Wayward Son

Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo. I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.

by

Okay, Since You’ve Obviously Been Wondering…Here’s 25 Random Things About Me

2 comments

Categories: fun, What the heck was THAT?

Okay, so I’ve now been tagged twice for this, both times in Facebook…first by Jim, and now by Karen. But since my blog is linked to my Facebook, and I spend most of my time in blog-land…I’m posting it here so it’ll show up in both places. 🙂

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you. you are obviously exempt if you have already posted.

Okay, here goes…

This is a preview of Okay, Since You’ve Obviously Been Wondering…Here’s 25 Random Things About Me. Read the full post (633 words, 1 image, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)

by

How I Got Saved While Watching a Televangelist on TV, and How This Does Not Contradict My Previous Post

6 comments

Categories: food for thought, My Story

Yes, it’s true. My conversion experience occured when I was nine years old, watching a televangelist named Rex Humbard on Sunday morning television, waiting for my mom to get ready for church. And yes, it did change me, and yes, it stuck. 🙂 It was a genuine conversion to Christ.

But that’s not really what this post is about. Because the truth is, I don’t remember one word of the message that Rex preached that morning. And it wasn’t anything he said that convinced me I needed to be saved. Looking back, the convincing happened before that moment, and the TV show was just the vehicle to guide me the rest of the way. And that’s what this post is about.

This is a preview of How I Got Saved While Watching a Televangelist on TV, and How This Does Not Contradict My Previous Post. Read the full post (770 words, 2 images, estimated 3:05 mins reading time)

by

Over-marketing the Watered-Down Version

6 comments

Categories: changing mindsets, evangelism, food for thought

In times of “economic downturn”, there’s an annoying little trick that manufacturers like to do. Maybe you’ve noticed it when you go the grocery store. The prices of certain items go up, but the size or quantity of the same items go down.

That’s right–you are paying more money for less stuff.

I even heard that some olive oil manufacturers are planning to dilute the oil they sell you.

Now, I know the purpose behind this is usually to try and keep costs down so they don’t have to drive the prices way up. But when it happens, it’s still hard not to feel like you are being ripped off.

This is a preview of Over-marketing the Watered-Down Version. Read the full post (1094 words, 1 image, estimated 4:23 mins reading time)

by

Hunker Down

6 comments

Categories: weather

Crap. Why can’t we just get snow?

They (whoever “they” are) are telling us to get ready; they are predicting freezing rain/sleet over the next two days, starting this afternoon. After the catastrophic ice storm that hit here a little over a year ago, they are saying it could happen again. As of now, the ice is not predicted to be as thick as last time, so if that comes to pass…mostly slick roads, not as many power outages. But people here aren’t taking any chances. By “people” I mean us. So…

This is a preview of Hunker Down. Read the full post (213 words, 2 images, estimated 51 secs reading time)

by

Teaching Our Children to Live (or, "Barb Asks An Intelligent Question")

3 comments

Categories: food for thought, life, The Director

Commenting on my recent post “Confessions of a Recovering Self-Righteous, Legalistic, Judgmental Hypocrite (part 1)”, the following question was posed by Barb:

“Jeff, in all that you write I would love for you to address this question. How then are you teaching your son to live. It would seem that Christianity and struggling with, “compulsive and sinful behaviors in secret,” sets our sons up for this kind of feeling of continual failure. How do we instruct and encourage our sons so they don’t have to endure what we did with the guilt and shame following us continually? I’ve never heard anyone address this from a guilt free stance of grace. How do you do this without making the addictions that we have seem not important?”

This is a preview of Teaching Our Children to Live (or, "Barb Asks An Intelligent Question"). Read the full post (1488 words, 2 images, estimated 5:57 mins reading time)

by

Confessions of a Recovering Self-Righteous, Judgmental, Legalistic Hypocrite (part 2)

3 comments

Categories: food for thought, My Story

(Part 1 here.)

As I mentioned in my previous post, my propensity for being legalistic and judgmental formed in my youth–a toxic cocktail consisting of equal parts overactive conscience, inflated sense of responsibility, overachiever mentality, impossible self-imposed expectations, and incredible guilt for failing to meet said expectations.

This is a preview of Confessions of a Recovering Self-Righteous, Judgmental, Legalistic Hypocrite (part 2). Read the full post (877 words, 1 image, estimated 3:30 mins reading time)

by

Confessions of a Recovering Self-Righteous, Legalistic, Judgmental Hypocrite (part 1)

3 comments

Categories: food for thought, My Story

Geesh, do I gotta? After reading that title back, I’m not really sure I want to write this post after all…

…

Oh…all right. 🙂

One thing I’ve grappled with for most of my life, and especially as a youngster, is an overactive sense of conscience. I’m a lot better than I used to be, but there was a time when I couldn’t do anything without second-guessing my own motives and assuming the worst of myself. The only explanation I can come up with as to why I was this way is that as a kid growing up in a broken home, I developed a warped sense of responsibility and became an overachiever. At any rate–I had high standards for myself, and I beat myself up with guilt when I failed to meet those standards. I had a deep desire to be “good” (which isn’t a bad thing), but I tormented myself when I wasn’t.

This is a preview of Confessions of a Recovering Self-Righteous, Legalistic, Judgmental Hypocrite (part 1). Read the full post (749 words, 1 image, estimated 3:0 mins reading time)

by

Change

3 comments

Categories: current issues

You may, or may not, agree with his ideology (and I don’t)…

You may, or may not, be caught up in all the media mania hoopla concerning him (and I’m not)…

You may, or may not, have a hang-up about the color of his skin (and I don’t)…

You may, or may not, think he can keep all his promises (and I don’t see how he could, and some things I hope he changes his mind about)…

This is a preview of Change. Read the full post (192 words, 2 images, estimated 46 secs reading time)

by

I Don’t Know How To Describe How I’m Feeling Just Now

2 comments

Categories: Meanderings (look it up), random stuff

It feels kind of like a deep stirring in the soul, something difficult to put to words.

It feels like a bittersweet blend of pathos, longing and hope…like you want to cry, but you aren’t sad, and you can’t find a reason.

Yes, guys have these moments. We just don’t like to admit it. 🙂

It’s a deep feeling, almost like a groaning…almost something best expressed in music or art…but it isn’t quite clear yet how it should be expressed. Like something wants to be emerge, to be born from the intangible mass of emotion.

Geesh, that’s sappy.

This is a preview of I Don’t Know How To Describe How I’m Feeling Just Now. Read the full post (205 words, 2 images, estimated 49 secs reading time)
1 2 … 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 … 81 82