As the world knows, yesterday our president, President Barack Obama came out in support (on a personal level) of same-sex marriage, which may be the first time in the nearly 236 year history of the US that a president has made a public stance in support of gay marriage. With this announcement facebook and twitter (well mainly twitter) went crazy! On both sides of the argument many went into mini sermons regarding why they agreed or disagreed with the president’s stance. Within all of this I was tempted to go on a twitter fest expressing my thoughts. I decided not to for several reasons. Yet today I’ve decided to reveal to the world my views on gay marriage. I may regret this later but in an age where we ALL have the ability to express our opinions on different issues I believe I should take advantage of that and express my views.

Before I begin, I am open to having intellectual and mature discussions on this topic. What I am NOT open to is bashing (on both sides) others. Please feel free to leave comments either on twitter or in this blog. Again, we will do this in a mature fashion. I am not trying to argue. I’m trying to critically think about issues that affect others.

So what’s my take on gay marriage? Let me give you my overall view on the subject. Traditionally I’ve been raised to believe that marriage, as defined by God’s standards, is between a man and a woman based on Adam & Eve and several other verses in scripture. To a degree I still believe that God’s prescription for marriage was intended to be between a man and a woman BUT I also believe that the foundational basis of Christianity is unconditional love to every person. Therefore I lean towards supporting traditional marriage but I’m also conflicted as it pertains to Jesus’ message of love.

First of all I believe there are several dead cats on the line when it comes to the entire gay marriage issue. First, what are the correct interpretations of passages such as Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26 and other verses used to support the traditional Christian argument of homosexuality as a sin? Something is not right because you have many people who argue that homosexuality is not a sin based on the “correct” interpretations of those verses I mentioned. So who’s right? How do we know which “interpretation” of these verses is correct? Christians who believe in the Word of God “as is” will say that the Bible says what it says and that’s it. However those who believe we should look at the cultural factors of the time of the text and other factors believe that the scripture must be interpreted based on the time of the text. What’s my point? We’ve got to get the interpretation right on this issue. Will we ever? I have a hard time believing that we will because we are so far away (chronologically) from the original manuscripts.

The second dead cat is whether Jesus would be in support of same sex marriage. From what I understand (and I’m open to correction) Jesus never singularly addressed homosexuality. Most of the time when I hear people discuss this issue they use the verses I brought up earlier. Very rare do you hear someone talk about Jesus in that. What would happen if Jesus supported same-sex marriage? To be honest, when you look at the message of Jesus, Jesus was for everyone. Therefore you can make the argument that it would be hard to believe that Jesus would want to deny anyone the privileges of life based on their sexual orientation. This is not my opinion. I’m just expressing thoughts from an objective viewpoint.

The third dead cat, which we may never have a conclusion on, is whether you can be born gay or if its a learned behavior. To me this is the center piece of the entire issue when it comes to gay rights and same-sex marriage. The big question that has been brought up is if gay rights are on the same level as the civil rights movement connected with black people. If we can be born gay then it becomes a civil rights issue. If being gay is a learned behavior it complicates matters then but there will be some who still believe that gay rights is a civil rights issue. Again this is a debate (whether being gay is something you can be born being or if it’s a learned behavior) that we may never have consensus on but to me this is a BIG part of settling this issue once and for all.

The last dead cat is whether marriage equality is a civil or religious issue. Those who argue that it is a civil issue believe that everyone, in a nation that believes in freedom for all, should be able to have all the rights and privileges of citizenship. Those who argue that it is a religious issue believe that marriage is God’s institution and in that He has standards (I lean towards the religious side on this but see the other side of the aisle). Did God create marriage? If so, what are His standards for marriage?

While I’m at it I think part 2 of this last dead cat I mentioned is the issue of freedom. What is freedom? Is freedom the ability to do whatever you want? I think as a whole our nation needs to redefine what freedom is. If freedom is the ability to do what we want then gay marriage will win in this country because those who support gay marriage believe that in this country (which is about individual rights and liberty) everyone should be able to marry whomever they choose. On the religious side, people will argue that freedom is not necessarily being able to do what you want but is having the opportunity to do what is “right” without restrictions. Hmmmm…..

As I end this post, I want to address a couple more things. First, I do not believe that being against homosexuality as a lifestyle makes you homophobic. Homophobic, to me, means that you have a fear of the same (homo = same; phobic = fear). Maybe somebody should explain it to me how being against homosexuality is being homophobic. I do not think it’s fair to label people who are against homosexuality as a lifestyle as homophobic. We have too much labeling as a society going on anyway.

Second, in regards to this nation being a Christian nation (one of the arguments for traditional marriage/against same-sex marriage), this nation is not a Christian nation. Any nation that puts money above God/Jesus is not a Christian nation. To me, a Christian nation is a nation in which the principles of Jesus Christ are emulated in every aspect of the nation, from how we run businesses to how we treat others. In all actuality, my argument may also give fuel to those who support same-sex marriage in the aspect of Jesus Christ being for all regardless of who they were. Some have argued that allowing same-sex marriage in our nation is leading us as a nation to hell. I don’t fully agree with that because if you want to be honest our nation is so far from the principles of Christ it’s not even right funny (outside of the issue of same-sex marriage).

Third, I do not support constitutional amendments in regards to defining marriage. I lean towards believing that the government should not legislate behavior standards. To me it’s hypocritical for people to believe that the government should not tell people how to spend their money but yet these same people believe it’s ok for the government to tell people how to live. Even though it’s wrong people will do what they want regardless.

In conclusion, for the moment I still believe that God’s model for marriage is between one man and one woman BUT the love that Jesus preached about and showed in his ministry complicates the matter for me. I encourage us to be able to have civil discussions about this issue. At the end of the day ALL human opinions are flawed to a degree. Therefore let’s respect the opinons of others, especially on a big subject like this. The gay marriage issue is big for several reasons including: the whole issue of civil rights, whether homosexulity is wrong, biblical intepretation, etc. I’m of the opinion that A LOT is at stake with this gay marriage debate. A LOT folks including the future of Christianity. Yes it is that big of a deal for me!

I encourage you all to let me know your thoughts by responding here or tweeting me. Again I’m open to having an intellectual discussion on this. My purpose is not to force you to believe what I believe but to allow you in my brain as I think critically about my views on gay marriage. For some of you, this post may be disappointing because I’m not taking a full “for or against” stance. I’m sorry about that but, in my opinion, a lot of things are not as “black and white” as we’ve made it to seem over the years. I still believe in absolute truth but the things that are “absolute” are, to me, not as many as we’ve traditionally believed.

Regardless of what you believe let’s love each other the way Christ intended for us to love each other and be open-minded (not gullible). Iron sharpens iron! Love you all! Be encouraged!

I’m reading a book entitled “Winning with People: Discover the people principles that work for you every time” by John Maxwell. This book deals with how to relate to people better. I am learning so much. If you want the Christian Leaders Series version of this book get it at a place like Lifeway or Family Christian Stores. Anyway, this chapter on being approachable really blessed and challenged me. In this chapter he brings out seven characteristics of approachable people. As you read this evaluate yourself to see if you are an approachable person and if you’re in a leadership position, an approachable leader.

According to John Maxwell (all quotes, unless otherwise identified, are by him), the seven characteristics of an approachable person include:

1. Personal Warmth-They Truly Like People. “To be approachable, it’s not enough to love people in theory. You need to generate personal warmth toward the people you meet.”

2. Appreciation for the Differences in People. Maxwell talks about how, after reading a certain book that talked in depth about different personality types, he appreciated the differences in others.

3. Consistency of Mood. “Approachable people display a consistency of mood. They are even-keeled and predictable. You know what you’re going to get because they are basically the same every time you see them.”

4. Sensitivity Toward People’s Feelings. “Although approachable people are emotionally steady, that doesn’t mean they expect others to be that way. They recognize that other people’s moods are going to be different from their own. Consequently they tune in to the moods and feelings of others, and they quickly adjust how they relate to others.”

5. Understanding of Human Weaknesses and Exposure of Their Own. “Approachable people are honest about their abilities—and shortcomings. They are willing to be told not what they want to hear but what they need to hear. And they are able to laugh at themselves. And because they can admit their faults, they don’t have a problem allowing other people to have faults of their own.”

6. Ability to Forgive Easily and Quickly Ask for Forgiveness. “An understanding of human weaknesses and a willingness to reveal their own make approachable people humble. And because they’re humble, they quickly ask forgiveness and easily grant it to others.”

7. Authenticity. “Approachable people are real. They are who they are. As a result, they engage with others on a genuine level. They don’t pretend to be someone they’re not. They say what they mean and mean what they say.”

Ponder these scriptures: Song of Solomon 4:1-16 and Proverbs 17:2.

I encourage all of us to evaluate how approachable we are and make the changes needed to be as approachable as possible.

Final thought: If a person is unapproachable they DO NOT deserve to be in a leadership position!

infiniteworth:

Jesus calling 4/27 (Taken with instagram)

In about 50% of churches today we’ve adopted a practice we call “praise & worship.” This is the time in a service where a “praise team” sings about 3-5 songs (depending on church) that is suppose to “set the atmosphere” for the remainder of the service. There are times in which this part of the service is so powerful that the rest of the service doesn’t take place. Many churches do “praise & worship” for various reasons but mainly because they think that this “invites the presence of the Lord” in the building. In all reality, we should bring God’s presence with us when we come in but that’s another topic.

So this morning in my worship time with God, God convicted me in the area of worship. God convicted me regarding the time I give Him BUT also regarding the current state of worship in our churches. Here’s my main point: how is it that we have “praise & worship” Sunday after Sunday yet many of our lives do not represent worship 7 days a week. Here’s the problem we have: we talk about worship on Sunday but yet many of us live our lives as if God is a deist, or a God that is far away and only comes on Sunday. My concern is that we limited the worship of God to just Sunday morning. Romans 12:1 challenges us to live our lives as an act of worship. Someone said that worship is a lifestyle and I agree.

Yet the reality is that when many of our lives are put in intensive examination our reverence for God dies somewhere between leaving the church building and Monday morning coming in but somehow mysteriously comes back in Sunday morning before church service. I think that our churches need to lead a worship revolution in which we truly understand what worship is about.

According to dictionary.com worship is “reverent honor and homage paid to God.” According to the dicionary of biblical imagery worship is “homage; it is an attitude and activity designed to recognize the worth of a person.” How much is God worth to me and you? If He is worth more than rubies and diamonds we must live our lives with that attitude. I don’t understand how many of us give more honor and glory to humans and money than we do to God. I don’t understand how I can be more concerned about who likes me and who doesn’t like me vs if God is pleased with every aspect of my life.

I don’t want to go too deep on this but I am very concerned that we’re not fully tapping in on what “worship” really is. God is more than just our shelter and provider. God is holy! To be holy means to be set apart. If God is holy, why do we treat God like a Santa Claus or a genie? Doesn’t God deserve way more of us? No human should be glorified more than our holy God. I’m not saying that we should stop talking about God’s provision but within that talk we need to go through God’s holiness before getting to God’s provision.

I encourage us to fully grasp what worship is. When we fully look at what worship is, what most churches call “praise and worship” boils down to just singing songs. To me, worship should challenge our pride. How is it that I can be in a worship experience for 2 hours (that should be totally focused on God) yet still leave out with an attitude as if I’m all that and a bag of chaps? When we get in God’s presence we can never leave the same.

That’s all for now that I want to share on this. My main point boils down to this: if we believe in a God who is Holy and is present all the time we have to start living our lives with an increased awareness of God (in speech, deeds, character, etc). The 21st century church MUST get back to the Bible in teaching what worship is and what it is not. We also must critically challenge what we do in church to determine if it is challenging us to give God total reverence and honor.

God deserves ALL of us!

infiniteworth:

Joyce Meyer 4/19

infiniteworth:

Jesus Calling (Taken with instagram)

To God be the glory for this wonderful day! On this day at 8:13am 25 years ago I was born and brought into this world! Lord I thank you for this wonderful birthday!!

I want to first thank God for His grace and mercy allowing me to see this day! Any day above ground is a good day and a gift from God! Many people go to sleep at night and never wake up on this side of Earth. As Dorinda Clark Cole’s song says, I am still here and it’s by the grace of God!

I want to thank God for allowing both of my parents to see my 25th birthday! For them to be alive is a blessing! They are both going through certain challenges right now but I trust God’s sovereign will! I’m thankful to have both of them alive!

Last but not least I want to thank EVERYONE who participated in making this birthday the best ever. Whether it was fb post, tweets, text messages, calls or blessing me with a gift (which is what a special friend of mine did today), I am absolutely appreciative of people thinking about me enough to want to wish me a “happy birthday.” I’ve learned in life that people do not have to be nice. People are nice because they choose to be! I’m thankful for people thinking about me today!

For the first time in my life (maybe in a long time) I feel free from whatever chains that have been trying to hold me back! This birthday feels like the beginning of a new era in my life (kind of like the feeling I had when graduating from college)!

Again, thanks everyone for making this day a glorious day and one I will NEVER forget! God bless you all!

Love you all!

As you can tell, I’ve neglected Tumblr yet again. For some reason when I’m very active on facebook and twitter, Tumblr kind of gets a back seat (which is one reason why I’ve considered getting rid of Tumblr). Anyway, just want to give a quick update on what’s going on in my life.

I am on spring break this week (from both jobs). I am enjoying it to the max! I love spring break because it gives me more time to relax my mind and see one of my friends who I don’t get to see often due to the busyness of life. I plan to travel this weekend and spend a few days with just me and God dealing with some things. I ask that you all pray for me that God would do a wonderful work in me this weekend.

If you have any prayer request please send them to my “ask” before Friday afternoon. God bless all of you!!