#exploringfaith

[alandemoss]

5 Ways to Build a Holistic Faith Inspired by Jesus

If you’re lookin’ to grow your faith beyond just grace, here are some simple ways to create a more holistic faith—one that’s got roots in Jesus’ teachings. •        Embrace community and connection. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20). Spend time with folks who are also tryin’ to figure out their faith. Find a church group or an online…

[alandemoss]

Rediscovering Faith: Embracing Jesus Beyond Paul

Are You Ready to Challenge What You’ve Been Taught? When you hear the name Paul, do you think of a wise apostle or that one uncle who always talks too loud at family gatherings? Well, I reckon it’s a bit of both! Rediscovering faith ain’t about throwin’ out everything you learned; it’s about findin’ the real heart of the matter—Jesus’s teachings. So, if you’re lookin’ for a faith that feels more…

Rediscovering Faith: Embracing Jesus Beyond Paul

[alandemoss]

Jesus’s Truth Isn’t Just Following Rules

When we talk about facing truth according to Jesus, it’s not about memorizing Bible verses or checking boxes of religious behavior. Jesus didn’t come to burden us with a rulebook. He came to show us a way of living that revolves around love, justice, and mercy. Jesus made it crystal clear when He confronted the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His time. He told them, “You have neglected the…

[thecword]

Jesus is cool. Christians usually aren’t.

I’ve wanted to start a blog about Christianity for a long time, but there was always a small fear holding me back.  Not the fear of discussing my faith (this is America, where the only ones who have to worry about that are Muslims) or the fear of revealing my sexuality (I knocked the closet door down back in 2003 and if you’re just now finding out, where have you been?).  The only thing I really fear for is my laptop.  The topics I want to discuss can be so overwhelmingly frustrating and heart-breaking for me that this machine might find itself launched across the room at any moment.

But I’m obviously letting that fear go, so here goes nothing.

Why “The C Word”?

I confess I haven't truly been to church in years and I'm not as much of an in-your-face-Christian like I used to be. In fact, I don't even consider myself a Christian anymore.  And this is where my blog got its name - The C Word.  Words like “Christian” and “God” and “sin” have a hard time hitting my ears nowadays.  To me, “Christian” just sounds like a taboo word.  Many would say that’s because my heart has been hardened over time because of my ghastly homosexual behavior.  But, frankly, I just don’t believe that.

I can’t stand the word Christian anymore for the same reasons I don’t think Jesus would consider himself a Christian either.  Jesus commanded us to love one another, but most Christians prefer to judge first and ask questions never.  They’d rather tell me how much God hates me and my sexuality, or how much God hates a woman who gets an abortion, or how much God hates refugees, than tell me about...well, anything else.

I confess I almost let these loud and hateful voices drown out the soft but firm voice of the loving God that I actually believe in. I almost wrote the whole thing off, simply because I couldn’t bring myself to say I was a Christian anymore.

So this blog will be about exploring where I feel a disconnect between the faith I have and the things people that claim to follow Jesus are saying and doing. Because most would agree that Jesus is cool, and Christians usually aren’t.

[thejblock-blog]

So there's a bunch of Mormons in my community and I was invited to go caroling with them, so I accepted the offer. It starts in ten minutes and I walk in as people are leaving. It's empty now. Quite eery.