Posts Tagged: "Hatred"

God’s Lover’s Quarrel With The World

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

*picture above: “Lover’s Quarrel with the World no. 3″ by Sarah Michelle

On Sunday I spoke from Genesis – the story of Jacob and Esau. The point of the message was how Jacob had spent much of his life on the run—avoiding the uncomfortable and difficult in favor running to a new place… until that one fateful night. Even as he was attempting to return home, he had a back-up plan to run. But the evening before his journey home, a Stranger came out of the dark and started to wrestle him.

They wrestled back and forth throughout the night. There were opportunities for Jacob to flee—to go on the run (again)—but for some reason he refused. He wrestled and wrestled and held on for dear life. He wrestled until there was breakthrough. He wrestled until the blessing came.

This point—wrestling and continuing to wrestle until there is breakthrough—is not a sign of something unhealthy or wrong, but rather a sign that you are… Read More

At The Crossroad Of Fear

While out on the trail around Lake Wilderness yesterday, I was listening to a Fr. Richard Rohr homily. He said something that hit me like a beam of light…

“Are there any other emotions in our country besides anger and fear?”

He went on to say that anger and fear are bottom-of-the-barrel motivators. Yes! I believe this. And I believe there is a better and more beautiful way—a way that is pure and holy and life-giving.

Politicians speak to our fears. That’s how they get our attention. I mean, think about it… really.

They speak to our fears and we listen. They tell us who to blame (the other party and their policies, other nations, other religions, certain groups of people, the “other”).

Having someone to blame converts our fear into something else: anger, hostility, outrage, hatred.

Of course, we all face fear. This is unavoidable. It is our reality.

It is a crossroad. And there is a choice to be made.

I can choose to go… Read More