Midnight Moments

I’ve recently come to realized that I’ve lived my life predominantly as a Wesleyan, more so than as a Christian.  I was raised the daughter of a Wesleyan minister, and the grand-daughter of a Wesleyan minister and two Wesleyan missionaries.  I spent every Sunday in a Wesleyan church.  I spent my summers at a Wesleyan camp.  I attended a Wesleyan University.  And I’m now attending a Methodist seminary.  While I believe it’s important to align yourself with a denomination for the doctrinal structure and discipleship, as well as for the close-knit community, I’ve found that I’ve both alienated and prejudiced myself in regards to other Christian denominations.  Rather than seeing myself as a believer among various and equally Christian denominations, I’ve elevated my denomination (which I do hold in high regards for its emphasis on social justice and personal holiness) above all others.  I’ve allowed myself to see only the weaknesses in others denomin...

Have you ever noticed that on commercials for prescription medication, the side effects for a cold medicine are more severe than the actual symptoms of the cold?   Take for example the side-effects of Cymbalta, a common medication to treat the symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety: “Constipation; decreased sexual desire or ability; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; increased sweating; loss of appetite; nausea; sore throat; tiredness; trouble sleeping; vomiting; weakness.” If you’ve ever dealt with either depression or anxiety, a few of the side-effects are equal to or greater than the symptoms one would deal with NOT taking Cymbalta and just facing the normal issues that come with the problem being treated! Have you ever noticed that side-effects of sin are a lot like this as well? Most sinful actions are in response to the void of God in an individual’s life and are therefore nothing more than coping, or medicating the deeper problem.   While ...