Time for a change, leaving the Google world

     My life has changed.  I continue to be a part of the communion of Saints as I am being transformed into the image of Christ.  My story, like all stories, continues to change.  I no longer spend much time thinking about the Baptist/Non-Denominational world.  I spend more and more time pondering the mystery of God becoming flesh and the ever presence of the Triune God here and now. 

     The nature of the internet is rapidly changing also, and I decided to change with it.  The blogging world seems to be rapidly changing.  Comments on many sites are way down.  Backlinks from comments seem to no longer be effective in search engines.  Google has abandoned Google Reader as well as RSS feeds.  Tablets and cell phones have taken over the world.

     I am increasingly annoyed with Google.  Their abandonment of Reader and RSS feeds leaves me to believe they are going to abandon blogspot.com.   I have decided to move my blog to wordpress.   I also plan on pushing more updates to twitter and google plus.   As my life has changed, I have also decided to allow allenthemelancholy.com to expire in June, 2013.  

So here are the new ways to stay in touch

- Wordpress : http://allenkrell.wordpress.com

- Twitter : @allenkrell

- Google Plus : Allen Krell (Link) 

Thank you for joining me on my journey.

Allen Krell

Collapse of the blogging world

     I have seen it happening over the past year or so, but the news is just now sinking in.  Google's decision to get rid of Google Reader represents much more than removing an often used application.  It represents a complete collapse of the blogging world of which I have been a part for so many years.  The whole world of bloggers sharing links and information is rapidly collapsing in favor of short tweets, facebook posts, and google plus updates.

     This leads me needing to decide where to go with my blog and website.   The best part of the Internet is that it constantly reinvents itself, and I don't want to be one of the old farts that stubbornly hold on to the past.  It  seems to me that blogs and RSS feeds are rapidly disintegrating into that past.   Over the next few weeks, I am considering the path forward.    I would love e-mail or comments on the best path to take.

Seeking The Presence Of God : Psalm 63

     We see the Triune God as up there, somewhere.  Our prayers go up, and answers come down.  But, at times, we sense the presence of God here with us.  Psalm 63 is one of those times.  David is in the wilderness, being chased by his son Absalom.  He remembers being in the sanctuary, but here he is in the desert.  His soul thirsts for God!  Then, for a moment, he realizes the presence of God.  His soul is satisfied.

Theology in the Psalms : Psalm 51

     If someone were to tell me I could only own book of the Bible, without a doubt I would choose Psalms. If someone told me out of Psalms I could only choose a handful of Psalms, Psalms 51 would be one of them.   This Psalm contains all the theology a Christian would ever need.

Justification : vs. 1-2,7,9
Original Sin : vs. 5
Confession : vs. 3-4
Sanctification: vs. 10-12,17
Evangelism: vs. 13-15


   All the theology we ever need is contained in this wonderful Psalm!

Same Sex Marriage

     I realize it is time for me to take a position on one of the most pressing issues of the day.   It is a stand that I thought I would never have taken, but the path I have taken to get to this position may be a bit different than most.

    The most pressing problem isn't actually same sex marriage itself, it is the link our society has between religious marriage and civil marriage.  For example, in Alabama, only Christian ministers can sign marriage licenses.  No other religious or atheist leader can legally sign a marriage license, only Christians.  It is past time to break this link between religious and civil marriage.  The signature line for officiant should be deleted, and any witness should be able to sign.  In fact, I believe it is time that religious leaders refuse to sign the civil marriage license.  That is a civil duty and not a religious duty.  Our religious leaders should not be brought into the civil role for marriage.

      Once that link is broken, this provides great freedom.  For example, if the Roman Catholic Church doesn't want to endorse same sex marriage, then they have that freedom.  Similarly, if the Roman Catholic Church doesn't want to endorse civil divorce, they have the freedom to ignore civil divorces (as they do already).  With these links broken, civil authorities will never be able to pressure religious traditions to change their values concerning marriage and divorce.

    A side effect of breaking this link would be to benefit certain couples in troubling financial relationships.  For example, let's say a widow receives a retirement benefit from her dead spouse that she would loose in a civil marriage.  This results in senior citizens living together without marriage for purely financial reasons.  Now, it would be possible for this couple to participate in a religious ceremony, but not necessarily obtain a civil license.

     With the link between religious and civil marriage broken, same sex marriage then becomes only a civil issue and not a religious one.   The purpose of civil marriage is to protect children, to protect shared financial rights and benefits, and to provide certain healthcare decisions during emergencies.  Our society would be well served to provide these benefits to same sex couples.  To protect the civil rights and freedoms of same sex couples, it is time to support full civil marriage between any two adults.

     For my own views on Christian marriage, I believe marriage is about two people supporting each other as they are transformed into the image of Christ during the day-to-day events and struggles of life.   I would support any two Christians in making that commitment.