More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… It gets complicated when you “disciple” one another and when you want to “hold each other accountable.” And it gets dangerous. Why? Because I think people have it all wrong. And because people are supposed to follow God, not each other. I have heard people quote the book of Matthew and say that “in discipleship we are helping one another learn to ‘obey all that I... Read more
You’ve heard the phrases… confronting people in their sin, tough love, speaking the truth in love, helping people live right. Call it what you will, but it’s really spiritual bullying. It’s not our job and it is doing more damage than you can possibly imagine. Broken families, homelessness, drug abuse, even suicide. For the bullies, it has been conveyed as the “godly” thing to do. Loving people so deeply and so purely that they just can’t let them “continue in... Read more
Well, I’ve been hacked! Woke up early this morning, sat at my desk to get some work done, answered a few blog comments – then suddenly couldn’t get in my email. Usual passwords wouldn’t sign me in. Fixed it pretty quickly, but it’s a creepy feeling. Someone sneaky had gotten into my email – and for what purpose? Then I saw the mass email they’d sent out to say I was stranded in Cyprus without my bag! If you replied... Read more
I believe we all have a desire in our hearts and souls for the divine. For love, acceptance, community. Jesus showed us all of those things. But the core teachings of much of today’s Christian religion, are incompatible with the life and teachings of Jesus. What is the answer? I don’t know. But I do know that scripture tells us that “the enemy comes against the simplicity that is in Jesus.” So what would it look like to live a... Read more
Our youngest daughter, Hannah, recently came out on Facebook. (Our second LGBTQ child.) It was the most amazing post! We had known for some time – but her public post came as a surprise to us and the response she got was overwhelming. I wrote this note for her and want to share it with you – and with all the others out there who might still be in the closet, or in pain from rejection. To those not receiving the... Read more
More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… What a journey! Would you pause for just a moment? Breathe. I want to ask you something… Do you know how much God loves you? Do you know how much God is for you? Do you know that the Bible says that God rejoices over you with singing? It’s true. And it’s not about someone else, it’s you. You! Sometimes there are obstacles on this journey... Read more
To stand at the church door and block someone from entering because they are gay – or for any reason – is indefensible. But some people don’t even believe that type of thing happens. How can they truly think that with countless tragic personal stories giving horrific details on how a gay person and/or or their families have been emotionally, physically, and spiritually abused? It is living inside the box, it is coming from a place of privilege. These are... Read more
Love the ‘sinner,’ then kick them out of church, and their family too if they don’t side with you against their child. I just can’t get my head around that. Telling someone they are no longer welcome in your church, in your home – and calling it love?!? It makes no sense to me at all. It is not love in any way. As Rob says, “To stand at the church door and block anyone from entering, for any reason,... Read more
More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… Home. A place of welcome, acceptance, rejuvenation. A place to be safe and to be loved, without condition. A beautifully designed space of rest. But beautiful things break down in the using – or the misusing. Families can turn a safe haven into a concentration camp, so those within have no place of escape. Families throw over their privileged position as your ‘Biggest Fan’ – replacing it with ‘Biggest... Read more
I have to admit that I am losing patience. To stand at the church door and block someone from entering because they are gay – or for any reason – is indefensible. What do you have to believe about God, about Jesus, about the Bible to do that and think that you are actually doing the right thing, doing what God wants you to do, doing what Jesus would do. But it happens all the time. People who are gay,... Read more
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