Sometimes God doesn't let something because we're not ready for it yet. We still have some growing to do.

#WaitingMode #SpiritualGrowth #SpiritualFormation #Christian #Christianity

[2/2] This year I want to get close to that story and closer to God…to be more fully a part of the Kingdom. To learn what it means to truly love God…and love others. To be as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!“ I want to better understand the new creation I am a part of. #spiritualformation #scripturereading

[1/2] Thinking about the coming year and my journey with Scripture. The Bible is a love story. It’s about a world in which people live with God and Heaven and Earth are intricately linked:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

It’s also a story of separation from God, of loss and struggle. And then reconnection through Jesus. Jesus entered the world to show us the way back to God. In fact, Jesus is the way back to God.

#BibleStudy #spiritualformation

For the past several years, I read through the Bible over the course of the year. I vary the readings and how I respond. In 2022 I read most but not all of the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament and journaled as I went. Often I summarized but at times responded with thoughts, questions, and insights. Writing has added so much to my study of Scripture this year. I’ll continue that into 2023. #scripture #scripturewriting #spiritualformation #spiritualdisciplines

#Introduction

Before I begin, I’d like to thank you for putting up with my moving around from instance to instance some seven times: I was experimenting, and testing different instances before deciding where to create and place my account long term.

A huge thank you especially to deacon.social. The instance and moderators there are just incredible. Only reason I ended up moving from there is that I wanted a much larger character limit for my posts. Otherwise I’d definitely be there still!

It is my goal to write a lot of (mostly short) posts about the #bible, #theology and #SpiritualFormation. I want to do this for a few reasons:

1. I enjoy these subjects
2. The bible and theology when wrongly used are very dangerous. Bad theology literally kills people. The best antidote to bad theology is good theology and religion!
3. I was part of a church that was very fundamentalist. Some would say it was a cult!
4. I have spent some 20 years studying in depth the things I post about. I have changed my mind on all sorts of topics several times until I arrived at settled conclusions.
5. I hope to become internet friends with those of you who are also interested in these things. You’re hard to find “in real life!”

I am very much a fan of Richard Rohr’s work. His work has had a profound impact on my life. Modern influences on my thought include, but are not limited to, David Bentley Hart, Jürgen Moltmann, Albert Schweitzer, Rudolf Bultmann, Karl Barth, P.T. Forsyth, Hans Küng, Thomas F. Torrance, Paul Tillich, and many other biblical scholars and theologians. I have also read the work of women & scholars of color, but have only listed what I have studied in depth, and not just people I’ve read.

I am neither ordained nor a scholar. I’m just a biblical studies and theology nerd. I did briefly go to seminary, but soon after dropped out.

Thanks for reading!

#Introduction

I am here largely to follow and learn from accounts/people much more interesting than myself.

I enjoy and aim mostly to post on these broad topics: #BiblicalStudies, #ChristianOrigins, #Theology, and #SpiritualFormation.

Also, I hope to become internet friends with a handful of you all!

Hello friends 👋🏽

I am excited to post about my interests here: #BiblicalStudies, #Theology, #Stoicism, #SpiritualFormation, and less serious stuff such as memes & gifs.

Thank you for following me here. I hope to earn and keep your trust by the content and the manner of my posting 🙏🏽

An #Introduction post:

I’m Pat. I work as an #EngineeringManager in #QualityEngineering. We are a #DevOps / #LeanStartup system.

I’m also an #Adjunct instructor in a masters program in #Seattle, teaching courses that touch on issues in #SpiritualFormation, #Spirituality, #CelticChristianity, #Pilgrimage, #DigitalPersonhood, #Contemplative, #Monasticism, #TransformationalLeadership, #ServantLeadership.

Hobbies: #MountainBiking, #mtb, #powerlifting, #urbansketching, #motorcycling, #overlanding.

An #Introduction post:

I’m Pat. I work as an #EngineeringManager in #QualityEngineering. We are a #DevOps / #LeanStartup system.

I’m also an #Adjunct instructor in a masters program in #Seattle, teaching courses that touch on issues in #SpiritualFormation, #Spirituality, #CelticChristianity, #Pilgrimage, #DigitalPersonhood, #Contemplative, #Monasticism, #TransformationalLeadership, #ServantLeadership.

Hobbies: #MountainBiking, #mtb, #powerlifting, #urbansketching, #motorcycling, #overlanding.