Did You Know? The Top Bible Verse in 2022 was Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

When I was a kid we used to go to church every Sunday. I even went to a Christian Elementary School, first through sixth grade. I remember memorizing bible verses each week and have forgotten most but I can still recite John 3.16.

Today I was reflecting on why I still remember this verse. I do distinctly remember "losing my religion" shortly after I was asked to light the Christmas candle for the nightly news.

My mom took us to a church with a big congregation, I think she felt safe there. I have a lot of happy memories of this church: singing, playing hide and seek in the church and the treats after church. Unfortunately I also remember how they crucified my favorite pastor for having an extra-marital affair. I still have the bible he signed for me. To this day I still believe what he taught me - John 3:16. He told me that God forgives all of our sins and so I guess I never understood why the congregation sent him away for his sins. Doesn't John 3.16 teach us to forgive?

My relationship with religion is complicated even in my DNA. My mother is an Irish Protestant and my father was raised Catholic in Fresno, California. Even Wikipedia refers to this match as "The Troubles" (Irish: Na Trioblóidí). The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. I was scandalously born right in the middle in 1976, after my parents met in Africa teaching in Zambia.

Even though my father was raised Catholic and went to a Jesuit University, I remember him more as spiritual man than a religious one.

My father passed away about this time last year. A few months before he passed I asked him what his dream for his future was , he simply said, "Gentle."

Uncle Bill, described my Dad best "Your Dad was a gentle soul with some hidden corners we were never privy to. Now the mystery is unimportant while his gentleness remains."

I think my Dad's gentleness was learned from growing up with horses, he was the third generation horseman in our family and and he introduced me to the love(s) of my life before I could even walk.

From a young age I learned, that:

"There is a lot that can be said about an animal capable of taking a life, who chooses gentleness instead.

May we all wield our strength with the same grace and gentleness." ~ Danielle McMurphy