Christians: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (Part II)

Ephesians 5:2
Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I've come across a couple disappointing things that I feel I must share.  The first being the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, in their sad pursuit of picketing what they believe to be things that are not of God.  I read an article about a funeral they were planning to picket...and my heart sank.

It hurts to see groups like this proclaiming the name of Jesus...but living in a way that breaks His heart. 


I was reading a blog post I came along the other day written by a self-proclaimed Atheist.  He said:

"I am writing to express my confusion over how many Christians seem to act contrary to the words attributed to Jesus in the Bible. Christian extremists such as Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, and Pat Robertson preach intolerance and hatred. I cannot reconcile their message with what Jesus is reported to have said. But the problem goes way beyond a handful of extremists...

...Jesus had far more to say about how the poor should be treated than he did abortion or gay marriage."

I think he makes some great points.  

At the end of the day, this post isn't meant to pick out the extremists or to call them names.  It isn't to bash WBC or even to assess their hearts.  God is the only one who can see past our skin and into our souls.  We're all guilty at the end of the day for possessing this thing called sin.  But in the end, it's a reminder and a challenge that there is no such thing as loving TOO much.

Don Miller once wrote that sometimes we treat love as though it's a commodity.  Giving when we approve, withholding when we disapprove.  But true love has nothing to do with the one receiving that love, and everything to do with the one giving it.  The giver gives simply because he loves...though there may be nothing in return. 

Remember, He first loves us....while we were yet in sin.  Not after we changed.  Not after we saw the truth.  Not after we turned our lives around....(and even if we never did) but before.

We as Christians need to have more of that kind of love for the world and everyone in it.  A love that goes out as a fragrant offering, rather than a rancid stench. 

Thanks, my Atheist fellow blogger, for sharing your thoughts.  May it challenge all of us to simply learn to love more like Jesus....love the atheists...love the extremists...love the religious...and everyone in between.

Christians: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (Part I)

Matthew 5:14-16
  ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ 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.  

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The word "Christian" has been slapped on so many things that it has lost it's true meaning.  It has been dissolved in the pool of men and woman that have labeled themselves by it's definition.  It's easy to get confused in the culture of modern day Christianity.  It's easy to be bombarded by the so many things "Christian" that Christ gets lost in the crowd. 

But then....then there are people that remind you of what it truly means to be a follower of Christ.  Then there are people who take the time to be transparent...pointing at Jesus through every aspect of their lives- the good, the bad, and even the ugly. 

Don't get me wrong- true Christ-followers aren't perfect...and they shouldn't claim to be.  But they are real.  They are faithful.  And they are consistent. 

I was reminded of what it meant to stand firm for Jesus this week watching one of my favorite TV shows: Survivor.  If you don't know anything about Survivor, it's one of the oldest in reality TV.  The idea is based on dropping a group of men and women in the middle of the jungles to fend for themselves for 39 days.  The person who makes it to the end, takes home the pride of being called the sole Survivor...and the bonus of one million dollars. 

Living in the wild for 39 days surrounded by a group of strangers is bound to take a toll on any and everyone.  The awful reality of the fallen human condition makes an appearance every season as the survivors interact with one another...lying, stealing, and cheating become the norm.  Tempers lash out, personalities clash, and emotions run wild.  It's humanity at its worst. 

But this season there is a young man that has totally impressed me with his life.  His name is Matt, and he is a self-proclaimed follower of Christ.  I tend to cringe when I hear people say that...I've seen so many people wear the name of Jesus, and then trample it through the mud.  But this guy is another story.


His faith is first and foremost in his life...and he proves that with his actions and his words.  He may be young, but there is a mature spirit of God upon His life, and everyone who comes into contact with him senses that.  He's respected for his strong faith...and by his kindness, he has been impacting the lives of the survivors around him with his faith in Jesus. 


Again and again you hear him talking about the reality that he has been put in this place for one purpose alone: to glorify his God.  


I know it's reality TV....but there is something genuine about this young guy.  There is something challenging about the way he lives his life.  For many of us, our life is the forefront...while our faith is the back drop.  We live our lives...and then sprinkle a little Christianity on top.  A little here, a little there..."just for the taste". 

But the reality is, this is not the way God meant for us to live.  We are born with a purpose- to be a light in the darkness.  That is a role that stands firm whether we are playing the game of Survivor, staying at home with our babies, or working 14 hour shifts at our jobs.  

It's a role that has to take the forefront of our lives in every thing we say and in everything we do.  Our lives must glow with the light of God...a light that is recognizable by everyone we come into contact with.  A light that speaks encouragement, hope, love, and faith to places that were once void and dark. 

Christian- Take inventory.  How bright has your light been shining?  How seriously have you taken this role?  How responsible have you been with the precious name that you carry...the precious name of Christ. 


May we be challenged to take seriously this calling that has been placed on our lives.  May we be challenged to live as light. 

Holiday For Sinners:

Isaiah 53 The Message
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
   that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
   that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
   Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
   We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
   on him, on him. 

This past week has been cathartic for me.  I have felt a deep sense of freedom in the act of confession. The past few nights...during the latest hours...God has brought things to my mind that I have been hiding.

I wonder why things like this seem to happen to me so late at night.  Maybe it's because in those moments of deep fatigue that my heart is most vulnerable.  Maybe it's because those are the moments in which my energy is depleted, my guard is down, and I have no strength to fight.  It's by His grace that He meets me in those moments.  Moments in which His love cannot be countered by my pride.

The past few nights God has been revealing to me some things in my life that I really need to change.  He has showed me that I have a strong sense of insecurity that tends to run wild in my life.  A deep feeling of inadequacy that causes me to fear, to covet, to compare.  A feeling that tempts me to lie, to embellish, and to exaggerate.  A feeling that leads me to believe that I am not enough...or that I am small....insignificant, and weak.


My heart is sinful.  And these sins have a tendency to seep into my actions...into my relationships...into my life.

I've spent the past few days talking to my husband about these internal struggles and sins, asking for accountability, prayer, and encouragement.  I've confessed to my friends, in hopes of facing the darkness in my heart.  And now, I find myself confessing to the entire world...anyone who would take the time to read.

I am a sinner.  At the deepest part of who I am there is a constant battle between doing my will...and submitting to His.  I am a sinner, but at the end of the day I'm realizing that this weekend...Easter...is a holiday for people just like me.

Liars.  Thieves.  Adulterers.  Those who can't control their anger.  Those who can't control their addictions.  Crooks.  Drunkards.  Idolaters.  Those struggling with their sexual lusts.  Those caught up in secret sins. 

This weekend is for us.  The sinners.  Those who have realized that they just can't do it on their own.  Those who have searcher their hearts and come to the realization that they are not as "good" as they thought they were...as others thought they were. 

This weekend is for us.  The sinners.  Those who have come to see their great need for a Savior.  A God who would love them to the point of death.  A God who carried our pain, our failures, and our disfigurements.  A God who was crushed so that we could be healed. 

This weekend is for us.  The sinners.  The gift of His precious life.  The hope of freedom, salvation, and peace.  The hope healing...from our pain, our weaknesses, and our sinful states.  The hope of Jesus. 

What's so Good about Good Friday?

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

I couldn't help but feel saddened at the lack of gratitude this day brings for so many.  Having dinner with my husband this evening at a restaurant- it was sad to take in the meaninglessness of this day to the world around us.  Just another day.  Just another evening.

But, I can't point the finger.  I myself have struggle with the measure of gratitude that is required of a day such as today.  It's hard to really grasp such a sacrifice. 

It's known to America as "Good Friday"...

But it's goodness is not found in the Friday evening socializing at a restaurant.  Nor is it found in the "Easter" deals at the stores.  Though this weekend has been stamped in pastel colors, bunnies, and chocolates...the truth of the matter is that it was originally stamped in blood.

The Goodness of Good Friday is found only in one thing: Jesus.  The God who saw it necessary to come into our worlds in order to win us over with His relentless love.  The God who saw it fit to take our imperfections upon Himself so that we could be healed.

That is nothing short of marvelous.  

Though this day in history was once filled with sadness at the death of a beloved Savior...today it is filled with all the gratitude I can muster.  I am grateful for a God who took it upon Himself to come and find me.  A God who counted my life...my sinful, futile, meaningless life...more valuable than His.

A God who gives His life to me every single day in the form of relationship.  

Because of this God...my life will never be the same.  

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
   a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
   nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
   a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
   We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
   that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
   that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
   Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
   We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
   on him, on him....Isaiah 53

Jesus Loves Porn Stars:

Luke 19:5-7

 ⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 

 ⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 

I can't get over this book I'm reading, called "Jesus Loves You, This I Know" by Craig Gross and Jason Harper.  It is the book I would have written- if I had thought of it :)  It's filled with incredible stories of what it means to truly reach out and bring the love of Jesus to a lost and broken world.


This last chapter I read really touched my heart.  It's entitled, "Jesus Loves Porn Stars".  In this chapter, Craig writes about his unlikely friendship with one of America's number one Porn Stars: Ron Jeremy.  Through his friendship and interactions with Ron, Craig has gotten a lot of heat from the religious community- claiming that he is putting his family at risk or promoting the porn industry. 

I think just the opposite is happening.  Craig Gross (also known as the Porn Pastor) is bringing Jesus to broken and lost people in a real and tangible way.  You can find him hanging out at Porn Conferences, passing out bibles with his ministry team that say "Jesus Loves Porn Stars"....handing out thousands of God's Word, and meeting some really great people who need a Savior just as much as Craig...just as much as you...just as much as me. 

Jesus did just that.  He brought his love to those who needed it the most.  Christians have a tendency to decide for themselves who could really use the love of God today.  We have a tendency to put people in a box and label them based on our own flawed judgments.  It's easier to judge than to love, isn't it?

Jesus is the only one who actually has a right to judge...but He didn't.  He didn't come to judge the world.  He came to save the world from judgment, knowing that one day judgment would come.  He came to love...to love and be loved.  But mostly, just to love.


He went to the places no one expected Him to go.  He dined with the outcasts, the "porn stars" and the sinners.  He spent time with the crooks and the thieves- in fact, he went to their homes, just to show them how much He loved them. 


He didn't love them for who they could be, he loved them for who they were.  The bible says that while we were STILL filthy in our sin, God sent His son for us...not after we changed, not while we were in the process of changing- but while we were still a mess (Romans 5:8).

Christian, when was the last time YOU went to dine at the house of a "sinner"?  Maybe a better question is, when was the last time you considered YOURSELF a sinner?  A sinner in need of Jesus' love.  A sinner in need of a Savior. 

We get so accustomed to grace that we forget where we came from...and that's a dangerous place to be.  I believe that true compassion comes only from the heart of one who understands...one who can recognize their own needs and short comings.  True compassion comes when we can say,

"Look....I've been there.  Jesus' love changed my life- now let it change yours". 


May we be inspired to live a life of compassion and love.  A life that reaches out to the least of these- because we realize that we were once lost.  A life that lives unashamedly with the purpose of touching the world around us with the love of Jesus.  A love that knows no limits.  A love that knows no bounds. 

And may you...have the grace to understand how much Jesus loves you.  No matter where you've been or what you've done.  If you've messed up - than you're the one He came for.  He wants to know you.  He wants to love on you.  He wants to dine with you.  May you have the strength to grasp His love.  A love that knows no limits.  A love that knows no bounds.


**For anyone stuck in the prison of pornography addiction- visit www.xxxchurch.com to break free and find hope. 

How Pride Can Send you to Hell:

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

It seems to me that the greatest obstacle in having a relationship with Jesus is that of pride.  Pride is, in a sense, the antithesis of grace. 


Grace proclaims that there is a need.
Pride denies the need exists.  

Grace asks for help.
Pride looks to help itself.

Grace requires relationship with others.
Pride requires nothing but self.


John Piper wrote an entire sermon based on the principle of pride, and how it got in the way of really getting to know Jesus.  According to Piper, pride is the common root for many who did not believe.  Pride cannot stand the idea of confessing there is a need...and acknowledging that help must come from the outside in. 

One author put it this way with regards to Jesus and the people surrounding him: "Those who didn't go to church loved him.  He met their needs.  Those who were in the church hated him.  He exposed their needs"

And that is the root with the problem of pride- it never likes to be exposed.  


Jesus came to do just that.  He came to expose our sins and our weaknesses.  He came to expose to us the very need inside of us that He came to fill.  The need for Himself.

It's no coincidence that as Jesus was giving His life on the cross he was placed between two men- one on His right, and one on His left.   Both with great need.  Both paying the debts of their sins.  Both would determine their eternal destinations by the last words spoken to the Messiah, dying in between them.

Pride questioned Him.  Pride hurled insults at Him.  Pride was afraid to see the needs, even while hanging on a cross, bleeding to death on account of his sinful state.


Humility asked for only one thing, "Remember me, Jesus..."


Remember me, Jesus.  Put me back together.  Save me from this mess I have made for myself. 


Humility is the only way in which we can be lifted up.  Humility is the only way to Jesus.

Dear Christian: My Love/Hate Relationship

Revisiting a post that got some serious thoughts from readers.  If you didn't get a chance to read it before, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Philippians 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.


Dear Christian,

I have to be honest...I have mixed feelings about you.  A love/hate relationship if you will.  It's like looking at two sides of a coin, trying to figure out which one is really you.  Part of me wants you so bad...but the other side of me is too scared to jump in. 

There are days that you amaze me.  I look at you and see the most loving eyes, the most gentle hands, the most open heart.  I watch as you take care of your community, as you reach out to the poor and the needy, as you mend the hearts of the broken.

I am overcome by your ability to reach into my loneliness.  Reminding me that I'm not all by myself.  That someone really does care for and love me.  Somehow you always seem to know just what I need...it's as though you had a direct line to God, or something.

I am challenged by the way you give up your time, your money...and your self for others.  I'm drawn to the fact that you are so humble, yet so confident.  You're honest about the fact that you don't always have it together...but that you're working on it.  I love that genuineness...it pushes me to be real with my self as well.

There is something about your smile that seems real to me.  It makes me wonder where you get such joy.  How you have such strength.  It makes me long for what you have. 

Sometimes I look at your faith, and the way you hold on with all of your heart...and wish I had something to give my all to.

But then I get stuck.  I get stuck because I see the other side to your who you are, and I find myself confused.  Because some days you amaze me, but other days you disappoint me.

Other days, it's as though something has come over you.  You aren't acting like yourself.  You are filled with pride and arrogance, acting like you really know it all and have it all together.  It makes me scared to come to you with my problems...because I'm afraid you won't understand.

It breaks my heart to watch you so caught up in the things of this world...money, fame and fortune.  It's as though the American Dream has got you on a leash.  I thought you talked about bigger things?  I thought you said this world wasn't your home?  Then why do you seem so comfortable here?

Some days, it's as though you have an opinion about everything.  What I should wear, who I should be friends with, what I should eat and drink.  I feel judged by you, not loved.  I feel as though I am under a magnifying glass...and you're picking me apart, never satisfied to just let me be who I am.

I want to get closer to you...to try and understand you...but your holier-than-thou attitude reminds me that I can't get too close.  Maybe I'm not good enough for you.  Maybe I'll never be.

Either way, I'm going to keep watching...waiting to see the real you.  There's a part of me that wants what you have...but a part of me that's still confused.  I'll be here.  Waiting for you to show me who you really are.  Until then, don't be surprised if I keep my distance.  I want to get closer, but I have to keep myself safe.

I hope you figure this out soon.  I hope you decide who you really want to be and stick to it.  When you do, come find me. 

Cautiously watching,


The World