Lots of Teachers - Choose Yours Well

Pastor Kerry Nelson's "Daily Devotions" are, for me, an excellent example of content that shows what the internet can be at it's best. He offers his devotions free of charge, with no ads, no spam, and with permission to use the devotions any time, in any way you wish, with no need to attribute anything to Kerry. Regardless of whether you consider yourself a Christian it's easy to find some pieces of wisdom in his essays. He's a long way from being a fire and brimstone, political, or money-motivated preacher, but is rather a practical honest "real" writer (I'd say person but he's a virtual person to me...even though I feel like I know him; having read his devotions for years now).

You can get on his mailing list and have the daily devotion emailed to you daily. They are as good and sometimes better than anything else I've seen.

I can't stress how valuable an open mind can be.

It would seem any educated person would consider the bible as a potential source of wisdom literature, or a philosophy book, or just something that you would want to know something about in case you ever get on Jeopardy.

The easiest way I've found to learn about what is in the bible is to read daily devotionals which take a bible passage and then tell a story related to that passage. By doing that daily practice you will eventually begin to see the themes in the bible. Lot's of talk of redemption, forgiveness, healing, generosity, helping, loving oneself and others. Not much if any talk about gays, gay marriage, abortion, political parties, stem cell research or any of the other hot button topics that you will find many of the well known TV or radio preachers focusing on - who unfortunately are some peoples only exposure to Christianity. If your only idea of Christianity is Benny Hinn or Pat Robertson or James Dobson, I can't say I'd blame you from being turned off by the whole idea.

Let me assure that is not the whole idea. I'm sorry to say they, like so many others, have taken Christianity and exploited it for their own purposes - not infrequently in the name of power and money - offering quick-fix, mindless rather than mindful solutions, sometimes tinged with hate; knowing that they can manipulate a certain percentage of the populace. For my money's worth I'd take someone who takes a vow of poverty (either literally or figuratively), is talking/teaching because they believe in what they do and if they are Christian based hold to the basic tenet of love over law that Jesus taught.

Pastor Kerry Nelson, a Lutheran Pastor in Houston Texas, is right up there at the top of my list, along with Tom Barrett, a "cybermonk" in Portland Oregon (I have no idea what his religious affiliation may be - he has a strong bent towards Buddhist thought, but his writings are ecumenical in nature) and Father Larry Gillick a Jesuit priest from Omaha, Nebraska. There's all kinds of teachers available - choose your's wisely. These are two apropos snippets from Pastor Kerry Nelson's devotional from Tuesday -

"Consciously, we have thoughts throughout the day. The songs that come and go through our minds. The decisions we make and anxieties and worries we carry. And we also have the “background noise” of our minds – the thoughts and connections and day dreams that drift in and out. The radio playing in the office that we ignore. The drone of the TV in the other room. We live our lives immersed in this white noise…not realizing that it is all getting in, running through our filters of understanding, and finding a home back in the recesses somewhere.......

Let us pray; Dear Lord, every day we find ourselves inundated with a constant barrage of information and suggestions about the way life is or ought to be or could be. It is hard for us to sort through it all, to filter out the unhelpful, to even know how we are being affected. So we pray that your Spirit bring a new measure of mindfulness into our lives. Help us to see the deeper realities of life rather than skimming the superficial surface. In Jesus’ name. Amen."