A follow up episode to last week's podcast on marriage. Here, I delve into some ramblings on marriage, sex, intimacy, children and family.

Despite the The Princess Bride reference, marriage is a worthwhile endeavor for so many reasons, the foremost of which is that it reflects the image of God back into the world. Because, you see, the promise to stand beside someone, no matter what, is who God promises us!

Disney's live-action version of The Little Mermaid has sparked controversy. I comment of the controversy as well as the general story as I remember it. And at the end, I hope you will say about this podcast, "Isn't it neat..."

A not-at-all-extensive reveal of my own path to a kind of atheism, a refusal to believe in the God that was presented to me over 40 years of being a "Christian". And boy, did I ever believe in him! I was a true believer, a sinner in the hands of an angry God, All in, so to speak. And then the scales fell from my eyes, and I was presented with a beautiful image, a truly divine portrayal of God: Jesus. And Jesus challenges all notions of God. And the Bible. Jesus challenges us in every sphere imaginable.

I, like many of you, avoid Bible passages that make me uncomfortable, which challenge my beliefs of who God is or what the Bible says. Here, I will make an attempt of reconciling the last parable of Matthew 24, a parable that challenges, for some, the non-violent image of jesus.

*By the way, what I say here about the people weeping and gnashing their teeth is most likely wrong. After looking again at the passage, I now see that those people were called hypocrites. The bad slave was to be put with the hypocrites, who were weeping and gnashing their teeth, people who say one thing and do another, like this slave.

"Every time I draw a line to exclude someone, Jesus crosses the line and waits for me there...", or something like this, is a meme I recently saw, after I had recorded this podcast. It would have fit perfectly here.

Why do we separate ourselves from spending time with certain people? What role does the church have in influencing such decision? Who's in and who's out?

If you challenge the status quo, you will find yourself alone. Alone at least until others are encouraged to come forward as well and voice their dissent, perhaps by your willingness to speak up. The ability to see that things could be different, better, can be a gift and a curse. I explore some ideas here, brainstorm style, of advice I would give to someone who feels alone in their context.

Faith deconstruction has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And, at times, one of the worst. Still, dark though the road sometimes be, on I trudge. If you are starting to ask questions, if you think that the life with Christ is supposed to be so much more than it has turned for you, this podcast may be for you.

We have all had bad experiences as children. Those incidents have, to some extent, influenced who we are today, at least in terms of our personality, our habits, our phobias, etc. At a human level, we are what we have experienced. We have become who we are due in part to our environment and the nature of our nurturing, or lack thereof.

But what of our identity in Christ? How does Christ see us? How does how he sees us influence our self-identity?

Matthew chapter 24 is a controversial passage in a controversial book. How it has been understood over the years has affected the church and the world. This is my take, my attempt to debunk some of the myths about this chapter and how it has been understood over the years.