Speaking the Truth in Love vs Lovingly Speaking Truth

Woman Taken in Adultery by Rembrandt

Speaking the Truth in Love vs Lovingly Speaking Truth

Sometimes “speaking the truth in love” is really just candy coated judgmental spiritual pride. How many times have you heard the phrase “I’m telling you this in love” and then felt like you were just punched in the gut. I wonder if we flipped that phrase in Ephesians 4:15 around to “lovingly speaking truth” maybe there would be less spiritual abuse in the church.

 Having the truth and being right shouldn’t overrule the command to show compassion and understanding towards others. In Matthew’s Gospel, when the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with sinners, they felt that they were right and speaking the truth according to Jewish customs. They were overly concerned that everyone was following their rules than with the individual needs of those that Jesus was sharing a meal with. Jesus told them to go and learn what the Prophet Hosea meant when he said that God desires compassion and not sacrifice.

Look at the story in John’s Gospel about the woman caught in adultery, those who brought her to Jesus felt that they were right – that they were speaking the truth according to the Law of Moses. They had chapter and verse saying that the woman should be stoned to death. But Jesus’ response was to lovingly speak truth by first deescalating the situation, then extending forgiveness and compassion before telling her to go and sin no more. As James said, mercy triumphs over judgment.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

Peace, Love and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

Happy Hippie Father’s Day

 Remember the days of old; consider the years long past; ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you.

(Deuteronomy 32:7)

Wishing you all a Happy Hippie Father's Day! And remember, us old guys be knowing stuff...

Peace, Love, and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

Mary Dyer

Mary Dyer being led
to her execution on June 1, 1660
(unknown 19th-century artist)

Mary Dyer (c. 1611–1660) was a Puritan‑turned‑Quaker who became one of the most famous martyrs of early American religious intolerance. Her execution on June 1, 1660, on Boston Common, was the culmination of a long conflict between the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Puritan authorities and the emerging, radically egalitarian Quaker movement. 

Born Mary Barrett in England around 1611. Mary emigrated to Boston in 1635 with her husband, William Dyer.  

Initially a Puritan, she became involved in the Antinomian Controversy supporting Anne Hutchinson. After Hutchinson’s banishment, Dyer was also excommunicated and banished, moving to Rhode Island. 

Mary returned to England (1651–1657) and encountered the Society of Friends (Quakers) and embraced their teachings. Quakers were considered dangerous heretics by Puritan leaders because they rejected clergy, emphasized the “Inner Light,” allowed women to preach, and refused to show deference to civil authorities.

When she returned to New England in 1657, she immediately faced persecution. 

By the late 1650s, Massachusetts had enacted severe laws that provided for the banishment of Quakers on pain of death, imprisonment for returning, and execution for repeat offenders.

Dyer was imprisoned in 1657, banished twice, and threatened with execution if she returned.

She returned anyway, multiple times, believing obedience to God outweighed obedience to the colony’s laws. 

Her Final Defiance and Execution

In 1659, Dyer returned to Boston to support imprisoned Quakers. She was sentenced to death but reprieved at the gallows due to her son’s intervention. She was warned never to return.

In May 1660, she returned again, deliberately choosing martyrdom.  

When offered a final chance to recant, she replied:

“Nay, I cannot; for in obedience to the will of the Lord God I came, and in his will I abide faithful to the death.” 

She was hanged on June 1, 1660, becoming one of the four “Boston Martyrs.”

Her martyrdom is widely credited with helping shift public sentiment toward religious toleration, especially in New England. 

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

Earth Day 2026

Earthrise by Artemis II / NASA

The Earth and all that is in it belongs to the Lord;

    the world and all who live on it are His.

(Psalm 24:1)

Here's a quote by Astronaut Victor Glover, NASA pilot of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft Integrity on April 6, 2026.

“As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that’s love, Christ said, in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all you are. And he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbor as yourself.”

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

War Crimes

While the debate as to whether or not the President's threats and wartime rhetoric would be concidered "War Crimes" if carried out remains to be determined, in the meantime, innocent civilian lives hang in the balance. Women, children, elderly, non-combatant collateral lives are in danger of being wiped out with the single word of the Commander in Chief of the most powerful military on the planet. Escalation and genocide are waiting in the wings. It's beyond questioning if one action or another is a war crime, we need to realize that War is the Crime!

"Blessed are the peacemakers

for they shall be called

the Children of God"

~Jesus

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

He Is Risen!

He Is Risen!

 I passed on to you what I received,

which is of the greatest importance:

that Christ died for our sins, as written

in the Scriptures; that he was buried

and that he was raised to life three

days later, as written in the Scriptures

(1 Corinthians 15:3–4)

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

Pray 4 Peace...

After the President ordered our Armed Forces to attack Iran I designed a button that says, "Pray 4 Peace".

Some people really liked it, but one person said that he's going to vote instead. I get it, not everyone prays but I think I'll do both.  I'm not only going to Pray 4 Peace and planning to vote, I've also been writing letters to my representatives in Washington.

We have the First Amendment right to gather peacefully and to speak our mind. We have the right to let the powers that be in Washington know that we don't agree with the Government. So, there's that action too that we have the privilege to exercise.

Jesus said that Peacemakers are called the Children of God, that his Kingdom is not of this world, and it's been said that when Jesus told Peter to put his sword away, he disarmed us all. We need to remember that our first assignment as Jesus Followers is to love our neighbors, love our enemies, and pray for those who treat us badly.

We are also urged to pray for those in power so that we might live peaceful lives. In First Timothy we read "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior." (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

So, no matter how we voice our varied opinions, let's keep it peaceful and respectful. 

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

You can order these buttons directly from the manufacturer. Go to the Wacky Buttons Order Page and enter Design Code 4035382 on the Order by Design Code link. I don't make a single penny on any of these orders; I'm just sharing the Design Code to make it easier for people to get some of these buttons directly from WackyButtons.com

Save The World

"If we think that bombs, missiles, and drone strikes raining down from the heavens on people that we call enemies is how God is going to save the world, we're not yet credible Christians.

The world is saved by love, and no other way. And the love that saves the world is often a crucified love."

From Brian Zahnd's sermon Beauty Will Save The World, March 8, 2026

"Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called

the children of God"

~Jesus

 

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

(AI generated image)

That We May Live in Peace

 

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

While the 1st Century Church was living under the iron fist of Roman occupation, they were being encouraged to pray for kings and all who were in positions of authority. Rather than take up arms to secure their freedom from tyranny, they were urged to offer prayers for all local and world leaders so that they could enjoy peace and quiet. Their prayers weren't to be for regimen change, to rid themselves of evil rullers, but that there would be a way for them to live a peaceful life.

They were asked to not only pray for their rulers, they were also to give thanks for them as well. It seems upside down and backwards, but that is exactly how the Kingdom of God functions. More than once Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom of God is not of this world, and most importantly, how very differently it operates.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:44-45)

"Blessed are the Peacemakers,

for they will be called

the Children of God."

~Jesus

Peace, Love and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

I am Not Moved

I am not moved to rejoice over war, especially one being justified because of an eschatological theology that seems to be driven by apocalyptical fever dreams. We are not going to usher in the Kingdom of God or bring about the Apocalypse by triggering World War Three.

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

 

Quick - Slow - Slow

Quick, Slow, Slow is the formula that I try to employ when situations get tense. Not always good at it... sometimes the Redheaded Irishman gets the best of me, but I'm working on it. In these times of polarized politics and civil unrest I think it would help us get past all of the angry rhetoric if we could employ this little formula when we have disagreements. If we could pause for long enough to take a few deep breaths and listen to the other person's point of view, show some respect and empathy then we just might discover that we're closer to a solution than it first appeared.

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:19-20)

Peace, Love and Light!
Kevin (Cloud) 

What If They Had A War and The Peacemakers Showed Up?

 

What if they had a war and nobody showed up? It might sound like a silly little sentiment, but it’s such a Hippie thing to say. Jesus said that His Kingdom was not of this world and we are told in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 that we don’t war against flesh and blood. Jesus said in the Beatitudes that Peacemakers would be called the children of God. But what is a Peacemaker and is that different than a Peacekeeper? A Peacemaker helps facilitate the resolution of conflict, makes a way for reconciliation, promotes healing, and works towards wholeness and justice for all parties. Whereas the role of a Peacekeeper is preventing the continuation of armed conflict or reengagement of combatants and to protect non-combatant civilians, by the use of force if necessary. The United Nations is an example of an international peacekeeping force. Your local police are actually called "Sworn Peace Officers” whose job is to preserve the peace, maintain public safety and to protect life, limb and property. The UN and local police officers are not Peacemakers - that’s not their mission, but ultimately Peacemakers and Peacekeepers need each other to bring about a peace that has a chance of being longterm and more than just the mere absence of conflict.

What if they had a war and the Peacemakers showed up?

Peace, Love and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)