Top ten posts of 2015 and before

You may have missed some of the posts others found interesting in 2015!

1. Obama runs over Jesus in victory lap

Even though I give the speech a high rating (which I am sure Barack is waiting to hear), and even though I can whip up some admiration for the president’s audacity, competitiveness and attention to some of my greatest irritations, the speech made me glad, as usual, that Jesus introduced me to an alternative way of life and glad that Circle of Hope keeps giving me a chance to practice it.

2. If I tell you not to watch Kingsman will it make you want to see it?

One thing Kingsman did for me is energize me to get our message out as well as I can. I want to be one of the King of King’s men and keep putting myself in the path of the evils that are rolling over a lot of more-vulnerable victims than I am.

3. 5 reasons some people are tired of being a Christian

Being countercultural and at odds with both post-Christian culture and institutionalized church, leads to  isolation all around.

4. Rachel at one month

Being a woman pastor is still odd. We just had the Pope come through and remind us that in most places it is forbidden like forbidding it is in the Bible! We called her to lead us and she said yes. That is a big deal and I think everyone reading this should be proud of themselves for making it happen.

5. I am not Indiana

The issues of faith , hope and love are bigger than the Constitution. I think criticizing Indiana’s lawmaking is important, but I know I will do more good, ultimately, if I follow Jesus more fearlessly in the face of bad laws. If I expect the powers-that-be to stop doing what the fallen powers of this world do, I will ultimately be less influential for good in that murky arena, too.

6. Fast or furious? Quakers and Puritans keep arguing.

In 2 Corinthians 9 he charts middle ground by telling everyone to become like everyone for the sake of the mission — not merely because of empathy or tolerance, but because of Jesus. Paul puts himself firmly in the freedom/prophecy/filled-with-the-Spirit camp. But he uses his freedom to firmly protect those who don’t feel it. There is no point in having freedom if one uses it to win a point or to dominate everyone else. Freedom is for love.

7. Our evangelism nightmare

You can Google all this, of course. But you might not bother because you have become what many call “hypermodern.” Modernity and postmodernity are both the the past for you. They are, essentially, irrelevant because you believe that what took place in the past took place under “lesser” circumstances than now, and is irretrievably different.

8. Did Taylor mean to run over Jesus?

Is Jesus getting rolled over by who-knows-how-many concert trucks parked at Lincoln Financial (there’s an homage for you) Field? Maybe. Whether Taylor means anything by her songs and videos or not, they mean a lot when they are so influential they override the sensibilities of the impressionable.

9. Tagged with “cult”

An accusation is often as good as a conviction these days. People who are falsely accused seem to be filling up the jails. Tales of being  falsely accused at work and becoming the subject of an investigation are not that unusual. Circle of Hope has been taken down with false accusations a few times in the newspaper. So excuse me if I seem a little hypervigilant when I hear it through the grapevine that we are being accused of being a cult.

10. Iraq Aftermath — six things Christian peacemakers can practice right now.

How about stepping back, looking at a bigger picture and asking, “How about dismantling structures of violence that caused the conflicts and fuel the violence?” Remind people that violence does not save, Jesus saves. Stand up to other narratives as well, such as the “brotherhood of soldiers” story that gets soldiers to do things their hearts would resist if they were not “protecting” people in their squad from “savages.”

Before-2015 posts that people keep reading

1. David Bazan and the Dialogue about Lost Faith

2. Spiritual Midwives

3. Is God going to punish me?

4. Would God send Gandhi to hell? 

5. The Difference between Acceptance and Agreement

6. Don’t let the loneliness organize you.

7. Prayer: Walk by faith, not by sight

8. Why I Love (but might not altogether like) Narcotics Anonymous

9. What If I Don’t Feel God Anymore?

10. Narcissism and Telling Our Stories

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