Voting for Thy Neighbor: The Politics of a New Humanity
On a Tuesday in November, my home state of Texas – among the other 49 states (and don’t forget Puerto Rico!) – will vote for a president and a handful of regional leaders. We chose between the best (or least worst) of the speeches and rhetoric. We will stand in voting booths with the hope we are choosing people who are honest and real in their beliefs. And I asked myself a question about these... read moreTwenty-Something Soup: Election Time
From the editor: I wanted to give all of our readers a heads-up on a monthly article that will be on TPE. The Twenty-Something Soup will be about numerous topics of differing degrees of importance. It will always be 4 or more people’s opinions on any given topic. The hope is that many diverse opinions can be shared from people with quite different backgrounds and life experiences. The DL of all the... read moreThe Power of Community
So I got an e-mail the other day that turned me around. It’s from a guy named Matt who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The last I saw him, he had taken a Nazarite vow and had not eaten meat in several months, nor shaved his beard in several more. He’s an interesting character, extremely intelligent (one of the most intelligent I know), and had a way about him that at times, was a bit abrupt and... read moreAnd Now…Prayer
There are many things that Christians struggle with, and one of the key things is prayer. There are multiple questions that are accompanied with the thought on Prayer: 1) Prayer, does it really work? 2) Prayer, why doesn’t it work every time? 3) Prayer, am I doing it right? Most of us think that prayer is limited to verses like these: 1) “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in... read moreIt's Hip to Be Scared
I can’t help but smile as my students continue to give me a list of excuses. “We’re not free.” “We’re stuck here, always being told what to do and when to do it.” “We don’t have the resources.” “Who is going to listen to me?” As a class, we have just agreed that our country and our society are not going in the right direction and that something needs to be done. Now, we haven’t... read moreWhich Way is Left?
Déjà vu.
With every approaching step comes an increase in the realization that I have most certainly been here before. And as I stand before that familiar crossroads, I am faced with an equally familiar question…which road do I take? Do I keep going the same way I’m already headed? Do I branch out? Or should I just stop?
The easy option is to stop. Discontinue all motion. Everything that has led me to this point has helped me to realize this: the world is complex place…with complex people…with complex ideas. I have relatively little assurance that I can effectively prove anything that I believe to anyone. This is not pessimistic, but simply reality; for every argument (at least it seems) comes an equal and opposite rebuff. It’s true, this can be directly paralleled to cause and effect: for every action comes an equal and opposite reaction. Ceasing all action, it would seem, can help me to avoid reaction.
On the other hand, the most common option could be to press on in my current path. At first, it sounds admirable; the phrase “press on” evokes some sense of perseverance. Perseverance is admirable. It shows that I have the strength to continue taking on all of the obstacles that have been attempting to hold me back. And, as always, I will brush them aside and press on. The road is difficult, but it is paved with good intentions, and I have made it this far. But there is the possibility that any further progress in this direction will most certainly be in vain; I would simply be “flogging a dead horse”, insisting that the path I am taking is correct, even though the signs would suggest otherwise.
The third option requires a change in direction. This direction, I believe, is the most difficult to take. Because who is to say that the direction I have chosen is correct? Do I even know?
It would be common to propose that making a decision regarding a direction to take from the crossroads requires a discussion over what is considered right, and, conversely, what is considered wrong. I propose a slightly modified approach. One thing that I have learned from my decade of driving experience (yes, I’m young) is that continually making right turns almost always leads you back to the point in which you began: in circles. The scenery may differ slightly, and the people driving with you may differ as well, but there is no escaping that you are, in fact, in a place you’ve been before. And the more you arrive at the same place, the more that place can start to become stale. (Changing the place, but keeping the same baggage you carry can sometimes have the same effect.) Focusing on making right choices unremittingly can be quite similar to always making right turns. What good is perseverance if you are on the wrong path? Perhaps the most humbling event in a person’s life could be the realization that they have made a wrong choice. I’ve learned in my relatively short life that focusing on being right and making right choices will not beyond doubt help me avoid the same pitfalls I have called home. Of course there are choices that are unequivocally right or wrong…but my concern is not about those irrefutable instances. I am not in any way attempting to remove the concept of right and wrong. My suggestion is instead to stop worrying, stop stressing, about being right all of the time.
Let it go.
Take a deep breath. Seriously, it will help.
It will be ok.
Now moving on…
If we are no longer focusing on always being or choosing right, we must have a shift in focus. No, I’m not saying that we now focus on being or choosing wrong. Instead, let’s focus on what is left. Lately, I have been so focused on this concept of “left” that nothing could turn me from it. I just want to do something that my soul can be proud of. Sometimes I dig myself into such a rut that my I can no longer see the way out. And what makes it worse is that the walls become so brittle that I can no longer climb out on my own. I’ve needed a hand, and more often than not, one has been there. But my nature has always led me back to the same place, and unfortunately, the same rut. It is only when I choose left that I find a new place.
Maybe you are in that rut now…and you need a hand. Hopefully, we can help; although there’s no easy button for this one, I’m afraid. Choosing left requires a different kind of view of the world. It requires living with passion…a passion beyond logic. Oftentimes there is an unreservedly unique and different world that you could miss if you don’t ever take a step in a different direction. Don’t forget right and wrong; just remember that passion and wisdom sometimes live outside of right. Sometimes they are left.
So, I leave you with this question: Which way is left?
read moreHeaven Isn't Enough
I engaged in a religious life only for the love of God, and I have endeavored to act only for Him; whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue to act purely for the love of God – Brother Lawrence. After studying Bible in college, I became troubled with a common reason for being a Christian. This concept of, “I am a Christian because I want to go to heaven”. The key... read moreThe Bible Rookie: Day Fifteen
“Do not make idols or any metal gods…” – Leviticus 19:4 It is interesting to to me that the focus is on idols of the metallic persuasion; I will explain as we go. At this point in my journey, I am safely through Exodus and well on my way into Leviticus when I hit my first snag. The iPhone. I admit that I have been wanting one for quite a long time and finally was able to get... read more
The Paradigm Exchange is an opportunity for an evolving community to share and exchange their paradigms. We are faithful, we are passionate, we are sons, we are daughters, we are sisters, we are brothers....and these are our stories.
