One Sunday during that summer we went to the Union Church where my grandparents go and the sermon was about Jesus walking on the water and how Peter was able to do the same.  Now, maybe the pastor was saying something different then what I heard, perhaps he was talking about walking on the waters of life or something like that.  Anyway, what I heard was that if you had enough faith then you would be able to do the same.

Later that afternoon while swimming in the back yard I really started to think about those words, about having faith and about walking on the water.  I thought to myself, I do believe, in fact I not only believe, I know that it is possible.  I got out of the pool and went to put my new faith to the test.

As I was about to step on to the water a thought hit me, I am in a swimming suit and I am already wet.  That is not faith.  If I step on to this water and nothing happens it is just the same as if I jumped into a pool like a kid would normally do.  No, no, no, if I really had faith I would go back into the house, dry up, put my clothes back on and then step out on to the pool.

So that is what I did, I went back in, dried myself off, combed my hair, put on my best pants and favorite shirt and tied my shoes.  Now if I stepped on the water I was risking something, this was faith in action.  I was ready to meet my destiny and with that I went back to the pool.

I was alone at the time so you will just have to trust that the words that I am about to say are true.  While it might be hard to believe the miracle of the Guatemalan pool I swear to you that the events that I shall describe next are an accurate account of what really happened.

I stood there all dressed in my Sunday best amazed at how much faith a lad such as myself could have.  While there were better people in the world no doubt then me, I was sure that none of them had tried to do what I was about to do.  I stood there with the confidence of a king surrounded by his best troops and boldly stepped out on to the water.

When I stepped on to the water, I said WHEN I STEPPED ON TO THE WATER!!!  Something truly remarkable happened, I sank like rock.  And because I stepped out as if I were stepping on to dry land and not as if I were stepping on to a pool I did not go straight down but did a face flop right into the pool.

Now I had to explain myself, why was I all wet and wearing my best clothes and shoes?  Let me tell you, just in case you are wondering; there is no good way to explain why you came into the house wearing a swimming suit, went back out not wearing one and then came back in all sloppy wet.  I do not remember the exact excuse that I used but I do remember it was lame.

Needless to say I learned something about faith that day, while it is good to have the faith to be able to step out into the unknown, it is extremely dumb to have faith to be able to step out into the known and think that the unknown will some how magically happen.

Here is their argument:

[…If you knew an adult who still believed in Santa Claus you would think that they were delusional and indeed they would be.  It is cute if a child does but if an adult does it is a delusion.  Next they say that of the five billion people in the world only one billion are Christian, perhaps the rest of the world knows something that the Christian does not. Other religions are delusional too; Mormons claim that Joseph Smith was magically visited by an angel who gave him golden tablets.  Those who are not Mormon know that they are delusional.

Muslims believes Mohammed was visited by an angel who magically dictated the Koran and took Mohammed on a magical journey into heaven.  Those who are not Muslim know that they are delusional.  Finally, Christians believe Jesus was magically conceived, magically fed thousands and healed many, and finally, magically was raised from the dead.  Do you see a pattern here?

They then go on to say that they all are delusional and that the only ones that are not are those that know that there is no God.  There is no evidence to support a God and people who claim to have a faith act out in ways that is contrary to that faith all the time.  Finally, if such a God did exist why does He not show himself and rid the planet of all the evil that is in it?  The answer is because He is not real just like Santa is not real.]

This concludes the argument; we will resume our regular scheduled blogging already in progress.

This website was designed to be an interactive one and many Christians had voiced their displeasure with the arguments that were made.  Many of them would quote from the Bible to prove their point which I found ironic being as they are atheist, they will not care what the Bible says.  If you are a Christian do you care what the Book of Mormon or the Gnostic books say?

Being someone who loves to talk about politics and religion I decided that I would weigh in.  The problem with most people when it comes to talking about either politics or religion is that they get too emotional with their argument.  When I write a blog about any subject my objective is not to convert you to my way of thinking (however, the world would be a much better place if we all did) but rather it is to entertain and to make you think.

The lone exception would be when it comes to my love of Def Leppard, then my mission is clear, to make you into a full blown, “Hysteria” record loving, Def Leppard believer.  “Songs From The Sparkle Lounge” is a fantastic album and I have not heard a single song on the radio, this is unacceptable, but I digress.

I worry when I hear people refer to themselves as a “Ditto Head” on the Rush Limbaugh show.  My goal is not to create a Ditto Head but rather to explain an issue from a perceptive and then make you question if I am right or not and why.  It was with that spirit that I crafted my careful reply and submitted it to the website.

I can tell you that they never posted my reply even though I submitted it twice just to be sure it went through.  I checked back in latter and saw that they did post other “crazy” replies but not mine.  That by itself shows the hypocrisy of their view, however, that is neither here nor there.  So, without further ad due, he is my response:

[…You bring up some solid points, ones that a religious person has to answer and few can.  Most people of faith, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or any other can not really articulate why they believe what they believe and when you question them they get angry.  If God is who he says He is then why doesn’t He make himself more known?

Many people say, if God were to pull back the clouds and show his face then they would believe.  Short of that they will say that there is no proof that He exists.  Of course, to bolster their argument the atheist will point out the inconsistencies of the religious person’s beliefs and then compare that to their actions and few can stand up to that test.

However, neither can the atheist.  The atheist will say that they are respectful and enlightened, yet when dealing with a religious person they will be rude, condescending, and down right mean.  Also, the atheist will say that the religious person is acting off of irrational faith.  Well, guess what, so are you.

While there is no evidence that you can point to that God exists, you also have no evidence to say that He does not.  Have you been anywhere in this vast Universe other then this small rock known as Earth?  Do you know all the mysteries of the Universe and how we began?

The fact is you do not, all you know is the little piece of it that you have experienced in your small life time.  Based on this extremely limited knowledge and with no evidence other then the absence of evidence, you are able to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that there is no God.  You are making this choice using an irrational faith based on what little you have seen or experienced.

You bring up that there are four billion people who are not Christian and use that as evidence that the Christian argument is false.  I would argue that of the five billion people (give or take a few) that over 90% believe in a god of some kind.  If you want to talk about numbers, the numbers that believe in a god far out weigh those that do not, maybe the religious person knows something that the atheist does not.

Finally, the burden of proof is not on the religious person anyway.  You bring up the story of Santa to show how naïve the religious person is.  Santa can be proven to not exist because the presents that show up on this magic day did not come from him at all, they came from the children’s parents.

If I want proof all I need to do is look at the Visa bill come January.  If you have a “Visa bill” type of evidence that shows that there is no god I would like to see it.  If the religious person is wrong and dies a religious person they have lost nothing, they are still dead.  If however, the religious person is right and you go through your whole life saying that there is not a god, then the non-religious person will be in grave danger.  You are going to have offer a lot more proof before I would be willing to make that choice.]

Those were the years when I used to meditate a lot, including early morning meditations at 3 a.m. in our living room.

After half an hour of repeating my mantra in the dark while sitting in a half-lotus position, my legs would start to go numb and hurt a little. When the pain started to get real bad, I would get up and return to bed.

I would lie down. After a minute or so, just before I drifted back to sleep...

It would start…

VIBRATIONS… a strong tremor that would start at my feet and the tip of my hands and wiggle its way up my limbs.

It scared me the first time it happened but I got used to it over time, until that early morning.

That night it again started with vibrations following a 3 a.m. meditation session.

Then SUDDENLY, without any prior warning, I found "myself" at the footer of our bed.

First I was thinking "wow, I'm at the foot of our bed"…

I very clearly remember even today the weaving of the fibers that made up our blanket.

I was that close to it, looking at it perhaps from an inch away, and marveling at the muted colors of the fibers and their intricate weaving pattern.

Then I realized "I" was actually still sleeping in bed, next to my wife!

That's when I PANICKED because I realized that the conscious ME that was examining the blanket up close and the other "me" still sleeping in bed next to my wife were different...

I'd be damned if I weren't having an OOBE – Out Of Body experience!

With that startling realization I literally SNAPPED back to my body with a jolt and woke up sitting straight.

My heart was in my mouth. I was scared and confused but the night was as quiet and untroubled as before. And my wife was sleeping right next to me, God bless her, unaware of anything that was going on.

I carried that unique experience with me for years, even after I quit meditating regularly.

It all came back to me the other day when I stumbled upon this volume in my local public library: The Journey of Robert Monroe: From Out-of-body Explorer to Consciousness Pioneer, by Ronald Russell.

This is not the first book to read about OOBE; it should be Robert Monroe's classic Journeys Out of the Body. If you haven't read it yet, trust me, it's nothing like you've read before. It's a true mind bender, especially coming from as worldly a character as Monroe was at the time he had his own first OOBE.

Russell does an excellent job in giving us the full context of Monroe's work and the detailed story of the ups and downs of the The Monroe Institute which still operates today in Faber, Virginia.

I'm wondering if any Culture Feast readers have had any similar experiences themselves?

And if so, whether such an experience has caused any changes in their religious and philosophical views on life?

Because as skeptical as I am towards my own experience, two things are certain:

1) I KNOW it was NOT a dream. Nor was it a hallucination or an illusion. (Disclosure: I never did any drugs in my life.) I knew and still am certain today that it was a genuine sensory experience, as real as my fingers typing out these words on the keyboard right now.

2) It did help me "understand" in a non-verbal and visceral way the "probable reality" lying behind postulates such as "we are more than our bodies," or "we are spirits inhabiting material bodies," etc.

I sometimes think a personal OOBE is the true missing link between our worldly-sensory model of reality and what most religions and spiritual disciplines are talking about.

Pick up Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body from your local library today and see what you think.

Now, if I, Mike Callaway (who is almost always right in all that he believes, if it was not right then I would not believe it) can be tolerant of your views (which are probably wrong if you do not agree with me, again, if it was right view then I would agree with you and we would be on the same side); then surely you (again, wrong if you are not with me) can tolerate others and find a way to explain why you could be right but probably are not (in the off chance that I am wrong it is possible that you may convert me).

It does make me laugh when certain Liberal friends of mine will accuse me or anyone for that matter of being closed minded. By accusing someone of being close minded, you are actually making a very closed minded statement. “I can tolerate all free speech as long as it does not contradict me”. Also, by saying someone is “mean spirited” it really quite mean by itself.

I would love to say that the Christian Right is much better, but sadly, they are not. I know many well intentioned Christians who feel like it is impossible to be a Christian and a Democrat at the same time. When did salvation and the message of the Bible ever become the Republican platform?  When did taxs and States rights become a family value?  Here is how I know when I am probably in right, when my opinion makes both sides angry.

Once a year, 50 speakers share with more than 1,000 visitors in Monterey, California. Topics cover business, science, the arts, music, and global issues. The best TEDTalks are provided online via streaming video at TED.com.

Granted, the majority of speakers appear to be atheistic proponents of evolution. This is somewhat disappointing, though not entirely surprising. Past speakers have included the likes of Billy Graham, so it's fair to say that the organization is open to most ideas as long as they are presented in the proper fashion.

The recorded TEDTalks are worth watching. Some are more mentally stimulating than others (check out the talks on memes and, surprisingly, Tony Robbins). 137 presentations are currently available online. Additional talks will be released on an ongoing basis. 

TEDGlobal is a conference held every other year at various locations worldwide. The basic format is the same, but these conferences tend to focus more on development.

The TEDPrize is an annual prize awarded to three individuals who receive $100K and the granting of "One Wish to Change the World". The winners unveil their wishes at the annual conference, and the TED community comes together, pooling their resources, to grant each wish. Visit TED.com to learn more about past wishes granted. 

For those of you accustomed to the collegiate Pew / Paideia society or other philosophical and sociological communities, these talks will resonate along the lines of cultural examination of what is, what has been, and what could be.  

The only question remaining is, how does one get invited to TED? Send me an invitation. I'm in. 

I will acknowledge the truth that parents need a place for their children to learn, to engage, and to socialize that will not scar them or taint their innocence. I wouldn't want my kids listening to what I listen to or watching many of the films I watch. Since I am a P.I.T. (Parent in Training), my opinion might not be the most valid... but it is popular.

It all started when I left MySpace the first time in January 2006. I was sick and tired of the half-naked chicks everywhere via True ads. After some brief research, I found MyPraize, a Christian MySpace alternative. MyPraize is censored like there's no tomorrow. It's like youth camp and KLTY (boring Christian radio station) mixed together. Sorry, not interested. I set up an account, browsed around for 20 minutes, and then left (never to return).

My encounter with GodTube today was just the straw that broke this camel's back. Seriously? GodTube? Why is it that Christians are always mimicking secular ideas? Christian musicians make music that imitates the sounds of secular artists. Christian television is seriously sub par. And now we get a whole new wave of sub-parness injected into web culture.

Am I anti-Christian? Of course not. I am a Christian. But I find isolation to be every bit as unrealistic as atheism. Why not just post your videos on YouTube? Why not use Facebook or Virb if you want to avoid the advertisements? At least you won't only be online with Christians. My primary concern is this: beware of the bubble. It is the chief concern of American Christians to create protective bubbles in every sphere of life in which they can be "Christ-like" with each other but not have to encounter any of that nasty sin stuff.

Well, thanks but no thanks. From an adult non-parental viewpoint, I'd rather be relevant to the world than isolated from it. Now, when it comes to my children, I may sing a slightly different tune. Time will tell.

Want to know what kind of Christian resources I actually like? Why not!

BibleMap is a seriously cool site. Just type in the Bible book and chapter, and you will see where the action took place on a map of the Middle East. For all those times when the names and dates hold no significance to you, this helps you get a little more historical / human perspective of what was happening.

BibleGateway is my favorite site for reading the Bible. You get every possible translation for every verse in two dozen languages right at your fingertips, and the search function is easy to use. Search by book, chapter, and verse or by keyword.

EarlyChristianWritings is an excellent resource of writings from the early Church. It's sorted by date, which helps you to get a sense of the maturity and development of Christian thought over the first two and a half centuries after the birth of Christ.

There are hundreds more tools and sites out there. My general rule of thumb is this: if it's a useful tool, use it. If it's for isolating yourself from the rest of the world, don't waste your time.

I received the remaining print and audio materials from his ministry after he and my step grandmother both died. I am amazed by the paper saving abilities of that man! He wrote sermon notes on the back of every conceivable advertisement, napkin, church bulletin, and unused letter.

I've had these materials for eight years now, and it's time they were put to more efficient use. That's why I will be opening a new website to make streaming audio and/or downloadable versions of his radio sermons available to the public. It will take me some time to make them all available, seeing as there are hundreds of them.

A donation button will be located on the site. Please feel free to contribute whatever you feel is appropriate to assist me in the time and effort it will take to make these sermons and other materials available to the public.

Look for it soon at LennardDarbee.com!

Despite his outlandish claims that millions of followers and 30 countries acknowledge him as god, only 100,000 followers can be verified by the press. But do the numbers really matter? Sure, a number in the millions would be more likely to cause some people to pause and consider why so many have believed. But this guy is far from the image of the Son of God. It's more than laughable. It's "Springer does religion".

I heard a televised statement made by Miranda this morning. His exact words were: "Jesus of Nazareth, on a scale of 1 to 10, he's a 2. I've performed many many more miracles."

Wonderfully unfounded and unproven. And honestly, even if he people were healed around him, that is no verification of godhood.

Scripturally speaking, this is just a case of yet another false christ. He tries to undo the Scriptures and start from scratch.

God is not mocked. Wait and see what happens.

At CultureFeast, we're not afraid to discuss our religious views. Anyone who doesn't want to read what is written here doesn't have to return. We'd love you to have you back, though.

This site will continue to confound those who demand a theme-based blog. Sorry, random thoughts is how we roll. One day it's sports, then mortgage, then spirituality, then it's talking about the next bastard politician.

Stick around! We want your feedback. Disagree with us. Argue with us. It doesn't matter. Just keep it respectable.

He'll read this a month from now and post some comment about how he pictures me in seclusion, lighting candles and writing poetry. Funny guy. I'm not quite that dramatic (shut it, Nathan - like how I mentioned your name and yet you get no link? Your mom).

Three thousand years ago, Solomon had it right when he said that everything is utterly meaningless and futile. He tried everything, and came up empty. Whether you work hard or not at all, whether you're rich or poor, starving or overfed, ultimately it doesn't matter.

There are a lot of underachievers who will read this and think, So what? I've always thought life was pointless. That's why I don't do anything. That's not the same thing. Lazy ex-pot smokers aren't exactly equal to good ol' Sol.

I am notorious for my insistence upon meaning and purpose. I annoy the hell out of friends, family, and total strangers with my rants about pursuing purpose. I hate seeing people waste potential. I love watching people and guessing their deep purposes and callings. See, everyone has one, even the annoying people who hate hearing that and who feel the need to violently argue against the concept.

So how does a person like me believe in the simultaneously contradictory beliefs that life is utterly meaningless and that each person has a unique calling and purpose to fulfill? That's an easy one. Logical or not, I'm simply disillusioned by how freakin' hard life can be. I'm not very patient. I've been known to be a bit anxious. Picture someone spending an entire decade anxiously flittering to and fro like a speedfreak in an attempt to achieve his purpose, and you have a fairly accurate understanding of my life a few years ago.

My "meaningless" isn't the same as Solomon's. I think I actually know my calling - my God-given purpose for living. I believe that I have things to do before I die. I have ways to mature. It doesn't matter if you think it's a ridiculous notion. You're bored and miserable sometimes as you go to sleep at night because you feel empty. You feel empty because you've yet to realize what that thing is that will make your life truly meaningful.

Yeah... It's late, and I should be asleep. Consider yourself thoroughly scolded or chastised or whatever fits. I'm out.

Second Life is no joke. You may mock people who join online communities, but it is the wave of the future. When Reuters creates a website for the sole purpose of covering virtual community news, you know it's worth a second glance.

LifeChurch, an Edmond, Oklahoma based church, is one of approximately twenty churches that have already bought Second Life real estate and formed virtual churches. The idea is to reach people wherever they may be.

My first reaction was that there's no way a virtual church will thrive as an actual community of believers or as a successful evangelistic tool. I thought of the Christians who would jump on the Second Life bandwagon under the guise of "reaching the lost", and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Perhaps I was too hasty. I've joined Second Life and look forward to seeing the sites, so to speak (that is, if I ever complete the stupid training exercises!). Unlike other Christians, I'm not a member for any reason other than sheer work-related curiosity. Too many SEO and interactive marketing companies are still playing catch up by joining MySpace. Forget that. MySpace is old news. It's so old, in fact, that I don't waste my time on it unless I want to search for new music. That is the #1 contribution MySpace made to my life: free and convenient access to music sampling.

Second Life represents Web 3.0 technology. It's not been said much, but it's true. Virtual communities are the new frontier (to be followed shortly, no doubt, by 3-D holographic virtual communities). You don't have to participate, and you won't be "less cool" if you don't, but you will be clueless.

And for those of you who still think Second Life is "just a game", Second Life users spent nearly 1.5 million dollars within the past 24 hours (according to Reuters). Major brand names, including sportswear and automobile manufacturers have swept in to take advantage of the virtual advertising space.

This whole thing is huge. You'll see. Soon enough Second Life will have its own doomsday prophets, referring to it as the path to Armageddon and the Antichrist... I know it sounds premature, but it'll happen. I have absolute faith in the paranoia of the public.

Though I have to say, be careful if you decide to venture out into the virtual space of Second Life. There is a lot of X-rated stuff going on there that can sneak up on you. That's actually one of the main reasons why LifeChurch has a presence there. They know that it's a place for people to hide their sins, and they hope to be a light in the virtual darkness. Kudos to them for trying. As long as they don't attempt to become the virtual TBN, I wish them the best.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong (as unlikely as that is), but it appears to me that the most drastic change affecting our perspective and approach to Christianity is Christendom. For those of you wondering what the heck Christendom is, it's defined as

"Traditionally, the part of the world traditionally dominated by Christianity: most of Europe, Australasia and the Americas, plus parts of the Third World (thanks to http://www.csa.com/hottopics/religion/gloss.php)."

So when we speak of Christendom, we're referring to world as influenced by Christianity. What I meant by calling Christendom the largest difference is this: we face a unique set of challenges, questions, doubts, resentments, and teachings which we must overcome that the pre-Christ world and early church had no way of predicting. No one who wrote or influenced the writing of Scripture had to deal with Baptist doctrine, Presbyterian doctrine, Methodist doctrine, Charismatic doctrine, etc. None of them grew up in a country claiming to be Christian. They grew up in a country claiming to be God's chosen nation, which is somewhat similar, but they didn't have the same Gospel message or road to salvation to deal with.

Pick twenty people off the streets in the United States and ask them what it means to be or become a Christian. On some level, you will hear twenty different answers.

My point is this: when a message has been around for 2,000 years, people are bound to screw up the details. That's just how it is. Back when the New Testament was being written, people were being introduced to what they considered a "completely new religion", even though it was only the planned transformation of Judaism. They didn't grow up with Jesus being so common that they used the name while swearing without even realizing that they were mentioning deity. It just didn't happen.

In today's culture, Christianity is so "obvious" that most people assume they're a part of it without even knowing what it is. Even those of us who think we know at least the fundamental ins and outs still have to deal with our stupid self-improvement culture that looks for the 7 Steps to a Fulfilling Life or the Top 10 Ways to Be a Good Christian. The Bible wasn't written like that (yes, I realize that there were a Top 10 of sorts when it came to commandments). It was written to people who didn't live based on the fundamentals of marketing and self-improvement. When they were told that Christianity is about relationship with God, they understood it on a level most of us have yet to fathom. For us, we tend to skip over that relationship stuff and look for a list of things to do to check off. We tend to believe that if we'll say a prayer, tithe, read our Bible, pray over meals, avoid X-rated material, be faithful to our spouses, and avoid hurting other people as much as possible, that we've done our duty.

Someone has to address this crucial misunderstanding to the masses. It's not enough that pockets of people are getting close to God at some churches. We live in a country of 300 million people who need to understand that God is not who the televangelists say He is. They need to know that God is not after their money (though He will require us to give it). They need to know that just because some old white haired guys and purple haired ladies with too much makeup get up on fancy stages on television and act like buffoons doesn't mean that Christianity is a ruse.

And most of all, they need to know that it's okay to throw out the rulebook and start from scratch... that God won't be offended if they approach him with sincerity, even if they come with STDs, guilt, shame, depression, anger, lust, addictions, fears, doubts, or any other problem. People need to know He will accept them. They need to know it like they need to know that a real human being will accept them with all they've got going on inside and outside.

They need to know. It's not fun to stop our ranting and raving about the coolest gadgets or websites or whatever drives us nuts. But there's more to life than going to a Billy Graham crusade and working like a dog for the rest of your life. There's more, and it's my hope that we'll cover more of this in the months ahead. I won't burden you too often, since I know we all need to take in important truth in small doses until we grow accustomed to it. But we'll take this journey together, throwing American religious traditions out the window and approaching God with fresh eyes and as few preconceived notions as we can manage.

To the point, I cannot count how many people pray before their meal in restaurants all over Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Arlingtonn, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, etc. As we speak, I've seen two of four tables nearest me pray before their meal.

My parents would probably say how sad it is that so few people pray in comparison to when they were my age. I, on the other hand, do not expect to see people pray in public ever, and it continues to startle me and make me feel oddly uncomfortable.

When did this become a problem for me? I realize now that I have slipped out of the habit of praying over every meal. It is a habit I kept for ten years, and only in the past year have started forgetting. The discomfort of public prayer for me has been largely that of making public something that is very personal. Despite the fact that I blog, which is an extroverted activity to say the least, I do not like having my personal details aired in front of everyone.

I admit it - I am still self-conscious and concerned about what others think.

But this article isn't about me. Or, at least, it wasn't supposed to be. Maybe Christians just gravitate towards Starbucks and Panera Bread. Whatever the case, I am amazed that so many people still pray. I don't know why I am so pessimistic, but I tend to assume that most people attending church are Sunday Christians only, and any expression of faith throughout the week is unintentional.

Keep praying, Tarrant County. I don't mind being wrong.

Picking up a book from the New Age section of Barnes & Noble was an unnerving experience for me. What mental traps might I be stepping into, I wondered. Reason prevailed, however. It is because of one idea that I will open my mind's doors to something labeled as an enemy by people sharing a similar faith to mine. The idea is best explained in several parts. They are:

1. All people are human, regardless of whether they live today or centuries ago
2. All humans are limited, fallible and incapable of knowing everything
3. Because of this, even the authors of our faith did not possess all knowledge or understanding
4. Because of the Canonization of Scripture and subsequent traditional beliefs of Scripture, many people fear to believe that we could learn anything new and true outside of Scripture because of how that might affect the strength of Scripture's primacy
5. Because of this, the Christian community has failed to lead the way in pursuing knowledge and understanding of God's universe. That task has been left largely to the secular community, which has done the best it knows how.
6. The secular community can provide scientifically tested data which indicates the probability of certain truths
7. Just because the scientific community can postulate certain truths (the what and where) does not mean that it can answer the ever valid and crucial questions of how or why (or even when)
8. If Christian leaders are not going to answer my questions, I must seek the answers on my own.
9. Since Christian leaders often fear to consider the possibility that nuggets of truth can be discovered by non-Christians, and since these leaders do not themselves search diligently for certain answers, they're assumptions cannot be automatically trusted
10. Since non-Christians can discover or understand (on some level) universal principles such as gravity, inertia, and harvest, they have the capacity to discover or understand other such universal principles which the Christian community has yet to understand or acknowledge
11. Since non-Christians will not often explain why a universal principle is true in a manner that instantly corroborates Scripture, I am responsible to sift the gold from the dross and accept only what either agrees with Scripture or might agree with Scripture upon further reflection and consideration.
12. Overt disagreements with Scripture must be discarded because we must have a solid starting point from which to work
13. We must challenge ourselves to find truths which support Scripture, explain/clarify certain mysteries in Scripture, and strengthen the body of Christ by filling in the holes which have riddled our faith over the years

Having said that, it might seem that we have left the Bible behind and have chosen more "exciting" texts to focus upon. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are finding ourselves led to sources of truth that support Scripture and make Scripture make sense to us in ways that we never before imagined.

For example, it's not enough to read the verse: "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Uh...what? For years, when I realized that my mind was constantly consumed with unhealthy thoughts, i'd rethink that verse and find myself at an absolute loss. I couldn't come up with a single really "good" thought. Which thoughts are pure? What thoughts are just? What kind of thoughts are lovely? What is a thought of good report? Seriously!

I realized that I had not conditioned myself to know these things. I had spent my adult life fascinated with morbidity, death, dying, crime, suspense, intrigue, suspicion, slander, and on and on. I had become one of the "bent ones." My thoughts were naturally bent towards selfish or less than holy issues.

Historians tell us that everyone once believed that the sun, stars, and planets revolved around the earth. It is referred to as the geocentric view. The heliocentric view (sun-centered) was suggested by some and considered heresy by the leaders of the time. As in many instances throughout history, scientific discovery has not been welcomed by religious or even political leaders. Men do express their own opinions throughout Scripture, as is obvious by David's crying out for the death and obliteration of his enemies and Solomon's declaration that everything is utterly futile and meaningless. Not necessarily views we should adopt. Then there was Peter's snubbing of Gentiles until set straight by Paul. You get the picture. We're all human.

It is the mature acceptance of these truths that enables us to allow something outside the realm of our comfort zone to challenge us and engage us. It is by setting and adhering to the tenets of our faith while simultaneously insisting on the pursuit of wisdom and understanding that we arrive at a rich and rewarding mode of existence.

The pursuit continues. For me, it continues with the reading and examination of The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. This book contains possibilities which absolutely excite me. On the surface, it appears to elaborate on biblical statements such as, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he," and "He who seeks, finds; to him who knocks, the door is opened," and "think on these things," and perhaps most importantly,

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (physical/earthly) but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

What we see here that the weapons of a Christian are mighty to pull down strongholds, to cast down arguments and things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, to bring every thought captive. So the weapons of a Christian involve strongholds, arguments, knowledge, thoughts, and obedience.

We are being told that the weapons involve our minds. The language is dated, because of the period in which it was written, so we miss the point all too often.

More on this soon...

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For a time, I stopped caring. I surrendered. I accepted the fact that I didn’t measure up, and I quit trying to. These days, I see things a little differently. I don’t try to be a man who is perfect at everything. Now, I try to be a man who excels at one thing. One thing is easier to manage than hundreds.

For me, that one thing is being a husband. I couldn’t have forseen it before marriage, but satisfying my wife is an fairly life-consuming task. I don’t mean to say that my wife is difficult to please. Far from it. Sometimes I think she is just grateful that I’m not a drunk or violent man. Sometimes I really think she must have set the bar fairly low to be so happy with me.

Then I realize that for all my faults, I provide her with one of the things her heart needs most, which is…. wait for it…. loving attention (sorry - the old Doogie Howser dude is getting to me on How I Met Your Mother). That’s right. I give her my attention. I’m not always the best listener; in fact, I really like to hear the sound of my own logic. But I give her the best of my time always. We spend lunch times together. We spend weekends together. I go with her to the grocery store. We curl up on the sofa and watch television together (except when it’s the Dallas Cowboys or Mavericks).

There are times when I have the opportunity to hang out with a friend or go out by myself. That’s fine. I enjoy it. But as we wrap up our third year of marriage, I am blessed to enjoy spending so much time with this incredible woman. The truth is that she is my best friend. I enjoy her company. It’s actually fun to hang out with her!

My goal in all of this is to establish within her a deep revelation of my love and desire for her. I want her to be confident in my affection. She will not “think” that I love her or “hope” that I love her. She will know it. She will know it more than she will know anything else.

That is my one thing. I may or may not be a righteous man in any other man’s eyes, but I believe that a loving, nurturing husband is a righteous man.