I was running late to meet my buddy Dave at the Apple store in Clarksville last Saturday, and I actually stopped and asked God for a front row spot right as I turned into the lot... then I felt ridiculous and just parked way out by the garden section instead. Walked through the rain and got soaked before I even got to the mall entrance... Dave laughed his head off when I told him. Has anyone else ever caught themselves doing that weird bargaining thing mid-prayer?
It was after service in the parking lot and she squeezed my hand so tight while she said it, has anyone else had a fellow believer say something that messed with your head way more than it helped?
I went from praying at every meal to barely saying grace after losing my job back in February. For about 10 weeks I was all in on God, reading the Bible daily, asking for guidance. Then I got a call back for a position paying $15,000 less than my old gig and I just felt... nothing. No anger, no joy, just a flat silence where my prayers used to be. Now I'm working that job and I go to church maybe once a month but I don't really feel the connection I once had. Has anyone else noticed a big shift in their belief after a hard life event? What did you do about it?
I've been in a Bible study group for about 18 months now, and the first 12 months were all nodding along and saying the right things. Then one night, Tom (the guy who always seems so solid) admitted he wasn't sure about the resurrection anymore. Within 6 months, our group went from 6 to 12 people because others felt safe enough to bring their real questions too. Has anyone else seen a group grow when you stop pretending and just admit you don't have it all figured out?
I was stuck at a Pilot outside of Flagstaff, Arizona about three weeks ago. My alternator went out at 3 in the morning and I had a load of produce that needed to hit a warehouse by noon. I sat down in that tiny chapel room, mostly just to get away from the diesel smell and my own bad mood. Nothing dramatic happened out there but I finally stopped trying to solve the problem myself and just sat there for like 20 minutes. A mechanic happened to be passing through an hour later and got me rolling again. Has anyone else had a moment where you gave up completely and then something just worked out?
I was waiting for the bus and this guy just started yelling at a pastor about how God doesn't care about poor people. The pastor didn't get mad or quote scripture, he just said 'maybe you're right, but I can't stop hoping.' That stuck with me all week. I've been in that angry place before, and it made me wonder if doubt and hope can actually live together without one killing the other. Anyone else have a moment where someone's honesty about their questions made you rethink your own?
I spent 6 months reading it straight through after a buddy in my small group said most people who argue about it haven't actually read it. He was right, I always cherry-picked verses to support my side. What got me was how messy and raw the old prophets were, like Hosea being told to marry a prostitute. Has anyone else gone through the whole thing and come away with more questions than answers?
Last Tuesday my mom went in for a biopsy on a lump they found in her breast. I was sitting in the hospital waiting room, and without even thinking, I started praying. Like full eyes closed, hands clasped, begging some higher power to make it benign. And I haven't set foot in a church in almost 8 years. I've been pretty solidly agnostic since college... always figured if there's a God he's either not listening or not there. But in that moment, none of that mattered. It's got me wondering if believing is less about logic and more about what you actually do when you're scared. Has anyone else caught themselves doing something religious on autopilot even when you thought you were done with all that?
I've been in church my whole life, but last week I had coffee with my friend Mark who's a pastor at a Methodist church in Portland. He straight up told me he thinks hell is more about separation from God than fire and brimstone. Said he stopped preaching on hell after reading through the original Greek texts. I used to think you had to take the whole Bible literally or none of it. But he walked me through a few verses and now I'm honestly not sure what I believe anymore. Has anyone else had a pastor or leader change their view on something like this?
I was sitting at Denny's in Tulsa after a Sunday service that felt totally hollow. I told him I couldn't do the whole belief thing anymore because nothing seemed real. He didn't push back or quote a Bible verse, he just asked me what I actually wanted out of life. That question made me realize I was more mad at people in the church than at God himself. Has anyone else had a leader or friend just listen without trying to fix you?
I grew up in a small evangelical church in Tulsa where the pastor said having doubts meant you didn't trust God enough. I was 16 when I asked him why God allowed my friend's dad to die of cancer. He pulled me aside and said doubt is a sin and I needed to just pray more. So I shut up and pretended to believe everything for 8 years. Last year I started therapy and my therapist said doubt is normal and healthy. Now I'm in a Unitarian church and I actually feel closer to God asking hard questions. Anyone else get told their doubts were bad and have to unlearn that?