A Little Hair Of The Dog...

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything here. Mainly because in recent months I found that there was more harm than good in sharing my thoughts and views. But that was when I was locked into a system that I am no longer a part of.

So I guess all bets are off now, huh?

The “system” I speak of is the American Christian Church. Maybe it’s “church” with a capital C or a lower-case C… I can never seem to get the two straight. But who cares. This is my blog, so I’ll live with my grammatical errors and won’t lose any sleep over it.

Let me start by saying, I am now and will always be a Christian. But before you chose to define what that word means to you, let me tell you what it does and does not mean to me.

Nativity

Somewhere from a vantage point that none of us can fathom, The Three were watching. They saw the events unfolding before them, and they knew. No words needed to be spoken. All eternity up until this point had been building towards this moment. The Father looked to The Son with eyes full of pain and The Son returned his gaze with understanding. Both knew what they were on the verge of, and there was no going back. A mighty war had been raging throughout the ages and it's aftermath was playing out in the lives below. It was time. Rescue was at hand.

At that moment, The Chosen were living under the reign and rule of The Emperor. His mighty mandate was given that all should be counted and taken inventory of. This egregious decree posed no shortage of frustration and uprising among The Chosen. Everyone was ordered back to the homeland of their fathers for the counting and after much revolting and rebellion, eventually they conceded.

The Mentor took his expectant fiance, The Mother, and both joined the caravan and journeyed to the city of his ancestor. The road was long and dry and their journey was not easy. Taking the better part of a week, they eventually reached their destination exhausted and in much need of rest.

Shortly after their arrival, The Mother went into labor. It was time, the child was coming and they were in desperate need of a place to rest. Because of the overwhelming number of visitors, they had great difficulty finding a place to stay. No one knew what was really about to happen. All of the inns were full and even the homes had no rooms available for the soon-to-be family.

Eventually they located a stable where they could take refuge. The accommodations were far from desirable and barely acceptable for the events that were about to unfold. But it was time. There, in a small cave, under the watchful eye of livestock and man, The Mother gave birth. The Savior had arrived.

The Guard erupted into song and celebration like none had ever seen before. The stars in the sky paled in comparison to the light that shone from the ethereal jubilee. The Watchers were in their fields and fell to their knees as the ground rumbled and shook beneath them. The Captain calmed them and told them not to be afraid. This was a time for exalting. For that night, in the town of their ancestors, The King had been born. Their rescuer had arrived. The invasion was complete. While the mission was far from over, there was much reason to rejoice. God had become man.

My Father's Voice

Recently I attended a conference in the mountains where nearly 500 men were in attendance. One morning, as I was enjoying my coffee and sitting out on a balcony overlooking the grounds of the camp, I was watching as a crowd of men made their way towards the amphitheater for our morning session.

In the midst of this large group of men, I heard my dad's voice through the crowd, as he was in attendance as well. I quickly surveyed the crowd from my vantage point above everyone, but I was unable to locate my dad. I know I heard him, and I know he was there, but I could not see him. You see, I know my father and because I know him I can recognize his voice even amidst the voices of dozens of other men.

It made me think of other men in attendance who aren't as fortunate. There are men who have never met their fathers. Not only do they not know them as a person, there is no way they could ever recognize the voice of their father even if he were screaming at them in a quiet room. I mean, they would hear it then, but they wouldn't know who it was that was yelling at them.

It then became obvious to me that our relationship with God is much the same. How well we know Him correlates directly with our ability to hear His voice. The closer we are to Him, the easier it is to hear Him. The more we know Him, the more we are able to listen to Him. If we don't know Him, we will be unable to distinguish his voice among the other voices we hear on a daily basis.

Need guidance on a big decision? Wondering if you should take that job? Need wisdom in dealing with a family problem or issues with coworkers? How can you ever expect to hear any answers if you aren't closely connected to Him?

You see, when I heard my dad's voice, he wasn't yelling. He wasn't screaming my name... he wasn't even talking about me. And he wasn't the only one talking, either. He was barely audible above the sound of the other voices of the other men walking in the same crowd. But I knew his voice. I could clearly distinguish it and pick it out of the crowd because I know him. Because of our history. Because he has taught me. Raised me. Scolded me. Fathered me. I know his voice.

The Father is speaking. Always. And I guess the question isn't really whether or not you can hear Him... but are you listening?

How Deep Does Your Hate Run?

When I was in high school I had a friend, an acquaintance, that I worked with at the local grocery store. His name was Brian and he was kind of a goof off who used to pull some crazy stunts while we were working. It was great entertainment. Especially since his dad owned the store, so he knew he couldn't get fired for any of his antics.

He was also into drugs and the party lifestyle pretty big. I think he might have been an original goth... not the black clothes and white facepaint goth (this was only the mid 90's... I'm pretty sure Marilyn Manson was still a zit-faced teen himself). But he wore different clothes, didn't comb his hair, listened to weird music, and painted his fingernails. He was weird.

After I graduated, I moved out of town for a while to go to college. I eventually heard a rumor that Brian had been baptized. This struck me as kind of odd... did this mean he was a Christian? Why were people only talking about his baptism? Is this some kind of a stunt or practical joke? What did it mean? He was definitely not from a religious home. I was intrigued.

A while later, I was back in town and ran into Brian at a local coffee shop. There he was, still dressing funky, but I could see a twinkle in his eyes. They weren't glazed over and he wasn't stoned... there was something truly different. He came up to me and offered to pay for my cup of coffee if we could catch up. I thought that would be great! Who doesn't like free coffee?

So, we sat down and made small talk for a few minutes. How was life post-graduation. Where are you working. What are you doing. Etcetera, etcetera. Then he pointed out the jacket I was wearing. It was kind of a shearling coat made out of fluffy wool. I'll never forget his next words.

"You look like a sheep," he said with a sinister smile. "Do you follow a shepherd?"

Then it hit me. Not only were the rumors true, he had become a Believer, but he was trying to witness to me.

I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of guilt that swept over me at that moment. Part of me was impressed by his sweet lead-in and obvious gift for evangelism that I wanted to play along and "get saved" just to help his ego. But the bigger issue was that I was already a Believer myself, and he didn't know.

See, I'm not an evangelist. That's not my gift. I don't have the ability (or desire?) to just walk up to casual friends or perfect strangers and share my faith. I like St. Francis of Assisi's advice to "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." That's safe.

I can be a good person and live a good life, and sit back and let that speak for me as it permeates the people around me. Put it on their shoulders to recognize why I'm different. "They will know you are my followers by your love." If I just love everyone, they will know... I don't have to say anything. It's safe. No ridicule. No rejection. No awkward situations after I've laid it all on the line. It's safe.

But how effective is it?

Recently I watched a video blog from Penn Gillette, a devoutly open and adamant atheist. Someone had given him a Bible after one of his shows, and he was moved to tears. Not because he believed in anything the guy said, or that he was ever even going to read the Book... but he was moved by the gesture that this guy cared about him enough to share what he thought was The Answer.

Then he asked the question. A question that has rocked my world and thought process for the last few days since hearing it for the first time. I can't get it out of my head, and I don't think I'll ever be the same because of it.

He asked, "How much to you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them?"

How much do you have to hate someone to keep this from them? It's not a matter of inconvenience, or awkwardness. It's not even a matter of selfishness and hiding the truth. If we fail to share The Answer with them, it's an all-out assault of hatred towards those who don't believe.

Let me clarify something. I am not promoting street-corner preaching, or soap-box screaming. No "Turn or Burn" theology or "Fire & Brimstone" threats. There are people in our lives, people we are in relationship with, who will turn to us one day and ask us why we never told them.

So I challenge you to do the same thing I have been doing over these last few days. Examine your life. Examine your relationships. Are there people in your life you haven't shared with? And if so, why not?

How deep does your hate run?

What Are Your LEGOs?

Nathan Sawaya is a man who is living his dream. He is doing what he has always wanted to do... what he always hoped he would attain. He fought long and hard to get there. After graduating from law school from NYU, and spending 10 years in the New York law firm Winston & Strawn as a mergers and acquisitions attorney where he was making a healthy six-figure salary, he has given it all up.

For LEGOs.

That's right. LEGOs. "Forever, that's all I've wanted," he says.

It started at Christmas 1978 when he received his first set of LEGOs as a gift at the age of 5 years old. After that, his life was never the same.

Every waking moment he could, he spent it building with the blocks. He turned his family's living room into what he called, "LEGO City"... an always changing city made completely from LEGO blocks. Firehouses, train stations, skyscrapers and restaurants filled the room as his city was always growing, always changing, always living.

When he moved to New York City to attend NYU, he figured he had to hide his habit, for fear of being thought a freak. So he continued to build and play, but only his roommates knew about his habit. "Let's just say it doesn't get you a lot of dates. People [would] think you're a little strange... a little off."

He even attempted to hide it from his girlfriend, but couldn't continue to keep the large unmarked boxes (he buys in bulk) that were constantly being delivered to his apartment, a secret. "It wasn't," says girlfriend Dierdre Harding, "what I thought."

Finally, he heard about a contest to determine who was the best LEGO builder in the world. The prize? To be one of only 7 "Master Builders" on staff at the LEGOland theme park... for an awe-inspiring $13 an hour. He didn't even have to think twice about it. After years of watching LEGO's job listings on their website, his big break had finally come.

He entered the contest, won, and landed his dream job making five times less than he was as an attorney. But he was living his dream.

Today, he is a LEGO artist. He is commissioned by companies all around the world to come and build his LEGO art for them. His sculptures and art sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and he couldn't be happier.

Isn't it interesting? We can, according the rest of society, "have it all." But, if we're not doing our one thing, the thing that makes us come alive... we might as well be dead.

Those are strong words, I know... but if we aren't living from our heart, chasing our LEGOs, then we are just the walking dead going through the motions of a wasted existence.

So the question begs to be answered... What are your LEGOs?

Putting My Paddle Down

A few years back, I went on a half-day whitewater rafting trip with my brother and some friends on the Arkansas River in Colorado.

Now, I'm no professional, and these weren't anything like the "unrunnable" rapids from The River Wild, but for a few flat-landers from the Midwest, it was a pretty intense adventure!

The freezing cold water splashing in our faces was quite a wake-up call on the hot day, and our adrenaline was pumping. I remember our guide navigating us around a "bowl" at one point that, if we fell in, would suck us underwater and promptly place us about a quarter mile down river in less than 30 seconds. I remember his screams as he was yelling out instructions for us... who to paddle, how much, which direction, and when... now? NOW!!!

When I look back at that time, there haven't been many adventures in life as exhilarating as that was. It was a memory for a lifetime that I won't soon forget.

Our relationship with God is a lot like a whitewater river ride. It is fast paced and intense, and if it weren't for a well-seasoned and competent Guide, we would have no hope of making it down alive. There are dips and drops, twists and turns, and at times, all we can do is take a deep breath before we get pummeled by another wave. We don't know where the river goes, and we can't see what's ahead.

But our Guide knows. He's been down this run before. Many times. Sometimes we've been down the same run with Him, and we don't even realize it. It doesn't look familiar... it doesn't feel safe, and we have every reason to doubt we'll actually make it through safely to the end. Or do we?

See, every time He delivers us safely through a whitewater adventure, you'd think we'd trust Him just a little bit more next time. I mean, we can look back up river and see all the different stretches of whitewater we've been down. Some big, some not so big... some felt a lot bigger than they actually were! But the story remains the same: we're here, and we're safe. We've obviously made it through each one of those runs, but for some reason we feel that the next one is going to be the one that ends it all.

I look back at how I rode those runs, and I'm embarrassed. I've got my puny little paddle, with a white-knuckled death grip on it, feverishly trying to back-paddle and fight the flow of the current. As if somehow, whatever small resemblance of "strength" I can offer on my own will be a match for the power and intensity of the rushing waters and the splashing waves. And when the calm comes (it always does, you know), there I am panting like a dog on a hot summer day, out of breath, arms pumped with absolutely no strength left... completely exhausted from fighting a force that I couldn't even faze.

And I missed it.

I missed the scenery of those runs, I missed the joy and excitement from the intensity of the journey because I wasn't able to rest assured in the competence of my Guide. I've missed it all because I was fighting for control... trying to attain something so impossible that its almost humorous that I thought I had a shot.

And yet, I've still made it. Tired, sore, battered and bruised... but only from my own doing. If I had just sat back, enjoyed the ride, chose not fight and trusted in my Guide, then I could have saved myself a boat load of pain (no pun intended).

So here I am, the current is starting to pick up again. The water is moving faster... I know I'm in for another doozy of a run. I can't see the end... in fact, I can't see more than a few yards in front of me. I hear the sound of rushing water ahead... is that a waterfall? It doesn't matter.

Why?

Because this time, I'm putting my paddle down.

Drinking From The Source

In times like these, when the economy is tough and the money is tight, it helps for a little "re-centering" of our perspectives.

For instance, I recently had a run-in with my employer regarding my compensation. I thought we were operating under one understanding (a signed document from the owner is hard to misinterpret), and they thought otherwise. The end result was my losing out on a considerable amount of money I had been counting on. In any economy, it would be tough to handle this, but especially now because of current circumstances, this stung quite a bit more.

My initial reaction was to fight for what was rightfully mine. I knew what I was entitled to, and I wasn't going down without a fight!

But, thankfully, God spoke to me through a couple of much more sound-minded, level-headed and cooler-tempered friends. They challenged whether this was my fight to fight, or not.

This caused me to really seek out what I was supposed to do. What was my role to play? Should I fight, or sit down and wait?

I'll be honest, I didn't want to turn the other cheek. That pre-supposes that you're ready and willing to get hit again - and I clearly wasn't. But I knew I needed to.

As I approached The Throne, I was given an image that I would like to share with you. It profoundly impacted my life, and I hope it will do the same for you. Perhaps it will be helpful to you where you're at and what you're going through right now, or perhaps it may come in handy some day down the road.

The image is of a massive body of water atop a high mountain with many streams pouring out of it. There are streams of all sizes -- from fast, raging whitewater to a slow but constant trickle. There are also dried up creek beds that once carried streams, but are patiently standing by, ready and waiting for their chance to flow once again.

If you follow these streams, you will see them flow in and out of other streams, intermingling and intertwining, feeding off each other as they race down the mountainside.

You will also notice little pools, or eddies, along the different parts of the streams. They are full of life - a world of their own fed by the life-giving flow from the streams.

If you haven't already guessed it, the water symbolizes God's provision for us. He has promised to meet our needs and the water is the fulfillment of that promise. And we are the pools along the way - thriving and existing only off of His provision.

It may follow different paths (one stream may be a paycheck from work, another may be from church or government assistance, or even help from a friend), and they may even take on different forms (money, groceries, clothing, etc) -- but it all comes from the same Source.

This image helped me immensely in my struggle with my employer. See, I was angry and upset when the flow of one stream was reduced -- and because I was so focused on that one, I took my attention off any other streams that may have been ready to increase to make up for the reduced flow of the one.

Once I realized that God will come through on His promise to provide, and that it may not come down the path I am expecting, I was able to let this conflict go. I had a peace because I knew the provision was on it's way, all I had to do was trust... and wait.

I contacted my employer and let them know I had no intentions of fighting any longer. Even though I would be within my rights, it would bring unnecessary tension and cause them painful repercussions that made what I was fighting for seem extremely petty.

I'll be honest, this was extremely difficult for me to do. By nature, I am a grizzly bear when it comes to my family. If you wrong them or harm them in any way, may God have mercy on your soul, because I won't. (God is working on me in this area, so please no comments on this!) But I know it was what I had to do, even if, by turning the other cheek, I was about to get hit again.

But, do you know what happened? The "flow" came through a couple of unexpected streams. A "random" check in the mail, some money from a couple dear friends, some groceries from some other friends. The amount of money I was missing was quickly, and easily, replenished through other paths.

And the best news? The day after I sent the email to my employer, they sent me a response (full of legalese, clearly stating that their change of position was not an admission of guilt or wrong-doing) alerting me that they would compensate me according to my understanding and our original agreement.

So, in the end, once I realize this wasn't my battle to fight and looked at it from a much different perspective, God blessed us by meeting our needs in abundance.

Now, real quick. I need to put a disclaimer in here: I am NOT advocating the whole "Health and Wealth Gospel" here. So PLEASE do not lump me in with lunatics like Joel Osteen.

But, the story - and the stream - doesn't stop there. We are not the final destination of the outpouring from the Source. Far from it. Remember, we are simply pools along the way, and just as we received God's provision flowing through other people upstream from us, there are other people downstream, waiting for our obedience so they can receive their portion from the Source as well. We must not be greedy. We must not build dams in an effort to horde more for ourselves. We must realize we are God's instrument of provision to others.

So I leave you with this simple challenge: When the flow of one stream lightens up, don't freak out and don't get angry - rather sit back and watch which other path it will come from. God is good and promises to meet our needs. Remember, not only has He made us this promise, but He is able to keep it!

And if you, like me, get angry at all the starvation, homelessness and poverty in our world - don't even think for an instant that God isn't coming through on His promises. Instead, His provision has been held up by someone upstream who has decided to build up the walls of their pool in an attempt to fill their storehouses instead of being obedient and blessing others out of their abundance. And we all know, from history, what happens to them.

The Morning After

So here we are. It's come and gone once again. The fervor, the buzz, the proverbial insanity of another presidential election has come and gone. Like a steam engine rolling through a small town in the middle of the night... with all its fury, and deafening noise, it is over almost as quickly as it began.

Chances are, you're reading this and you're either celebrating or you are grieving. You cast your vote, you let your voice be heard, and either it wasn't enough to get the outcome you desired, or it was one more for good measure with the majority.

Either way, I encourage you to take a moment. Celebrate, if yesterday's results were exactly what you had hoped for. Or, if they were not, then take a moment to grieve. Do what you need to do. Take your time. Take a deep breath and collect your thoughts. Collect your wits. Collect your courage.

When you're moment is finished, look across the aisle. Grab your brother's hand. Give your sister a hug. We are one. Though the political machine would like us to believe otherwise, we are united.

We cannot allow what happened yesterday to divide us. We must come together. We must realize that the horse and pony show that we just witnessed accomplishes nothing. It's only smoke and mirrors. An illusion. A facade. There is a "wizard" behind the curtain that wants us to believe otherwise, but we must not fall victim to the lies.

What happened yesterday, accomplishes nothing. Even though it's hard to believe, and maybe still a little too early to think about it, it doesn't change a thing. Yesterday's victor is not tomorrow's savior.

We are one. We have one mission. And we have been called by the only One who matters.

It's not about what happened yesterday that counts. It's how we will live tomorrow that makes the difference.

There is one faith, one hope and one baptism, one God and Father of all.
There is one church, one body, one life in the spirit now given so freely to all.

The Greatest Sale Ever Sold

I am a born salesman. I can apologize for it, or I can admit it. Its who I am. It's woven into the center of my being. I like to sell. I've been selling forever. When other kids were out playing, I was walking the neighborhood, going door to door, selling greeting cards and stationary to housewives and little old ladies. I was good at it too. I mean, who can say no to a fourth grader peddling greeting cards at your door? I've been told I could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves, ice to an eskimo, sand to an Arab... on and on, you get the idea.

I know when someone's trying to sell me, and I know when I've been sold. It's not very often that someone can pull one over on me. My favorite is when I don't realize it until its too late, and instead of being upset that I didn't see it coming, I have respect for a salesman who is better than me. But I also love the thrill of smelling an approaching sales pitch and prematurely snuffing it out before it ever has a chance to entice me.

So why am I telling you this? Why should you care? Well, part of being a natural born seller is that you can recognize other people's salesmanship. I can look at someone and immediately be impressed by a good sale. To me, there aren't many things better than a clearly thought out and eloquently articulated sales pitch, primed with precision rebuttals and heartfelt reassurances.

I have to say, I think that one of the best sell jobs I have ever seen throughout history was when someone sold the idea to the Church that our power is found in the political arena. Whoever you are, wherever you are, my hat is off to you. Kudos, sir. We took the bait, hook, line and sinker. And we did it with a smile on our face. And best off... we haven't fully realized our mistake yet.

I mean, at least when someone was sold oceanfront property in Arizona... they eventually realized there was no such thing. Reality sunk in, and they had to face their decision. Here, we have believed the lie, hit the ground running and haven't stopped or slowed to look back since.

It's sad, really. I mean, look how divisive politics is. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the lines drawn in the sand. You're either with me, or against me. You won't change your mind, and I don't need to change mine. I'm right, you're wrong.

Take a look at people's status updates on Facebook. Look at the barrage of blogs that are written and emails that are sent. We have our candidate, and we want to whore him out to the rest of the world. He is our savior. He will bail us out. He will solve the problems. He will bring peace and justice and relief to a hurting world.

Or will he?

I think of Tolkien's character, Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. At one point in his life, he is a normal human being, er, hobbit. He even has a name, Smeagol. But when Smeagol finds the ring, it changes him. Not drastically at first... but slowly, over time he begins to errode away until he is a horrid creature that hardly resembles his true self. He becomes the thing known as Gollum. He becomes so infatuated with the ring, that he never lets it go. His chokehold on the ring, ironically ends up choking out his very life. Sure, the ring has power, but Gollum rarely experiences it. Instead, his quest for this power, to keep it out of the hands of anyone and everyone that opposes him, destroys him. He spends his days lonely, in hiding, constantly repeating the words we have all come to know so well... "My precious!"


We are Gollum, and politics is our "ring."

Somewhere back down the line, we were sold a lie. We were told that our true power exists in the political arena. We were told, that if we passed laws, like they did in the Bible, then we would change the world. We could have a Christian nation. We could replicate the Kingdom here on earth... if we only had the power. Imagine the lives that would be saved! Imagine the transformation that would happen. Just think... an entire nation, nay, WORLD of Christians! Held together by the Ten Commandments as our Constitution, Christian morals and principles guiding us as our country's rudder. Imagine the possibilities!

If we only held the power. If we only had the ring.

Now look at us. We are divided. Both sides, as equally passionate, and equally wrong. We have allowed this quest to wear us down... to suck the very life from us. We are an ugly, mutilated and abismal representation of our true self. We must fight for our ring!

They want to recognize same-sex unions? Not over my dead body! They want to give a woman the right to choose an abortion? Not on my watch! We will oppress them! We will take away their voice! We will limit their options! We will pass more laws, and have more restrictions until everyone has no choice but to abide by God's Law! For all practical purposes, they will be Christians! We will make them behave like one, and then eventually their hearts will give in and follow. They will have no choice! It's for their own good! Who will stand in the gap? If we don't, who will?

My precious!

Smeagol eventually woke up, in a sense. I mean, he was beyond the point of no return in a lot of ways. Physically, with his gangly body, receding hairline and a dentist's nightmare for a "grill", he wasn't much of a looker. His quest had taken its toll on him. The damage had been done, and he wasn't going to look like Prince Charming any time soon. But, we see his split personality start to come out. He's lovable, and playful and funny. He's loyal and helpful and charming. His bi-polar personality is a 180 degree turn from before. Do you know when these times are?

When he is not holding the ring.

We have become so fixated with our control freakedness that we can't imagine letting "non-Christian" laws be passed. We have such a stranglehold on politics that our narrow minded vision is being obstructed by blinders. We don't see reality. We can't see reality. We are too engrossed with our Precious.

The reality is we serve a Savior... a True King who's power isn't limited by such petty things of mere mortals like politics. His power trumps the power of earthly law. Just like rock beats scissors, so the Kingdom of God annihilates the Kingdom of the World.

Let them pass laws that redefine the world's definition of marriage. We know what true marriage is, and we have a hard enough time keeping that pure. We will love them anyways. Let them pass laws that puts the right to choose life or death in the mother's hands. We will rise up and give that mother so many reasons to choose life that the alternative becomes completely invalid.

So what if it's legal? Is that going to stop us from loving and caring? Is that going to limit us in how we can impact them? Are we going to be bogged down in the Kingdom of Earth, or we going to rise to our calling in the Kingdom of God?

I will be the first to admit that I struggle with this. It's easily enticing. It's ingrained in us. It's a part of who we've been raised and taught to be. To some of you, the concept of letting go of the political ring is as foreign (or impossible) of an idea as trying to make your heart stop beating just by thinking about it. But it is possible. Not only is it possible, it's required. We need to let it the ring go.

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. If he asks your opinion, give it. But do so in a way that you hold the outcome in an open hand. What will be will be. No matter who the next President is, our calling is the same. Our hope doesn't lie in the outcome of Election Day. Our ability to affect change in the lives around us has nothing to do with what is legal and what is not. Let them pass all the "non-Christian" laws they want... it won't stop us. We can't be stopped. We aren't confined by their laws. We aren't limited by their political process.

Our power is greater. Our love is larger. Our God is bigger.

I'm reminded of another sales pitch that happened a couple thousand years ago. The salesman was probably the same. The outcome was incredibly different. He took a man to the top of a temple and promised him power. Power that was to be lived out in the political arena. Power to rule. Power to pass laws. Power to be king. To be president. To rule the masses the way he wanted them ruled. But the man didn't take the bait. He had a different perspective. He knew the Truth. His Kingdom is not of this world. He could see through the pitch and snuffed it out.

Oh, if we had only been so wise.

Church or State?

I was reading another blog today about the upcoming election, and the following question was asked:

"Should the government be allowed to replace the responsibilities of the home or the church?"

It didn't take long for me to think about it and formulate my response.

My answer is simply, unfortunately, yes.

Why "yes"? Well, someone has to do it.

Why "unfortunately"? Well, the church clearly isn't doing its job.

That really sums up my views on all of these issues right now. If the church was doing what it was called to do, no one would be asking the government for help.

Social programs such as welfare, unemployment, medicare/medicaid, and subsidized housing would be non-existent if we, as the church, were living out our true calling.

But we're not. And should the innocent, the poor, the homeless, the sick (those a Wise Man once referred to as "the least of these") suffer because of our failure? I would say the answer is a resounding "No!"

My wife and I just had this same conversation this afternoon as we were re-watching last night's debates.

The Bible is full of God's promising to take care of us and to meet our needs. To provide us shelter, and food and clothing.

However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look around and see that there are people within our borders and beyond who are not provided such "luxuries."

Is it because God is a liar? Of course not. He has provided, just like He said He would... unfortunately there is such a disproportionate disbursement of wealth around our country (and beyond) that His provision is being held up in someone else's "storehouse."

Its a sad state of affairs when the church has failed so miserably at their calling, that we have to rely on the government to tax people and force them to do what God has originally asked the church to do.

So, again, should the government be allowed to replace the responsibilities of the church?

Unfortunately, yes.

Faith like a child...

I just wanted to share a story with you that makes me very proud to be a father!

Last Monday morning, Chloe woke up and came into the living room where I was having my quiet time. She sat on the love seat next to me and we chatted for a couple of minutes. She told me about her dream the night before (she was riding her horse up and down some huge hills. What a beautiful imagination!) Then she pointed to my Bible where I have the word "Freedom" written on it in huge letters. She asked what that word is (she's learning how to read, so she's very interested in big words but often asks what they are rather than trying to sound them out.) I told her what the word was, and she asked what it meant.

Hmmm... how do you explain the concept of freedom to a four year old? (Side note: the word is on my Bible referring to spiritual freedom, not political... just in case some of you were wondering about the mixed message.) I asked her if she knew what a slave was. She said, "Yeah, isn't that a bad person like a thief or a witch?" Not exactly sure where the correlation came from, but I did correct her. I explained that a slave isn't a bad person. I gave her a brief lesson on US History, and told her about how some mean people used to own slaves and made them do their chores for them because they were too lazy to do it themselves. But the difference was that they didn't get paid to do the work and many times they were treated very badly by their "owners". I explained to her that at one point all the slaves were let go from their owners and were able to live their own lives. They were set free, and free to live life for themselves. This is what freedom means.

I told her I had written the word on my Bible to remind me that because Jesus lives in my heart, I belong to God, but I am free to live the life that He wants me to live and that in the Bible I can find all the keys to living that life of freedom. I told her that people who don't belong to God belong to Satan and they are Satan's slaves. They are not free at all. They have no choice in how they live their lives because they do what Satan wants them to do. But if they ask Jesus to live in their heart, and they want to follow God, that they can belong to God and be free and live a very happy life that He wants them to live.

I asked her if she had ever asked Jesus to live in her heart so she could belong to Him. She simply said, "No." So I asked her if she wanted to. She said, "Yeah, but not right now. I will someday though." Gotta love her independent spirit! I told her that was just fine, and that if she ever wanted to Mommy or I could help her pray to ask Jesus into her heart. She said, "Okay" and ran off and that was that.

I sat there and thought about the moment for a while... I didn't want to scare her with the whole "turn or burn" theology, but I couldn't help but think that perhaps I hadn't made a convincing enough argument. Why wasn't she sold? I mean, I'm a born salesman, and I couldn't even "close" my own four year old daughter? I must be losing my touch.

Well, the next day when I came home from work, Cami and the kids were around me and we were playing around and Cami asked Chloe, "Isn't there something you want to tell Daddy?" Chloe looked at me and practically screamed, "I asked Jesus into my heart!" She was smiling so big and her face was shining so beautifully! I asked her, "Really? Did Mommy help you?" And she said, "No, Mommy was in the shower. You were at work, so I just sat on the floor behind the couch and prayed to God and asked Jesus to come live in my heart!"

I thought I knew what the joys of fatherhood were all about. But I realized that until today, I didn't have a clue. The image of her, sitting on the floor, behind the couch, all alone. The sound of the shower running in the background from the bathroom down the hall. And those words, whatever they were, the simple prayer with her hands folded and her eyes clinched shut. The most important prayer she will ever pray in her entire life. She did it on her own terms, at her own time and place and after she had taken the time to think it over. She wasn't impulsive, she wasn't pressured... and best of all, she wasn't sold. She believes. With faith like a child...

Should theology play a role in forming public policy?

This is a question that should be in the forefront of every Christian mind in America right now. With the upcoming elections in the next year, we need to carefully consider how we are going to use our vote and who we're going to let influence us in this decision. I'll give you a hint: if you hear it from a pulpit, then you need to do two things: first, reject whatever advice is being given and second, never return to that church again. The pastor has proven his inability to teach, let alone understand scripture.

So how do I feel? You guessed it, I believe theology (and the Church for that matter) has no place in forming public policy, especially within the political realm. Please allow me to explain myself...

First, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of The World are two distinctly different kingdoms. One is based on a model of a servant-leader, or a “Power Under” (that is, they get their “power” by coming under people and lifting them up through servanthood, love, etc). The other kingdom is exactly the opposite, it is a “Power Over” model. Whether that person in power is elected, self-declared, or born into their role, they still rule in a position of having power over the people. No government could succeed in a “Power Under” model, they would simply get destroyed. Because of this, the two kingdoms are like oil and water: they don’t mix, and no matter how hard we try, they never will.

Second, People (ie, Christians) are delusional enough to seem to think that this nation was once a “Christian Nation”. I hate to break it to you, it has never been one, and it will never be one. (The notion is as silly as saying there are such things as Christian Bicycles.) If you are of that train of thought, I would be interested to know when it was that you think this was a Christian Nation, and that we need to bring it back to that state? Was it before or after we shipped millions of Africans over here to be our slaves? Was it before or after we founded our country on the belief that slaves weren’t 100% human? Was it before or after we came into this country and raped and slaughtered the native people who lived here before us? Everyone seems to point to some “fact” that our country was founded as a Christian nation, but I see it distinctively different. I see it as a nation that was founded on religious freedom (which, by definition would mean not limiting things to Christianity). They were fleeing religious persecution, and pursuing religious freedom, but they made it a very clear point in the foundation of this nation to keep Church and State separate. How can we call this a “Christian Nation” when our founding fathers clearly wanted the opposite?

Third, just because a law that we have (as Americans) might align itself with similar laws found in the Bible (ie - murder, stealing, etc) doesn’t make it a “Christian” law. There are laws that can be broken without sinning. And there are sins that are not illegal. Follow? For example, no one doubts that someone breaking the laws of segregation set up by the Jim Crow Laws would be considered a sin? No, its an admirable statement of affirming someone’s worth to do so and that is what the Kingdom of God is all about. But was it illegal? Of course. Or how about Christianity? We are lucky enough to have the freedom to worship God, but what about countries who do not have this freedom? What about where it is expressly stated that it is illegal to worship God and to be a Christian? What do you say to those who break that law every day and risk their life to worship the One True God? Are they sinning? On the flip side, the Bible talks about sins such as gluttony, greed and lust which we as Americans struggle with on a consistent basis. Just because there are no laws set up against these, does that mean they are still sins? Of course it does. There are many sins listed in the Bible that we are not trying to turn into laws. And as if I wasn’t off on a tangent already, here’s another one. Why do we feel the need to impress The Bible on those who don’t believe in it? If I were in a restaurant enjoying a glass of wine with my meal and a Muslim approached me and asked me, “Don’t you know the Koran clearly states it is illegal to drink wine?” do you know what my response would be? Interesting thought, but the Koran is not my authority. Similarly, the Bible is not the authority of the nonbelievers. Why do we impose our laws on those around us? Note how Paul preached differently to the Jews than he did the Gentiles. When he preached to the Jews, he quoted the Old Testament - The Law. Why? Because they were under the authority of it… as Jews, it was written for them. But when he preached to the Gentiles, he never quoted the Old Testament. Why? Because it wasn’t their authority. It wasn’t their law. Notice how when Paul preached in Athens in Acts 17. Here you have a heathen society that worships many different gods, to which they have idols to all of them. He didn’t come to them and quote the Jewish Law and rub their noses in their “sin” of idolatry. No, instead he used their “sin” as an “in” to preach the Good News. (”Hey, I noticed your idol to the Unknown God over there… do you want to know who He is? Let me tell you about Him…)

Okay, I’ve got way more I could say but I just realized the mini-novel I’ve written here, so let me wrap it up with this: Theology and The Church have no place in politics. Jesus was not political, and neither should we be. His ministry operated outside the confines of public policy and political law, and so should ours. The moment we need to fall back on trying to pass laws is the moment we have shown our weakness and henceforth forfeited our efforts. I will dare to say this: You can pass all the “Christian Laws” you want, but they will not create a single Christian. And in the wake of such a crusade, what will the collateral damage be? We must weigh the cost…

Are you in The Way, or are you in the way?

"I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father, except by me."
- Jesus Christ (John 14:6)

The earliest followers of Christ considered themselves as plunging into "The Way". This was an all encompassing lifestyle that followed the way of Jesus, the way of the Kingdom, and the way of the Cross. They looked to nothing or no one else for their inspiration. Their eyes were on Jesus alone... what he said, how he said it and what he did when he didn't say anything.

If we want to be true followers of Christ, we too must submerge ourselves in The Way. Everything we need to know about how to live, how to love and how to die is summed up in the person of Jesus Christ.

And by proclaiming Christ, and taking on the name of "Christian" we accept responsibility for being his ambassadors here on earth. Just as a political ambassador is that nation's representation in a foreign country, we are representatives of Christ to this world. This means that people are supposed to look at us and see Jesus in everything we do. We are supposed to be helping them find The Way.

If we are not truly in The Way, then we are simply in the way...

How then should we live? (A call to arms)

There has been something weighing heavy on my heart lately... actually, its not something new, and its not something I haven't already written about. In fact, if you know me at all, I've probably talked your ear off about this subject if you've given me the chance.

It is my ardent dislike (I can't say "hate" although I'm running out of reasons not to) of a thing I like to refer to as "American Christianity." Its different than true Christianity... actually, I would venture as far to say it is an imposter of true Christianity. It is a cheap rip-off, that if it were a physical object, you could purchase it only in Mexico where it would be laying on a folding table between the fake Rolex watches and Oakley sunglasses.

Why am I so critical? Well, the Christian Church in America is living Christianity out of context, that's why. Yep, I said it. We missed the boat big time. We completely missed our true mission, and have been off on a rabbit trail for about 2000 years now. We are truly the lost ones... not the non-Christians.

What evidence do I have? Well, for one, we are hated. If we were to poll the non-Christians (our "mission field"), our approval rating would make President Bush look like Ghandi. Now, I don't want to hear any stupid automatic response that comes from the propaganda we've been brainwashed with, like "We aren't supposed to be popular" or "God's ways are not man's ways" or "Jesus wasn't popular, that's why they killed him. Are you willing to die?" Its all bullcrap and totally irrelevant!

How do you really think the Church should look? Should it look like a bunch of lunatics with signs picketing and chanting anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-"sin" taglines that only alienates people further and confuses the issue of who Jesus is and why do they need him as their Savior?

And why on earth would they want to have anything to do with us? What do we have to offer? Sometimes I wonder if Jesse Ventura was right when he said that church is a crutch for the weak-minded. Okay, so maybe that's going a little too far. But seriously, what have we done lately? If we look back on the last few years, what major changes have we made to society in the United States? Dig deeper than the colorful WWJD bracelets, Prayer of Jabez, and Purpose Filled Life crap that decorates practically a whole section all unto itself at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. All I can think of is one sickening fad after another that offered no real changes. Seriously, how many times did you stop whatever you were doing and ask yourself "What would Jesus do?" because you noticed the stupid bracelet on your wrist. If it was so transforming, why did you take it off? Why aren't you wearing it still today? Why can't I go into a Christian bookstore and buy one anymore? Is it because it worked so well that everyone was transformed and has it practically automatically programmed in their minds so they no longer need the actual reminder around their wrist... or is it because its no longer popular and wasn't making money?

Why is it that we are known more for our judgement and condemnation than for anything else? Who appointed us the moral police officers of the universe anyway? I seem to vaguely remember a verse that said something about not pointing out a speck in someone's eye... can anyone refresh my memory as to how that ends? I'm pretty sure that it wasn't "feel free to point out the log in your neighbor's eye because it pales in comparison to the speck in your own." Although you wouldn't know it by the way we act, would you?

Remember in the Bible, when Jesus sent the disciples out on what I believe was their first missionary journey without him? They asked that if he wasn't going with them, how would people know who they were? It's a valid question... I mean, would you recognize any of The Heartbreakers unless they were with Tom Petty... or how about the Max Weinberg 7 without Max Weinberg? Jesus responded by assuring them that it was going to be okay because the people would know they were his disciples by their love. Interesting. Not by their words, or their bracelets, or their bumper stickers, or their judgement, or their condemnation, or their passing of "Christian" laws. By their love.
The way they treated the strangers, by loving them, would be enough to identify them as followers of Jesus... the first Christians.

How are we doing at that? Is the way we are treating others compelling them to investigate this Jesus that we follow... or is it repelling them?

Here's the other thing I believe the Church is failing miserably at... evangelism. But then again, when you're one of, if not THE most hated people group in the United States, and you can't get any good press because you keep screwing yourself over by sticking your nose where it doesn't belong (ie, the press, politics, etc), it makes it kind of hard to convince people that the God you love and serve is actually worth following. Gee... I wonder why?

Remember when Jesus was talking to Peter and He referred to him as the rock He was going to build His church on? Remember what he said next? "The gates of hell will not prevail." Think about that... that was Jesus' original vision of what the church would be. How would it look to have this thing called "The Church"? Everyone is known to be followers of Christ because of the way they love each other, and its so powerful that the gates of Hell itself will not prevail. Think about that a little deeper too... when was the last time you brought gates with you into a war? You don't do you? Gates are a defensive mechanism, not an offensive weapon. So what this verse is really laying out is that Jesus' original vision of the Church was that it would be a group of people that were literally storming the gates of Hell... attacking Hell itself and rescuing the lost.

I'm actually ashamed to think, or to know, how miserably the American Church is failing at this right now. Sure, we have altar calls... but what kind of follow up to we offer? What kind of structure do we extend? We're good at coming up with fads that will fade quickly and play as embarassingly as the mix tapes I made when I was in junior high... but what else?

So what does this mean for you and I? How should we live? What can we do? Well, like I've said before, it all comes down to love. Love your God, and love your neighbor... all of the law hangs on this. And they will know we are His followers by our love. And how will we know that we're on the right track? The gates of hell will not prevail.

Tomorrow is never promised...

Okay, I don't mean to be a downer here, but this is going to be a little bit of a more somber blog. Something happened to me while I was working this last hitch, and if anything good has come of it, it has been to remind me that everything can change in the blink of an eye.

There was an incident on my rig that resulted in me coming within 3-4 inches of being speared in the back of the head with a 1500 pound piece of drill pipe. I won't go into detail, but I was working, and heard someone yell, "Whoa!" immediately followed by the sound of a metal clang. I looked over my right shoulder and a couple inches from the end of my nose was sitting a piece of pipe. Had I been standing 6 inches to my right (which "coincidentally" I had been all morning, but wasn't at this moment), the pipe would have speared into me from behind and literally taken my head off. Work was immediately stopped on the rig, and wouldn't proceed for 18 hours as we had a safety stand down and didn't get our clearance to proceed until half way through our shift the next day.

It didn't hit me right away, but as I sat down and started processing everything that had just happened, I began to shake uncontrollably. The cup of water in my hand was spilling out all over my hand and the floor below me, even though I was holding it with both hands. Inevitably, I began thinking about my wife and children... what would have happened to them? Who would have called them and told them? Would they be covered financially, or did I not do enough? My son is only 4 months old... how would he grow up never knowing his father? My daughter is 4 years old... but how fuzzy would her memories become in the years ahead? What was the last thing I said to my wife?

Thank God the outcome wasn't what it could have or should have been. But it really opened my eyes to the reality that nothing is promised to us.

James says, "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow."

I know I am plenty guilty of this. I have plans for the future... grand plans, if I do say so myself. Plans to be debt free, to live in a nice house, to spend my days off traveling the world or fly fishing in a mountain stream. Plans of future ministries. I have plans. And sometimes I find myself living in my future... dreaming about days to come and ignoring today.

But through this experience, I've learned that of the two things: present and future, only one is certain. So why waste time living in the future? Take today while its here. Enjoy what you have right now, don't waste time dreaming about what you don't have.

Live each day to the fullest. Eat, drink and be merry... for tomorrow we die. I'm not advocating a hedonistic lifestyle here (and am very aware of the scripture that speaks out against the pagans with such a mindset), but rather a life of living for the moment. Live for today... grab life by the horns... don't wait!!! You may be waiting to do something until the time is "right"... thats bullcrap... do it now! How robbed would you feel if you never got the chance to do it because you kept putting it off?

Call your mom or dad, husband or wife and tell them that you love them. You never know when the last time you'll get to say this will be. Someday it will be someone else calling them to tell them you're not coming home... how do you want your last conversation to be remembered? How many people left for work on the morning of Sept. 11th thinking they would be back to resolve that stupid little argument with their spouse? And now they'll forever have that in their memories as their last conversation.

All I'm trying to say is to seize the moment... seize the day! We get too comfortable in this life assuming that we have 80 years, plus or minus a few, to accomplish everything we want to. But that's not true, and its sure as hell not guaranteed! Our time on this earth is limited and we need to make the most of it while we can.

Live from your heart. Live from your passions. Live from your desires. And for God's sake, start doing it today!

If Christ were here now, there is one thing He would not be - a Christian.

The following statement is a quote by Mark Twain:

"If Christ were here now, there is one thing he would not be - a Christian."

Now, I will be the first to admit that I don't know what context it was that this was written, other than that it was in one of his personal notebooks. But here's the deal: I want you to tell me your thoughts/feelings about this quote. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Why or why not? How does it make you feel? What does it mean/say to you? This blog will be a little backwards, because I am going to refrain from sharing my thoughts until after I've had a few responses and you have had ample opportunity to share your opinion. Alright, the mic is hot and the floor is open...

At a crossroads...

The Church is living Christianity out of context and I am at a crossroads.

Let me explain.

Say you were to fire a gun and miss the target you were aiming for. I mean, you may only miss by a couple milimeters, but you missed. Now imagine the path of that bullet has enough force and energy in it to continue on it's mis-guided path without losing speed or velocity (all you physics freaks out there live a little!!!). Also, imagine the intended path that the bullet was supposed to take that would have led to the bullseye extending through the target and on out into infinity. The farther the bullet travels, the more off-course it gets. Pretty soon what was initially a miss of only a few milimeters, is now a few feet... and the farther it goes, the wider that gap becomes. Eventually that gap could be a few hundred, even thousand feet off course... I mean, without ever losing its momentum it could eventually get to be a few miles off course! All because of a few milimeters.

I believe the Early Church had it right. They understood what Christ had taught them, and they knew what they needed to do in order to start the new Church after He was gone. But after a while, something started to change. I am not pointing fingers to blame any specific generation or historic event. But somewhere down the line we started to veer off-course. At first it didn't seem like much, in fact some people may not have even noticed they weren't "right on" anymore.

But the longer time went on, the farther down the historic timeline of the Church things started getting more and more off. But at that point, it had been such a slow and gradual change, no one was really noticing. (Kind of like the frog in boiling water... if you drop a frog directly into boiling water, it will jump right out. But if you put it in cool water and place it over a heat source, the frog will never jump out, but rather allow itself to boil to death.)

I can't help but feel that's where the Church is right now. The water is boiling around us, and no one seems to notice, or to care.

Somewhere down the line we have twisted and perverted the original Gospel. I mean, how else can you explain the polar opposite Gospels that Christ and the Early Church preached as compared to the "gospel" that is now preached in America today? I mean one is pro-hate, pro-judgement, pro-condemnation, pro-moral police, pro-America and anti-everyone else... and the other one? The other one is pro-love. Nothing more, nothing less.

How did we get to this point? Where did we lose our path? But more importantly... how do we get back?

That's where I am today... at a crossroads. I feel as if I can no longer associate myself with American Christianity and continue on the path that it is going. To call myself a "Christian" to the secular world already handicaps me from sharing the good news. As soon as someone hears the C-word, they are flooded with preconceived ideas and emotions based on what they have seen from a small, but intensely vocal minority. And it makes my job harder.

I have a good friend who has told me on more than one occasion that he has never felt judged as much as when he is around Christians. Is that what Jesus said when he sent the disciples out on their first missionary journey? "They will know you are my disciples by your judgement?" Ummm... the translation I have says "LOVE." They will know we are His disciples by our love.

That is the path we need to get back on. That is where we are supposed to be. And if the Church is going to continue on a path that takes them further and further away from that, then I guess I need to go off on my own.

I am at a crossroads and need to start forging a path back to the original intention of the Church and I need to distance myself from American Christianity pronto.

The question I have for you is this: Will you continue on the path that is comfortable and familiar? Will you stay with what you know best? Or will you join me?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry that I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

The Greatest Tragedy?

"If you're not a born-again Christian, you are a failure as a human being." - Jerry Falwell

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city... And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there." - Pat Robertson, after the city of Dover, PA voted to boot the current school board, which instituted an intelligent design policy that led to a federal trial.

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say: "You helped this happen." - Jerry Falwell in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"Well, I totally concur." - Pat Robertson's response to the above statment.


The thought of someone spending eternity in Hell because they did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is tragedy enough. How much more of a tragedy for someone to reject Christ because the only representation they had was a perverted gospel spoken by a judgemental, unloving "Christian" who completely mis-represented the TRUE loving Creator? The thought of it breaks my heart...

What part of "Love" don't you understand?

A few years back I was on a mountain biking/snowboarding trip and while driving through a little town in the middle of nowhere in Colorado, I saw a sign in front of the only church in this tiny town. In big bold letters it read, "What part of "Thou Shalt Not" don't you understand?" My initial reaction was one of surprise, but it quickly turned to disgust. How could someone have the audacity to put a sign like that in front of a church?

Over the last few years I have returned to that church in my mind numerous times; and the more I think about it, the more it breaks my heart.

Now, in fairness to the pastor of that little church, I am going to withhold aiming my frustration at him and am therefore removing him from the crosshairs of my rant. I don't know the background of that little church. I don't know how many attempts at witnessing and evangelizing to the townspeople had failed. For all I know this was the only way he felt like he could get through to the people in his town. But to me, this symbolizes the larger state of affairs in the Church as a whole in this country today.

For some reason the Church has gotten to a point of righteous indignation where we have become self-proclaimed enforcers of biblical morality in a world that doesn't answer to the same Authority that we do.

I once heard a comedian say, "'Vengeance is mine', sayeth the Lord and I just want to be about the Lord's business!"

It's a funny comment, and I have taken it out of the context the comedian used but I feel as if it is a perfect example of how the Church feels, if not acts, these days. We read in the Bible about God's wrath and judgment, condemnation and damnation and somehow we interpret that as some sort of holy commissioning and a confirmation of the purpose of our existence from God himself.

But I would venture to say the exact opposite is true. In the Bible (specifically Romans chapter 2), the Apostle Paul says

Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done.

If you read further, it goes on to talk about God and how he will judge everyone. To me, that pretty much means the job of judging is up to God, not us. Do you know what our job is?

People often times look at the Bible as a list of do's and don'ts and they get bogged down in the immensity of it all. "Its too much to think about", they feel. "How can I remember all of that?" they ask.

I've got some good news for you. Get this: it's really a lot easier than you think. In fact, Jesus himself said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Did you catch that? All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. One more time, ALL THE LAW HANGS ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS! Look it up yourself, there is nothing about judging. Nothing about being the moral police. Nothing about petitioning and rallying against gay marriage. Nothing about abortion, or creation nothing about republicans or democrats. I know it sounds really tree-huggerish and hippy-esque, but it all comes down to love.

Think about it for a minute and let it fully sink in. All you need to do is love God and love others. Nothing more, nothing less. If you do that consistently, 100f the time then you will also be following every other command that God has given us. Try it. Look in the Old Testament where we find what's referred to as The Law. Look at every command that is given (start with the 10 Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, if its easiest) and read it with the question "If I am loving God and others with all of my being, then is it possible to break this command?" You'll find it is impossible.

Now think about how the Church as a whole acts most of the time. Is it with love? Is it free of judgment? I would venture to bet that it is not. Now look at those who don't know God and aren't in a saving relationship with Him. Isn't it also our job to share the good news with them? After all, it is good news isn't it? I mean, if you held the cure for cancer or AIDS wouldn't you feel a moral obligation to share it with the rest of the world? We have the cure for sin, which everyone on this earth is dying from, and we have the same obligation to share that with everyone who doesn't know it. Our main purpose in this life should be guiding people TOWARDS the Truth, not scaring them away from it. But how can we share with those we've alienated because of our judgment? They will never be open to anything we have to say if the first thing we say is to point out where they are wrong and what they need to do to change. I once heard the statement, "You don't need to get cleaned up to take a bath." People need to come to Him just as they are, and we need to lead them.

It's not our job to judge, its not our job to condemn, its not our job to point out what sins and lifestyle changes the person needs to make. Our job is to love, and lead that person to the only source of water that will clean them up. What happens next is not up to us; it is not in our job description.

All we need to do is love. Period.