I am writing early on a Sunday morning. This time of the week has been called many things over the years. But one of the things that has come to my mind this morning is the fact that this part of the week can often be the most segregated time of the entire week. People usually worship at churches where they feel like they belong. And often that means that they gather together at churches with people who are just like them.

As I was praying this morning for my city and my state, God put this on my heart. I couldn't shake out my head this concept that it is more like Jesus to spend my time around those who don't belong. Jesus was always seen with the outcasts and the misfits. In fact, one time he was even confronted by the Pharisees and scribes (the pastors and church workers of his day) about this in Luke 5:30-32. And he said to them,

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance."

 It made me really reevaluate my priorities as a follower of Jesus. If I am really trying to live like him, what should my social circles look like. If all my friends are just like me - white, male, employed, married, stable family, etc. - then I might not actually be living like Jesus as much as I would like to think.

So as I was letting this thought marinate in my mind this morning, I was drawn to pray that God would give me a heart for those who don't belong.

And I hope he does for you too.

Because the more we embrace people around us who need the love of God - regardless of skin color, social class, or even personality - the more we will begin to look like the One who came to seek and to save the lost.

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE BEFORE MAKING ANY JUDGMENTS.

Yesterday, my beloved Chicago Fire took on the Red Bulls of New York in Major League Soccer. To my delight, they won their fourth game of the season (in contrast to their 13 ties...). If you want, you can catch the highlights here. However, to my disappointment, that night at Toyota Park was the 3rd Annual LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Pride Night. And the motto that Pride Night was pushing was "Love Is Louder," or more specifically, "Love Is Louder Than Homophobia"... (Translation: "It is unloving to openly disagree with a lifestyle that is proud to be homosexual." Obviously, I have some issues with this slogan.)

It was one of those games that I am glad that I watched on TV instead of going to the stadium. It would be hard to believe the Bible, claim to follow the God of the Bible, and give my cheers to open and public sin. What I see in the Bible is that God's design for marriage is: one man and one woman for life. According to Romans 1:24-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9, there is no question about whether or not God approves of homosexuality. He doesn't. And neither do I.

But (and this is a VERY BIG BUT), while homosexuality is clearly a sin, so is porn, divorce, and polygamy. In fact, these are all the same kind of sin: they are all distortions of God's beautiful design for marriage. Porn is just as much a distortion of God's beautiful design for marriage as living a lesbian lifestyle is; while a lesbian distorts it in a homosexual way, a porn-addict distorts it in a heterosexual way. With this in mind, I would avoid an LGBT Pride Night at Toyota Park just as much as I would a Porn Pride or Divorce Pride or Polygamy Pride night. This is not because I hate people who have committed such sins, and not because I think I am better (because I am the first to say that I am not), but because I cannot support open celebrations of clearly defined sin.

Let's stop for a moment.

This is what I NOT saying: I hate gay people, OR God hates gay people, OR it is wrong to openly accept gay people, OR I will never show love to a gay person, OR divorce is always avoidable. I am not saying that at all.

This is what I AM saying: an open celebration of any kind of sin is wrong, AND I will not openly support homosexuality, or porn, or divorce, or polygamy, AND though it is sometimes unavoidable, divorce is still a distortion of God's design for marriage.

Are you catching the distinction? Good.

The reason that I had such issues with Pride Night at Toyota Park was that I do not believe that it was the correct or helpful way to love people who are hurting (Yes, hurting. Remember that every choice is a result of previous circumstances.), or who are proud of their sins. They do not need encouragement to keep doing what they are doing, they need encouragement to run to Jesus. But unfortunately, Jesus is the last place they think to run because so often they are not loved by the church. In the church, we are so good at knowing who is wrong and who is right, but so bad at loving people regardless.

No, we shouldn't openly support the LGBT agenda, but yes, we should individually love each person who claims to be gay. Why? Because everybody struggles with sin. As Dr. Christopher Yuan, a former homosexual, so elegantly put it, "The opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality; the opposite of homosexuality is purity." And purity is something that even heterosexual people struggle with.

I long for the day when a gay person feels just as welcome to come into the walls of a church a divorced person does. I long for the day when the church will show individualized and intentional love to a gay person just as much as they will to a porn-addict.

I end with this challenge from John 8:1-11. When a woman caught in sin of a sexual nature was brought before Jesus, he responded to all the fierce accusations and pleas for her stoning with one line that will ring through the ages: "He who is without sin among you, cast the first stone." Then he said to her, when no one stood up to condemn her anymore, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." It is this same challenge that I challenge you to ponder. Whoever is reading this who has never lusted after a woman or man, has never been divorced, has never been given over to gluttony, or has never been consumed with their own image can be the first to judge a gay person. But if no one stands up, we must accept the truth that our love for people who claim to be gay will always be louder than our theology, robust as it may be.

Love will always be louder than our theology because you cannot argue with the fact that Jesus died for you while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8) and that Jesus will be happier with more people in heaven than how many people were correct about some points of theological minutia.