I have a seperate blog (The Untried) that I maintain.  Feel free to check it out, the only thing you will find different is the very few comments that have been made there in response to some of my posts.  It has all the same entries I post here.  This post comes from a comment that someone made there about my “Church Idolatry” entry.

In the comments section of my last post (Church Idolatry) “divine” left a comment with several questions that I felt deserved answers. So, rather than make a lengthy comment back I decided to make a post with his questions and my answers. His statements and questions are in blue. My replies are in red. (more…)

I have been asked by a couple of people recently why I no longer “go to church”. It seemed like something good to start writing about also.  There are lots of reasons I don’t go to church anymore. Each of them even have their own subcategories. But for now allow me to focus on the thing that first started to push me away. (more…)

What makes a good Christian?  Growing up that answer was shaped by the teachings I received in church every Sunday.  I’m not talking about the actual words said during a Sunday School lesson or sermon either.  I’m talking about the things I learned from watching the actions and words that weren’t part of the “official” teaching.

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All of my previous posts on Old Testament law have led up to this one post. The pressure is on me now to make a good point. Well, here goes.

I had the misfortune of witnessing a woman get all bent out of shape over one of these supposed Old Testament laws. She thought the youth pastor was doing something wrong by allowing a young woman to help with the youth group that has a nose piercing. She thinks the Bible teaches against this. She thought this set a bad example for all the teens in the youth group including her daughter. (more…)

A few days ago, in response to a post about “dirty words,” I left a comment cocerning how the Apostle Paul used the equivalent of the word, “shit” in Philippians 3:8:

“I consider everything else shit by comparison to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (my translation).

You can read the original post and my comment here, but I thought a full post (and a story) might be warranted.

Paul used dirty words intentionally, provocatively, and prophetically. (more…)

Yesterday I poked fun at the way the church world responds to all those dirty words. I wanted to take a more serious look at it today.

I work with a woman who has very recently decided to follow Jesus. She attempts to start each morning with a prayer when she wakes up. One day at lunch this woman realized she forgot to pray that morning. In her displeasure with herself she said, “Shit, I forgot to pray this morning.”

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Dirty, cuss, curse, and four-letter are just some of the ways we describe those little words that those of us who are righteous and holy would surely never ever use. They are the words that have resulted in countless children having their mouths washed out with various cleansing agents.
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Today’s law comes from Deuteronomy 24:5. This one is actually a little scary to me. Let’s read it.

If a man is newly married he must not join the army and do not pester him at home. He must be left at home, free of all obligation for one year, to cheer up his new wife.

Look at the last few words of that verse. Does it seem to you that there is an assumption made that the mere act of getting married is going to make a woman miserable? (more…)

The next Old Testament law(s) come from Leviticus 19:27-28.

Do not cut off the hair on the sides of your head. Do not trim the edges of your beard.

These verses are obviously meant for men. The first part of that says not to cut “off” the hair on the sides of your head. Does that mean you can trim it up? Can you let them grow really thick and bushy? Perhaps the most important question from this first part is this. Was Elvis trying to make a statement of faith with his mutton chops and the whole world misunderstood? (more…)

Debbie and I are celebrating our anniversary today! It seems like only yesterday that we met in Bowling Green. We spent most of our first year together, not really together. While each of us were dating someone else, we talked on the phone all night long. We became best friends. What a cool foundation upon which to build a marriage relationship! At the end of our second semester at Western Kentucky University, we each broke up with our steadys and went out together for a raspberry ice cream. From that first date, we were practically inseparable and two years after that, we were married. Now, thirty-four years later, we’re still together . . . and still best friends.