Inappropriate Conversations

118: Where Would I Be Without God?

Personally, the better answer to a question like "where would I be without God" calls up a lot of powerful memories. I know the Holy Spirit has moved in my life through specific people and situations, which I can recall as vividly as if the intervening decades disappeared. I can name the names, in fact, and I do a couple of times. They are people who loved me in a way that supersedes human understanding, empowering me to do God's will. I have loved. I do love. I will love. Different Drummer: Chris Rice

117: Originating Ideas

A few years ago, a question was posed to me online: where would you be without God? There are two answers, actually. One is personal, which I'll cover next week. The other is philosophical, a combination of ontological and cosmological arguments going back a thousand years. "God's existence is necessary for my existence" is, in some ways, a faith-based equivalent for "I think; therefore, I am." A very old and original Christian answer to this question is that without God, there would be no "me" to ask the question, much less attempt an answer. Different Drummer: Anselm of Aosta

116: I Am Not My Lawn

Idolatry can be described as making something other than God sacred, or treating things as objects of worship. It can be that direct, in the sense of idols, but it also can be as abstract as the notion of the "image" of ourselves that we show the world. Too often, these things interfere with our spirituality, even when they are deeply embedded within our rituals or temples. Different Drummer: Victoria Williams

115: Papa Talked To Me

It is almost a cliché to speak about strained communications between mothers and daughters or fathers and sons, but that doesn't make it any less true. The moments where my family has overcome those obstacles have had much to do with humor. Less successful situations tend to be hampered by either parent or child remaining silent, unable to find the right words. Long ago, a classic Swedish film taught me that sometimes talk, any talk, speaks volumes in these relationships whether the words are trite or profound. Different Drummer: Harriet Andersson Andersson in "Through A Glass Darkly" Conclusion of "Through A Glass Darkly"

114: The Father Of Lies

Citing language Jesus used to describe those who tell lies and defend deception in God's name, one of the most demonic spirits at work in our world has taken seed within Christianity. Lately, I have encountered politically active Christians who not only mislead people by putting words into Christ's mouth -- "Jesus tells us to hate" is one example -- but they also shrug their shoulders in confusion when taken to task for this. Jesus never taught that any ends would justify such means, and only a liar would claim otherwise. So, if "Satan is the father of all lies" as Jesus said, then we know a great evil has taken the microphone from prominent so-called "leaders" of the church and is speaking through organizations that often identify themselves with words like "family" and "evangelical." Don't be deceived. Different Drummer: Jonathan Nolan "Person Of Interest" Season 1 recap

113: Raised On Robbery

Exactly 30 years ago tonight (from the time of this posting) I was the victim of an armed robbery, staring down the barrel of a gun. I know a bit about courage, not because I demonstrated such resolve in the face of fear, but because I didn't. Nothing about that experience changed or solidified my perspective on gun control or gun violence. It did bring other changes, though, like maturity in facing my fears. Different Drummer: Joni Mitchell Behind the song: "A Case Of You"

112: Saying No To Myself

True fidelity probably isn't about never being in a position to say "yes" to a temptation. Don't get me wrong, that's a smart way to live. Fidelity means a bit more, though, when you've summoned the strength to say "no" to such a temptation. I can speak to this from experience, and I'll refer to three specific occasions. One story I've never mentioned before on Inappropriate Conversations. Another is a follow-up to a story a partially relayed in #IC 107 "Eulogy For Homophobia." Even further back, the last story refers to characters (in every sense of the word) that I introduced in #IC 52 "First Person Comedy." There is a sense in which the words "I didn't" are just as important as the words "I do." Different Drummer: James Joyce