The 100th

This is my 100th blog post! I started this blog in May of 2023, which means I've written 100 blogs in just under a year. I consider that quite the accomplishment. I may not have a huge following, but I've grown a lot as a person, a Christian, and a writer, and I am pleased with what I've produced. I've decided to highlight some of my favorite passages from the past year. Links are provided if you want to go back and read the whole post:

- "...know whose you are. We are all in one kingdom. The Kingdom of God. A Kingdom which surpasses every individual church and every denomination. A Kingdom which surpasses every city, state, and country government. A Kingdom beyond this world. And if we were to act like our citizenship is in Heaven, rather than to a particular denomination or government or political party, I wonder how the face of Christianity in this country would change." "Know Whose You Are"

- "We have silenced over half the voices in our church. And half the voices in our country! What would it be like if we were to hear from all Christians, regardless of gender?" - "Oh, honey, women can't be pastors!"

- "Most importantly, churches can stop sidelining women for being moms. Provide childcare whenever possible to allow moms to participate in church events and socials. Allow moms to serve in the church, even in church leadership. Allow them the opportunity to shine for something other than being someone else's mother. Give them opportunities to use the God-given gifts and talents they have. Those things didn't just disappear when they gave birth." - "The Blessing and Curse of Motherhood"

- "It could also be argued, though, that while Jesus talked about building "His church", He did not seem to be a fan of religion. Religion made it harder for people to get to God. He spent much of His time with people religion had rejected - with the outcasts, the exiles, the "sinners". It makes me think that, one, Jesus would not be welcome in many churches in America today, and, two, that He would not be pleased with the way we've turned the exclusivity of Christianity into a reason to keep people out, rather than a reason to welcome people in." - "Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind"

- "Jesus accepts first. Loves first. Welcomes first. And then He says, "Go and sin no more." Encounters with Jesus change people. Encounters with religious, judgmental Christians might change people, too, ... but not in a good way." - "Walls versus Bridges"

- "I had a professor tell me something similar once. We were talking about religion, oddly, in class one night, and I shared about things people often misunderstand about Christianity. One of which being that we are not here to judge, but to love - to love God and to love others. She said, "Wow, I would be a Christian if that's what Christianity was about!" I was taken aback... that is what Christianity is about, or at least, what it is supposed to be about. However, surveys of non-Christians routinely tell us that what Christians are most known for is for being judgmental, close-minded, and inauthentic. The exact opposite of who we are called to be." - "Bearing Witness"

- "The idea that if we follow Jesus, He will answer all our prayers and give us everything we want like a cosmic vending machine (insert prayer, receive blessing) is popular, but not necessarily Biblical." - "God Doesn't Owe Us Squat"

- "We often walk around as Christians with our chins up and think somehow that judging people and their lifestyles is going to bring them to Christ. Newsflash: It doesn’t. It’s love - expressed through mercy and forgiveness and humility - that changes lives." - "Poisonous Unforgiveness"

- "We all fall into the trap of believing that God loves us conditionally. That His love is based upon how strong our allegiance is or how closely we adhere to a certain set of rules or standards. That His love comes only when we are being good or doing what is right or living well, versus that His love is there all the time. We believe this way because this is how we have been loved our whole life... We have to constantly prove ourselves and our worth. We have to do something to be deserving of love. But God's love isn't like the world's love." - "God Will Never Love You More"

- "I mentioned before how when I condemned Christian support of this man because I believed it would tarnish the Christian witness, I was told to "repent" because to not support him was "sacrilege". Politics and religion should not be so interlinked that a political difference is equated to insulting God. That... doesn't even make sense. We have to unravel the packaging we placed around Christianity." - "Making Jesus Hard to Find"

- "In the Church, we have our own spin on mental illness. We blame it on spiritual weakness or sin in someone's life. We tell people who are depressed or anxious to pray more and read their Bible and seek counsel from the Holy Spirit. We tell people who hear voices they need an exorcism. Sometimes, and I have heard this myself, we even tell people it's wrong to seek counseling or psychiatric services or medication for mental illness because that's seeking "the world's counsel" instead of God's. This is an incredibly damaging and dangerous message." - "Mental Health and the Church"

- "If we are looking for a person of influence, the person at top, the person who has decision-making power or sway, do we not already have a connection to the greatest of all? Do we not through the nature of faith - true faith - already have an in with He who is the highest of most highs? He who created everything that ever was and ever will be? He who knows us inside and out? He who extends love and mercy and grace to us, even when we do not deserve it? We need no other champion. We need no other savior. We need no Earthly person to hitch our carts to because we already know HIM." - "Knowing the Right Person"

- "Are we so full of pride and privilege and power that we can't see our own failings? White Evangelical Christianity has been the dominant culture in the US for a long time. That has come with a great deal of privilege. And now, there is a strong push in our country to change things, to make society more equitable, and the Church is pushing back (primarily through politics, law-making, and legal battles). Thus, the surrounding culture is seeing us more and more as the bad guy. But we don't see it. We still think we're the hero. If we can't find a way to refocus our lens, we will lose a lot more than a "culture war".  We may just lose our soul." - "Disney Princess Theology"

- "Christianity is not about what church you attend (though church attendance does help us stay strong in the faith!) or about the bumper sticker on your car or the music you listen to. It is certainly not about who you vote for or your political stances. Christianity is about following Christ. Faith is a verb, not an adjective." -"Faith is a Verb" 

- "Here in the U.S., it is not uncommon to hear people - sometimes even Christians - saying that Jesus doesn't do miracles like His did back in the New Testament days or that Jesus is often silent and we have to still blindly believe or that Jesus doesn't interact with us as much anymore. But what if He does? What if He does do miracles, does speak, and does want to interact with us, but we no longer know how to listen? Or maybe, we are not seeing Him, because we are not even looking for Him." - "Hide and Seek Jesus"

- "To me, the bottom line is this: if someone's interpretation of Scripture is being used to harm, oppress, and deny the rights or spiritual inheritance of another, than their interpretation is likely misguided. Because the overall message of the Bible is one of a Holy, Almighty God, who loves and has compassion on His people, and calls His people to also love and have compassion on others. Something we may have missed along the way." - "Made for More"

- "It kind of made me angry to see how many Christian resources out there for trauma survivors echoed this article's sentiments, if not directly then indirectly, encouraging spiritual practices to combat PTSD and depression and anxiety and the like, without also encouraging modern medicinal approaches or therapy or other ways of managing symptoms. All because of a fear of science?" - "Mental Illness is Real Illness"

- "These woundings run deep. To be hurt in a place you thought was safe, in a place you once called home, by the people you thought you could trust... creates a profound injury. It's traumatic. I have heard pastors from the pulpit condemn those who have left the church because of such woundings. I have heard Christians being dismissive of those who have walked away because of such wounding. They decide, for their own comfort, those who left probably weren't "real Christians" to begin with. Sometimes we are quick to defend the church, without taking a moment to see the pain people are carrying. Without taking a moment to care for the wounded. We forget that the true church is not the institution or a specific congregation or a building. The true church is the people. We are the church." - "I See the Pain You Carry"

- "We hold tightly to our privilege and our blessings, not wanting to share. Thinking we don't need to share, because somehow, we believe we've "earned" them, and they have not, not realizing this fallacy of thinking comes from American ideology, not anything Biblical. If we actually turned to the Bible, we would realize it's full from start to finish of commands to care for and provide for the poor and the vulnerable and the needy. God is on their side - why aren't we?" - "Grow the Church"

- "The pain and suffering we experience in this world is a side effect of free will. Free will is the ability of human beings to make their own choices and decide their own fates. Do all people have free will? Even slaves or trafficking victims or people in prison? Yes. Because even if we cannot always control our circumstances, we can control how we respond to our circumstances. And ultimately, the biggest thing we control, put quite simply, is whether we will live our lives for God, or for ourselves." - "Stay Strong"

- "I fear many times our message, instead of making the gospel more desirable, has made it less so. Instead of flavoring the gospel with our love, we poison it with politics and nationalism and white supremacy, with hate and commercialism and privilege. We add a whole lot that doesn't belong in there, making the gospel truth seem more like a lie." - "Salt of the Earth"

- "Funny how Jesus never said women should stay home and listen to their men. Funny how Jesus never said, "if your eye causes you to sin, tell women to dress more conservatively". Funny how Jesus never tried to take away women's rights or control their bodies." - "Sick to My Stomach"

Here's to the next 100.