Is it Me?

I wonder what is so wrong, so taboo, so scandalous as sincerely going where the evidence leads.


I find that in this phase of my deconverted life, I am tired of being on the defensive.



If the facts for Christianity (or any religion) held up to honest scrutiny, then that's where I'd be. It seems that only in dismissing, twisting, or just plain ignoring the actual facts of the world we live in and are learning so much about that I could have remained.



And I guess I could have chosen that route.


But again, I only wanted truth.



Not at first, though.


At first I was afraid to die.

And later it was the fear of Hell (brought on only by belief in the first place).

Then it was fear of others going to Hell, since I was A okay.

Then after I lost hell, it was death again.

And then I just wanted to stop trying to believe something that I couldn't believe with an honest mind.




And I don't feel like I should be apologetic about that anymore.

Pushy Waiter

Whew,


Just got home from a very brutal shift. Everyone is in bed, but I'm still pretty wound up.


My daughter loves these guys.

I'm not this pushy at all, but this cracks me up.

Inspiration for your Day

source

A Brief Discussion on Morality

I came across this yesterday.


The caller poses the question of how an atheist can be moral. I think the host handles it well.

What I found to be a big benefit of having my own mind back was the realization that I didn't have to worry about someone constantly monitoring my thoughts. What goes on in my head stays there.


As far as morality. I pretty much am the same person, except now I can love others and myself without the confines of what God says is acceptable.


Do we really need a moral declaration from on high to tell us what is right and wrong? I really don't think so.

Where is your Destination?

Last week I made an impromptu stop at Kroger after my son's orthodontist appointment to pick up a couple of things. While in the bread department, my son said:

"A semi truck."


I looked down to what he was talking about and knew right away that it was a gospel tract of some sort conspicuously placed on the bun table display.

I've seen enough of these to know what was on the inside without opening it, but I wanted to take a picture of it as I reminisced about my gospel tract days. As I got my phone out, I saw I had a missed call and a text. My husband was out on a bike ride and had gotten a flat tire and needed us to pick him up. If I hadn't seen that tract, I wouldn't have gotten my phone out for the photo op...hmmmm?








My first real experience with receiving gospel tracts was when back in my early twenties I waited tables full time. It was during one of these tract receiving experiences that I was confronted with the idea of hell by the well-meaning giver. It was one of those if you got hit by a car and died today where would you spend eternity speeches. At first I wanted to tell him what to do with his ideas and his tract, but being that it would be detrimental to my tip and maybe my job to be so upfront, I remember politely telling him that I would think about it and making my exit from the table.


Later when we moved into our house, I remember finding a Chick tract in one of the old drawers. It had something to do with Catholics going to hell.


I did eventually became the giver of tracts myself though. Now, I never confronted anyone outright like the guy at the table did me, but did more of the leaving them where people could find them thing. I had imagined that's how God would have wanted me to evangelize. Plant the seeds, He would do the rest. (This was not because I was scared to death to actually talk to people about the "good news" mind you.)


I left them on shelves at the Dollar General, placed them inside cases of soda and beer at the grocery and left them in bathroom stalls. I stuck them inside books at the store and in between the magazines at the checkout. I stashed them on the table at the post office and in the pockets of clothes that I donated to Goodwill. Once, I bought a book of stamps and anonymously mailed out a book's worth to random addresses that I picked from the phone book. All of this I believed was being guided by the Holy Spirit. I certainly didn't want anyone going to hell, but what could little old me do? I thought this was it.


I honestly don't know if anyone anywhere read or took any of them seriously. But that was what I convinced myself God wanted rather than actually telling people that they were going to hell myself.



So what about you? Any experiences with gospel tracts as givers or receivers?







As a side note, that first man way back when I don't remember tipping too well. I did get my first tract of this job a few weeks ago, stuck in the check presenter with my tip. They were a nice table, a bit demanding, but good tippers. The tract is in my keepsake box for now:)