During this high intensity, and for many of us, high anxiety moment, I felt like I specifically needed to post some resources this week that might provide a sense of soul, solace and refuge in the midst of all the chaos. To love the world is to engage it for the sake of social change; but you also need to stop for gas--you know?

So this one is an actual bona fide sermon to our wonderful friends at Simplicity Church in Emond, OK; a little break in the format from what we've been doing. It's a sermon from the beautiful and sometimes baffling ancient wisdom book known as Job, one of those universal meta stories that seems to run beneath all the rest of our stories. It's a wild ride--for Job, as it's a wild ride for us to be in these bodies, in this world, in this time and space, being human and being alive/being awake.

Here you will find some tongue in cheek mischief-making dunking on the Book of Proverbs (hey it's great; and I believe it's mysteriously inspired by the Spirit and all the things...and also hot take decisively NOT the "wisest book in the Bible," get out of here with that, LOL! It's a broad critique of how perhaps most of our theology in America is in fact prosperity theology (whether or not you are in or outside of the church). It's a tribute to the late great Gustavo Guterriez. It's a challenge to move beyond the confines of reward/punishment and merit/demerit, to run free into the wide open fields (which also happen to be WILD open fields). As I heard some Irish guy say it one time, "blessings not just for the ones who kneel, luckily."

Sincerely,

Jonathan

bonus episode: twice as much (a sermon)