Christians.. Followers and Imitators of Christ..

We see but do not condone sin, we must therefore be able too reject the sin but love the sinner, and if they would not repent (Change) of their sin, love but also keep them at arms length…

However what we do when we ARE repenting and the community we seek love and forgiveness from seem to reject us??

Well, if we are repenting and confessing our sins…and that community isn’t helping to heal us and bring us home to Jesus. How close really are they to Him?

I do not mean that as a bash against anyone, it is not our place to judge, but we know people by their fruits.

I had some deeeeep sins myself, and while my mothr isn’t the biggest “Bible word slinger” in the world, she did know Christ, and did show His Love. My Grandmother also.

Sometimes we shun others sins because of how dark our own are, in that illusion of being able to hide those sins from God, Or the idea that if we were really believers we would already be perfect..

I didn’t mean to start a lecture, myself when I was young I struggled with self image, my mother had once said she wanted a girl, you guessed it, with abusive step fathers and a mother that seemed to want a girl I ran into effeminate behavior fast time.

But God showed me where and how that was wrong, led me to find good men in life as positive role models, and finally though I WAS CERTAIN God may just may answer my prayer and one day wake up to be the daughter my mom wanted (yeah we people can get pretty messed up)….finally God helped me to be the Man He wanted me to be.

I only share as a show of weakness, if you can be trusted as a community of Loving believers, you can either relate to some absurd sin in your own life, or at least put aside Judgement and say WOW look what God did for that poor deluded guy

I met a friend many years later, who struggled with his homosexuality, God had His hand on me, I would say honestly even if I was never saved, I was used to help this one man, and that is a good enough kinda deal for me, (I am happy to serve in Love,….I guess that shows something similar to maturity) and I believe I am saved. (with alot of maturity yet to gain)

…. He is now married (To a Fine woman) and living a positive Christian Life…(Glory to God) I was a messenger and probably a poor one.

But God’s Love, not my judgement showed to the man to change His life…

Oh did I mention I was molested at about age 10 by a neighboor who was a homosexual? It would have been real easy to harbor hate instead of Love.

My step fathers were abusive Alchoholics, I pray for them, we are ..if not friends, at least on speaking terms, I would love more but both of them need Christ in their lives yet, so we can have Community

God took a very fragile heart, mine, and said Love instead of Hate.

I believed it hook line and sinker!!! … Glad I did, because no matter what false teaching, no matter what ignorant bias I had later in life to Come….

Love instead of fear, Love instead of Hate (for people, we are supposed to Hate evil of course)….

Love, the Kind of God who loves us enough to Send our Savior in our place, the kind of Savior who loves God the Father enough to Die for Us, and Honor the Fathers Love for us??

Yeah, I KNOW they Love me, I know I am not forgotten.

But that promise wasn’t for me alone…no matter how aloof I become, no matter how “Selfish” not “Personal” I make my faith, I know its not mine alone..

We are to grow together in Christ to Fullness….Jesus prayed for us to be ONE as He and the Father were one……

Do you Love me?

Do you Feel my Pain?

if I tell you about my grandmother who was so splendid a person dying 4 years ago you can feel my pain perhaps you can hear me?

Don’t take me wrong, I am ok and God is sufficient.

But He didn’t say Get up here in Heaven now and don’t worry about OTHERS.

He said, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, by this you show you know me..(paraphrase)

Do you love God? then you have to love me. its the Rule.

I love you though I know you not, I can because Jesus does, even if I were mute He would sing of His love for you in my heart, I would eventually break if I didn’t bend , I have a heart of flesh thanks to Him.

WARNING, I will make mistakes, simple minded human assumptions, off topic comments, and otherwise less than perfect statements….I am sorry in advance and will work very hard not too, Please correct me when I am wrong, encourage me when I am right, Praise God for when I accomplish Good.

But forgive me, forget my sins against you cause if I am really sorry, I am changing my ways. not just saying “sorry”. meaning yes I may once again betray trust, but not out of intention…out of weakness…isn’t that why we are here…

Support not for OUR weaknesses, but for US through them…

Give me some credit, have some faith in me……God did. Faith in Me, and Faith in You.

Repay that by having Faith in Him and Loving one another.

Right?

I think the internet can afford us a way to sound out things that we might otherwise hesitate to say to people who are physically before us. That can be good because it gives us a chance to see that we can say these things “outloud” and receive feedback that is perhaps more or less honest since there is less emotional investment involved. (It can be bad for the same reason, of course.) But it can nevertheless, give us a “dress rehearsal”, so to speak.

On the other hand, if it replaces physical “community” entirely, that can be, IMO, a detriment. At some point, we must risk vulnerability with real live in-front-of-us people. And, as Treebeard pointed out, no doubt even the most patient and tolerant online community would eventually start to get on each others nerves in the true flesh, human nature being what it is.

But if you simply must be literal and actually respond to the text, then OK. It looks to me as if Mr. Spencer has come up against what Merton would call the false self. The problem for him is that before the time of this writing he thought this person was the real self. If this Michael dies, then what? Will anything of him remain? Can he trust Christ? Is there a true Michael, one created by God, hidden somewhere behind the false Michael. Who will he be? Will anybody who knew the false Michael want to hang out with the real Michael?

Scary stuff.

It reminds me of a scene in the movie “A Beautiful Mind” where John Nash is refusing to go back to the psych hospital because he believes that he can think his way out of his schizophrenia. The doctor tells him that he can’t think his way out because the problem is with his mind.

I agree with you that we also need community. And, as you’ve already done, the first step is in bringing stuff out into the light of day so that they can lose the power that they hold when kept in the dark.

You miss the point entirely. Mr Spencer’s blog is simply a Rorschach test. The writers’ original piece serves as an abstract image for the reader who then stares at it until he or she is able to see something. The “something” has nothing to do with the image, but is only a projection of images that reside in the readers hidden and unconscious mind. You are being much too literal when you attempt to understand, articulate, and respond to the true meaning of the writers words and thoughts.

My suggestion for you would be to loosen up and relax. Take a few deep breaths. Then stare into the image…..but not directly at it. Focus just before or a little past the actual image so the letters become blurred. When you have done that, and only then, try to see what isn’t there. Maybe you’ll only see a horsey or duck when you first try it, but don’t give up. Before long you’ll be a pro just like everyone else.

If only my faith could lift me over the edge of the rut and onto level ground. Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus who has the victory and not me.

I believe…help my unbelief.

Thanks for posting this Michael. A very good reminder on what has been a very strange day in my life.

And yes, the internet allows people to be close and apart at the same time, kind of paradoxical. I know from several years of experience that what goes on cyberly sometimes transfers but most times doesn’t to what we refer to here as ‘irl’.

But its something