Venom

So Today I was at home and I was not watching the view, but it happened to be on.  And I overheard what was being talked about.  They started out talking about the Ted Haggard controversy.  And Rosie ( a  lesbian) was cheering and celebrating the fact that he messed up.  And Joy, who I don’t know what her life is all about, joined in on the party. 

I just don’t understand how anyone can have that much venom in their hearts.  I just don’t understand how people can just attack people like that.  It breaks my heart because I know that Rosie’s statements were a response to how she felt Haggard was talking about her.  And that breaks my heart to hear. 

I agree with Haggard that Marriage is for a man and a woman and that homosexuality is a sin.  And it breaks my heart that a man like Haggard may have been fighting so hard because of the battle within is own soul.  But if christians are only seen as venomous trash talkers than whenever someone falls we can only expect venom back.

I take these attacks personally because while I don’t know Ted Haggard he is my brother in Christ and I want him to find the grace and restoration that only Jesus can bring, and when people attack him, in essence they are attacking us, they are attacking me.  It hurts. 

I guess all I can really do is love people.  Tell the truth, but love them.  What I don’t want to see is Christians celebrating when a known sinner suffers.  What if Rosie came down with non-operable cancer and she was going to die.  We should not say, “HA! You’re getting what you deserve.” Because the only reason we don’t get what we deserve is because of the Grace of Jesus.  And we need to remember that!

Something to think about

Found this quote from Internet Monk, in this rather long post.  In regards to the developing Haggard Controversy

Evangelicalism wants same-sex issues to be political. They are not. They are issues about who you want to have sex with, and why. In other words, they are deeply human issues, for deeply broken human beings who need a deeply broken Christ. What comes out on the other side is faith and compassion, not political victory or cultural influence.

I do believe that Marriage is designed for a man and a woman, but at the same time, we cannot legislate sin.  It’s not the job of the church to pressure politicians to write laws about sin.  It’s our job to love people, to have compassion for them and to help them walk out of sin and into a life in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Something to think about.

Check Yourself

I don’t know what the truth of this matter.  But this should serve as a reminder to anyone in christian leadership, that we always need to watch our lives.  Even if these allegations pan out to be false in certain details, somewhere, Mr. Haggard allowed the appearance of evil.  And he was caught. 

I know no one is perfect, and the media will pounce on even the slightest indescretion from leaders in the spotlight.  Its tragic but true. 

So to everyone who reads this please pray!

Pray for the Haggards.

Pray For New Life Church

Pray for your pastor

Pray for your church

Pray for your own indiscretions.

You might not ever have such a height to fall from but we are no better than Mr. Haggard.  We can’t shame and shun him, we can’t just abandon him.  Pray, Pray, Pray.

Encouragement from 2 Corinthians

So I was reading this morning in 2 Corinthians 2 and I came across this passage:

 14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

Now I have been following the buzz about the new atheists, Richard Dawkins new book, and all that.  And I have been distressed by the positive attention that these folks are getting.  They speak so venomously against faith and christians, and the natural response would be to fire right back at them.

But when I came across this passage it just reminded me that while we love and serve and do what he has called us to do, we will be the aroma of life to many.  But still there are those who look at us and are so repulsed by I don’t know what, and to them we will be the scent of death.  It’s crazy, but it’s not our death.  We shouldn’t get into the fire fight with these people because no matter what they say they will still hate us.  But we can love them.  We can live the life that just doesn’t make sense to them.  And maybe the smell of death would be their awareness of their sin and their need for the life that only Christ can give.

I don’t know if this helps anyone but it helped me to think through this.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

As I sit and enjoy my bite-sized Mr. Goodbar, I feel a general sense of excitement for what’s coming down the stretch.

1.  I just informed my boss at Cutter & Buck that my last day will be Dec. 1st.   It’s a bummer but it’s good too because I will be able to be home more.  I did enjoy the people here though so that’s the bummer.  But I’ll get to see Kathy and Judah a lot more.  And my brain will be completely devoted to Creekside matters instead of splitting my day in half like I do now.

2.  Creekside Church plant is chugging right along.  I snuck up and saw the sidewalks and I have never been excited about sidewalks before, never.  It’s going to rock.

3.  Brainstorming some ideas for >>beyond>> that I need to get some counsel on before I go public with these, but I think it could be really cool.  So pray that we make some good decisions.  This is something that I have been thinking about and praying about for a couple of months so it might be a God thing, because it just hasn’t gone away. 

So yeah, changes are coming, and they are exciting.  I really think this next season of ministry will be an adventure, and I’m exciting to see what God is going to do in us and through us. 

Cracked the Southern Hemisphere

Woo-Hoo, we finally did it, the >>beyondcast>> has cracked the southern hemisphere. 

It’s crazy how this thing has downloaded. Over the past week we have had 5 downloads from Washington State, 10 from San Francisco, 21 from Colorado, 21 from Bejing, 3 in europe, and now one in the southern hemisphere, South Africa.  Absolutely Crazy. 

I tell our students often that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves and this is evidence of that.  We truly are connected to the entire world by the internet and now we have incredible opportunities to reach the world with the gospel.  Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!! God is good.