love the moment

the obsession to be good, to do what one should, is the greatest hindrance to genuine kindness and compassion. because such an obsession is inward - rather than outward - focused. to truly love, you must completely forget self. worrying about heaven and hell is similarly unproductive. all the obsession to do... i don't see that in Jesus. instead, i see an emphasis on being, seeing, feeling, caring, loving. the actions i've read were singular and noteworthy in that they many times resulted from long periods of solitude or prayer. i've at times noticed something that even approaches annoyance when he was forced into an action where - possibly - he felt "no action" was preferable. i'm thinking of the marriage feast at Cana and the changing of water into wine. i'm quietly amused at the almost peevishness or playful nature of the miracle. that Jesus used the water destined for the Jewish purification rite seems almost like "thumbing your nose"...

Collateral Damage Hurting people are the collateral damage in America’s culture wars. Just as women and children are the innocent victims in Iraq and Afghanistan when an IED explodes in the marketplace, American men, women and children suffer needlessly when self-righteous zealots in the US detonate their sanctimonious diktats on abortion, gay marriage, or health-care reform. In their zeal to attack their designated enemy, the Taliban do not care about the carnage they cause. And neither do the self-appointed guardians of their idea of god care about the real people who are denied care or companionship as a result of their American Jihad. I know of a crack baby adopted by a gay couple who have been together faithfully for over 10 years, but a hypocritical Tennessee State Senator consider this sinful – even while he himself has sex with a 22 year-old intern entrusted to his care. Now let’s consider: who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in this story?