Author: vancecrains
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SuperSoul Question #2: “What is Your Definition of God?” (Part two, of an eight-part series of posts, based on interview questions Oprah typically asks on her SuperSoul Conversations Podcast.)
My favorite word is “ineffable,” especially as it relates to understanding God. Some thing “ineffable” is beyond the capacity of words to explain, an image to convey, or the mind to comprehend. The ineffable is a mystery beyond explanation or rationalization. The ineffable is simply too far beyond a human’s…
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SuperSoul Question #1: “What is the Soul?” (Part one, of an eight-part series of posts, based on interview questions Oprah typically asks on her SuperSoul Conversations Podcast.)
I understand the soul to be my deepest, truest self. My soul is the core and center of who I am, and always have been, and always will be. My soul is not separate from any other aspect of who I am, but is not limited to my physical, material…
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Worshipping Ashes
I just want to be faithful. I want to do the right things, for God, for the right reasons. Increasingly, I want my ministry to be less about me, and MUCH more about God. While I haven’t given up on anything I believe makes a ministry healthy and thriving, I…
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Exploring Shadows
Some of my recent study, for personal growth and development, has been around the idea of the “shadow.” Psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung believed every person has a “shadow-side,” where key aspects of an individual’s personality are consciously and unconsciously concealed. Proponents of this philosophy teach that we…
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Lament
I posted the following on my Facebook page in September, 2016. Someone reposted it today. I feel like I could have written it today…. Lament. “Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.” Psalm 5:1 For months, I’ve read many posts about issues ranging from gay marriage to the presidential election…
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Stuff: Compulsion and Attachment
“Regardless of how much stuff a person has – a lot or a little, minimalist or maximalist – the issue is compulsivity and attachment. Does the thing really have value, beyond the feeling that drove the acquisition? And, how attached am I to the thing?”
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Enough’s Enough: Smear Ads, Social Media Posts, Gossip, and Run-of-the-Mill Slander
What if we critiqued others less? What if, instead of judgement and criticism, we looked for the good? What if, before jumping to conclusions, we gave others the benefit of the doubt?
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“Stay focused! Disruptions are coming!”
I begin everyday with prayer and meditation. I start every day centered and spiritually grounded, or try to. But, as they say, “stuff” happens. Something on the news or social media irritates me. Someone misses an appointment. A driver offends me. I feel stressed by my “to-do” list. I spill…

