I Dare You to Throw the First Stone!

We got an email today from our head pastor, Rick. The email was a link to a story in the OC Resister about a former security guard from our church who was arrested for burglary... of our church. The full article can be read here, but there are a few things that I really want to get off my chest. Call this a rant if you must, but something needs to be said.

Charles needs prayer, not vilification. As I read through the comments on the OC Register page, I was disgusted to read all of the horrible things people posted. For one, we don't know the full story. I don't care about the sin that was committed. I care about the person who committed the sin. Charles was such a nice guy who served our church for many years. We don't know what circumstances in his life took place that pushed him to allegedly steal from the church. Hate the sin, love the sinner.

My heart breaks when I see people go down a bad path. It just means that they're hurting in some way. Who are we to point fingers and condemn this man? Do we base our sins off of what he does? Compared to Hitler, we're all amazing! Compared to Jesus, we ALL fall short. We are all sinful and need Christ for redemption. I don't care if you're a believer or not. Charles is a fellow brother who needs prayer and love. This is true for everyone in his situation. Don't just throw people to the curb because of this sin. Jesus died for sinners like you and me. Charles is no different from us.

Married for 364 days!

Our one year anniversary is tomorrow and I've been sick for the past 3 days :( I'm feeling better, but tonight, we're going to take it easy and watch a couple movies. My pick is awesome. Hollie's pick is not awesome.

Hollie Crying After Flash of Genius

Short and simple.

See the others here!

Church People are Hypocrites!!!

Over the past 3 days, I've had conversations with 5 different people who have the same opinion of church goers: they are hypocrites. The generalized, average statement sounds something like, "I don't go to church because everyone is there to just hangout with their friends." That may be true for a big chunk of people, but not for all. In fact, more power to the people who show up to church to hang out with friends! Maybe they're not there for God, but they are there! God can grab their hearts when they're in a church environment with believers. Those are the people we should be praying for and encouraging to show up more often. I would rather them be unbelievers hanging out with their friends at a church than unbelievers hanging out with their friends at a party.

God can do amazing things with people who have no motive to follow Christ (i.e. Paul). I once knew a guy in our college ministry who showed up every week just to hit on the girls. A lot of the other guys didn't like him because they knew his game. I wasn't too worried about him. Most girls turned him down, but he kept trying! Eventually, something happened at home and his world got turned upside-down. He showed up to church that week, not searching for girls, but searching for God. Since then, he has made some major changes in his life. He's still single and showing up to church ever week, but his motive to go to church is now God centered.

So, to the people who don't go to or don't like church because of hypocrites, here are a few things I want to say:

1. Keep in mind that every hypocrite is a life and every life is important to God.
2. You are a hypocrite. I say that in a loving way from one hypocrite to another. You have your flaws and still show up to church every week (hopefully). You have one up on the other hypocrites because you go to be fed the word and worship the Lord. Pray for the others to grow in spiritual maturity so they can do the same.
3. God is the big picture, not you. If you don't go to church because you have a dislike of certain people, you're only hurting yourself. God wants you at church. He wants you to worship, serve, disciple, have fellowship, and evangelize regardless of what the guy next to you is doing. You should pray for that guy, not judge him.
4. You're probably lacking true fellowship. Be honest with yourself, are you jealous when you see clicks around church? Nobody likes a click unless you're in one. True fellowship is not a click. Join a small group and spend time with people and God. Hanging out is fine, but fellowship what you really need.
5. The members of the church are your family members. Love them. Pray for them. Serve them. Encourage them. Be an example. Complaining will only turn others away and make you more cynical.

Love the hypocrites! Love yourself!