parables of a prodigal world

"To become a disciple of Jesus is to accept now that inversion of human distinctions that will sooner or later be forced upon everyone by the irresistible reality of his kingdom." - Dallas Willard Join the conspiracy . Grace and Peace, Raffi

Remember those SAT analogy questions? 1.) BIRD : NEST as... (A) dog : doghouse (B) squirrel : tree (C) beaver : dam (D) cat : litter box (E) book : library I hated those questions. Though I was young, I knew in my bones that WORDS : ANALOGY as CUCUMBERS : MUSIC. With that in mind... Been noticing a lot of chatter on the Heaven/Hell issue lately. Since I'm sitting around with not much to do, I thought I'd throw in my two cents. HEAT : COLD as LIGHT : DARKNESS. and COLD : REALITY as DARKNESS : REALITY as UNICORN : REALITY That is, "cold" and "darkness" are not actual states of being. They don't, in a sense, exist. They are states of nothingness. "Cold" is simply the absence of "Heat," and Heat is simply the energization of lifelessness. "Darkness" is simply the absence of "Light," and Light is simply the energization of emptiness. Not everything has an opposite. Take Love, for instance. You know, agape ? I used to th...

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. This year's topic is "Climate Change." The Blog Action Day website contains a few suggestions for particular types of blogs on how they might address the issue. Some of the suggestions... * A Technology or Business blog might write about emerging clean tech and how innovative companies might be able to help address the problem of climate change. * A Health or Lifestyle blog might write about how climate change will affect our children's health and daily living. * A Nonprofit or Political blog might write about how climate change is deeply connected to many other issues - such as poverty and conflict. * A Design blog might write about new trends in eco-friendly or sustainable design. * A Travel blog might write about the places you want to see now before cli...

PREAMBLE: I grieve for those who lost their lives on 9/11/01, and for their families, for whom I frequently forget to pray. I condemn the actions of the perpetrators and name them (the actions, not the perpetrators) as what they are: unmitigatedly evil. As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, I also condemn the immature "lashing out" in reaction to that evil, and I grieve for those who have lost their lives in furtherance of that lashing out, and for their families, for whom I frequently forget to pray. END PREAMBLE. Now here are some other numbers that we may want to keep in mind on 9/11/09, as a matter of perspective. * Total number of deaths during 9/11 attacks (excluding the terrorists) : 2,973 * Total number of people who will die on 9/11/09 : 150,835 * Total number of people who will die on 9/11/09 from hunger/starvation : ~ 24,000 * Total number of children under the age of 5 who will die from hunger/starvation on 9/11/09 : ~ 18,000 * Total number of people who will ...

My new favorite American beer is from Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California. It's an American Strong called Arrogant Bastard Ale . Hoppy. Yum. Which leads me to my first post in a few months. So I've been keeping my eye on this whole "let's talk Christianity" thing...from a safe distance. I didn't know why I was asked to keep my distance, but I was. Maybe it was to acquire the courage (non-accountability?) to say this. Maybe not. ...So I'm pretty much convinced that a lot of what's in the Bible is wrong. {uncomfortable pause} OK, here's the thing. Yes, I am an arrogant bastard. I tend to speak and think as if my position on the wisdom-mountain-climb is the correct position. That's a problem. I'm working on it, my new favorite beer notwithstanding. OK, back to the whole Bible-wrong thing. What are these stories? Simply, they're the words of human beings trying to interpret/make-sense-of this gargantuan, unspeakable God/World dynami...

Peter Rollins has written a book of parables called The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales . "Parables" are powerful things, and Peter is somewhat hesitant to call his stories by that name, instead inviting his readers to decide if they are worthy to be so labeled. Peter Rollins has written a book of parables. 'Bout a month ago, I bid farewell to the blogosphere. Well, not entirely. I did mention that I might post the occasional piece here and there, but I'm done with the regular, every-other-day stuff. I received a lot of feedback on that decision. Thanks to everyone who expressed some pretty powerfully kind words about the stuff here at Parables. I was truly humbled by your sentiments. Some others asked "Why?" I tried my best to explain, but I never adequately expressed, or could ever express, the specific reasons. Peter Rollins did it for me. The following is the first parable from Orthodox Heretic...for all those who asked me "Why?"...