Some quotes...

Here are some quotes that are speaking to me at the moment... read them, love them, learn from them.

"Sooner or later you just figure out that there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now its about who's smarter, and honestly I don't care."

"It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things."

"I started wondering whether we could actually change the world. I mean, of course we could. We could change our buying habits, elect socially conscious representatives and that sort of thing, but I honestly dont believe we will be solving the greater human conflict with our efforts. The problem is not a certain type of legislation or even a certain politician; the problem is the same that it has always been. I am the problem."

-Donald Miller

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying."

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome. "

-Michael Jordan

"Clarity is good, but sometimes intrigue may be even more precious; clarity tends to put an end to further thinking, whereas intrigue makes one think more intensely, broadly, and deeply. Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God is a case in point; his parables don't score too well on clarity, but they excel in intrigue."

"I don't believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts."

"Are our churches and broadcasts and books and organizations merely creating religious consumers of religious products and programs? Are we creating a self-isolating, self-serving, self-perpetuating, self-centered subculture instead of a world-penetrating (like salt and light), world-serving (focused on 'the least and the lost,' those Jesus came to seek and save), world-transforming (like yeast in bread), God-centered (sharing God's love for the whole world) counterculture?"

-Brian McLaren

"When people use the word hell, what do they mean? They mean a place, an event, a situation absent of how God desires things to be. Famine, debt, oppression, loneliness, despair, death, slaughter--they are all hell on earth. Jesus' desire for his followers is that they live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth. What's disturbing is when people talk more about hell after this life than they do about Hell here and now. As a Christian, I want to do what I can to resist hell coming to earth."

"I don't follow Jesus because I think Christianity is the best religion. I follow Jesus because he leads me into ultimate reality. He teaches me to live in tune with how reality is. When Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me," he was saying that his way, his words, his life is our connection to how things truly are at the deepest levels of existence. For Jesus then, the point of religion is to help us connect with ultimate reality, God.

-Rob Bell

"I came to the conclusion long ago … that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu … But our innermost prayer should be a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian."

"God has no religion "

"We must respect other religions, even as we respect our own. Mere tolerance thereof is not enough."

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

-Gandhi

Socially Conservative (w/out the suppressed antisemitism)

I remember growing up liberal, I was in 3rd grade and I decided that I was pro-choice. I also decided at 5 years old that Michael Dukakis should be our next president over George H.W. Bush. Later in life I was caught in the grip of Christian Fundamentalism and took a radical "right-wing" agenda.

A quick aside: Why is it that those who are strong believers and subscribers to the church of evolution and "survival of the fittest" are most often liberals, who by nature, advocate a lesser form of socialism rather than capitalism which leads to social Darwinism or an economic "survival of the fittest"? And what about the "religious right" claiming to be on the side of the Savior, who's first-century followers practiced a communal living style that was reminiscent of socialism, while at the same time exploiting all that capitalism has to offer, comfortably seated in their mega-churches shouting damnation at the masses the whole time seeming eerily pharisaic.

I guess that wasn't such a "short" aside...sorry

Slowly over the last 5 years I feel like I stepped off of the conservative train to take a look around and it left me at the station...

I'm now struggling in the middle of "no-label land"

What I mean is, I don't see my self heading back the other way to "liberal" and I'm not sure that I can keep going to my "conservative" destination. I still inevitably vote for the Republican even though its more like the lesser of two evils. I guess I'm a mixture of parties, a political mutt if you will.

I consider myself pro-life ever since the addition of my adopted sister who's biological mother, if given the same "choice" in her native Russia, would have probably chosen abortion. In the same breath I used to say that I supported the death penalty. Which never seemed to be a contradiction at the time but now (after taking my departure from the "Conservative Express") it seems that I should be against capital punishment.

Now its not as easy as it seems... Am I sad that Saddam Hussein was put to death....yes and no. I am sad that a human being, created by God lost his life and I know deep down inside that his sentence was probably not in line with God. But did I do my fair share of thinking that he deserved it... yes.

My guess is that God doesn't have a political party, as Rick McKinley says the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. We really can't imagine that, can we? How refreshing would that be to have someone with ultimate and supreme power in control that loves us enough to send his only Son (I'll skip the rest, there will be an alter call later to the tune of "Just as I am", but make sure you place your offering in the box before you come up)

Seriously though, imagine a world under the rule of someone who's main concern is our well-being, who always acted in our best interest, and not just our frivolous wants and material desires.

Man, that would be cool, but until that happens I'll be over here struggling with my labellessness