Faith Journey Blog

After talking to several others this week about my previous blog post, A Better Way , I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a deep cultural chasm between "power as force" and "power as surrender".  Many people, even good, faithful ones, get stuck on the idea that peace and love are idealistic unless they’re backed by violence, strength, or deterrence. But the life of Jesus (and of people like Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa) challenges that assumption head on. Jesus redefined power, not by destroying enemies, but by dying for them. The cross is the ultimate rejection of force. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." - Luke 23:34 Many still believe that force is the only way to protect what matters. But Jesus showed us something radically different. He didn’t crush evil with a sword. He absorbed evil on a cross. His answer to injustice wasn’t vengeance. It was forgiveness. And He didn’t “secure peace” by destroying enemies. He made ...

Do any of these words stir something in you? MAGA. Liberal. Riot. LGBTQ+. Insurrection. Abortion. Gun Control. DEI. Woke. Snowflake. Trump. Biden. Kamala. Maybe your pulse picked up. Maybe your shoulders tightened. Maybe a flood of opinions rushed in before you could stop them. That’s okay.You’re not alone. These words have become more than labels, they’ve become triggers. They tap into years of headlines, arguments, algorithms, sermons, cancel culture, identity politics, and personal wounds. We’ve been trained to react, not reflect. “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” — Luke 6:45   Our reactions reveal the state of our hearts often more than we realize. But let’s ask a deeper question together:  What’s behind that reaction? Is it anger? Fear? Moral conviction? Tribal loyalty? Wounded pride? A sense of righteousness? Or, maybe hardest question of all, is it the Spirit of Jesus? “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing o...