How do we finish that statement?  I’ve always heard, “Love the Sinner, HATE the sin.”  The more I pray about it, the more convicted I am that that’s not how it should go at all.  I think that while you may be loving the sinner, there is a negative thought in there.  You are loving the sinner, but every time they cuss, or relapse, or fail, you are hating what they are doing, thus digging some hate towards them. 

I want to start something new.  I want to start a movement, (OK, I think Jesus started this movement)  Love the Sinner THROUGH the Sin.  I honestly believe this is how it should be done.  I believe this is how Jesus did it.  

I don’t know where to start, but I do believe starting in prayer is a good place.  When you find yourself getting mad at your friends for their addictions, remember they pick up on that anger.  They feel judged, they feel helpless.  The day they fail, and still feel your love, might be the day they realize that they have the power and support to overcome that sin.  It might be the day they feel the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ!

I don’t think this is revolutionary in any sense of the word.  More common sense.  Unfortunately I think we have embedded ourselves in a culture that either hates the sin, or feeds the sin.  Let us be extraordinary visionaries here.  Let us be the ones to not feed nor hate the sin or the sinner.  Can you pray that with me?  

Lord, give us to love the sinner THROUGH his sin.  Give us the strength to hurt with them, struggle with them, and the endurance to celebrate with them.  Lord, through you, we have the strength to do this, give us reminders, daily, hourly, minutely, secondly, whatever it takes for us to look at the sin, and help someone struggle through it.  Help us carry that burden with him/her, so they don’t have to man it alone.  God, we love you, and can’t do anything without you.  But with you, we can be wounded healers, powerful guides, and positive influences.  Help us act, interact and react in a positive light, that only shows you glory!

Amen

I really enjoyed watching Jason Castro on American Idol.  There was something about him that really made me drawn to his music.  He explains it here.

I cussed.  

I’m sorry. 

I’m not really sorry for cussing.  Because I would spend a lot of time apologizing.  I do try really hard to watch my mouth, but that’s my struggle.

With that said, what I am sorry for is that some people communicated to me yesterday that they now question my faith.  I’m sorry for that.  I’m sorry that we live in a society where we question one’s faith because of one word, or because of their middle name.  All the while lobbying to get all of these Mexicans out of ‘our’ country.  All this time, supporting a war that has thousands dying.  All this time, we cover our own sin and find one that is ‘worse’.  I’m sorry that the world is like that.  

Tony Campolo said, First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition.  Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.

I do pray every night that the world won’t be like that, and I do believe that there can be something done about it.  That’s another blog.  Today, I am writing to only say, I’m sorry my language worries you enough to question my relationship with Jesus Christ.  

I write today to assure that Jesus Christ is and always will be my Saviour, and I believe he can forgive me for my language.  As he can forgive you for your ___________ (Fill in the blank)  

Instead of pointing fingers at eachother, let’s pray for each other.  Instead of pointing fingers, and ‘de-Christianizing’.  Let’s hold each other accountable with love.  Instead of anger and nitpicking, let’s love and hold up.  

Jesus died for my profanity, just as he died for your porn addiction, or your alcoholism, or your failing marriage.  Jesus loves us all.  

Lord, Forgive me.  You know my heart, and more so, you know my struggles.  I don’t want to justify my actions, only beg for your forgiveness.  God, I am a human.  A broken broken human.  I try.  Help me love people.  Help people love me.  Lord, most importantly, help us all love You.  We are a broken people and the only way for us to truly live is with Your love.  Give it to us Jesus.  Please.  

   – Amen

I keep hearing people say stuff about the economy, followed by something like, “God is too faithful.” or “God will see us through this.”  Which, don’t get me wrong, I fully believe.  Sometimes I wonder though, will he REALLY get us through this.

A lot of us, myself included, love to live for ourselves.  We love to have money to go see that movie, or buy some online service, or to pay for this or that.  I always wonder when I am missing out on something because of this economy, if God will really give that back to me or is God just getting me back down to where I need to be.  I’ll be honest, the economy sucks.  It really does.  But, I haven’t gone one day without food.  I do think twice before turning up the heat.  I do think twice before doing things I used to do.  I wonder if God has ever stopped being faithful.

I have a place to live.  I have a job.  I eat (within reason) when I want to eat.  I sleep in a climate controlled room in a bed, next to my wife.  Sometimes I have a hard time going to sleep because I have too many programs on my (free) TiVo.  I’m not bragging.  I understand that I am blessed.  But I wonder, in these hard times.. are we focusing on the right thing.  Saying, “God will be faithful” or “God will restore us.” Praying for an extra 10k a year, when maybe he’s trying to get us to realize something.

There are people in this world who don’t see the kind of money I see in a month.  There are people in this world who would laugh in my face when I say things like, “I just couldn’t sleep last night, it was TOO HOT.”  (In the middle of January)  There are people on this Earth who sing every day that God is faithful because they got a cup of water and some bread.  How selfish can we be to say, “this will all be over soon.” pretty much saying, “God will get us back to our selfish ways soon.”

Maybe he won’t.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up without a job.  Maybe in a month I won’t have a place to live.  Maybe the one thing I have to eat that day will be enough to say Holy Holy Holy is my God.  Instead of saying, “God will give us back what is ours.” I don’t believe it is ours, and I don’t believe that God has it in His mind that all of His followers are going to have Hi-Def televisions and surround sound.

I feel like as humans we have a bigger calling.  I feel like in times like this, our focus should be on other people, and helping.  I feel like our struggles should make us stronger to reach out.  I feel like times like these should be wake up calls from God.  Time to exit our comfort zone and re evaluate the way we live our lives.  I struggle with it.  I try my best, but when money is tight I feel like life might end.  It’s a sad day to realize that your livelihood is more centered around money than Jesus.  It’s a sad day that our outreach turns in to hands out.  It’s a sad day when we are waiting for God to ‘really pull us through this one’.

Sometimes I wonder if God didn’t just pull us through the toughest of times we refuse to acknowledge…. Our own selfishness.

I work in IT.  All forms of IT.

If I were to start blogging about that a little more, what would you like to hear me talk about?

Please give me some ideas.  Some good informative stuff you’d like to know.

Shoot!