Salt Licks and Solar Flares

Scenario 1: you're on the beach, in perfect weather, enjoying the sun. It's a beautiful day, it's warm on your skin, and you're feeling good. Then the sun inexplicably and in violation of all physics draws closer to the earth. Your retinas are obliterated, your skin is crispy. If you're still alive, you're in agony.

Scenario 2: you're eating a lovely salted caramel brownie in a cute little café with a cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever you like). The waitress comes around and asks how everything is, and you tell her it's delicious, and you love salted caramel. "Great!", she says, pulling out a bag of sea salt and dumping the whole thing on top of the brownie so that it fills the entire plate and overflows into your lap. You're then forced to eat the whole thing.

What is the common thread between the two? Light is one of the most amazing things in all God's creation. Light comes with hope, warmth, and renewed life. Salt gives food flavor - even sweet foods. It enhances, changes flavors, and can make all the difference in some dishes. But if someone gets too much of either in a concentrated, intense dose, they're in for high blood pressure and 3rd degree burns.

You can see where I'm going with this - Matthew 5, 13-14.

13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

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.

Now, these verses deal with not losing our love for the Lord, our zeal for sharing his salvation. With making sure that we are improving the lives of those around us by giving His love to others. But I want to talk about the opposite extreme. 

If you'll allow me another unrelated analogy, imagine someone wanted you to be able to put your foot behind your head like a contortionist (I used to be able to - 20 years and many pounds ago). The first option is that they help you stretch daily, encourage you, and let your body adjust. The second is that they yank your foot behind your head, tearing ligaments and possibly doing irreparable damage.

Don't like any of those? Maybe you garden. Do you plant a seed, then aim a fire hose at the soil where it's sown? Do you scream at the soil to demand it give you your azaleas? If you do, I'd be interested to know how many flowers you've actually grown. 

Whether you prefer the example of scorching sun, a plate of salt, or ripped muscle tissue, we as Christians are capable of doing this as we honor and obey the Great Commission. In our excitement to share eternal salvation, love, and our Heavenly Father with others, we hit them with all of it at once. We don't necessarily know where they're coming from, we're not meeting them there and guiding them along. We're dumping, yanking, and forcing. However good our intentions are, our actions can actually do a great deal to push people away from the church because they associate it with aggressiveness, lack of understanding, and pain.

I'm not telling you that you shouldn't be enthusiastic, or assertive, or firm in your sharing. I encourage you to be all of those things, even as I grow into more comfort with sharing outside of this blog. But it needs to be done in a Christ-like way. As someone I've now forgotten once said, "Jesus didn't say to Peter 'Get in this boat right now or you're going to Hell!'" He invited him, as he was, in his circumstances, to follow Him. To be in relationship with Him. God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve - He didn't stand under the tree to shout reminders at them all day. (And yes, they may have stayed away from it if He had, but sin will always find us because we are human.)

How can we meet them where they are? Ask yourself (or them if you don't know them well enough) some questions. What does that person believe now? What trauma might they have suffered that they associate with God or the church (for example, an abusive parent whipping them for perceived sins, abuse by a church official, humiliation in front of a congregation that believes in naming and shaming rather than lovingly confronting)? What are the barriers to belief? What is something you have in common with them that they can relate to? That you can build on? What part of your testimony speaks to something in their life? Start there.

And now for the truly hard part. You don't get to decide in whom you till soil, plant seeds, or water those already planted. You can't just plop down a fully grown oak tree in their heart and soul. But if you approach them with love, understanding, compassion, and conviction rather than condemnation, you are more likely to have an effect on them. You don't know what type of soil the seed will fall on if you do scatter them, but that is not up to us - we don't get to control that. 

So give love, speak life, share God, and ask Him to bless your work. You may be surprised what springs up.

American Idol(atry)

"For God so loved America that he sent his only son to -"

"Thou shalt never question your political leader even if -"

"Let he who is born in the US of A throw all sorts of stones because they're just better -"

Be honest - do you know anyone who seems to think the quotes above could absolutely be from the Bible? For whom the trinity seems to be a quad comprised of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Red White and Blue? Maybe you are that person. I'm not here to judge or make fun, but if you are that person, this post may not be your favorite of mine. Why? Because of the next line, and basically all the ones after it.

Many American values are completely antithetical to Christianity, and are not ideals Jesus would have led people to.

There is an entire church predicated on the idea that I'm dead wrong about Jesus and America, and if you'd like to answer the door the next time those nice young boys from the Mormon church come knocking on your door, you're welcome to let them in to hear all about it. I've talked to them, read the literature, and remain deeply unconvinced.

If I start off in a completely hypothetical space, it'll even look like I'm proving myself wrong here (which our good Lord knows I've done on more than one occasion). What are our hypothetical/publicized values?

Truth. Great start - Jesus loves truth. He is the way, the truth, and the light. He wants us to tell the truth. He gives us the truth. 

Justice. Golly, we're practically identical already. God is the creator of and arbiter of justice. He himself is just, and we can keep faith in Him because we know He will remain so.

Freedom. We are set free from the bondage of sin by the grace and salvation of Christ Jesus. And you all know I can't get enough of Beth Moore's study "Breaking Free."

So where's the problem? Did I lose one too many brain cells to Covid this past week and start the article wrong? Am I an America-hating, rebellion-stirring monster? 

No. Because what I'm talking about are the values I actually see acted out here. The American values I see held highest are these:

• Freedom - "I get to do whatever I want - I have rights. You can't make me. I won't do it. I'll do it if I want to. Other people may have a problem with it, but that's not on me."

I have sixteen places I could start here. While I'm sticking to biblical backup, I'd also like to throw in the very common sense quote I can't properly credit for lack of knowledge, "My right to swing my fist ends at the tip of your nose." You can drive your car, but not onto someone's lawn. You could smoke in a restaurant in the 90s, but it was still frowned upon to blow it in a stranger's face. You technically can go around licking hand rails, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it - for your health or anyone else's.

Jesus' freedom is not the do what you want when you want and darn the consequences kind. Matthew, 11:28-30 says "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Notice that it doesn't say there will be no yoke. Jesus doesn't say our shoulders will be free and clear so we can go skipping off to do as we please. When our hearts are full of God's grace, we have freedom to do as He wishes. Not as we do. You may have noticed at some point in time that not one of us knows what's best for us. Not one of us. No, not even you. When we use our American freedom to do things that fly in the face of the things God wants us to use His freedom for, we are very much of this world.

• Patriotism/pride - "This is the best country in the world. If you don't like it then leave, and don't let the door hit you on the way out. How dare you speak out against our president. Other countries don't do things like we do because we're better and they should be more like us."

First of all, I'd like you to raise your hand if you chose to be born in the USA. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Great. Now that that's sorted, how many of you have lived in another country long enough to completely experience the place and not just whatever blips come up on the news about it from time to time? And no, the cruise you took doesn't count.

Some of you may have lived in those places long enough. Some of you may have been born elsewhere and moved here. But none of you born here chose it. No one whose parents brought them here as children chose it. 

Second, if you do love something, you want it to be better. That's why marriage counseling exists. I hope I'm not bursting any bubbles by saying that nothing in your life is perfect. No job, country, person, relationship - nothing. If you want to enable it and stick your fingers in your ears whenever someone brings up a flaw, that's some deeply codependent muck I'm not wading through. That's why therapists in general exist.

Third, it is OK to admit that something another country does is good or could be good, and it DOES NOT MAKE YOU A COMMUNIST. You're allowed to like other systems. France has a great one for water. Iceland has a great one for power. Doesn't mean I'm moving onto a commune in Paris or Rekjavik, but it's ok to not think America is the best at literally everything. Really - I swear. God made all of us, in all countries, and loves us all. It's fine.

Fourth - your political candidate is not God. Nope, not that one. Nope, not that one either. If you're taking everything out of their mouth as gospel, you need to re-read the actual gospel. And maybe check out what happens with idol-worshipping in the Old Testament. Spoiler: it's not good.

• Individualism - "I worked hard to get where I am and if someone is poor that means they're just lazy. Why should I have to help feed people who can't afford it? No one helped me get where I am - I am a SELF-MADE man/woman."

Why is it that I hear these so many times from Christians? "Well, Stephane," you might say, "because it's true." 

Take a step back and look at it again. Who do we glorify in our actions? To whom do we give credit for our triumphs? We don't have anything but what WHO gave us?

That's right - God. You cannot stand secure in your job. In your house. In your vehicle. Job certainly couldn't. You didn't bring water forth from a stone by yourself. Moses didn't. One flood. One fire. One bad enough injury. One act of God could give you multitudes beyond what you have and one act could take it all away so that you have nothing but Him to lean on.

Matthew 25. "When I was hungry you cut funding to the programs to feed me and told me to get a job. When I was thirsty, you poisoned my water with factory runoff. When I was naked, you turned up your nose and passed me, muttering about the homeless."

It's an exaggeration, sure, but not by much. And when you do help, do you only reach out a hand to those who look like you? Act like you? Live like you? Do you only have compassion for people going through things you already have and have firsthand knowledge of? It's easy to love people who are similar to ourselves, but that's not where God asks us to stop. 

• Self-Righteousness - "I'm just glad I'm not like that. I would never do that. That thing is unforgiveable."

Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but only the really repugnant ones like rape and murder. Right? Because that's certainly how we (and definitely I more than once) can tend to act. As though that nasty rumor you passed on last week, or the office supplies you took home, or your failure to help another human being didn't drive the nail just the same. Remember the loveable prayer "Thank you that I'm not like that sinful tax collector"? That one went over like a lead balloon for a reason.

Here's where I make people even more upset because there are only two things I hear Christians around me talking about at least 90% of the time when they talk about sin: homosexuality and abortion. I deeply refuse to talk about my stance on abortion again - it's toward the beginning of the blog if you need it, and I'm far too tired to unearth it to be just a piece of this writing. 

I'm told that I should be a "single issue voter" and vote a certain way just because of abortion rights. That it's good to not worry about any of the rest because this is so horrific that the rest doesn't matter. I am deeply horrified by dead babies. And dead women. And dead children. And dead men. And people in poverty. People who are starving. People who had abortions because they had no access to proper education and thought you could only get pregnant in a certain position. People wasting away in prison for something that should have been a slap on the wrist because the judge was in a mood or because the for-profit prison system is...something I'd need a whole other post on.

The idea that there are only a couple of things that are THE BIG BAD and that other sins are ok is certainly understandable. There are some things that just hit us harder than others. And I know that it's possible to care about 100 things but only talk about two of them. But it seems that the things most talked about are ones that can be preached along party lines, and that I do take issue with. As my friend Beth (who is usually the shore I wash up on when I know I've been in the whale's belly for too long and need to get going) said, God wants us to don our armor and take up His sword and stand our ground - ground He already won. But here we are picking a particular hill on that ground and throwing rocks. It's as if we don't believe that He can hold the ground - we have to thump enough of these bad guy sinners over here and no, don't worry about that log in my eye. I'm not saying we don't convict. I'm not saying we don't share the word. I'm just saying the population of these two hills is way too high, and some hills have been thoroughly abandoned - oddly enough, usually the ones that the most people who profess to be Christians are committing themselves and would prefer to think aren't so bad.

• "Truth" - "There is no discussion here because I'm right and you're wrong. I won't listen to anything except for what confirms my political and social beliefs already, so I'll always believe this way no matter what. 

This one is deeply tricky. I have faith in God. I will not be swayed from that faith in God. There's not enough evidence in the world to turn me because I'm not operating on evidence. I'm operating on faith. We all are. 

Unfortunately, that tends to bleed out into other areas of our life where the object of our belief isn't a perfect creator - it's a human being, or a human idea. A nutjob (bless their heart) with a blog. A corporation lying for profit. A politician lying to advance their platform. 

One of my favorite examples of this requires me to go outside of the Bible and into one of my favorite court cases - Stella Liebeck v. McDonalds. McDonalds paid a lot of marketing and PR people a lot of money to paint Ms. Liebeck as a money-grubbing idiot who got millions of dollars for not knowing coffee was hot. There is even an unofficial award given in her name to the most frivolous lawsuits each year. It's common sense, right? Their story makes sense. She spilled her coffee, got mad about it, and got some crazy lawyer. It happens all the time.

Only it didn't happen that way.

Stella (if I may be so bold - I don't know the woman, but I like to think she'd be ok with it given that I'm defending her) was handed a coffee that was 30-40 degrees hotter than it should have been, which McDonalds had been warned about previously. Literal hundreds of people, including children, had been burned already, and no action was taken to correct it.

She sustained third degree burns over 15% of her body (including thighs and genitals - yowch), which is bad enough even if you aren't 79. Multiple procedures and skin grafts were involved, and the recovery took two years. She asked for $15,000-20,000 to cover her hospital bills. As we all know - those can get extensive. They countered with an offer of $800. Total. So she took it to court, and was awarded punitive damages.

This is a story so well established that the "didn't know coffee was hot" is a major part of the cultural zeitgeist when talking about lawsuits. I didn't know the real story until my 20s. Many still don't. And the "facts" shared by McDonalds' spin artists are still spewed to this day.

Nothing else in this world is God, and nothing else deserves that much of your faith. What's worse, sharing incorrect information makes people who aren't believers say, "Yikes - if they'll believe that easily verified lie, they'll believe anything. God must be on the same level as that nonsense."

The short wrap here for anyone who just spent a lot of time scrolling wondering if I ever shut up (I don't) is that American values and Christian values don't always line up. Not all human rights are American rights and vice versa. I'm an American. I'm a Christian. And I can be both - but not if I don't use careful discernment, humility, scripture, and faith every day.

Conflicted Catholocism

I started to write this post last December. There's still a saved draft sitting there that I didn't turn into this actual post because I wanted to start fresh. What's worse than the fact that it's been 6 months since I started is that it's been over a year since this one was put on my heart. I've been living in a whale belly for so long that I've built a house out of the ribs.

I need to be 100% clear that this post is based on my experience being raised Catholic and mine alone. I cannot speak for anyone else's experience. I've been given stories and anecdotes by others, but I'm not here to pile on. I'm here to bring some things out into the light that I've noticed, and let you make of them what you will.

As a Catholic, I knew jack with a side of squat about the bible. Everything I did know about it, I knew from my sister's Precious Moments book of kids' bible stories. Tiny, bite-sized, easily digested, heavily filtered heavenly father. I often say I knew God to say hi to in the hallways, but not have a conversation with. Now that I've been away from it for longer than I was in it, I've pinpointed the "why" in my case. 

1) We were never encouraged to read the Bible. Never. Church on Sundays was a gospel, a reading from whatever book (often the same ones on rotation), and a quick homily that held no more biblical wisdom than a bumper sticker. It was as though the conceit of the past that holy texts were only for the privileged few was still in full force. If we needed to know anything from the Bible, the priest would tell us. There was no need to go digging for ourselves. I also now wonder if that's because they knew that so much of what is practiced in a Catholic church has no foundation in God's word. 

On top of this, questions were not only discouraged, but actively looked down on. To ask a question, to try to get context or clarification, was to reveal that you were a bad Catholic - how dare you not just take your regurgitated, rotated 6 Bible verses and never want more. I figured that had to be right back then, but now I find it quite ludicrous. To quote a pastor I heard a few years back in a multi-church gathering, "God can handle your questions." The idea that the Almighty can't handle confusion from human hearts and minds about cosmic wonders and the grand design is such a narrow view. 

And so much is lost in not asking. My pastor takes questions. He explains historical context. He brings in other verses to clarify. And when I leave a sermon, I leave knowing and understanding more. Knowing God more. Feeling closer to my Father, and to understanding. To rob people of that deep, rich, three-dimensional view of our creator is surely a cruel act, meant as such or not.

2) Access to God and His promised gifts was restricted. In Exodus, access to God's presence is, in fact, restricted. The entire encampment couldn't just go pull up a cushion and chit chat. But He did give gifts directly to the people even then - mana, quail, water. And if you fast-forward into the New Testament, (spoiler alert - it's a big one), Jesus dies for our sins so that we may approach the father. We are His beloved children, ever welcome. Why, then, when the Bible says we can talk to God directly and confess our sins to him, does the Catholic church require confession to a priest? God's grace doesn't need an earthly bouncer. His forgiveness doesn't come from our actions, but from the changed heart behind it. 

The idea that ritualistic "penance" somehow has the power to cleanse rather than God himself is deeply arrogant, though I'm quite sure most don't intend it that way. That sins can be forgiven posthumously via prayers from others, when that soul is no longer earthbound to experience a change of heart reeks of the indulgences from "purgatory" in medieval times.

This, too, led to me not wanting to "bother" God with anything that wasn't life or death. I prayed every night, but I didn't bring anything to Him that wasn't a capital "P" Problem. I imagined I was annoying Him. Bugging Him. Asking for help without trying to fix it myself. Which, if you're familiar with the Bible, is what you're not supposed to do. He wants us to go to him first. He wants to be there with us for everything - big and little. Unlike older siblings, God doesn't mind when you talk for ages. He's happy to hear his children.

3) Ritual is prized over relationship. I didn't see a focus on relationship with God. With His attributes, His wisdom, His promises, or His desire for us to be close to Him. Instead, the spotlight was on how long you knelt. How many times you prayed your rosary. Whether you remembered the proper order of prayers or the call and response and associated hand motions. Joyful noise was strewn by the wayside, and stoic conformity stocked up like communion wafers.

4) If you thought it, you did it. This one, I think, is nearly impossible to reconcile for anyone with trauma, anxiety, depression, etc. The symbolism is the reality. The thought is the action. Grumbled internally about wanting to throw your cubicle-mate's carrots out the window the next time she crunches during a meeting? Congratulations - you just stole and destroyed property. Even the precogs in Minority Report were a little less nit-picky. 

I remember the first time we had communion at my new church. After taking the wafer, I realized that it wouldn't be gluten-free, so I couldn't eat it without getting violently ill and having symptoms for weeks. I nervously approached my pastor's daughter, who I'd had a Bible study with and was therefore more comfortable with, and asked with absolute dismay what to do with it. It was THE BODY OF CHRIST! Anything other than taking it was quite unacceptable in my youth. 

Jen, to her credit, didn't laugh at me. She just said, "Stephane, it's a cracker. God knows your heart - He's not going to think you're bad if you throw it away." What a freaking revelation. I wasn't throwing Jesus in the trash. Jesus was in my heart - the cracker was in the trash. 

5) Baptism is a given, not by God, but by humans. There is nowhere in the Bible where a baptism is the cause of salvation. It is a symbolic death to your past that is given after salvation. An act of obedience for the great gift you've received. And I can say it's not anywhere in the Bible with a great deal more authority now, as I've actually been encouraged to read it and have done so.

When my oldest daughter was born, she had a congenital heart defect. Catholic (and well-meaning) family members wanted to sneakily baptize her when I said I wouldn't be doing infant baptism so that she would go to heaven if she died before or during her surgery. If I believed for one moment that God would toss an infant into the fiery pit for an original sin that was already paid for by Jesus' death, I can quite guarantee I would not be baptized myself because I'd be sprinting away from the church, as I did at the age of 15.

There's more, but I'm not trying to throw stones. This is the extent of what was on my heart to put here. This is the crux of what I wanted to say. I grew up with a cardboard cutout version of God, and have been given the gift of knowledge of a full, living, amazing God that I had no idea was there. I want everyone to have that. To have Him. To not accept the scales on their eyes, but view the full glory of our Father.

Heavenly Hoarding

"When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ~Matthew 9:11

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” ~Matthew 28:19

I'm not sure I could find any Christian who wouldn't agree that part of being saved is to spread God's word. To share his love, grace, conviction, salvation, forgiveness - to give others the gift that we have been given, though we are undeserving. We have the ability to approach the throne of the Father and sit at his feet. We can ask his forgiveness, seek his wisdom, praise him, and rest in his hands. And thank goodness - I've only been up for a few hours and I've already bent his ear a number of times.

When we find something so amazing, we have to share it. Though the examples aren't quite comparable, I can think of times when I've tried a new diet, product, restaurant, parenting hack (clear nail polish over the speaker of loud toys - thank me later), and I've wanted to share this thing that made my life better. And though I'm not the best at evangelizing, this is all the more true of God. I want everyone to feel loved like I do. 

So why, then, do we sometimes fall into a pattern of what I like to call "heavenly hoarding"? We look at another person, one of our brothers or sisters on this earth, and we decide that their sins are worse than ours, so to heck with them. We self-righteously rail against them and puff ourselves up as quite literally holier-than-thou. We gather up our salvation and shove it into our vaults for safe-keeping, lest any of those awful, dirty "others" and "bad people" get their grubby little souls on it.

My friends, it would be easier to pour the entirety of the ocean into a county fair goldfish bag.

We belong to God, and we are his children. But we do not own him. God is our savior, but he is not a commodity that we can secret away in a pouch under our shirts when we travel. He's not a diamond to be auctioned off to the rich. He's not a mansion in a gated community where everyone inside the walls can congratulate themselves for not being like those on the outside.

God is for everyone. I'm going to say that again - God is for everyone. For liberals, conservatives, gay people, straight people, men, women, the homeless, the imprisoned, the rich, the poor, and even "that person" who you picture in your head and feel smug about when the pastor is talking about a particular trap of sin people can fall into.

Jesus felt the weight of all of our sins, all that we have committed, all that we will commit, all that were committed before he was clothed in human form, all that will be until the end of time - all at once. And here's an uncomfortable truth - every single one of us owns the same size wood splinter of the stakes that were driven through his hands and feet. You and I are both equally as responsible for his suffering. We have no horse to climb up on - only the ground to kneel on and thank him for his grace in loving us anyway. In saving us.

Open your hands and your hearts and pour out his love on ALL of your neighbors - we can use all the light we can get.

Here's a tip - give one

The internet is full of wonderful new things to learn. In the recent past I've learned that some people don't have an inner narrative, that ruby-eyed tree frogs are the cutest things ever, and that I'm not the only person who doesn't like cheese, no matter how much it seems like it.

Then there are all the upsetting things you can learn, the latest of which for me was the existence of these:

I'm sure most of you were already aware of them, but I've never been a server, nor have I known someone who gives these (that I'm aware of). It looks like currency, and is usually left halfway under a plate as a "tip" with only the money part showing. The server goes to take their tip, and surprise - it's not money. It's an invitation to salvation.

Before I go any further, I want to stress something - I am all for sharing the Lord. I 100% believe that salvation is unfathomably more valuable than money. That's not the issue.

First of all, a tipping economy is used to scandalously underpay workers in most states, with the idea that the rest will be made up in monetary tips. These tips are a server's livelihood - what they use to pay their rent, put food on the table for their children, fill their gas tank, etc. They're already losing a chunk when they pay out to other parts of the restaurant. They're already losing a chunk when the tip is on the card because then the whole thing does not go to the server. They are stiffed by patrons who didn't like the service, the music, the kitchen messing up on something, or that the server wouldn't give them an ingredient they said they were allergic to when they were just trying to get a special order/exception. Any of you who've worked anywhere in face to face customer service are also aware that these men and women get screamed at, groped, talked down to, and blamed for ridiculous things.

So this lovely person who's served a table comes back to a wonderful sight - they've been given a larger tip than usual (some of these are even printed to look like $100). They are so happy that they can make rent/buy those new shoes their kids need/go to the doctor's appointment they couldn't afford/finally have a bit of a buffer for the week. Except - nope. No money there.

If you want to leave a pamphlet in addition to a monetary tip, that's fine. If you want to write a bit of scripture or an invitation to the church on your receipt, knock yourself out. But people - one of the best ways we can show God's love to those who don't know it is by our example. By showing our light and love so that they can see firsthand what He can do. After all, we are made in His image.

So what does leaving one of these deceptive pamphlets tell them? That we are liars. That we don't value them as our brothers and sisters. That we don't care how little they're paid to serve us. That we want to put a line in the "well, I spread the Word today" column without living that word by acting with generosity and compassion.

Falsehood is a tool of the devil, and when we try to use it to further the cause of Christ, it's going to backfire. 

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

~John 8:44

God can turn it for good, of course. But the takeaway I've gotten from almost any of the stories I've seen involving these, it cements in the server's mind that Christians are uncaring, superior, and miserly. Is that the kind of group you'd want to join? One restaurant manager went so far as to leave clearly fake bills in an offering plate at the offending church. While that may have been a bit far, and while a church and a restaurant are clearly different things, wouldn't you be upset if you couldn't pay to fix the church roof because the offerings you received were coupons to Bob Evans disguised as money? If you couldn't pay for the church's ministries because the plate was full of senior specials at Denny's?

So go forth - be kind. Be generous. And above all, speak TRUTH.

God Makes Me Sick

There are approximately 9,000 things I'd love to be addressing right now, but I ascribe to "Lord fill my mouth with useful stuff and shut it when I've said enough", and much of what I'd like to say is more venting than useful. So I'm only going to talk about the one that's been on my heart and mind for a while.

I can't count the number of times I've seen a faith leader say something along the lines of "I won't get the coronavirus because I believe in God, and God will protect me." Other Christians saying the people getting it or dying from it should have been praying harder and trusting God. While there were more of these proclamations back in March, I'm still seeing them. So let's unpack this piece by piece.

First, I 100% applaud a devoted faith to God. He can do all things - including keep us healthy. He can work wonderful miracles that defy all explanation.

You know what He doesn't do, though? Promise that we won't get sick if we follow Him. Promise that we won't suffer, won't be hurt. Promise that we won't go through incredible loss during our time on this earth. The idea that if you're a good Christian you won't suffer is some serious prosperity gospel donkey doo-doo that is completely antithetical to the Bible and to Jesus' teachings.

It's an easy mark, but let's take a look at the book of Job. Job was a faithful follower. He was "blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil"(1:1). He gave offerings daily just in case one of his children had sinned and needed to repent. Arguably the biggest mistake he made was choosing judgy, crummy friends. So God rewarded him by not ever letting him get sick or hurt, right? Right?

"Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head" (2:7)

Job, one of the most faithful followers of God, sat in the dust for days, fielding accusations from his "friends" about his character, scraping boils with a potsherd, while mourning the loss of all of his family and possessions. 

And then God says "You were crummy, so I did this to you. You should have prayed harder, dude." Right?

God questions Job (starting in 38:1) as to where he was when the world was made. Whether he can speak with thunder. Whether, essentially, Job has the necessary requirements to speak with authority about what God does and why.

Those who say definitively what won't happen are, whether intentionally or not, claiming to know God's mind. Saying what He will or won't do. It's a prideful arrogance, and I don't think I even need to give sample passages to show how God responds to such a mindset - the whole Bible is full of examples.

My final passionate thought is this - God allowed His only son to suffer. To die. To be ridiculed and abandoned. He works toward far greater goals than we can begin to imagine, and we do not get to tell him how best to reach those. We know His character, but not His mind.

I pray that you all remain safe and healthy - and cling to the Word that shows us the way.

Believers on the Devil's Payroll

 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your god with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Mark 12:29-31

I sat on this post for over a month. I've felt the prompting of the Spirit daily to write it, and daily I've hesitated. This is not a feel-good post. This is a loving conviction of literally millions of believers. As a relative newcomer to the faith, I always feel like it comes across as naive and condescending. What right do I have to chide those who have been saved for decades? But then I remember it's not up to me.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Phillipians 2:12-13

I love you, my brothers and sisters. And it's because I love you that I don't want to see you take a step (or a leap) off of the path. And in a choice between possibly upsetting some of you or disobeying the God whose grace saved and sustained me, the Christ whose wounds were for my sins as much as anyone else's, well, that's not a competition.

My heart hurts. My soul is bruised, and my spirit is flagging. I've taken more than one hiatus from social media to salvage what little sanity I had left. Don't get me wrong - there are times you have to take a strong stand about something and being "nice" is not an option anymore. Even Jesus flipped tables. Anger can be righteous. But what I'm seeing isn't conviction. Isn't the pursuit of the ideals of the Lord. It's pure hatred. Venom. Vitriol. Grown adults throwing tantrums. Name-calling. Advocating for the deaths of those who dare to disagree with them. And the part that truly has brought me to tears on more than one occasion is that I see professed believers doing all of the above.

Now, I don't know the state of anyone's heart. But I must have missed the part of Jesus' teachings where he says that some faction or another of his children's lives don't matter. Where he says that backbiting, sniping, seething hatred for your fellow man is preferred. It may be in one of the lost books where he says those of us who are saved are so much better and have the high ground over those who don't. Perhaps I'm simply not reading the right version. If anyone can point me to the passage about neglecting the poor and weak and refusing to acknowledge the humanity of those around you, I'd greatly appreciate it. Maybe then I could understand.

Some of you may be feeling defensive right about now. That's ok. As humans, we tend to make our political beliefs, opinions, etc. such a crucial lynch-pin of our identity that we ourselves feel threatened when all that's threatened is an idea we hold. Recently I posted a quote regarding people not listening to each other being like conversations among the deaf. A friend who is hard of hearing let me know that it's a phrase that's hurtful to the community because people who are deaf can communicate perfectly well. The intent obviously wasn't to harm, but it's not exactly positive. My first reaction was to get defensive. I'm not ableist. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I have no problem with deaf people! So I took a step back and asked why I felt the need to launch into lawyer mode. I felt attacked because an idea was attacked. But I am not my ideas. You are not your ideas. And no idea we hold is more important than our identity as God's children.

So what happens when we succumb to our baser, fleshly desire to unleash hatred and rage at others rather than attempt communication? Satan smiles. When we advocate for the deaths of others? Satan rubs his hands in glee. When we refuse to care for those who need it? Satan dances.

The enemy doesn't even have to lift a finger right now. He's taking a vacation because we are doing all of his work for him. We are believers on the devil's payroll. And if we're serving his ends, we are neglecting what God wants us to do. We are telling God "I know you said to do X, but Y makes me feel better, so I'm doing it instead. I know better than you. You don't understand - they are SO WRONG. I had to do it!"

I don't know what the solution is for all of this, other than prayer and immersing ourselves in the Word, lest we forget what it actually says and start going off-script(ure). I'm not pointing any fingers. It's not an isolated issue. It's also not an unfixable one. My broken heart and I implore you to please, please, follow Jesus' teachings and love your fellow human beings. He loves you so much, and he loves them so much. He made them. He made them. Whatever your feelings, he put all of us here. And it's up to us whether we help each other, or make each other miserable. Whether the angels sing or the devil laughs at our actions.