Faith Challenges: It Ain't All Comfort

Beware being taken in by the hypocrisy of the self-righteous. We try to hide the reality of our inner lives, but all secrets will come to light. What is whispered in the dark will be heard in full daylight, widely broadcast and published. Do we really think that those who died in the collapse of the Twin Towers were any worse offenders than everyone else in New York City? Do we think the four girls killed at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham were more sinful than those who set the bombs? Are the oppressed less worthy than their oppressors? We applaud civil rights heroes of the past, yet retain policies which actively oppose them. We join parades and erect monuments in their honor, bearing witness to their cause as just. Then we push new policies to keep the same minorities in subjection! How were diversity, equity, and inclusion just and righteous then, but now suddenly a threat? We pray before a meal, giving thanks for God’s provision. Meanwhile, greed direct...

“Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed. Some say love it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed. Some say love, it is a hunger, and endless aching need. I say love, it is a flower and you, its only seed.” — Amanda McBroom We spill a lot of ink talking and singing about love, but we rarely stop to question or discuss what love actually is or isn’t. For that matter, there are several definitions, categories, or uses of the term. Sometimes they confuse our conversations as we fail to grasp how another is using the term. At heart, this is largely due to uncertainty over defining love, understanding what it is, or what we even mean by it. Our poetry makes attempts to describe it, but often in conflicting ways. “Oh, love to some is like a cloud, to some as strong as steel, for some a way of living, for some a way to feel, and some say love is holding on and some say letting go, and some say love is everything, and some say they don't know.” — John De...