Don't Go Back There

Content warning: discussion of religion and politics. If those subjects are triggers for you, I fully understand, and offer instead this lighthearted post instead. Note: this post is in some ways a continuation of this one from 2024, but you don't need to read that first. There's a phrase found in the Bible, which may be commonly referred to as, "not mourning over Saul." It actually comes from one of the historical books of the Tanakh: And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. The LORD said to Samuel, How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. —I Samuel 15:35-16:1, English Standard Version I've spent a lot of time thinking about my time in the Charismatic Church, specifically in the past decade.…