Wade Poe

For some people, words literally trigger physical senses or involuntary emotional reactions.  It is called synesthesia and includes things like tasting, smelling, or physically "feeling" or experiencing a word. It's a neurological phenomenon that affects a small number of people naturally and a slightly larger number who have it triggered by outside variables. It might not be exactly the same thing, but certain words, names, or ideas have that kind of impact for me.  Probably because some experiences in life coincided with other experiences, things got tied together in my mind. It's especially true for things that have to do with names, locations, and other situations described in the Bible.   That's likely the case because whenever I heard certain words or stories on a repeated basis, I was probably around other stimuli that tied them together and left a feeling, a sense, or a word picture, imprinted in my mind. _______________ For example, whenever I heard the t...

Haven't written directly about the process of deconstruction and rebuilding lately.  Here's a bit of an update from the re-building side: Good News "...there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." That little  story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2 has become a powerful reminder & revelation - that Jesus came to be good news of great joy! In the process of deconstruction, I came to realize what was "good news" for me before/in the past was not of "great joy".   I think I had learned to pretend it was for reasons I might unpack later, but it wasn't a message of "great joy...

Timing is important.  Wait just a little too long and it's no longer appealing.  It probably tastes okay - maybe - but it's no longer ideal looking, so you're not sure.   It's true for avocados and personal existence. Our culture seems to ride on appearance.  If not the physical kind, then the "what value do you bring to the moment" kind.  If you're not looking good, you fear being tossed aside as no longer appealing. It's not just about age, it's the whole package. But youth and youthful appearances are important for many.  It's important for those who have neither, naturally.  We spend $$$ not to look like our natural ourselves. And do you have enough skills to keep up with AI?  Do you speak the right way?  Do you know the words to use and not to use?  Do you appear to have success so someone could trust you with their needs? _______________ It's really amazing to see how much is bought and sold over appearances.   Again, it's not...

"Hear ye!  Hear ye!" Some people are just now “getting” what you “got” many years ago.     Others will not “get it” for a good long while in the future.   Some will never “get it”. The nature of information is that way.   Not everyone is an “early adopter”, meaning that when something new comes about, not everyone has access to it or wants it. Some people wait a long time and watch other people interact with it before they decide whether they’ll “get it” or reject it. You name the topic –  religion, politics, race, community issues, specific politicians, cultural changes, justice issues, the environment, fashion, hobbies or past times, technologies, etc  – everyone usually has a different speed at which they hear about something, consider it, and either adopt it or reject it. It can be incredibly frustrating to those who “get it” earlier – to have to watch others take forever to process info and get on the bandwagon about something. ...

One day you'll get a phone call from someone telling you that your loved one has died.   Or maybe you'll actually be there when it happens. One day someone else will get a call telling them you've died. Or maybe they'll be with you when it happens. It's coming. And the world will go on.   You'll be a blip on the radar for a moment and then, except for those close to you, you'll be no more than a footnote or anecdote in someone's random story from years gone by - if you're lucky. So live your life.   Yes, you have to work and find ways to make money and get by, but there's more to life than that.   Go enjoy it.  Enjoy your work.  Enjoy food.  Enjoy the people you watch TV with.  Enjoy all the things. Be in the moments that you have now.   Why say that?  Because there's a temptation to keep living in the next thing and in things that are days or years out from us. There's a temptation to worry about what's next.  And usually worryin...

Which takes more faith?  Trusting that God has already forgiven all your sin forever or believing that he only forgives you as you remember to "ask for forgiveness"? That was probably one of the biggest shifts for me in the last few years - from believing you need to constantly ask for forgiveness to trusting that he's already done so - even for "future sin". That's usually the biggest thing that people want to ask me about - how you can believe that and what that means for your life.   Specifically, what is a person's motivation to "be good" if you're not always "on the hook" to stay prayed up so you can make sure you're always forgiven? __________ In short, it's a different way of seeing "being saved" entirely.  Forgiveness of sins is usually thought of as being the same as being saved, but I don't see it that way anymore. Forgiveness of sins makes salvation possible, but it's not salvation.  Salvation ...