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    theresa


    Theresa Lode or, simply “T”, had her world turned upside down and inside out when her son was diagnosed with ADHD and a few other goodies. Her choice- follow the doctor's orders....or trust her heart and delve into the world of Free Range Education. She chose the latter...

    Curious? Want to know more? Read on ...

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You might be a legalist if….

Posted on July 30, 2009 by therealmotherlode

….all the other churches are messed up except for yours.

….you have a hard time finding other believers with the same level of “conviction” you have.

…you believe breastfeeding, “God’s Way”, is a mandate from heaven.

…you have a checklist of activities that must be fulfilled in order to receive God’s promises.

…you believe the Bible is a guidebook for righteous living and not a love story that reveals God’s kind heart.

…you believe the fate of your neighbor’s eternal lives is dependent upon your prayers and Gospel presentations.

…you believe God’s favor on your life is a result of your “obedience to the word.”  (And if others would only get their act together, they too could have favor.)

This was where I lived for many years. (Much of this, anyway.  I could never quite dig the militant breastfeeding doctrine.)   The fruit of it was joyless living and defeat.  When I run into someone still ensnared in this stuff I feel sad for them.

It also makes me mad at religion and the destruction in brings to people.

I was thinking about this last night as I watched a show called “Wide Angle” on PBS.  It was about a young woman who wanted to compete in the Miss Israeli beauty contest.  Because of the religious sect she is part of, there were actual DEATH THREATS against her because the contest require appearing in a bathing suit on TV.  And even more sadly…her UNCLE was one of the three people arrested for plotting her murder.

Now granted, I’m personally not into bathing suit displays and would not be a happy mom if Molly decided to cavort around in one as part of a competition.  (And God forbid…if *I* ever did the bathing suit thing there would be an entirely different motive for any death threats received. ;) )

After much turmoil and anguish, the young woman met with a tribunal, er, the religious leaders, who “persuaded” her to drop her pursuit of her dream.

I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between this radical stuff and the Christian culture here in America. (Check out Greg Boyd’s Myth of a Christian Nation for more on this.)

Wanna learn more?  Join the conversation over at “The God Journey.”

Learning to live loved….relaxed in God’s Grace….is still a fairly new thing to me.  It’s disorienting and fabulously freeing all at the same time.

theresa_sig

Filed under: church, church life, Spirituality, The God Journey | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Learning to live loved

Posted on January 4, 2009 by therealmotherlode

It is both exhilarating and a little sad too when I realize how I find myself needing to learn how to love people.  Kent Burgess shared some wonderful thoughts on his blog and then pointed to a comment by Kirk that really jarred my usual paradigm.

Kirk talks about his encounter with a couple of Mormon missionaries and how he was compelled to respond differently.

What’s a little sad to me here is the fact that I know playing the “My way is the right way” scripture game is ineffective…I still have trouble seeing what Living Loved looks like. Oh- I’m not talking about distributing blankets to the homeless or sending shoes to the poor in Africa.  That stuff’s pretty easy to do.

I’ve been well versed in the “Faithful are the wounds” Scripture.  I know the proper Scriptures to admonish and exhort the wayward and unbelieving….but I’ve missed the forest through the trees.  It’s really all about love.  Laying down my agenda and my opinions.  The stuff that’s much harder than helping the poor.

This year I want to challenge my same ole same ole responses to people who believe differently than I do.  If they are pro choice—try to understand their perspective.  Perhaps they’ve see too many unwanted children that have been abused and they see no other alternative.  If they are homosexual—to treat them with respect and kindness.

I feel ashamed that as Christians we have been more identified by our beliefs and agendas than by our love for the world. And that I even have to ask myself what does love look like?  (And I’m not referring to quoting Scripture.)

But yet I am full of hope and great enthusiasm when I see/hear about folks like Kirk who are unleashing the love of God….and it’s really quite simple.

Filed under: church, church life, Spirituality | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

The state of the American Church

Posted on October 10, 2008 by therealmotherlode

Found this little morsel and said WOW.

In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ.  Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy.  Then it moved to Rome, were it became an institution.  Next it moved to Europe, where it became a culture.  And finally, it moved to America where it became an enterprise.

Attributed to Richard Halverson, Former Chaplain of the US Senate.

PS One more little thing.  My friends the Millers have been up to more creative work and started a new network at http://www.48days.net.  If you’re an entrepreneur, a wanna be entrepreneur or just a creative type looking to earn money doing work you love, check out this new community.  And don’t be put off by the picture of Dan in front of his red car up at the top of the page.  This is NOT a get rich quick thing or some invite to a multi-level marketing thing.  Dan loves cars and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a successful businessman boasting about how LITTLE they pay for their cars.  ;)   And if you join, be sure and link to me!

Filed under: church, church life | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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