Book Burning

The Rev. Terry Jones said Thursday he would call off the planned burning of Qurans based on a deal negotiated with the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida that the location of a mosque planned near ground zero in New York would be changed. (WRAL TV)

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -- Mahatma Gandhi

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5.43-45 )

Rev. Jones says they will, then they won't, then maybe they will and for each sad change of "mind," and whim that this man has, the television cameras roll, the microphones are placed and "his" changes of tiny little mind are blasted around the globe. I wonder if we ignored him if he wouldn't just go away? I rather think the good man is enjoying his media manipulation and time in the spotlights.

My mind wanders to the simple question, what exactly does this man wish to accomplish by his actions?

Gain converts, nonsense, alienation does not win hearts and minds, it hardens them.

Fill his pews, hardly, today the Quran, tomorrow "War and Peace," "The NIV Bible," or any other book he deems ungodly.

A belief that he actually speaks for God? Pish Pash, history is full of people that believe that God was speaking through them. God doesn't need a human voice, God is God and his word is eternal. Plus, in Matthew, Jesus tell us exactly what we should do in face of adversity and there ain't no burning in those words, there is love and prayer.

There is so much to be done yet we are trapped in minutia fueled by nonsense and the exploitation of the twenty four hour news cycle. My main worry and concern, Terry Jones actions can place innocent people in danger as he mindlessly throws gasoline on an out of control fire of irrational fundamentalism.

Homosexual, Homosexuality, Gay, Behavior, Choices

So, my pastor a man who I admire and respect went down the homosexuality path today…kind of. Benji was talking about a man who he’d ministered to, the context was grace, acceptance and love but, Benji did say homosexual lifestyle. Here is where I pause, my alert senses go into overdrive and I become hyper, HYPER sensitive. He stated that the man chose not to live that lifestyle, got saved and died the next day. I am very down with that, but…

Being homosexual is. It “is” like being any other sexual. Heterosexual people don’t just decide one day that they will be attracted to the opposite sex. They simply are, I imagine. Having never been heterosexual I am making an assumption. So, if heterosexual people simply “are;” then why do we not afford the same respect and benefit to homosexual, bisexual and gender confused people? I use gender confused because I don’t know of another term to use.

Here is where I’d wished that pastor took it one step further today. Being homosexual “is.” Choosing a lifestyle is a decision. People, gay and straight alike choose to drink to excess in bars, they choose to use drugs, they choose to be promiscuous and they choose to live lives that are less than holy and honorable. Those choices have nothing whatever to do with what people are at heart. Seeking to prove otherwise we might condemn all who are not born Jewish. After all for a very long time salvation was afforded in man kind’s eyes as being reserved only for the chosen people, the Jews.

Wrap all of this up in, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself. In praying on this passage from Matthew, I see no room to not love someone for what they are. I see no room not to love someone for what they do or how they behave. The Gospel give no leniency on this greatest of commandments. Do I think that my pastor was saying otherwise, no, no I don’t.

I did comment to pastor on my connection card in hopes that he will engage me in this conversation. I think that it is important and it should be interesting. I’ll keep you posted.

You are the salt of the Earth and the light of the world

Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and Light
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

I just love the beatitudes and the lessons in them. Today I went to a new church for me and the lesson was taught on these verses and it was so inspiring and relevant and timely. The pastor essentially said that followers of Christ live in bubbles. It is inside those bubbles that we cast judgment on the folk of the world who are not saved or church goers. The pastor also pointed out that empirically the only difference between church going believers and those not; is that goers own more Bibles. Goers are just as likely to lie, cheat, steal, harm and act in deceitful ways. Goers do tend to give more to faith based charity too but that’s about it.

Interestingly enough when we believers go into the world we tend to try awkward attempts at getting the world into our churches. We tend not to befriend first but ask and invite first which tends to put the none church attendee off. In fact often it makes them run away very quickly. So in very broad terms I began to think about the church that I’m a member of and the difficulties there now.

The church where I am a member is in crisis. Attendance is falling, people come but they don’t stay. I’m a prime example. There are individuals who are members of my church who I love and cherish but the larger church didn’t invite me in or engage me. They asked my spiritual inventory and then ignored it. They tried to plug me into areas where I have no passion, like hospitality and the board of trustees; where I still sit; but not for long. My passions revolve around singing, acting, visual arts, writing, teaching and preaching. All of those passions were ignored and dismissed. It was made very clear that my round peg wasn’t going to be put into my round hole and so I lost interest.

So, roughly a year after becoming a member of my church, I’m looking for a new one. A church closer to home, one where my round peg will be placed in my round hole and my faith passions can be explored. I know soon enough that I’m going to write a letter of resignation to my church. I think in it I will have to be open, honest and forthright with them and tell them exactly why I no longer feel lead to attend or be a member of their congregation. I approach this action with trepidation and when examining the action feel my light flicker. My church was very much a part of my recovery from years of self destructive behavior.

I love the members and the pastor of the church where I’m a member. They helped me discover that I am worthy and loved and most importantly I am capable of chaste love. They helped me discover that the living God not only lives in me but in all people and that all people are worthy of redemption and grace There I discovered that in order to get new folks into church you have to be their friend first, they have to see the light in you and taste the salt. The salt is Christ and living a life lead by his example, service and sacrifice. To pounce on guests the minute that they come through the door doesn’t work. Conversely it is also a failing to invite folks into membership, give them a spiritual inventory and then ignore it.

My prayer is that my church finds its way. I do think it will be a most difficult and arduous path for them. That church is so caught up in declining attendance and membership that they seem panicked. It’s sad really, the pastor is a most gifted preacher but the messages that she deliver seem to get skewed by frantic attempts to raise money and encourage people into the church.

My church's light does seem to be hidden beneath baskets or bowls, so many there tend to guard their turf with an uncommon zeal. I knew early on that I was aware that something was amiss; I’d sit in my pew and feel completely disconnected from the service and members. I fought for a while but now I’m certain that I’ve moved on. I moved on to rediscover my salt and my light hoping that it won’t flicker out, I trust that God will lead me to the right place and all will be well.

Sin and Forgiveness

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.Matthew 6:14-15

Sin and Forgiveness

One of my very best, albeit most difficult friends in the world truly has issues with forgiveness, I might even go onto say that she doesn’t even have a clue as to how to forgive. This could be said of herself first and then those with which she interacts. Unfortunately, I see this cycle of behavior as being very self destructive and venomous to her. Furthermore, I am ill prepared because of our close relationship to help her out of where she is.

For several years I have attempted to help my friend find her way. As my faith journey began it was aid offered first in conversations of grace, love, joy and forgiveness. However, the longer these conversations went on the more intractable she became toward the topics and the more frustrated I became with her claims that she couldn’t change because she was too old and had too much invested in this cycle of behavior. The truth is that she refuses to change; she has made a choice not to change. I think this is because her anger and bitterness are her snug harbor and safe haven. They consume and envelop her; they are a poisonous security blanket. They color each and every aspect of her life and all interactions that she has with other people. The anger and bitterness she cleaves to are so comfortable to her that I believe she can’t even recognize them.

The sad reality of this anger and bitterness is; she through her words and actions and victim mentality has driven every close friend, partner or spouse away from her. Her anger has colored her relations with family too. Now because of my very close relationship with this woman; I find myself driven away too. So, I’m in mourning to a degree. The mourning of this relationship is very different from the other relationships that I’ve lost because the evolution of this death is not complete. I’m plagued now with doubt and worry. I see my friend moving away from me, something that I now see that she’s wanted for a very long time and my desire not to let her leave has created an abundance of tension for both of us.

So, today while praying on this situation, I came to this verse in Matthew.

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.Matthew 6:14-15

I hold that one can substitute the word, wound or hurt or insult or slight for the word sin. I think as a person of faith and a believer in Christ and Christ’s path that I must do this. I have attempted to do so in all instances. This as it turns has been one of the wedges driving between my friend and me. What drew us together initially was the fact that at our core we are fundamentally damaged people. We could stand outside work and smoke, and complain and suck the flavor out of any joyous situation we to delight in not forgiving others and discussed this openly. In common we had a thread of negativity so thick it couldn’t be cut with a sword. In reflection I know this now about myself, years ago my father said to me that he thought I enjoyed being angry. At the time I was furious with him…isn’t that all too telling. I can now smile when I think about how brave dad was to say that to me.

I made a decision not to be an angry person. I made a decision to say to myself each day that God would do something miraculous in my life and that I would find a way to love people even with their flaws and shortcomings. I thought that I could love my friend out of her place. I couldn’t and I’ve failed so far. The endless hours of prayer and conversation haven’t worked and we’re separating on a temporary and part time basis. I’m not so naïve to think that our separation is temporary or part time, I see it as the first step to a permanent parting of the ways. I’m not scared about where I’m going. I have a focus and clarity. I fear for my friend because she’s admitted to me that she doesn’t know what the next phase of her life will look like. I hope that she can figure it out.