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Progressive Christian

2008-05-28T11:13:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Does God Listen to Our Prayers?

Last updated on: May 28, 2008 at 11:13 am By Christy Thomas

Just a little while ago, I was sitting at my desk in the church office in earnest prayer for a member of the congregation who had announced on Sunday that she was losing her job and needed to find another. She’s a single mother, doing a spectacular job with her children, a creative, hard-working, generous, intelligent woman and I had promised her that I would make this need my special care in prayer. A few minutes later, I was checking... Read more

prayer

2008-05-24T14:34:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Spilling Over: More Than You Can Handle

Last updated on: May 24, 2008 at 2:34 pm By Christy Thomas

A friend and I were talking last week about the often heard phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” She contends, and I agree, that such a phrase is less than helpful and really not true. There are times in life when we are very much given more than we can handle. I feel quite sure the many Chinese families who have lost their only child (due to the rigidly enforced one-child rule) in the multiple schools... Read more

character

human tragedies

2008-05-14T10:21:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Power and Corruption

Last updated on: May 14, 2008 at 10:21 am By Christy Thomas

So, we have a cyclone in Myanmar, a small country also known as Burma in Southeast Asia, and countless numbers are dead and goodness knows how many more are homeless and in desperate circumstances. As always, the international aid community, led by the United States, swings into action. Supplies ready, medical staff standing by. And, according to a report by the Associated Press, here’s what happened: “Even as the death toll climbed, Myanmar’s authoritarian regime continued to bar nearly all... Read more

sin

corruption of power

2008-05-05T12:47:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

To See a President

Last updated on: May 5, 2008 at 12:47 pm By Christy Thomas

Every four years, a group of people come together for a somewhat strange gathering for the uninitiated: it is called the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. At this gathering, there will be representatives from across the world, who have traveled to pray and worship and debate and learn and eventually to make decisions that will affect all members of this large group, over eight million strong. The process is slow, laborious, often tedious, frequently frustrating. Because we are... Read more

theology

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

General Conference 2008

UMC

2008-04-24T09:52:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What have you done for me TODAY? Waiting on God

Last updated on: April 24, 2008 at 9:52 am By Christy Thomas

I knew well a man who had put himself through college with an athletic scholarship. He often used football analogies to describe life and growth and the human condition and our relationship with God. One of his favorite phrases was, “You are only as good as your last play.” By which he meant, of course, that one can have played a powerful game two or three weeks before, or even earlier in the game, but the only thing on the minds... Read more

Christianity

church

demanding things of God

Waiting for God

2008-04-24T09:17:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Redeemable Mistakes

Last updated on: April 24, 2008 at 9:17 am By Christy Thomas

Who among us has never done something that is regretted later? Who has never said an unkind word about someone or to someone? Who has never gossiped or spread untrue rumors? Who has never deliberately inflicted hurt or pain on another in a moment of high emotion? Who has not made some life choices that turned out in retrospect to be destructive to one person or another? Who has not violated written or unwritten moral codes at one point? Would... Read more

2008-04-21T08:35:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Real and the Almost Real

Last updated on: April 21, 2008 at 8:35 am By Christy Thomas

Supermarkets are truly amazing places to shop. There is almost nothing of daily need that can’t be found there and occasionally, one can even find food. On a recent, fact-finding shopping trip, I netted some of the following items: · Fresh Fruit: blackberries, strawberries, oranges, and lemons. · Fresh Bread: a whole grain, heavy and rich loaf. · Fresh Cheese: a wedge of flavorful Jarlsberg. · Fresh Vegetables: several ears of corn, still in the husk, a potato, some fresh... Read more

France journey

fresh food

manufactured food

manufactured spirituality

second-hand Christianity

2008-04-12T11:04:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Je suis désolé

Last updated on: April 12, 2008 at 11:04 am By Christy Thomas

“Je suis désolé. Je ne parle pas français.” This is the phrase I memorized: “I am sorry. I do not speak French.” I said this many times on my recent trip to France. For the most part, my apology did not bring about a sympathetic response. French people expect people to speak French. Period. And while many do speak English, there was an expectation that I would have also sought to learn their language. I did give myself a quick... Read more

learning the language of God

2008-04-07T08:13:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Life in France, Part Five

Last updated on: April 7, 2008 at 8:13 am By Christy Thomas

This will be the last post for this trip. Tomorrow is my last day here, and I will be doing “kid duty” again as Adriana needs to go back to Paris to finish getting her travel visa. Then it is time to pack. We will leave very early Wednesday morning so I can catch my plane. For the first time today, I cared for Joshua without his parents present. After the first few bad moments were over, we settled in... Read more

France journey

life in France

2008-04-06T10:30:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Life in France, Part Four

Last updated on: April 6, 2008 at 10:30 am By Christy Thomas

OK, the question has been, “How can I spend two weeks in France just 100 km from Paris and not see Paris itself?” Since it was becoming clear that I was in danger of doing that very thing, today, Sunday, April 6, became the day to remedy the problem. Although we had originally planned for all to go, it turned very chilly overnight and snow was predicted, so at the last minute, just Jonathan and I went. As we entered... Read more

France journey

Cathedral of Notre Dame

worship in France

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