: jesus alert!

episode 29 is about god. it's a touchy subject, i know, but something that moves me, and has, for most of my life. in actuality, it's a huge part of the reason i started doing music in the first place, and oddly, paradoxically (?), what brings me to the podcast too. i started writing songs 15 years ago as an evangelical christian, and so my oldest songs are (as you'll hear on the show) religious and earnest and fragile. it's a little embarrassing to put your younger self on display, warts and all. part of me is freaked out and wants to hide it. and another part is astonished by how similar things remain in my life and music and dreams, both for better and worse. either way, i apologize for exposing you to such inarticulate naivete (both now and then)! hopefully it's ok. if not, rest assured, i promise to share real music next week! ;)

and, of course, below the surface of all of this - the emotional truth - is the sense in which we're all growing and focusing and moving in our lives. personally, i hope i've gotten better at music and lyrics and performance over the years. i think i might have inched forward? i hope. and i hope i'm closer to the truth and to understanding and seeing and sharing and feeling with the people around me. i hope i'm better at listening and following "god" as i understand it. but it's all in-process and moving - ever-evolving. and now i have my eye on tomorrow. cuz i know i still have more miles to go than time to travel. and i wanna keep pushing. i wanna go as far as i can with what i got left.

i deeply hope i haven't offended anyone by professing my silly pseudo-spiritual noodlings like this. my goal is simply to create a safe space where as many people as possible can feel connected and welcomed as whole people, regardless (or beyond) the abstractness of any belief or institution. whether you call god "jesus" or "allah" or "yhwh" or truth or beauty or mystery or compassion or love or chance or just "the universe" - the emotional foundation of awe is something we can all relate to. that's the thing we all feel, and the thing we keep using all this endless, beautifully diverse, language to describe and explain. it's amazing, isn't it? and since we're all stuck here together, for me, it seems best to just admit the fact that i don't know the answer. i want to. but, i mean, who am i kidding, right? the best we can do is try. respect each other. love. think. feel together. somehow not knowing feels like the most important step. it's strange, i know.

hope you'll check out some related links below:

the folks at way of the master radio disagree with me, like 180%. check 'em out.
i'm curious how you see it.

and, happily, there are also christians like brian mclaren and those at mars hill church who represent the inclusive perspective.

i don't really have a "church" per se, but if i did this would be it: www.uusf.org

related to all this, i also wonder why humanism is considered evil by so many christians? humanism is simply an "ethical philosophy that affirms the dignity and worth of all people" right? seems (to me) that humanism is (or should be!) totally consistent with the ethical systems of the major religions. yet, somehow "human" has turned into this dirty word. which alarms me! i mean, if religions are actually proclaiming themselves anti-human, then i'm really scared! but i digress. that's a whole diff'rent show.

honestly, i don't really get the big whoop over postmodernism either. since when did admitting that our cultural norms have a context become such a threat to god?

and finally, there's deepak chopra. i gotta admit he's growing on me, though i'm still a little leery of the new-age sheen (and think his critics have a point). still, he's got undeniable grit and intelligence. which i respect. i like how chopra seems to naturally notice the third path between the supposed religion vs. science duality. esp. with comments like: "it's time to rescue 'intelligent design' from the politics of religion. there are too many riddles not yet answered by either biology or the bible, and by asking them honestly, without foregone conclusions, science could take a huge leap forward.” amen.

check out deepak's blog on richard dawkins and the "god delusion."

ok. thanks so much for listening (and reading). i'm really happy you're here with me.

love,
russell

jesus alert!

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