Scandalous

Occasionally a couple of my friends and myself will have controversial conversations about current events or "trending" topics. Today one of them started off with the following link (click here). To understand this post you must first read the link, if you just read this with out reading that... well you might be confused.

A Christian university that has an LGBT group, how does that translate according to biblical standards/principles? Here is my take on it, and a few quotes of theirs.

Biblically homosexuality is a sin, so is sex before marriage, taking God's name in vain, dishonoring one's parents, and the list keeps going. These things are "normal" and accepted in our world today. Scripture says we are born into sin (Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."). We are not born Christians. We are born with a desire to be sinful. We want to rebel against our parents and other authority; we want to swear and drink and have premarital sex... Everything we aren't supposed to do is what we want to do. It literally takes an act of God to change us. People are tempted in different ways. Jesus, for example, fasted for 40 days. Satan tempted Him with turning a rock into bread to meet His physical needs (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan tempted Him in His weakest moment. When we are hungry or desperate for something we will do almost anything to get that thing, whatever "it" is. In 1991 a woman hired a hit man to kill her daughter's cheerleading rival to insure her own daughter would be on the cheerleading squad. Not all people's sin is that open, but when God comes in and truly changes someone's life, they are changed forever.

Think about it this way, if your co-worker/friend/spouse/etc runs in and says, "I'm so sorry I am late! I just got hit by a semi-truck and it took forever to get out of there." You would not believe him. Why is that? Because that person would look drastically different, and would possibly be dead. When someone is changed by God he will not appear the same. The physical appearance may not change but everything else about the person begins to change. If someone has homosexual tendencies and then comes to know the Lord that person will be changed. It may not be immediate, but change takes place in that person's life. The more this person spends time with the Lord the more the person sees that it is not spiritually natural to have that desire. Then the person will begin to seek God even more for Him to transform his heart. The person begins to want to desire what God desires. Christ's purpose was to spread the gospel and make His name known throughout the world. His second command to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. Why were they to do this? What was the point? It was to spread the name of the Lord. They knew what was good and evil. There were only two options, good and evil. It was not good and bad, rather good and evil.

Sin is evil. When we lie, that is evil. When we get drunk, that is evil. When we... do anything that goes against God's law, it is evil. God is perfectly forgiving. God is also perfectly just. Think about it this way, if a convicted murderer was called in by a judge and was told he was being set free. He was forgiven of his charges and was free to go. Everyone (and they mama) would be in an uproar. We would call that judge all sorts of crazy things. So why should we expect the same from God? God sent His Son to die for each of us so that we might have hope in Him. As a Christian/Follower of Christ we are to look different than the world. We are not to go out of our way to look different, but we are not to be of this world. We are just living in it temporarily until we are allowed to go "home". We are citizens of heaven, if we are followers of Christ. As a citizen of heaven our citizenship looks much different than those of the world. Homosexuality, sexual immorality, etc. fit into that category as well. Although we are not to participate in such, we are called to love them. There is a time to rebuke and a time to love. We can still love others while recognizing their actions are sinful. Many people believe that by thinking something is wrong we have to push our own agenda on others, even if we think that agenda is "the right one". Christ did not do that. He loved others and shared truth with them. He was the harshest on the religious people (read the New Testament to see more on this and what He said to the Pharisees).

I, like everyone else, am very sinful. Do people treat me like a leper or stand outside my house with signs and shouting things at me? No. Why should we be doing that to people who claim homosexuality? Shouldn't we show them love and respect? John 8:2-11 talks about the woman caught in adultery.

"Early in the morning He came again to the temple. All the people came to Him, and He sat down and tuaght them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?' This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She Said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'"


He did not condemn her, He loved her. In His love for her He let her go and told her to "sin no more". We do not have the authority to tell others "go and sin no more" but we have the ability to love and respect. I was not there so I cannot tell you the level of His compassion or the depth of His kindness. I can tell you that scripture shows that He loved her enough to protect her from the harm of others and the harm of herself. If we are called to be like Christ (Christian means little Christ), aren't we called to love like Christ? Aren't we called to respect? Aren't we called to tell others about Christ? Yes.

Recently there was an article published about a pastor in North Carolina. This particular pastor told his congregation if their children start showing signs of homosexuality they should "beat" them. This is not what God has called us to. Christ washed the feet of the man who would betray Him. He ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. When was the last time you spoke to someone who was highly hated in your community? When was the last time you offered to eat a meal with a prostitute or someone society looks down upon?

In the community group I attend we spoke about lepers. Not just leprous people but people we consider outcasts in society. Think about who you consider an outcast and pray for them. Not just pray for them but take actions that show Christ love to them. Our community group leader asked us what do those around us begin to believe about us when we start reaching out to the "lepers" of our society? After thinking about it I said, "we become the lepers". We really do, it is not common practice to treat others with love and respect when we do not like what they are doing or when they are not doing what society approves of.

I dare you, reach out to your local leper. We are sinful, we are born into sin. So why not love the other sinners and treat them the way Christ did?

Life is Often Far too Short

Some times life ends too soon; before we expect it to end. Some times it is sudden; some times it is expected. Life has a funny way of ending. By funny I mean not funny at all, but you know what I mean by that; I hope.

Recently it seems death has been very present among those I know. Thankfully I haven't had to experience this in quite some time but I know the feelings and emotions all too well. Two of my favorite people of all time passed away when I was in junior high and high school (my grand parents). I still remember going through their house and helping pick what was kept and what was to be sold/given away/thrown out. But this isn't about me, it is about others.

There is a sweet family that lost their father/husband in a sudden accident. It wasn't expected, he wasn't sick, it couldn't have been predicted. One day they had their daddy, the next day they didn't. One day their husband woke up and walked out the door for work, but didn't come home. Can you imagine that? That is someone's reality. Several people's reality actually but in this case it is them ... their world has stopped for a brief moment in time. They are left with memories that can't hug them before they go to bed. Those memories can't tell them that everything is going to be alright and that daddy is coming home, because he isn't. All they can do is try to pick up where things left off and start over. A life without her best friend that slept in her bed with her every night. A life without daddy.

What would you do? Can you imagine that?

Just the mere thought of it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and bawl like a big baby. It makes me want to go home and hug my own daddy.

Often we read verses like Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Somehow we think that verse makes us invincible. Many times we forget to keep reading: Jeremiah 29:12-14 "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." [So I am not saying this traumatic event has sent this family into exile, just hang with me]. We think because of verse 11 that our life is going to revolve around what we consider good and what we consider our future, welfare, and hope. Bad things happen, God allows/causes those bad things (contrary to popular belief). Not because God is "bad" but because God has a purpose that we do not always understand. We may never understand His reasoning for things, but when we acknowledge His all-knowing, all-seeing, overwhelming love for His people we see that our plans are not God's plans. Proverbs 16:1 "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." God has all the answers, we do not.

God knows the plans; He knows the paths; He knows the future and the hope. We only see a tiny little portion, our own lives and those we hold dear around us (some times not even that). When He causes these traumatic events or allows them to happen He wants us to call upon Him and go to Him in prayer. Like David, He wants us to pour everything out to Him: Psalm 22:14 "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast." The Lord wants us to seek Him and find Him in events like these. Just as the LORD has pursued us, He wants us to pursue Him. He knows all things and knows the answers to all things. So why would we seek the knowledge of others before seeking that of God. He also tells us in verse 14 that He will restore our fortunes and gather us up from where we have been driven. That alone implies that we are going to have misfortune and be driven away from all that we know. He knows why, He knows where, and He knows how. In events like this, He wants us to pour our hearts out like water that has been poured out all over the place. He knows we are going to be a big crying hot mess. He made us that way, He is not surprised when we do become that way. He knows we are going to be all out of sorts and that our heart is broken. This family feels like they are melting into the very floor they are walking on, they have lost a key part of their lives. Their whole lives have been flipped upside-down. Everything has changed for them; their hearts are broken.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us that "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 147:3 says "He (the LORD) heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." God promises to make things better. Things will never be the same but He will bind up the wounds, heal them, save the crushed spirit, restore their fortunes, and give them hope. Things will forever be different, but this is not the end. Not yet. He still has a plan, that is why the rest of this family is still here.

Some of you know this family personally, don't forget to pray for them. Don't forget to hug your families and remind them how much you love them.

Some of you do not know this family at all; please pray for comfort for this family. Don't forget to hug your families too.

This family loves each other dearly, the hug each other often; don't think I am saying anything against them. My heart (and prayers go) goes out to them and as I sit and think about all that they are going through right now, it is all I can do to not start crying myself. This event in their lives has reminded me in any events (big, small, traumatic, mundane, etc) I am (we all are) to be seeking the Lord. I am to love at all times, even when it is hard. Life is often far too short to spend most of it mad at others or not loving others. We never know when our days with them will end.

Decide to make today and everyday here after different.

You have a choice, we all do.

When God Says "No"

Over the past 6 years my friends and I have had this running joke that God wouldn’t let me leave the state for more than 7 days at a time. This spring He said yes to me for a trip to Italy. There is something awesome about getting what we want, but what about the times we don’t get what we want? God is still good. He still has a plan. He knows all things past, all things current, and knows all things of the future. He knows all. When we are told “no” we seem to revert back to our two year old selves and throw a mini-tantrum. God has a plan that I do not yet understand.

Ok, maybe not everyone; but I know I do. This is a problem, because in essence I am saying I think my plan is better than God’s. God knows what is best for me (and you). He has a specific plan for us and some things, sadly, just do not fit into His plan.

Although He has given me many yeses, there are still so many things where I am getting a big fat no. Some of them I understand and some of them I have been left in the dark. He is opening up some doors and quickly closing others, all-the-while leaving some slightly cracked. Originally I thought I was graduating in December; nope, there is more school to be done. Thought I would be taking another short trip overseas for the summer; nope, there is work to be done. Thought I would be doing this, that, or the other and so many things have changed (but stayed the same) in such a short amount of time. This time last year I had a completely different major with my current goal and vision. Now I am studying in a different department, learning completely different things and around drastically different people than before. God has a plan.

Sometimes I feel like God leads us in certain directions to test our faith and trust in Him. For instance, this year everything seemed to be working out perfectly for me to go overseas for 10 days with the university’s Study Abroad program. Then, things changed. God allowed things to work out everything perfectly until He told me no. He has me right where He wants me, and for whatever reason that is here … where I am currently writing this from – my job. He has given me a job, in the most unique of ways, and has allowed me to work with students from all over the world. He has also given me some of my best friends through this job. His plan is sweet and lined with good things (that doesn’t mean we always get what we want or that things are always going to be hunky-dorey either).

I don’t always get what I want. I didn’t marry that guy or get to date that other one I “liked sooo much”. If I did, my life would look quite different. I didn’t get to graduate within 4 years of starting college. If I would have, I wouldn’t be working here and most likely not even have the job I have now. I didn’t get to leave the country every time I wanted to or take the trips I wanted to take. If I would have, I would be in much more debt (let’s be serious, travelling is expensive – don’t let that stop… please travel! So much out there is just waiting to be seen). I didn’t get that job I applied for in Hawaii. There are so many things I have been told “no” on, but there are so many good things that have happened because I was told “no”.

God’s plan is so much better than my own and I miss that at times. When I am turned down for things it doesn’t mean I need to stop trying, it means I need to find where I should be trying. My efforts are not wasted, they are learning opportunities for what is to come in life. Our parents, grandparents, and elders didn’t become wise overnight. No! They lived, they learned, they were told no and had to figure things out. Don’t give up on God when you don’t get your way, ask where you missed the turn or where to go next. Sometimes our “GPS” needs to recalculate.

Trust God’s plan even when you don’t understand. That is something I have been trying to learn over the past 6 (almost 7 …) years. We have to surrender our own plans for the plans of the One who knows better.