I am kind of curious as to why homosexuality gets more air time in our country than say, the 7 deadly sins? Is it just me or is there some kind of discrepancy in the way that we go about understanding important issues as a “church culture”? Does homosexuality have more deaths associated with it than any of the 7 deadly sins? Does it cause more of a break in relationships than any of the 7 deadly sins? I am not saying this to condemn anyone, I am just curious. Why is it that the church takes a zero tolerance stand on one sin rather than others which are more prevalent? Those in the LGBT community are in a lot of ways barred from taking ministry positions, but I have seldom seen anyone who chronically operates in the “7 deadly sins” told that they cannot pastor a church or lead worship. So far I have counted 11 verses in the bible the deal with homosexuality as a sin, 90+ dealing with pride, 35+ on greed, 80+ on gluttony, 80+ dealing with lust, 40+ dealing with wrath (hate), 60+ concerning envy, and 70+ concerning laziness. There were however about 100+ dealing with sexual immorality as a whole.
Though greed has the lowest numbers of the 7 it is still mentioned 4 times as much as homosexuality as something God dislikes. That should really make someone think about what is important. But really, who wants to have to confront someone about an issue that on some level we all deal with? Wouldn’t that be hypocritical? Who wants to have that tough conversation and really have a heart to heart about 7 vices that are really common to your average Christian? It is much easier to point the finger at someone who is obviously “in sin” than to turn that finger on someone who walks in pride, or is hateful, or lazy, or greedy, or gluttonous, or lustful, or even envious. Heck, we can rationalize the hell out of the “7 deadly sins” but with homosexuality you really can’t.
All sin is detrimental to the person who walks in it. There are obvious consequences for making poor choices. However, it would seem that our current culture seems to want to empower the “7 deadly sins” by trying to crucify those who are a part of the LGBT community. (Not saying that this how it always is, but it is self-righteousness as its best or worst depending on how you look at it.) What is displayed is a type of deflection that happens when we know we are wrong but we want to draw the attention away from ourselves and put it on someone else. This is where I would begin to apply the parable of the speck and the plank that Jesus talked about. Depending on where you go, the culture of the church practices trying pull the speck out of someone else’s eye without first notices they have a large 2x4 in their own eye. Sadly to say, it is a culture of accusation rather than restoration and reconciliation, of which I have been a part for quite some time.
I am learning currently that as I begin to deal with myself, there is really no place to deal with others. Meaning as I am learning where I fall short, it gives me no space to judge another on where they fall short. Those who have been forgiven much love much. There is such a level of compassion that becomes available as we understand just how much we have been forgiven. In my conversations with God I have been told on many occasions that it is not my place to try to change a person’s lifestyle. It is not up to me to try to convict them of whatever they are doing. Simply put, I am not better than Holy Spirit in the convicting business and I need to stop trying to do his job. The task given has always been to love people right where they are, and expose them to the presence of God. NOTHING ELSE! However, having been brought up in a form of zealous Christianity, I was taught to beat people up with scripture, tell them all the things that God hates about what they are doing, talk about how they would not inherit eternal life, and the like. I forgot the simplicity of the kindness of God leading people to repentance. I forgot that love looks like interacting with people based upon what they are worth not what they deserve. The perspective and dynamic changes when you begin to see a person’s worth from God’s eyes, versus what they deserve because of their behavior. Said another way, when you realize that you don’t deserve anything that you have and that it is all a gift, it becomes a bit easier to interact with those who by Christian standards don’t deserve anything at all.
As I write this, I can feel many scathing rebukes. People want to hold on to their opinions and perspectives more than they want to listen and understand. Their version of righteousness requires certain moral behavior that at its root stems from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Whereas the gift Jesus gave was His righteousness that stems from the tree of life. I can understand how this might seem like I am condoning sin, but really I am hoping to bring into the light that, if we are going to focus on calling sin out in people’s lives, it is best to use the same measure on ourselves before going after the “sinners”. But then again, even that very act is rooted in us acting as judge, which is what transpired when we partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I know this might sound a bit extreme, but if homosexuality is going to garner such attention then we might as well start doing the same thing to ALL those who fall short in these other areas (the 7 deadly sins). Yet, the reality is if we were to do this, there would be many a church that would need to close its doors.
A bigger issue begins to arise when we choose to make judgments that we are not qualified to make against people we are called to love. Many, including myself, have made it a habit to judge people based upon personal standards we carry and interpretations we have on various scriptures from the bible. Growing up, my parents used to tell me and my older brother drinking alcohol was a sin that would lead us to hell. At 28, I think that is absolute rubbish and nowhere in scripture will that story be corroborated. However, it is still a conviction of my parents that drinking is a bad idea. Thankfully, my parents have grown up enough to realize that it is not a sin, nor will it condemn a person to hell. They have had to let go of a place of judgment that they held onto because of past experiences. Judging people based upon a faulty understanding of morality, ethics, and righteousness does not help people grow together. Ultimately these types of judgments end up pushing our fellow man away from us under the guise of being moral and right. This was never the intention of God for humanity.
I remember reading a scripture that says, “…love covers a multitude of sin.” I know this might be out there for a lot of people who have been sin hunters for most of their days, but what would happen if we stopped bashing people for their sin and actually do what this verse says? I mean Jesus did take care of our sin problem by taking them to the cross. Jesus has never once called us by our sin, so why is it that we continue to stand as accusers calling those who fall short by their sin? Does that make since?
I am well aware than many will have missed the whole point of this blog because they will have read some parts that conflict with their theology. Honestly, that is okay. It isn’t something I am worried about. But, my heart is this, how long will we continue to live off of the fruit that condemned us to death and when will be start eating from the tree that was meant to sustain and bring us life? When will we take Jesus seriously and love one another based upon our worth rather than what we deserve. We cannot afford to sit in a seat of judgment, because we become unjust judges. We are not qualified for that position. However, we have been qualified to love. I think it is time to take our rightful spot.
Again, I would like to stress that I am not condoning sin in the least. Nor do I think homosexuality is a lifestyle that should be led. However, I also think lust, envy, greed, pride, and the like are equally as bad. They all belong together in the same category known as sin. All sin has the same remedy and solution. It is Christ crucified. Justice and Judgment for ALL SIN!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Growing in Abundance
First let me make this really clear, this blog has always been about the crazy changes that happen in my life and the experiences that I walk through. I have tried to keep this thing user friendly without the overtly “Christian” language, all the while staying true to my personal convictions. This entry is probably going to walk that fine line. I am going to state the obvious; I love Jesus, and think he absolutely rocks. Yet, through various entries you might have noticed raw emotions down to the occasional F-Bomb. I make no apologies for those things as they have been a large part of my journey, however, this particular entry will probably go in the opposite direction. So viewer discretion is advised if you are in anyway put off by the overt mention of Jesus, God, or Holy Spirit.
The journey of growth will take people in so many different directions; it is at times hard to fathom the place they started from. My adventure is really no different. I have progressed from being a religious robot, to religious zealot, to anti-religious freedom fighter, to a religion apathetic, to a simple lover of Jesus and people. From where I started to where I am now trips me out. This is 10 years of transformation that I am talking about.
I have learned a great many lessons over the past 10 years but a few stand out more than others. I have learned that everyone has a journey to take. Encourage them to walk with God, and bless their journey even though it might be different than yours. Even though you may disagree with their path, love them because they are worth it not because you agree with them or because they deserve it. The second but equally important lesson has been that communion with God is not just a religious habit; it isn’t just something that you do because you are supposed to. It really is like having a best friend that you do EVERYTHING with. Best friends hang out at times without saying a word to each other. Sometimes laughing and giggling at nothing. They do pointless things together because the time spent together was more important than the activity. There really is no replacing this aspect of relationship with God. It isn’t about reading a bible, going to a church, or doing these seemingly spiritual things. Nothing can replace time spent with the person.
Two of the greatest sermons I have watched in a great while were delivered by a guy by the name of ShaneWillard (please note Shane has a hyperlink attached to it, and Willard has a different link attached to it). It challenged me in a way that pissed me. I was mainly ticked off because I knew he was right. I had been sacrificing living in awe because of my continued pursuit of knowledge and understanding (my idols of sorts). These two messages really framed the last 10 years of my journey and put them into a perspective that has been such a blessing. It has been from this place that a new set of thoughts has begun to invade my brain space. Simplicity, something I have really never understood, has become something that I feel like I am beginning to gravitate towards. It feels so nostalgic in a matter speaking a breath of fresh air. It is not something that I can really explain via words, though maybe a picture might help in this instance.
All of this growth has sparked something within me which totally has messed with my understanding of abundant living. In these last 10 years I have experienced what I would call subsistence living. I went from pay check to pay check, month to month, wondering if I would have enough to pay the bills that I had accrued. Not a great feeling, and I know many can relate. I have recently had all of this challenged. Is it possible that I have misunderstood what it means to live and walk in abundance? Honestly, this question has haunted me for the last few years. It is quite difficult to live in a place knowing abundance should be mine, but always finding myself living in lack. It sucks when you see that the scripture says that we can live in abundance, but you see every circumstance turn on its head in a negative way. I never understood what the seeming problem was? However, this discrepancy began to drive me nuts. No one had answers and I was tired of living in frustration.
Somehow, I had over looked something so simple that I am sitting here kicking myself. One of the greatest themes in my life in the last few years has been the process of understanding the things that happen when we have a change in perspective. It is almost as if a whole new world opens up to us, though it had been there the whole time. When there is a shift of perspective what had originally been hidden begins to come into view. I chose to explore this idea as it pertains to the idea of abundance. What I noticed about my own thought process was that I had been completely focused on all of my expense and negative outcomes, that I really couldn’t see exactly what was coming in or what I actually had money for. This poses a HUGE problem for anyone who seeks to walk in abundance. From this place, we actually end up becoming “greedy” because we are focused on holding onto what we have. Whereas, if we could begin to understand what is coming in we would probably have a better understanding of the things we could give away. It’s easier to give away when you are aware that things are coming in. See the difference between the two is a flowing fresh water river, and a stagnant lake. One hoards water, the other distributes.
My understanding has changed a lot considering these ideas. I have begun to realize that those who typically are known for their giving, in the long run are the ones that have continually lived in abundance. Not that there are shaky months, but if you realize the amount that they have given away versus the “lack” they perceive, it might be astonishing just how much they have actually given away. What I am trying to say is, for some reason I am starting to believe that the abundance is found in what is given away rather than the things we are trying to hoard to ourselves. I really don’t have the best words to describe what I am getting at because I can see a glimmer of hope for those who feel like they have been doing so much yet haven’t reaped the benefits. Being in that place, I now wonder if maybe I have missed something. Can I be honest? For the longest time I have thought of abundance from a stand point of the total monetary or physical assets that a person has accumulated. This would fuel the fire of frustration because I was so focused on what everyone else had and what I was lacking. Being envious of others and comparing myself to them robbed me of something quite important. I am now aware that this definition is what causes the downward spiral of a poverty mindset.
A friend told me today, “…Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” I have seen this principle play out for my parents, but never thought much of it until now. I can only imagine how much my folks have given out monetarily as well as via other resources. My parents are not the most well off financially, but it always seems as if they have more in the tank to give others. I guess that is where I get my sense of generosity from.
Maybe the problem is that we give more attention to what we don’t have and trying to get those things rather than being thankful for what we do have and how we can use that to help others. My conclusion is that the abundant life is a life of generosity. If we aren’t willing to be generous we cannot expect to live abundantly. It is a life style that comes at a cost; as leadership requires service, abundance requires generosity.
The journey of growth will take people in so many different directions; it is at times hard to fathom the place they started from. My adventure is really no different. I have progressed from being a religious robot, to religious zealot, to anti-religious freedom fighter, to a religion apathetic, to a simple lover of Jesus and people. From where I started to where I am now trips me out. This is 10 years of transformation that I am talking about.
I have learned a great many lessons over the past 10 years but a few stand out more than others. I have learned that everyone has a journey to take. Encourage them to walk with God, and bless their journey even though it might be different than yours. Even though you may disagree with their path, love them because they are worth it not because you agree with them or because they deserve it. The second but equally important lesson has been that communion with God is not just a religious habit; it isn’t just something that you do because you are supposed to. It really is like having a best friend that you do EVERYTHING with. Best friends hang out at times without saying a word to each other. Sometimes laughing and giggling at nothing. They do pointless things together because the time spent together was more important than the activity. There really is no replacing this aspect of relationship with God. It isn’t about reading a bible, going to a church, or doing these seemingly spiritual things. Nothing can replace time spent with the person.
Two of the greatest sermons I have watched in a great while were delivered by a guy by the name of ShaneWillard (please note Shane has a hyperlink attached to it, and Willard has a different link attached to it). It challenged me in a way that pissed me. I was mainly ticked off because I knew he was right. I had been sacrificing living in awe because of my continued pursuit of knowledge and understanding (my idols of sorts). These two messages really framed the last 10 years of my journey and put them into a perspective that has been such a blessing. It has been from this place that a new set of thoughts has begun to invade my brain space. Simplicity, something I have really never understood, has become something that I feel like I am beginning to gravitate towards. It feels so nostalgic in a matter speaking a breath of fresh air. It is not something that I can really explain via words, though maybe a picture might help in this instance.
All of this growth has sparked something within me which totally has messed with my understanding of abundant living. In these last 10 years I have experienced what I would call subsistence living. I went from pay check to pay check, month to month, wondering if I would have enough to pay the bills that I had accrued. Not a great feeling, and I know many can relate. I have recently had all of this challenged. Is it possible that I have misunderstood what it means to live and walk in abundance? Honestly, this question has haunted me for the last few years. It is quite difficult to live in a place knowing abundance should be mine, but always finding myself living in lack. It sucks when you see that the scripture says that we can live in abundance, but you see every circumstance turn on its head in a negative way. I never understood what the seeming problem was? However, this discrepancy began to drive me nuts. No one had answers and I was tired of living in frustration.
Somehow, I had over looked something so simple that I am sitting here kicking myself. One of the greatest themes in my life in the last few years has been the process of understanding the things that happen when we have a change in perspective. It is almost as if a whole new world opens up to us, though it had been there the whole time. When there is a shift of perspective what had originally been hidden begins to come into view. I chose to explore this idea as it pertains to the idea of abundance. What I noticed about my own thought process was that I had been completely focused on all of my expense and negative outcomes, that I really couldn’t see exactly what was coming in or what I actually had money for. This poses a HUGE problem for anyone who seeks to walk in abundance. From this place, we actually end up becoming “greedy” because we are focused on holding onto what we have. Whereas, if we could begin to understand what is coming in we would probably have a better understanding of the things we could give away. It’s easier to give away when you are aware that things are coming in. See the difference between the two is a flowing fresh water river, and a stagnant lake. One hoards water, the other distributes.
My understanding has changed a lot considering these ideas. I have begun to realize that those who typically are known for their giving, in the long run are the ones that have continually lived in abundance. Not that there are shaky months, but if you realize the amount that they have given away versus the “lack” they perceive, it might be astonishing just how much they have actually given away. What I am trying to say is, for some reason I am starting to believe that the abundance is found in what is given away rather than the things we are trying to hoard to ourselves. I really don’t have the best words to describe what I am getting at because I can see a glimmer of hope for those who feel like they have been doing so much yet haven’t reaped the benefits. Being in that place, I now wonder if maybe I have missed something. Can I be honest? For the longest time I have thought of abundance from a stand point of the total monetary or physical assets that a person has accumulated. This would fuel the fire of frustration because I was so focused on what everyone else had and what I was lacking. Being envious of others and comparing myself to them robbed me of something quite important. I am now aware that this definition is what causes the downward spiral of a poverty mindset.
A friend told me today, “…Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” I have seen this principle play out for my parents, but never thought much of it until now. I can only imagine how much my folks have given out monetarily as well as via other resources. My parents are not the most well off financially, but it always seems as if they have more in the tank to give others. I guess that is where I get my sense of generosity from.
Maybe the problem is that we give more attention to what we don’t have and trying to get those things rather than being thankful for what we do have and how we can use that to help others. My conclusion is that the abundant life is a life of generosity. If we aren’t willing to be generous we cannot expect to live abundantly. It is a life style that comes at a cost; as leadership requires service, abundance requires generosity.
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