religion – Sam's Online Journal

March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

The God Box

“You are not upset that we have different boxes. You are upset because my box does not match yours.” ~Rob Lester Too often we place God in a box, whether it’s a box of our own making or one belonging to someone else that we’ve co-opted for our own designs. We lift up the flaps, … Continue reading The God Box

December 23, 2016December 23, 2016

The Night Before Hanukkah

There’s nothing like the smell of hot apple cider on the stove, warmed up and waiting to go down smooth. The chill in the air contained to the outdoors, while frost coats the glass on the windows, straight from out of a Norman Rockwell painting. My fuzzy pajamas on all day long because there’s nothing … Continue reading The Night Before Hanukkah

July 12, 2016July 12, 2016

Love Them Like Jesus

“Loveless and cold, with your last breath you saved my soul. You smiled at me like Jesus to a child.” (Jesus to a Child) ~George Michael I remember a story about Jesus taking out his aggression on the moneylenders who were turning the temple of God into a marketplace. He supposedly overturned tables and used … Continue reading Love Them Like Jesus

June 29, 2016June 29, 2016

Noah’s Ark

They came two by two, and seven by seven. No one led them, but they came anyway. Strike that. They were led by God’s invisible hand. Something like that anyway. The animals came in evens if they were unclean, and odds if they were clean. Whatever that means. Okay, I’m starting to lose the thread, … Continue reading Noah’s Ark

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016

Low-Hanging Fruit

I was in a cult. Well, sort of. In 1995 I was in a period of transition, in myriad ways. I wasn’t going to school but I still spent the majority of my time on campus, playing the student. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I only knew I didn’t … Continue reading Low-Hanging Fruit

December 10, 2015

“Oh My God.”

“Oh my god,” she said, and to her it meant absolutely nothing. It was a placeholder, another way of saying “What?” in that sarcastic tone I know she means when she pretends to be innocent. But she knows what she’s doing and saying. She knows that I’m not pleased when I put my hands on … Continue reading “Oh My God.”