Ok, this one makes my skin crawl. In case you haven't seen the video clip, here it is...BUT LET ME WARN YOU!!! In this video a child is singing a song titled "Ain't No Homo Makin' It To Heaven" in front of an entire congregation...and they are CHEERING!
I've been thinking about what to say about this for the past few days. I simply cannot condone this.
Why are we Christians so enraptured by the topic of homosexuality? Aren't there more important topics to deal with? Why must we continually tread in an area where there is little to be won, and so much to be lost? Why, rather than focusing on a specific demographic, don't we work to show how the Bible is still relevant in our society?
In terms of how God views a homosexual vs. heterosexual person, there is NO difference. We all have sin in our lives and are equally disgusting to Him. The sin a homosexual person commits is no different than the sin of adultery, of stealing, of being a drunk, etc.
Any place in the Bible that I have read that reference this issue say that the *act* of homosexuality is the sin - NOT simply being attracted to a person of the same gender. This also means that you do not necessarily have to be a homosexual person to commit this sin -- simply if you have sex with someone of the same gender.
If only we were fractionally as graceful as our Heavenly Father, then maybe we could start to see His Creation through His eyes. None of us deserve Heaven, so why do we think we can determine the status of another's salvation -- when we do such a poor job of ensuring our own?
Just remember: always try to see yourself from the other person's point of view. If they don't see Christ in you (loving, compassionate, etc), then you probably are doing something wrong.
It's Friday. Today I get to take my wonderful wife of 9 years on an overnight trip for a night away from the kids (as wonderful as they are ;-) ) and celebrate our anniversary at a place where my grandparents formed many wonderful memories: Schula's Steakhouse. I've been looking forward to this for about a month now. Life has been so crazy -- so fast-paced -- that it feels like I really haven't had a chance to breathe. Between work, church, and kids it feels like it's been ages since my wife and I just got an opportunity to just sit back and talk. For one night there will be no cooking, no cleaning, no laundry, no chores, and no distractions. I thank God each and every day I get a chance to spend time with her (and that is definitely something I should tell her more often!).
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kids. We both do. But that is also part of the problem. It's hard to say no when they are just too much fun. Needy as they are, they add an extra spice of life. It is undoubtedly the most consuming and wonderful job in the world to be a parent!
Anyone who is out there in the blogosphere reading this, this is simply going to be a place where I (like most) will write out my online version of a diary. I have no interest in keeping one, but I also feel compelled to share my thoughts about anything and everything. I have no specific theme, no agenda...just an opportunity to give voice to my inner thoughts without muddying anyone else's.
Who am I? Just a simple guy. I define myself by what I see as my order of priorities in life: 1) God. No bones about it, He's the numero-uno. I struggle daily to die to self, family, my job, and my church, just so I can know Him more. This doesn't mean that I don't occasionally (or routinely) fail to give Him credit or lapse into a non-Christian attitude for a bit...we all have our bad moments/days/weeks/etc. Please forgive me when I do this. It's definitely not intentional -- I know full-well that these displays of poor attitude do not glorify God, and therefore can become a stumbling block to anyone trying to get closer to God or get to know Him at all. Believe me, He is worth EVERY effort we can expend in our little time on this Earth. Non-Christians have NO clue what they are missing out on. It's like the sensation of what we commonly call "falling in love". It's like the perfect gift. It's Heaven on Earth. For those "Twilight" fans out there, it's like imprinting. For those unfamiliar with it, here ya' go:
2) Family. I may work a regular job, and I may serve many hours at my church, but if push comes to shove, my family will beat everything else but God. By serving God more, I inherently serve my family. You see, the rest of the world has it backwards. They honestly believe that, even in a trusting relationship, you still need to look out for yourself. That's not the way it was *designed*. Serve your spouse and family with everything you have -- ignoring any notion of "self", and all of your needs will be met (but not always by them). You don't serve them because you are expecting to be served in return...you just do it because you love them and because it's what Christ did for you first. 3) Church. Yup, it's my direct responsibility after Family. I am fully committed to serving the Body of Christ (not a specific location -- even though I do have a home church). I am an Elder, the Youth Leader, and the Multimedia Director of my home church. I do not swear any allegiance to any church, but believe fully in serving in any capacity the Holy Spirit directs me towards, and doing so with the full ability of my person. Expecting to see me say Job after Family? Nope. Withvery rare exception to this rule, I will absolutely avoid allowing anything to stand between my family and our participation in the Body of Christ. It's about fellowship. It's about authenticity (I'm a sinner Monday through Saturday, so no sense pretending like I'm not on Sunday). It's about renewing my spirit. It's not a suggestion, it's an imperative. 4) Job. Took a bit to get here..eh? There is nothing wrong with making an honest income. There's nothing wrong with making a *good* honest income. It simply is not my foremost responsibility, and I fault any *Christian* if they believe it should be. "You shall have no other gods before me" ring any bells? I recognize Sabbath as any day that I can devote to God (either meditation on His Word, in prayer, in serving my Family, or any combination thereof). If I have to work on Sunday, so be it. I recognize other Christians are strictly Saturday-only or Sunday-only (not allowing work to be done on whichever day they recognize it, and setting it aside strictly for the purpose of meditation on God and His Word). Kudos to them, it is a terrific discipline. Maybe some day I'll adopt that attitude, but that is not what I feel the Spirit has directed me towards. Since it is a "non-essential" in the Christian faith, I also avoid any argument concerning it, as I do not see it being beneficial for non-believers to hear any discourse over such matters.
There are many other priorities, but these are my top 4. I just wanted to give you a synopsis of who I am by how I define myself. These are my ideals -- something I try to fully live up to. I fall short; I'm a weak human...I'm not God. As such, it is not my place to judge others.
Judgement...that's another topic that I am adamant about. People often like to use the cliche "don't judge me" when we take about aspects of morality. This is what I consider a "landmine" topic. As Christians, we have to be VERY careful about citing the consequences of sin. Let's talk about a few key points that we just carefully consider when discussing such matters:
1) Christ died for ALL, not *just* you. You are no better than anyone else.
2) EVERYONE has a sinful nature (aka Original Sin). You are tempted, just as everyone else is. Just because you have received the *gift* of Salvation does NOT mean that you are exempt.
3) Just because you attend church does NOT make you a Christian. Just like standing in a garage doesn't make you a car. Being a Christian is a *lifestyle*. If you aren't producing Spiritual Fruit, you can be pretty sure that God, at best, sees you as luke-warm (which is VERY dangerous ground).
4) The wages of Sin *is* death. A "wage" is compensation for a job that has been performed. If your lifestyle is steeped in Sin, regardless of what you consider yourself, you can bet that God sees you as a person still in need of a Savior. This, however, does not give Christians free license to go out shouting that everyone else is going to Hell. Doing so does NOT glorify God, nor does it show any love or compassion towards fellow humans. If you participate in this sort of activity, please get off the "milk" and get onto the "meat"...you are lacking in Spiritual Maturity.
Just to make it clear, I believe that there is a clear distinction between accountability and judgement: Accountability: the agreed-upon practice between Believers that permits us to talk honestly, openly, and in the spirit of love about concerns we may have pertaining to potentially non-Christ-like attitudes or behaviors that we are dealing/struggling with to allow other trusted Believers to (in a Christ-like manner) confront us and hold us accountable to ensure we are not falling into sin. Re-read that. It is not something that I just go run over to my Christian friend and tell him that he is a horrible person because he uses explicit language or is engaging in illegal activities. It is a situation where I tell my friend that I need their help in making sure I keep away from the sinful things that I have a temptation towards. Judgement: Tons of different perceptions about this. Our society likes to tell us that someone is judging you if they make a comment about something you do, say, etc that they disagree with. To me, this is just stating opinions. To me, judgement is more about the verdict/sentencing, than it is with the accusation. When I run up to a random person on the street and tell them they are a sinner and is going to Hell -- that, my friends, is judgement. Does it glorify God? No. Does it communicate the love of Christ to the unbeliever? No.
To keep it simple, always try to see yourself from the other person's point of view. If they don't see Christ in you (loving, compassionate, etc), then you probably are doing something wrong.
That's it for now. I'll write whenever I get the strange notion to. It may be once a week, or even a few times a day...you never know! Until then...praise to God, may I glorify Him in ALL things!
