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.