a common sense spirituality blog
Muhammad Ali is among more than 110 celebrities who have exited Earth's stage since New Year's Eve 2015. Each gave us a fresh opportunity not only to embrace the reality of death, but to actually understand it. This is important. And as Ali demonstrated, if we don't understand Death, we will not successfully navigate Life. Ali understood both extraordinarily well, so well that he... Continue Reading →
With no thought at all, we unflinchingly hurl the most damning insults at God. "Good" Friday may be our most consistent and most unconscionable slap at the Divine. It's the day we annually reaffirm that a sadistic murder not only is good, it's an act of God. I was delighted to see that others are looking at this day through... Continue Reading →
Sooooo, did you take my "double minded" quiz? Well, I hope you enjoyed the little gift that I tucked inside for you: a piece of sweet self discovery. Actually, whether or not you answered the questions, the gift was yours for the taking. I structured the quiz to be a treat for everyone. There were no right or wrong... Continue Reading →
A minister friend posted this graphic on my Facebook timeline a couple of days ago. It reminded me of the first time I read the Flood story in Genesis while wearing my thinking cap. I came face-to-face with the inexplicably heinous, unforgiving and inhumane behavior that scriptural storytellers have attributed to God. And they tell us this is the "Word of... Continue Reading →
I realize that everyone is not attuned to the jaw-dropping ways that humans have perpetually demonized God. But it seems to me that the demonization is so over-the-top during Holy Week that at some point in our history as thinking beings, it should have caught our collective attention. An online search turned up results about... Continue Reading →
Once you understand who you are and where you are, and trust that Divine wisdom is greater than your own, disappointments will disappear.
For years, I believed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and that I became a sinner the moment I took my first breath. That's what I was told. Everyone around me believed it. As far as I was concerned, it was so—until I began to notice that something didn't add up: Jesus... Continue Reading →
Forgive us, Father, for we know not what we do. Each Palm Sunday, I am even more sensitive to the fact that for the next week, millions will unknowingly demonize God and believe that they will be mightily blessed for doing so. I'm sure you're wondering: How in the world can someone demonize God and... Continue Reading →
At one time, the condescending attitudes of those who believe that God solves problems by drowning, burning, torturing and threatening to excessively punish His children throughout all eternity made my blood pressure rise. I've been met with outright hostility and judged as a hell-bound heathen because I steadfastly refuse to believe that God would do... Continue Reading →
I awoke this Sunday morning to a disturbing but not surprising newspaper story about a suburban Chicago teen, Adel Daoud, who tried to blow up a downtown bar full of patrons. His goal: To kill as many Americans as he could—and not just any Americans. He specifically targeted bar patrons with his car bomb because... Continue Reading →
Loud Mouth in the Balcony 