-
Change of perception – the attribution of meaning
There’s an important connection here between meaning, perception, and neuroplasticity. We don’t simply experience an event and move on. We interpret it. We assign meaning to it, and that meaning becomes part of the lens through which future experiences are processed. In that sense, changing perception isn’t merely thinking differently—it can become a pathway toward…
-
Salvation through self knowledge
There is an interesting convergence here. “Know thyself” can be understood not merely as an invitation to introspection, but as a theological axiom: remember who you are. If the self has become fragmented—(experiences, wounds, fears, beliefs, adaptations, and inherited patterns gathered into a constructed ego)—then salvation can be understood less as being rescued from an…
-
Perception of dissatisfaction
Dis-ease and dissatisfaction are interesting forces in human life. We tend to assume that if something makes us uncomfortable, something must be wrong. But perhaps discomfort isn’t always a problem. Sometimes it is the very thing that gets us moving. Hunger moves us toward food. Loneliness can move us toward relationship. Curiosity begins with the…
-
Greed: it’s strangle on humanity
The issue of greed may be one of the oldest questions humanity has ever asked. We often treat greed as an economic problem, a political problem, or a regulatory problem. It is all of those. But underneath, greed is a human problem. Greed begins with a story we tell ourselves: I don’t have enough. I…
-
The human bio-computer
Marshall McLuhan said, “The medium is the message.” I’ve been thinking about that in terms of the human bio-computer. Every medium—family, religion, school, culture, television, social media, books, even the conversations we have—does more than simply deliver information. The medium itself programs us. It shapes how we think, what we notice, what we ignore, and…
-
“The sins of the fathers “
I find myself thinking about the old phrase, “the sins of the fathers are passed from generation to generation,” in a different way than I once did. Maybe “sin” isn’t simply a list of moral failures handed down like an inherited debt. Maybe it is the transmission of the bio-computer’s programming—the beliefs, fears, assumptions, and…
-
Our construction of reality
Before I get too far down this road, let me offer an observation that has been rattling around in my head. It seems to me that the physical world doesn’t actually enter us as finished reality. What enters our bodies are waves—electromagnetic waves striking the retina, pressure waves vibrating the eardrum, chemical molecules stimulating our…
-
The paradigm of belief
A belief paradigm is like a cognitive castle. Over time we construct it stone by stone. Every sermon, Bible study, life experience, answered prayer, disappointment, relationship, and conclusion becomes another brick in its walls. Eventually the castle doesn’t merely protect our beliefs—it becomes our home. It becomes the place from which we interpret reality. Then…
-
Theo of Golden: the gospel uniquely presented
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is one of those stories that quietly communicates profound truths without sounding like a sermon. The premise itself is compelling: a mysterious man named Theo arrives in the small town of Golden and, through simple acts of kindness, generosity, craftsmanship, listening, and presence, becomes an unexpected gift to the…
-
A letter to pastors
Pastor, I’d like to ask you a question that has been on my mind for some time. It isn’t meant to criticize the Church or put you on the defensive. It’s simply a question I believe deserves an honest conversation. Is Christianity really answering the questions people are asking today? Not the questions people were…
