faith-based commentary for people who think
unless and until the Southern Baptist Church faces the fact that its values nurture a culture that facilitates and encourages male chauvinism, sexism, inequality, and even misogyny, there will be no progress to end the abuse of women other than lip service.
Stretching from the Appalachian Mountains in the west, through the Piedmont, across the Sand Hills and the Coastal Plains, then all the way to the Outer Banks, North Carolina offers a little of everything and a lot to explore…
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8
there’s this constant tension between what I find fascinating and what I believe is right. I love history, and the stories surrounding great battles are compelling, but I can’t begin to understand violence and the brutal events that play out when nations make war.
A lot of people asked for a transcript. So – without all the interesting deviations I took – I’ll paste in my notes
even though it is patently false the prosperity message gains traction because it builds on the groundwork laid by the way “the path to happiness” has been sold to Americans, 24-7, from the moment we were born.
the choice to follow Jesus and to be guided by the Spirit is actually a step into freedom. When the Spirit urges us to love and serve one another the result is satisfaction, happiness, fulfillment, and freedom. Not just that we are freed from the bondage of sin but free to embrace the nature we were designed to enjoy.
one hand on the wheel, roof open, hanging my head out of the window, and feeling the breeze.
Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know and who you don’t know, put your listening ears on, make room in your heart for people you may never understand, and thank God from the depths of who you are that you don’t have to be right all the time – DEREK
today I am posting a few photographs of the blooms beginning to come out in our garden. Flowers for the dead. Beauty for ashes. Hope for a better tomorrow. Poignant reminders of the rhythms of life.
