My Experience As A Pastor Is Lots

Swords Appear Strong, But They're Actually Quite Weak. Jesus Appears Weak, But He's Actually Quite Strong.

The Bible Itself Is A Book That Constantly Must Be Wrestled With And Re-interpreted. ... Bible Interpretation Is Colored By Historical Context, The Reader's Bias And Current Realities. The More You Study The Bible, The More Questions It Raises. It Is Not Possible To Simply Do What The Bible Says.

Some Communities Don't Permit Open, Honest Inquiry About The Things That Matter Most. Lots Of People Have Voiced A Concern, Expressed A Doubt, Or Raised A Question, Only To Be Told By Their Family, Church, Friends, Or Tribe: "we Don't Discuss Those Things Here." I Believe The Discussion Itself Is Divine. Abraham Does His Best To Bargain With God, Most Of The Book Of Job Consists Of Arguments By Job And His Friends About The Deepest Questions Of Human Suffering, God Is Practically On Trial In The Book Of Lamentations, And Jesus Responds To Almost Every Question He's Asked With...a Question.

Fear Wants Us To Become Obsessed With Some Event Or Person In The Future, A Year, A Month, Even A Day. It Also Wants Us To Look Backwards Not At Our Successes, But Our Short-comings And Our Failures. Fear Losses It's Grip When We Stay In The Now.

Often The People Most Concerned About Others Going To Hell When They Die Seem Less Concerned With The Hells On Earth Right Now, While The People Most Concerned With The Hells On Earth Right Now Seem The Least Concerned About Hell After Death.