Stumbling About for Truth

I couldn't help thinking, as my family gathered both last night and today in celebration of Christmas, that it really should be known as The 2nd Thanksgiving. Or maybe Thanksgiving 2.0 or something like that. The reason for this thought is how thankful I am to have my extended family, my health, my job, my beautiful wife, my kids - and my God in my life. It's really too much to expect and really, incomprehensible the amount of blessings I enjoy because of all that God has provided for me. I am so thankful and so full of joy when I think about it. I pray that no matter your station in life, that God blesses you this Christmas and in the coming year.

These folks really do need a life other than one built around plastic, metal and wheels.

Click here and be amazed!

Now wouldn't it be nice if we could disagree as agreeably as these two do ? Not holding my breath though... generally there is too much fear being propagated on both sides of the issue.

The last paragraph of an article I read last November about Obama cookies someone put on the market around election time (the article I read is a dead link now) said: "I think everybody just ... thought, 'Oh, great cookie, great president — the world is a happy place. Barack's going to fix all the problems and if I have a bite of this cookie it's going to make me feel good,'" Maxfield said. As I read this story and in particular, the last paragraph, I couldn't help of a couple of other things: • The internet boom when internet companies were WAY overvalued and every Tom, Dick and Harry was opening one and going public in hopes of making millions. And everyone was buying any stock related to a hi-tech, internet-based company. It didn't matter that none of these companies had shown a profit - and it turns out, most never would. They crashed and burned in mid 2000. • The housing boom when everyone was buying way more house than they could afford. People w

Here is an excellent example of Jesus. And here is an example of selfishness.

Okay, so it's not that exciting, but this post on Corrie Ten Boom and being thankful in all circumstances is good.

Being it's Thanksgiving, I thought I would write a little about those who are a constant presence in my life. God. How could I not be thankful for a Person who gave His life so I could live? Plus He gives grace, mercy and forgiveness every day of my life - 3 things I really couldn't live without. My Wife. She is beautiful, smart and caring and committed to our relationship and our family. I love her dearly. My Kids. Their ages range from 6 to 17 and I love everything about all 3 of them! Plus, as anyone who had kids knows, they teach me alot about myself (i.e. they're built in accountability partners). My Mom. I am thankful for my mom and her influence in my life. I wouldn't be where I am at personally or professionally without her guidance and her support. My Friends. I am not sure I could do life without my friends. They encourage and uplift me when I am down and provide me a sounding board for decisions that I need to make. You know who you all are and I am thankful

He used to be part of the worship team at the church (Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, TX) my family attends... then a little thing called American Idol happened and I haven't seen him on stage since. This is one of my all-time favorite songs - not because of the music, but because of the words about what it's like to walk with Christ.

...as opposed to the turkeys behind Governor Palin in this classic video shown from a couple of different perspectives. you gotta watch the whole video on the first link. It is hilarious.

... I see this photo of kids in their neighborhood in Peru. Notice the "houses" in the background. Makes my little house look like a castle.

This morning on the way into work, I was praying through some issues and for various people in my life. The organization I work for is going through some rough changes and reorganizing. Jobs have been lost and there may be more. It's not a fun time at work these days. I prayed quite a bit about that and for my attitude in relation to that situation. I was also praying for my family and a few friends that I had purposed to pray for. As I was praying and discussing them with God, some other names popped into my head unexpectedly - at least from my perspective. So I prayed for the people behind the names and asked God to encourage them right as I was praying for them. I checked with one of them already just to see if anything was going on and there wasn't. He did say that he had just finished running a very "inspirational" 6 mile run - so maybe that was the form of encouragement God used in answer to my prayer. I haven't checked with the other person yet, but I plan

I walked into the church building last night like I always do to go to church. We were running late, so while I parked the car, Trudy got the boys checked in to their classes. We met in the large hallway that led to the sanctuary. Once I had the night's program guide in hand, I remembered that this was going to be a worship-only service. I expected to be singing most of the night and maybe having some devotional-type words, some scriptures relating to the music and prayer in between songs. Boy was I wrong. And boy was I caught off guard. I was completely unprepared for what God was going to do in my heart last night. Turns out, we ARE singing worship songs, but that's not all. There will be no sermon. Instead, as God's family at Lakepointe Church, we are focusing on where our relationship with God is - where we have put Him in our lives. What we are allowing sin to do to our lives. What we are allowing worry, stress, jealousy, you name it do to our relationships with our fa

I thought of Wade Burleson and his many posts on those in leadership allowing dissent in the SBC (here's a hint: it's not allowed) when I read this. Southern Baptists could learn a few things from Obama about dissent . I hope he appoints those who disagree with him - not because they disagree with him, but because they are the best person for the jobs and they'll offset any sycophants he might have on his staff.

From Bob Cleveland : Far too many believers never really, and I mean REALLY, have to live by faith, IMO. I feel the blessed ones are the ones that do. How apropos for the economic times we live in now. I wonder how many of us really do live by faith in this country. I am afraid Bob is right on - not very many. How strange an idea that must be to God - to know we don't live by faith in Him. He commented on Wade Burleson's excellent post about a boy who knew more about living by faith than most of us combined ever learn.

Check this out. Now if it took science 200 years to figure out how ordinary bleach works, then how in the world is it that people think science (humanism) is the more intelligent choice than God?

That's Sadie with her - she was a Christmas present from her step-mom and I this past Christmas. Amy Seale, a good friend of mine took the shot as well as many others. I will post more later. And the below photo is so you can see she hasn't changed that much! She's still the cutest little girl I have ever met! (I know - that's kinda corny - but hey, I'm the proud dad!)

From "Preaching the Minority View," January 14, 1991. In response to the question, "What motivates you to keep going?" "I care less and less how many people come forward—whether anybody comes forward or not. The important thing is whether I have made clear the Gospel and the cost of following Christ ." Too many "Christians" consider their work done when they invite Christ into their lives. This is not so and Billy Graham said in a few words what I have tried to explain a million times to various people. There is a cost involved in following Christ. The true life of discipleship is not for the faint of heart or the weak in faith. It is hard, strenuous work - and that's just the intellectual side! The true work comes in serving others consistently and over time the way Christ would serve them. The way Christ would serve them you say? In a word, the answer is without condition, boundaries or disclaimers. Total abandonment to His cause is what is

A couple of days ago I published a post named, "Be Careful What You Say". It was a call to watch what we say because it affects others' perceptions of who we are. I used Scott Wilder and some negative stuff he said about Gary Busey after having him on his radio talk show. I was thinking about that post and how others would in turn see me in a negative light because I used him and his failings in that particular case to illustrate a point. So in fairness, I also thought of a really cool thing Scott did right around the time his show went on the air. I don't remember all of the details, but I remember a woman, who was a stripper or worked in some other capacity in the adult entertainment industry and was hurting. As she told her story, Scott began ministering to her in a way I have never heard anyone do on the radio - at least anyone who wasn't specifically there to counsel people. As I recall, once he was finished, he followed up and made sure she had the opportuni

Al Franken lost! Woo-hoo!

I was watching some show on MTV that I usually don't watch - not much, if anything at all, is worth watching on that channel - but I was bored and watching some celebrity addicts in recovery. They are all under the care of some high dollar shrink. It's all pretty smarmy - the has-been celebs are doing it for one last gasp of a chance at continuing their careers. The doctor is doing it for the chance to make even bigger bucks through the publicity the show generates. One of them is Gary Busey the actor - and he claims - a born again Christian. He is in complete denial that he is an addict and he is acting as if he is in charge of all of the rest of the celebs there at the recovery center. He's in pretty sad shape and looks to be on his last go around with his addiction. You get the sense when you see him that if he doesn't beat it this time, he's gonna die. Every time I see or hear of Garey Busey, I am reminded of Scott Wilder. And tonight was no exception- I was rem

I voted today. I voted straight republican ticket. I was joking earlier that I did my duty to offset my bosses vote and my wife cast hers to offset my mother's vote. Both are diehard democrats... and both wanted Hillary instead of Obama. My brother and his wife put us ahead in our family with 2 more republican votes. Not sure of my sister though... last I heard, she was also republican. As a side note, I almost voted for my first democrat today. Mike Anderson, republican, who is running for state senate here in Texas and former mayor of my hometown, really annoyed me. I swear he has sent a mailer to me every other day for the last few weeks, called to bother me at home with robocalls a couple of times, and his election signs, with his big, warm, fuzzy family shots were blatant propaganda (God, family, country, apple pie, etc.). You can see the shot here. Plus, he's a complete clown when it comes to higher education. He says college hasn't gotten more expensive. I wonder wh

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your po

I was all set to write a post telling you the story of how even though I wrote the below post on Peace for an Advent Guide the organization I work for publishes, I have very little peace in my life. And, somewhat hypocritically, I don't follow my own prescription for peace that I wrote about. But a funny thing happened today. This was perhaps one of my more busy and stressful days I have had in the last few months. You'd think I would just implode with stress and crack under the pressure seeing as how I already don't have much peace in my life. It really shouldn't take much to put me over the edge into anger, frustration and despair. Not so. At least this time. I had a new, if only temporary, purpose at work today. I had to get a 2-3 day project done in one day. Plus I have more of the same coming up due on Monday that I haven't even gotten copy on yet. Once I got rolling, I work pretty hard all day to get the project done. I was extremely focused. And I was at peac

I was asked to write a devotional about Peace - one of the weeks in the Advent season. I was to write for an Advent guide that the organization I work for, Buckner International, publishes each year. I was pretty excited about it as I had the chance to write for something other than my blog and its 4 or 5 readers! Well I wrote my it and it is now being used as a bible lesson rather than a devotional. The text of it is below. More tomorrow on why I am posing it here. Our Peace is Not of This World John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Peace is hard to come by in this world. It seems like there is always something just around the corner – some event that can alter our lives forever. Some unknown medical condition come to light. A sudden accident. A lost job – especially in the current economic situation we find ourselves in these days. Those are things we cannot control. We

I was reading through Romans 8 just now and ran across this in vs. 35-37: Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he know longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Overwhelming victory in Jesus! Careful now! I might begin to sound like a raving charismatic! Seriously, there is nothing more comforting to read and understand that no matter the trials we are faced with, Christ loves us. He says He is always with us - he has left us a seal to guide us - namely the Holy Spirit. We are not alone.

There is a discussion going on at Christianity Today about whether or not executives at Christian organizations should limit salaries. I have a friend there who strongly disagrees with me. In the unlikely event he shows up at my blog, he might try this article I wrote last year on why I believe what I believe: that we should not seek to limit salaries - that would be the wrong focus. Usually, when people want to limit salaries, there is jealousy on their part involved. We should instead, challenge each other to look at what we believe about money and whether or not Christ would approve of what we believe in principle and in practice.

I usually don't do this on my blog, but I am a rabid news follower and I usually have a "headline of the week" or "quote of the week" in my mind or one that I tell or send to my friends... this week its: "The reporting of the past few days has proven tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert," Mike Huckabee said this in his speech commenting on the news medias blatant bias against Sarah Palin, McCain's choice for VP. He's wrong though, the media sunk to a new low. A Madonna concert is not tacky enough for the level of reporting that has taken place in the last week. Tacky really isn't the word I would choose - disgusting bias are the 2 words I would use.

From James Hoffa on unifying the Democratic Party behind Obama: "There are people who are not going to vote for him because he's black," said James Hoffa, president of the Teamsters union. "And we've got to hope that we can educate people to put aside their racism and to put their own interests No. 1." He spoke in an Associated Press interview

This story has severe family dysfunction written all over it. The parents it seems to me, are more interested in the world knowing how disgusted they are with their daughter and how "righteous" they are than they are about loving their daughter. How many of you really believe that calling your child out in the media is really the best way to lovingly confront them on an issue? Strict "Christian" upbringings have always concerned me. They seem to work against the very thing you want for your children: to follow the God you follow. But the quote of the story for me is this: "I'm not ashamed of it," she said. "Everyone's looking for me to be, 'Well, I'm so ashamed of it and that's why I kissed a girl!' No way! I still have 'Jesus' tattooed on my wrist. And I still have faith and a foundation of my own. " "A foundation of my own," she says. That may just be her problem. Any time we build our lives on a found

My blog has somewhat become a reactionary commentary to what I have observed in my own life and others'... and the latest thing I have observed is that it takes strength for a parent to make the right choice for their children. But sadly, most of us fail because we are selfish and really, we're looking out for our own good... our own comfort - even as we act as if we are making decisions based on their own good. Let me say that though I have not been perfect in making decisions for my children, and will never be perfect, it still stands as truth that we become cowards when we, in the midst of our own pain, make decisions regarding our children, not for their own good, but to give us some measure of comfort in the midst of our own pain. This I have seen happen time and time again. And because I can see into the future because of what's happened in the past, I feel sad and frustrated that while we consider ourselves independent, we really aren't and we continuously flail

"Remigus had a brisk, efficient manner of moving and speaking which gave him an air of competence entirely at variance with his true character. Closer observation revealed clues to what was beneath the facade: his rather prominent blue eyes shifted about rapidly in an anxious way, his weak-looking mouth worked hesitantly two or three times before he spoke, and his hands clenched and opened repeatedly even though he was otherwise still. What authority he had came from arrogance [some times passed off as a healthy degree of ego by those who look to explain away arrogance] , petulance and a dismissive way with subordinates." – From "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett [except bracketed comment by me]

...maybe it should start with itself. Church discipline troubles me. I am well aware of the Matthew passages and even agree with them. Problem is, the church has so screwed up its influence and place in society with believers and non-believers alike, I am pretty sure I would tell a pastor or church deacon or elder board who likely doesn't know me, but wants to correct me, to take a hike. Further, the church has no business in my personal life - it doesn't even have its own personal life in order. Church authoritarians many times just want you to know they have "power" over you. Because of its failings, the church has long since been stripped of any authority God gave it - it has suffered the natural consequences of its own lukewarmness in failing to to be salt and light in the world. It is no longer the center of life. And don't blame the secular society for this. Blame the church - and uncomfortably, this means blaming the leaders and ourselves. It has been said

Check these buzzards out.

I was sitting in church last night - well, actually, I was standing since we were singing. We were singing "Your Grace is Enough" and as usual, when I sing a song about one of God's immeasurable attributes, my mind begins processing what I am singing a million miles an hour. So I quickly wrote a few notes down right after the song - thinking I would blog about it later. The whole concept of God's grace has become such a cliché in Christianity today. We throw it around pretty easily. We say, "Grace and peace be with you." or "Go in God's grace." Or "But by the grace of God, there go I." Or we say "Grace" at meal times. And then in the larger secular world, we hear about a celebrity's "grace and style" or her "graceful mannersisms", or how she dances with such "grace and power". It's actually quite easy to forget what grace means in God's economy. When I looked up the word in the dicti

I am in the midst of reading The Appeal by John Grisham. I don't feel like typing a synopsis of the book - it's not really pertinent to what I am about to say anyways. Grisham slipped in a line in the book saying that opposing abortion and supporting the death penalty are contradictory. The headline of this post says everything you need to know about my argument that there is no contradiction.. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong...

Not sure if you've seen this or not... how in the world does a kid get to the place where he thinks that this is not only okay, but funny?

... someone who is doing something good for the right reasons. This man exemplifies Jesus' teaching - His whole teaching. Click here to read the story.

... maybe to Iraq. Click here . Read the story. Then email him at csatullo@phillynews.com to let him know what you think.

Remember the photo from the Vietnam war era of the little Vietnamese girl running naked down a road after being napalmed by I assume American forces. It's one of the most famous and well-known photos from that war. Well, here's the rest of the story. Here is a link to her foundation.

Check this out. Debbie Kaufman has a link to the actual sermon down in the responses to the post - you have to listen to it for about 10 minutes or so - but he says it here . In essence he says that one of the reasons a husband abuses his wife is because she won't submit to him. [Insert stunned silence here.] Dr. Bruce Ware, professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., is responsible for this incomprehensible little tidbit of knowledge. It's not the main point of the sermon by any stretch, but I am just flabbergasted that he would say this. He certainly isn't helping the cause he's preaching for. I suppose he would also say one of the reasons parents abuse their children is because the children just won't listen to the parents. Always nice when a professor exhibits such ignorance on a subject... maybe sticking to the Biblical text instead of his misguided opinions would help. Maybe.

Here is where you start The Walk, continue The Walk, and end The Walk. Most just say, "Here is the starting point." But that assumes there is a jumping off point - or you just do what Jesus says at the start and then "grow" into a more important position. Not true. You take these verses up, pack 'em in your backpack and take 'em along for the whole journey. That way you can pull 'em out and use them to remind you of the essence of leading others. Note that Jesus doesn't say anything about telling anyone what to do or where to go or how to do something...

Armchair quarterbacks usually talk and judge a pro quarterback's performance as if they played the game themselves. The problem is, they usually haven't. They haven't been practicing since they were old enough to walk - training to be a quarterback. They haven't had to face a linebacker or defensive end that outweighs them by 100lbs coming at them like an out-of-control freight train. They haven't felt the weight of responsibility that comes with being the leader of a multi-billion dollar franchise. But they sure do have an awful lot of advice to offer. Check out any football blog during the season to see all this in action. Shoot, check out any sports blog for pretty much any sport to see this in action right now. Armchair theologians are usually the same and they consider the blogosphere their pulpit to the world. You can tell the ones that haven't experienced much in their walks or haven't walked in obedience to God in certain areas of their lives. They h

I just watched an incredible video over here . It makes the cares of this world fade into the background when you consider another 2 people have crossed over from death to life...

See the story of his death here here. See him pontificate on religion here (profanity warning)

This is a photo of my 17 year old daughter when she was around 2 years old. It's one of my favorite photos - again, because it illustrates her personality at the time: rambunctious and happy.

Zach is 6 years old and is going into 1st grade in the fall...

I posted some photos yesterday of Chris when he was 4 years old or so... today I am posting a photo of him I took at VBS earlier this evening... he's 8 years old and will be starting 3rd grade in the fall. He's growing up too fast. Way too fast.

Chris is 8 now - but he was probably 4 when these photos were taken... he's a sweet, inquisitive kid. He likes to experience life to its fullest and he's curious about everything. These photos - illustrate those traits about him perfectly.

I was reading through some sent emails earlier this evening and ran across an email I had sent back before Christmas 2006. I was asking my mother to let me know what she wanted and some ideas for Oz - her husband. Funny how things changes in an instant - and there's no going back. Oz, at that time, though none of us knew it, only had about 6 months to live. He inexplicably fell 15 feet to his death the following April. No more requests for Oz's christmas wish list necessary. Christmas - and everything else changed in an instant for our family. Back in 2004, we celebrated Christmas with my sister and her family. What we didn't know was that 2 months later,we would all find out that my brother in laws actions finally caught up with him - and he eventually ended up in prison for what will probably be the rest of his life. That day in February when my mom called me and gave us the startling and shattering news that Travis was not at all who he held himself out to be changed all

What do you get when an artist get's mad? a frosted flake. (cue groans here)

I had the distinct displeasure of experiencing first hand, a small dose of what being discriminated against because of skin color must feel like. I was parked at a gas station off of Interstate 30 in the Dallas-Ft. Worth tonight waiting for my sister's boyfriend to pick up 2 of my nieces who had spent the weekend with my family. One of my nieces is a mixed race child. Her father is african-american and her mom, my sister, is white. As we were sitting in the driveway of the gas station close to the frontage road, enjoying the music on the radio and minding our own business, I suddenly hear a loud car horn behind me. There was a van behind me in the center of the driveway (I was parked off to the left so as not to impede anyone who might want to have access to the frontage road) that was honking at me. I couldn't figure out why as he looked like he wanted past me. There was plenty of room for him to pass. I was unsure of what he wanted me to do, so I sat there and rolled my windo

...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 I was reading a paper over the section of 2 Corinthians that this verse falls within. The thing that stuck out to me is that we are new creations - our old lives, ways of doing and thinking, spiritually and practically, are gone. When Christ was crucified and then raised on the 3rd day, do you think his followers viewed him differently? You bet they did! Not only did they see that he was indeed risen and he had a body (he wasn't just spirit) - but that suddenly, his resurrection had consequences for their own lives. If he could die and then rise again, so could they - through His power of course. So is that power still available to us? It is and we need to access it. That means we no longer see ourselves in the same way. God sacrificed His only son for us. While we shouldn't use it to justify self-serving attitudes and practices, we are of unimaginable value to God. We need

Our small group has been going through a book taking us through some basics of living a life following after God. We have been reminded of the importance of the scriptures and prayer over the last few months and are about to embark on a 4 part tour of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are also beginning to develop and re-develop scripture memorization using Navpress' Topical Memory System. We just focused on Galatians 2:20 and are focusing on 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Romans 12:1 over the next few weeks. For me, all of this brings back some sweet memories of when I first became a Christian. Especially the memory verses as I memorized the same verses back then. Mostly I remember my new found relationship with Greg and Donna Herrick, who mentored and discipled my wife and I for 4 years. I wouldn't trade those 4 years for anything. Personally, I credit them with giving me a good foundation in following Christ. Had it not been for that foundation, I would have left the

I was reading an article over at Christianity Today about the 20-somethings generation being disillusioned with the church. You can read it here . I am no 20 something, but I have been disillusioned lately. So instead of posting a response on their website, I wanted to post here. I have been guilty of throwing the baby out with the bath water. I have written off the church in frustration more times than I care to remember. Each time though, God reminds me that if it's good enough for Him, it should be good enough for me. Of course, then I tell Him it's too messy and people can be so hard to deal with. Funny thing though, I haven't really had that many negative interactions with the church if I am being totally honest. My problem is seeing what others have gone through and thinking to myself, "I am not even going to put myself in that position so I don't have to deal with that pain and anger and frustration." So I throw stones at the church. Calling it irreleva

I sat in devotion this morning (since I am just now writing this, the actual day was 4-14) listening to Geoff Moore, the talented Christian singer/songwriter talk about the process by which his family convinced him to adopt his daughters from China. From the beginning, he wasn't in the mood to discuss adopting - he wasn't on the same wavelength as his wife or his children. But eventually he came around and they ended up adopting from China. He spoke of the fact that he was glad God pushed him to change his mind through his family, otherwise he would have missed God's best for him. He said if it were left up to him, he would have missed what God wanted him to do. The question here is obvious: How many times have I missed God's best for me? How many times have I shut down any thought of doing something that God was trying to get me to do? It reminds me that I should be open continuously to what God wants me to do - even if I don't want to think about doing something H

My wife and I just returned from our small group meeting tonight. And I have to say, it was a great time of looking into prayer and our need to be constantly connected to Christ through it. It's our lifeblood. But another thing happened. We took our openness and honesty in our struggles to a new level of trust. We shared our fears and struggles and prayed for one another. We prayed for God's strength and peace amidst the storm and for God to show us what He wants us to do in our given circumstances. I for one am grateful for a group that cares about me and for a group which I can care about and pray for. I believe we are close to God's heart and original intentions on which he established the church when we are intentionally in a community that cares for us, encourages us, exhorts us and never condemns us, but gently challenges us to persevere in living our lives with God's purpose in mind. Thank you Lord for my brothers and sisters in our group. For their willingness t

“What I’m noticing is when we stop preaching Christianity as a religion…and we start inviting people to be followers Jesus and present Jesus and His way as part of this beautiful story of the Kingdom of God, a lot of our Christians who have left are drawn back.” -Brian McLaren on the way Post Modern Christians are responding to the church.

I found this quote on Rick Thompson's blog (http://roadwetravel.blogspot.com/) . I thought it was worth repeating here: True, grace-filled Christianity does not gloat in the face of disagreement. The result of grace is a love that points out truth but never points down. You know you have the gospel when you have reached a point in your life when you can passionately love people who you do not agree with. Think about that quote for awhile and put your own relationship with God, your family and the people of your church family in the context of it. What needs to change?

My daughter and I have had some issues come between us lately. That got me to thinking how many times God and I have had issues come between Him and I. We have had many. And of course, the issues in this relationship are not a two way street. When it comes to my daughter and I, we're both at fault. When it comes to God and I, I am at fault. It's amazing how He uses my relationship with my daughter to show me how He feels when I grieve Him. It never fails. I always find myself thinking: "This is how God must feel when I rebel against Him." He also uses my relationship with my daughter when it comes to who she is and the good things she does. When I look at her and things are going good and think about how beautiful and talented she is, I think: "This is how God must feel about me when He looks upon me." He, after all, chose me to be His child when I didn't want much at all to do with Him. Why would he do that except that He loves me? It's hard for me

I was listening to a friend earlier today talking about how the church tends to not want to deal with those that aren’t like them - those that might not have enough money to dress the same as church folks do, or if they don’t have all their ducks in a row personally - maybe they are addicted to something - maybe they’re addicted to many somethings. Or maybe they’re not the right color - or maybe we just don’t understand them because they come from a different background or culture. No matter the reason, many times we just keep those people at arms length. The gist of his comments were that if we are going to do that, then we have forgotten from whence we came. We have forgotten that we were dirty before God. That we were unacceptable before God. That we were rebellious against God. That we had no business coming before a God Who is perfect expecting anything. Heck, even as Christians, we’re still sinful and unacceptable but for the fact that Jesus took brunt of punishment for our sin.