NIV\">Matthew 4:5-7</a>, where the adversary asserts that Jesus could fling himself from the cliff and the \"...angels would bear him up...\" in a seeming appeal to prophecy written centuries before that the Messiah would have to die. Jesus didn\'t fall for it - figuratively nor literally. The scriptures state that Jesus was closely attuned to the will and timing of God, further solidifying his deity identity.\r\n<h3>Appealing to Compassion</h3>\r\nThe chapter goes on to state in <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+4.8-11/\">Matthew 4:8-11</a> that the devil changed tactics and tried to appeal to Christ\'s love of humanity by offering the world which had been subject to demonic control since The Fall in Eden in exchange for Jesus falling to his knees in worship of the first fallen angel.\r\n\r\nHad Jesus agreed to this quick-fix alternative to salvation - and he could have - the earth might have been redeemed but not the way that God had wanted. Jesus knew that because of his celestial connection to the father.\r\n\r\nOne stern rebuke from Jesus and the devil left - while Jesus\' divinity was challenged in was not diminished in any way.\r\n\r\nHowever, had Jesus yielded to any of those temptation attempts it would have resulted in the most epic identity theft in the history of the universe because the devil would have ascended above the Most High.\r\n\r\nAgain Jesus\' divine identity prevented that.\r\n\r\nOther Divine Identity Theft Attempts\r\n\r\nThroughout the remainder of Jesus\' recorded life, the scriptures state that his heavenly sonship continued to be questioned. Perhaps most notable are several examples at the time of his crucifixion:\r\n\r\nRoman guards beat and mocked Jesus demanding a display of his power - <a href=\"http://bible.cc/luke/22-64.htm\">Luke 22:64</a> and <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23%3A36-38&amp;version=AMP\">Luke 23:36-38</a>\r\n\r\nThe magistrate Herod demanded a sign or miracle - Luke 23: 8-11\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Hijacking Jesus\' Identity','','inherit','open','open','','5552-revision-6','','','2012-03-22 11:17:43','2012-03-22 18:17:43','',5552,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/22/5552-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),