Young Spirituality I love old things, especially old typewriters because they seem to have a certain “soul” that my Mac’s keyboard does not hold. I type a lot of my poetry on my typewriter from the early 1960s. This poem, young spirituality, is one of those. This poem came to me in an instant while driving in Asheville North Carolina. I noticed a group of people holding signs and screaming with a megaphone on the evils of abortion and “liberalism.” Half a mile down the street was another group, this time marching in…
The Will of God: Jesus, Demons, and Family Drama by The Rev. Rian Adams “But how do I know the will of God?” The woman was extremely distraught. She had to choose between two equally appealing options and genuinely didn’t know what to do. The church where she grew up drilled a certain theology into her that served as a handicap. That theology goes something like this: If you mess up and miss the will of God, it can ruin your life. She meant well, the church who taught her to live in fear probably…
Healing Snakes: Christ and Healing from Bitterness By The Rev. Rian Adams The title says it all! Through the Christ and his love there is healing from bitterness. Today’s lesson is a prime example of how that can happen. When the image of a snake comes to mind it usually carries a negative connotation. I had many lessons as a child about the dangers of snakes. But Jesus, like so many things in the Gospel of John, flips the reader’s preconceived notions to the other side of the coin. Snakes can also be a…
Soul: Finding Identity by W. Rian Adams Lectionary Reading: John 15:9-17, Sixth Sunday After Easter, Year B. Soul identity is confusing. It’s also often faked in light of a desired persona. Listen carefully to this week’s lectionary Gospel and you will hear a call to find the soul’s true identity in God. It is often the challenge of true spirituality to find the true self as rooted in the compassionate Christ. Jesus confronted this in the Pharisees and warned his disciples of the dangers of the false self. The Gospel…