So many people have so many perspectives...

I don't think I have experienced so many emotions as a result of internet browsing in quite a long time. The recent Supreme Court decision to legally recognize gay marriage in all 50 states has produced the largest mixture of reactions that you could imagine. And unfortunately, a lot of it has gotten ugly, especially on the internet.

You have people saying what they feel, what they think, what they think they should think, and stuff that they don't even really know much about. It's like people have no filter when it comes to what they say online, in posts, in comments, and in direct messages even! And in the midst of all the proverbial dust that is getting kicked up, somehow we have begun to see so many different types of people saying all sorts of different things to other people "in Jesus name." And as I look through all these comments, it is obvious that Jesus couldn't have said all of those things, and most likely wouldn't say most of it. At least not the Jesus I read about in the Bible. And as a result of these kind of people, Jesus is made to sound a lot like a judgmental, cold-hearted, hateful person who pushes others away when he doesn't like them. And who is going to listen to or follow someone like that?

So I was super happy when my wife began to write down her thoughts on this complex issue. And with her permission, I would love for you to soak up her God-inspired wisdom.

                                                            

Since when has our culture come to a point where you have to be perfect to be accepted in a church? If this is the case then, somewhere along the line, we have interpreted the Bible incorrectly. We have not gotten past the Old Testament to see the good news in the New Testament. Mark 2:15-17 recounts the dialogue Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders. All they said was “How could he stand it, to eat with such scum?” (The Living Bible). Jesus replied by saying, “Sick people need the doctor, not the healthy ones.” But yet the Christian culture has been acting a whole lot like the religious leaders who condemned “such scum.”

I was raised in a Baptist church and background. I don’t have anything against Baptists except the fact that I feel like they taught me to condemn the sinner and not the sin. I still cringe when I hear that somebody is gay or has gotten a divorce. But what I have been learning is that Jesus would never do that. He would love them first. Brant always says that all we ever do is to get people to change their behavior before they ever know Jesus, and they die without Jesus, all we have done is sent them to Hell better behaved than before. We must focus on showing them the love of Jesus before we ever try to change their behavior.

I have also learned that a denomination should not define you. We are followers of Christ. No matter what church you come from, we should all work towards the same goal and that’s to bring lost souls to Christ with love. I can see that our culture is changing a lot but I also see the church changing. Christians are starting to realize that we need to end our bad reputation of hurting people and instead love people for who they are.

Now to understand love you need to know God. Did you realize that if there were no God, there would be no understanding of love? “God is love” is what we hear but for some reason I didn’t ever take it seriously. Real love is not the conditional kind – “If you do this for me then I will love you.” Real love is the sacrificial kind where no matter if they take it or ignore it, you still love them. Maybe all of the divorces and all the hurt in our world are because people don’t know what love really means.

I want to encourage you to take one step as a Christian and love somebody without knowing his or her background. That should mean that we treat everybody the same no matter what. And maybe…just maybe that will change how people view Christians, and in turn bring people to Christ.

This is a poem I wrote for my fiance to give to her the day I proposed.

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I imagine myself

In the future afar

In an old wooden office

And my door ajar.

I am typing away

With a bad writer’s block

When out at the door

Comes a soft, saddened knock.

A sad, youthful chap

Mopes in kind of slow.

No spring in his step,

His head hanging low.

When asked, “What’s the matter?”

He let out a sigh,

And said to me slowly,

“I don’t understand why…”

“Trouble with the lady?”

I asked knowingly.

“How do you love mom

So romantically?”

I just sat there

As I thought for a while,

Until finally

I said with a smile,

“Son, there is a lot

That I don’t understand -

Like a flower in bloom;

Or how life began;

Or the way that whenever

I come up with a plan

It fails, and I’m struggling

To do what I can.

You see, there’s a lot

That I don’t understand,

But none quite compares

To this Quest of a man:

Loving a woman -

I’m learning a whole lot -

Not the greatest knight

In all Camelot,

Would be up for a Quest

So brave and so bold.

I’m learning some things

Even though I am old:

To love a woman,

You must let her go.

Love must mean action

Not merely a show.

Leading her is more

Than simply a title.

I must rule myself

Or I’ll make her an idol.

To love her like Jesus

Means giving up myself.

There’s no time for pride -

Feelings go on the shelf -

Like straining myself

To go the extra mile

To inspire some romance

If only for a smile;

Trying to cheer her

Even when I feel gloomy;

Or help with her homework,

Kind of like her roomie;

To make time for her,

Sacrificing my plans;

To love her and earn

The respect of a man.

I don’t understand

How simple this sounds

But for some reason

I’ve only figured out

The way to her heart

No science can tout,

But pure, patient love

Day in and day out.

Son, love is a verb.

It walks and has feet.

It’s not about you.

Your will you must beat.

Around every store,

And with ever fashion,

You’ll hear loud and clear:

“Love’s about passion!”

While it’s partly true,

It misses the point.

Commitment and effort

Give love its joints.

Your love will die

Without dedication.

Love is a lifestyle

Without a vacation.”

And if that weren’t enough,

I added just one

Concluding advice

For my disheartened son.

“I cherish Christine,

As I have all these years,

Because Christ loved me first

And calms all my fears.”

And though it was rather

A hard pill to swallow,

I saw him embrace

A brighter tomorrow.