The rumor mill is running overtime.  There’s talk of a guy named Tiger Woods.  Perhaps you’ve heard the stories.  The ‘rumor’ is he’s been having affairs with, well, just about everyone.  I’m pretty sure Cleopatra just came forward from the dead.

People keep saying, “Is this our business?”  I have two answers for that.  Yes and no.  It’s that easy.  Is it fair that the entire world is obsessed with what you’re doing?  No.  Did you mind it when you were the first black man to win the Masters?  No.

“But he didn’t choose to be a role model! America forced this on him!”

I beg to differ.  I bet Rolex, Gatorade, Nike, AT&T, Accenture, American Express, General Mills and Gillette beg to differ too.

The man’s made billions of dollars to be a ‘Role Model’. Sure, his athletic ability made him marketable, but the fact that he was a likable person that people could look up to and aspire to be is what signed his check.  I guarantee it.

The last thing I want to say about this is:

Forgiveness.  This man is forgiven.  I want you all to remember that.  God has already forgotten it.  I assume that’s why God doesn’t work for the paparazzi.  It’s over.  It’s done with.  Forgiven. My prayer is that the people can do the same thing.  Pray for Tiger.  Pray for his family.  Pray for his children.  Pray that he is confronted by God so heavily that he falls on his face.  Not in a bad way, in a good way.  Pray that he falls on his face in repentance.  Pray that he is forever changed by Jesus Christ!  I was. You were.  He will be too!

Pray for these girls that he’s been sleeping with.  Ranging from actresses, to porn stars to servers, they all need your prayers as well.

We are all dirty, no good, flat on our face worthless sinners.  Jesus was beaten, bloodied, spit on, mocked, denied and killed because he knew that we would screw up.  Because he knew Tiger would do this.  He knew we would all be this foolish.  He knew we wouldn’t want to pray for Tiger, and he knew that you would do that thing you did. Just remember he’s human as well.

Thoughts?

As some of you know our church, “The Point”, came to an end recently, for at least a month.  What is certain is that our building is sold, (Which we knew was coming) and we will no longer meet Sunday Mornings at the building formally known as ‘The Point’.

Over the last week, I have had the…. uh…. privelege? to see this unfold.  To see how people react, and to see how people handle themselves.  I understand some of the confusion, and I even understand being upset.  I spent many hours up there, working, trying to fix things, hanging out, praying, thinking.  That place was like my second home.  (And really was Andrea’s)

All week on Facebook, I have seen statuses similar to ‘whoever’s name “Misses The Point”‘.  I have to agree.  We are missing the point.  We are upset about a gathering place.  We are upset about a building built by hands even though the scripture tells us, “.. God does not live in a building built by hands.”  Somehow we still insist that he does.

I’ve heard, (first hand) a lot of assumptions and attacks launched against our Pastor, for a decision God laid on his heart.  People saying that they know it wasn’t God.  (wow)  I’ve heard people tell blatant lies, I have heard people get angy, upset, manipulative, and just plain silly.  I’ll say this right now.  I grew up on the streets, and I can say without a doubt I have a harder time trying to figure out who is trying to manipulate me in the name of God.  If Jesus Christ were still in his tomb, he’d be turning in it.

With all of this going on, I have a peace.  A peace that God is showing me his redemptive love.  God is showing me that nobody is perfect.  In all of this, God is showing me that I won’t lose my faith in him, and is showing me that with all change comes hurt, betrayal, and suffering.  God is showing me that ‘Christianity’ is not a safe religion. (And he never said it was) God is showing me the undying love of Jesus Christ.

Through all of this, I have not lost faith in Man, because my faith was never in man to begin with. During this time I am reminded that we all have sin.  I am reminded of Luke 18 9-14.  I am reminded that in that story the tax collector went down among men, justified in God’s eyes.

Perhaps we can all walk away with something from that.  Perhaps, as a community going through trials, we should all be standing on the mountain top, not even looking towards the Heavens, pounding our breasts, screaming out our sins and begging for forgiveness, instead of pointing out others.

So I encourage you to join me.  I encourage you to beat your chest with me, screaming out our sins, and begging our Father for forgiveness.  Begging God to redeem us all and our community.

Jesus, forgive me.  I am a sinner!  I have anger in my heart, and in the midst of sharing your love, I hold grudges.  I judge.  Lord, I need your love now more than ever, and I ask that you open the eyes and hearts of people who are hurting.  I pray that the ones who are lost, become found, and Lord, I pray, in the ways that I am lost, I become found as well.  Thank you God for this beautiful love story.  Thank you for shining your light on the darkest situations.  Thank You thank You thank You.  God I love you, I love that You love me, even though I’m a rough, abrasive man.  Lord.  You’re just too awesome to comprehend.

-Amen.

I wrote this blog a while back on an old blog site.  I haven’t posted there in forever, and recently I received a comment on this blog.  I don’t think I’ve reposted it before.  Here is the comment I received. It touched me… I actually touched someone.  Wow.

You don’t know me, but I found your blog due to the picture you posted of “Forgiveness”. I was looking for my own picture of forgiveness due to a currant situation I am having with my own family at the moment.

What you wrote here makes PERFECT sense!! ~_~ Thankyou because what you wrote there at the end…about not being so mad and just letting go….it’s what I needed to hear/read! Thankyou!!! I have a very important beginning to the problem that has been plagueing me and no one had an answer for yet.

~akb.
(just me…)

In this world, I am probably not known as the calmest person, probably not even as the most understanding person. I would say though, that with enough time, I can forgive anyone, of anything. I cannot even get into some of the situations in which I have forgiven. But, some might say it’s too much. I was thinking about myself, where I stand as this new year rolls in. What are my main struggles? Is there anyone I haven’t forgiven? Is there anyone I haven’t talked to about why I’m upset?

I thought about it and prayed about it and thought about it some more. I can’t think of anyone I have not forgiven. Well….. I can think of one person…. Myself. There are a lot of things that have hurt me in my life. Even a lot this last year. I can still look back and say, “If I had done this differently…” or “I shouldn’t have said that.” I haven’t forgiven myself. I sit here, thinking about how my whole life, I have been so content with blaming myself. That if I took all the blame it would make everything better. Mom wouldn’t be as mad, or my girlfriend would be happy knowing that it was all my fault, and not hers. My friends would be glad to hear that I took the blame and they were off the hook. I never needed my own forgiveness.

I don’t know if that is entirely true. I mean, I know that God forgives, yadda yadda, but I’ve always wondered. People often say, no one can love you if you don’t love yourself. Is it the same with forgiveness? Does that include God? Meaning, God can’t forgive me until I forgive myself? Don’t get me wrong. I am not questioning God’s love, or forgiveness. I guess what I am asking is, is it really love or forgiveness if there isn’t an end willing to accept it? Have I been really blocking the fullness of God’s love and forgiveness because of my discontent with myself?

I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but it does to me. I am saying this though. There is no reason for me to be so pissed off at myself, or anybody else for that matter. There is no reason for me to sit and dwell on things I could have done differently or should not have done. I don’t have the time for that. I guess the thing is, I’m not perfect, but I don’t think anyone in this world is. I have made mistakes, and some might say worse mistakes than others. I don’t know. I don’t think it matters. What makes someone who they are is who they love and what they forgive. Which I guess that makes me a pretty awesome person. I don’t fall into all of that “New Years Resolutions” jabber. But I can say, this year, I am not going to hold grudges against anyone who trespasses against me, not even myself. Donald Andrew McMahon, I forgive me.

(Yes, My real name is Donald Andrew McMahon)  Don’t laugh.