A while ago, I finally realized that I needed to take Jesus’ teachings much more literally. He said, “don’t judge” and I said, “I’m not judging, but clearly some things are wrong. It’s not judging to say that.” He said, “love, pray for and serve your enemies” and I heard, “love the sinner, hate the sin.” He said, “do not resist the evil man” and I signed petitions against groups and politicians in order to protect Jesus’ values. Jesus said, “so do not worry, saying, ‘What sha

Several years ago, I had an odd experience while in prayer. I don’t remember what I was praying about, and I’m afraid my explanation won’t do it justice, but the essence of it was God showing me what he loves about me. This wasn’t a generic “love of God washed over me” experience. Rather it was quite specific; God was showing me the particulars of how I am “fearfully and wonderfully made”. These were things about me that are precious to him and that he has purposed into me. N

Doll by Jolene Nelson, AKA Locket The room looks and smells not too different from the library in the middle school I attended while growing up.  Walls lined with books.  A floor covered with short, blue looped carpet.  Encouraging posters dominated by animals reading books are pasted to any wall without shelves.  Florescent lights buzz overhead.  The room smells like books do when the humidity from hot Chicago summers seeps into their pages and yellows them.  Missing are any

I became a mother at age 21. Last year I took my first commercial flight since I was 3. I have never been outside of the USA. I have done almost no traveling outside of the Midwest. I was planning to be a high school English teacher before I became a mother. I have 5 kids and two step-children. I am entirely self-taught re scripture, religion, philosophy/rhetoric, psychology, ANE culture, and other topics I discuss here. I have never been able to learn a foreign language. I h

I think that this matter is too important to allow it to just disappear like that without a bit of a fight.  So, I have created a page dedicated just to this list of fundamental bible verses.  It is called A New Fundamentalism.  All it consists of is the essay and list of scripture verses I posted earlier.  I’m simply looking for people to “Like” the essay and if they choose, pass the link around.  Perhaps in a few days, I will be able to put together a button for people to p

Then last week, a slightly different theory struck me.  You seem I read the outstanding book Ideas that Changed the World by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto last week.  In it he points out something I have heard from other sources as well; that the ancient Hebrews were the source of the idea of a loving deity: The idea that God should take an abiding interest in creation and especially in some particular part of it seems rashly speculative.  Most Greek thinkers of the Classical era

We need to feel loved so badly that its like a need to eat.  And yet many of us are ignoring a steady stream of love that comes our way from our friends, our children, our spouses and many of the other people we come in contact with just walking around.  We don’t notice or take it for granted or assume that its manipulative or someone just being nice or whatever.  So we let all this love that is intentionally being directed right at us, go by without filling the sometimes gap

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:37-40 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us thi

The problem, frankly, is that a lot of us like to make up our own definition of love according to what works for us.  If humans had written 1 Corinthians 13 it would probably read something like: Love is a feeling.  Love is easy.  Love rewards us.  Love makes sure that other people’s sins are confronted so they can be corrected.  Love is making sure the ones we love stay on track.  Love is always knowing the right thing to do and always having something helpful to say.  Love