I am on the Porch

You can visit me here.  We can watch the neighbors go by.  Here on the porch, I like all of them.  You will too.  You can’t be on this porch and not like my neighbors.  Sometimes they stop to talk.  We let our dogs romp a bit.  If they can’t control their dogs, I forgive them.  I had a dog like that once.

There is no television on the porch. There’s nothing on. Turn yours off too, and come sit with me.  

On this porch you can only have an open mind.  You can only come here to ask questions and learn from me and my other guests.  I will also learn from them and from you.  But not until you relax, sit back, and learn something first.  I don’t know much, but I know if you are coming to lecture and win arguments, you can’t stay.  Sorry, I still like you, but I’m not good at suffering more fools than myself.

Relax.  You don’t have to know everything.  Isn’t that great!  You don’t have to know everything!  You don’t have to impress me with how much you know.  You can sit here and just be a learning fool — like me and my other guests.  We know you don’t know anymore than we do.

We can sit here and listen to the tree frogs, and the kids laughter, watch the gulls and osprey, and talk about giant ground sloths, old cars, new music, and God.  

On this porch God is just happy to be talked about, it doesn’t matter what your religion is, or even if you have any.  There are no doctrine tests on the porch.  You can fool yourself and other people most of the time, but you can’t fool God any of the time — or anyone else when you’re on the porch.  So relax and don’t try.

Welcome.

Take off your shoes, sit down, shut up, and listen.