Christ died for ALL!

Yes I said it and I believe it... Christ died for all. Some would lead us to believe that He only died to save certain denominations, sub-groups, races, etc. but I have it right from the Word of God that he died for all who believe. 

Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans 3:21-28

And more than that... Justification/Salvation are a matter of the heart, not the label we put on ourselves or others.

 Easter is a very important time of the year for Christians. We proclaim that our Lord has been crucified, buried and Risen from the Grave. And we believe that he has endured the Cross to take away our sins, that we may have everlasting life.1 Corinthians 15: 20-22.  

These texts and many more like them have no hint of qualification for being Christian, for gaining eternal life through the death and Resurrection of Christ, apart from belief in Jesus Christ.  A matter of the heart...

A matter of the heart my friends....unfortunately many hearts have been damaged and made to believe that they are unworthy of the Love of Christ.

I am speaking directly to those of us who have been damaged by this judgement when I say You are Loved!  Christ wants you to believe,  He wants to know you.  He wants you to know that your sins are covered and there is nothing you can to that will separate you from the love of Christ.  Read Romans 8:31-39

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture Romans 8:35 The Message

Happy Easter everyone.  Rejoice in our Savior knowing you are LOVED!

Faith, Freedom, and a Law about Neither

I was going to write a blog today but I think she about says it all!

I am not what I would call a gay rights activist. Maybe more of a civil rights activist. 

She is right when she says where will this end! Freedoms in this country are getting fewer and farther between. You take my rights away to gain your own and soon yours will be gone as well. 

As the Bible says.... None are without sin. Not One. Will there come a day when we can refuse service because we THINK someone is alcoholic? Gluttonous? Lying? They look like they might steal something? Muslim? all in the name of Religious Freedom? 

Read the blog by this wise woman and take her challenge. You don't have to be gay or pro-gay marriage to know that this legislation is wrong. SPEAK OUT TODAY

Gay Cheeseburgers in Kansas: Faith, Freedom, and a Law about neither

The gift of Love and Acceptance

I heard a commercial on the radio a couple days ago that keeps ringing in my ears.  It went something like this.

Someone you know and love may give you the gift of coming out this Christmas season.  Give them the gift of love and acceptance.

It was a commercial for Flint Hills PFLAG (Parents Family and Friends of Gay and Lesbians) http://community.pflag.org/page.aspx?pid=539. Visit this site for more information.

It has me thinking about how lucky I have been with my family.  Love and Acceptance have characterized what I have experienced with them.  Does that mean they agree?  Not at all…but they are willing to overlook our difference of opinion to continue to have me as part of their family and for that I am truly grateful. 

Not all of my friends and acquaintances have been so lucky.  Some have been disowned, some have abandoned their families because of the judgment they feel, real or imagined.

There are two sides to this situation, as there always is.  We all have responsibility. 

We tend to think it is not ok to disagree on this issue and still love each other.

During the holidays let’s all respect each other and show love if we agree or not.  Let’s agree to disagree. 

To the gay and lesbian:  Put your need for approval of this issue aside and accept the love your family is willing to give you.   Be respectful of family members in your show of affection for your partner.   Just be who you are, don’t feel like you have to change their minds, prove you are right. 

My sister tells me periodically when the subject comes up that she loves me, she accepts me and my partner, but she does not agree with my sexual orientation.  Some of you would take this as an attack, it would instigate anger, I take it as her loving me enough to tell me the truth.  We have a great relationship; in fact she is my best friend.  We agree to disagree.

To family and friends:   Love your daughter, son, mom or dad, sister or brother, like you did before you knew.  This does not change who they are on the inside.  They are still the person you knew and loved.  They did not just wake up one morning a changed person…they have been this way forever, you just didn’t know.  You should feel honored that they are willing to let you in on this part of their life.  Many people you know live this lifestyle in secret, not willing to suffer the real and imagined consequences of living truthfully.  It is a shame that once this truth is discovered relationships tend to change.

I guess once again it goes back to living a real life.  Not pretending.   Just be who you are.  You do not have to prove a point. And this goes for both sides… Gays and Lesbians do not have to prove what they are doing is right and families don’t have to try to change their loved one…

Put your personal feelings and agenda’s aside and love each other. 

Faith Filled Rebellion part 1

I tried to add a page to my blog entitled Mini Sermons... for devotions and writings that are not necessarily personal but that I have written in the past.  Blogger doesn't let you do that so I guess they will be all on one page.  

This was written for a workshop I gave a couple years ago and I wanted to share its concept. I picked this concept to start with because we all deal with and have been brainwashed that if you do A B or C you can not be a Christian, I have come to know this is not true.   I have edited it for easier reading since it was written to be presented with audience participation… answer the questions for yourself and feel free to share with friends and comment…  It  will be posted in several successive blogs because it was written for a 45 min presentation.  Hope you enjoy it.
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I know you are wondering, what is faith-filled rebellion.  As I have been preparing to come to this conference many people asked me what I was going to talk about.  When I told them the name of the workshop they would laugh and say how can that be?  It is impossible to have faith-filled rebellion.  We all have a preconceived notion as to what rebellion is….  

When you hear the word Rebellion what come to mind?                                                             

The dictionary.com says:

Rebellion is a refusal of obedience or order ^[1]. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors from civil disobedience and mass nonviolent resistance, to violent and organized attempts to destroy an established authority such as the government.

A lot of us equate rebellion with sin….  We are rebelling against God when we sin. We are disobeying rules... but who's rules

What do you think of when you think of sin?  When you list sins do you think they are all inclusive?  Example….That _____ is a sin for everyone?  If it is a sin for you it is wrong for everyone else? 

I believe that some of the things that we consider sin are not really sins.... but some of them might not be beneficial to us.

Some things lead to sin for us or another that are not necessarily sin, so it is better for us to stay away from them… 1 Cor. 6:12 and 10:23

(1cor 6:12)            “Everything is permissible for me- but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible for me- but I will not be mastered.”

(1 cor 10:23)       “Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible-but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others.”

 Also, sin can be something we fail to do….

 (James 4:17)       “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins”

Most things we call sins today are ways to keep civil obedience in the church and in our societies.  They are man made laws based on our culture and what we believe is right or wrong.  In The God You Never Knew Marcus Borg writes “There is an enculturated sense of sin and guilt that has little or nothing to do with God.  The messages of our socialization (religious and secular) get internalized within our psyches as the critical voice of the superego, the police officer and judge in our head.”  We may have heard them from our parents, on TV, in church, or in school but they were designed by men to keep order.

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We take these messages out to the world and judge others based on our own sense of sin and guilt.  One thing I know is that I can not judge a person based on any outward appearance.  Many people appear to be something they are not. 

REVENGE

Wow… what a day… I told you this blog wasn’t for the light hearted.

I won’t go into all the gory details but revenge is a horrible thing especially when it hurts others.

I admitted in my first blog that I am a lesbian.  Just admitting that makes me a monster in some people eyes.   I don’t understand that.   Why does being gay make you think I am immoral, a bad parent, an unproductive citizen, non-Christian, prone to poor decisions, and a bad influence?  Why?  Do you know many gay people?  Are the ones you know monsters?  You probably know more than you think because they are afraid of the stereotype put on them so they don’t announce it… Nor should they, you don’t go around announcing you are heterosexual do you?

Even if you think that same sex relationships are a sin…. Do you think the same way about obese people?  Gluttony is a sin.  Do you think that all overweight people are going to hell?  Do you look at them with disgust?  Whisper about them…. I have said it many times… we have gossips, alcoholics, gluttons, and porn addicts teaching our Sunday School classes but if you are openly gay… you are not even welcome to attend Sunday service without being ridiculed….

How about you… are you without sin?  Does that make you a bad parent?  And unproductive citizen?  Prone to bad decisions and chaos? Non-Christian? A bad influence? 

For the record, I do not believe that loving same sex relationships are sin in God’s eyes. 

Revenge is what takes place when one person in hurt and they want to get even.  We start out hurt, and then we get angry.  This is the normal healing process denial, hurt, anger, forgiveness.  But we don’t go on to forgiveness…  We go on to revenge…  Revenge does not help anyone, not even the person who is acting out.

“But, just as with hiding the hurt, revenge does not heal the hurt either. That’s because all hurt, at its core, is simply a reminder of your essential human vulnerability and helplessness. Even if you kill the person who hurts you, you still remain vulnerable to another attack from someone else. With all revenge, then, you might temporarily feel powerful, but the feeling is just an illusion. No matter what you do, you remain vulnerable to attack from anyone, anywhere.” http://www.chastitysf.com/healing.htm

Right now my family is being victimized by someone with a vengeful heart… someone seeking revenge for their hurt.  I pray for that person, and I pray for our family to survive this hurt. 

We have already been through so much but I guess they say “God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle”  He has a lot more faith in me than I do right now, but I’m gonna be strong and prove him right.