Weight Loss Update

Hi Everyone! Just a quick note that I have lost 25lbs to date!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! I am feeling great! :)

Tolerance

Tolerance.

As Brandon and I get closer and closer to starting Renovate I find God challenging me more and more. Moving me out of my comfortable, warm box. I am challenged daily to rethink my personal beliefs. To rethink the way that I interact with others. The way that I REACT to others.

I firmly believe that God is going to use Renovate Church to reach a lost generation in Winchester. Winchester is staunchly conservative and modern while located on the cusp of liberal, post-modern DC.

The biggest thing I am challenged by is the idea of tolerance. Let me explain.

In the church you currently attend, would your church openly accept someone that is gay, goth, homeless, hindu, muslim, african-american, new age, lesbian, divorced, living with their partner, etc? Would they take them in? Would they engage them in conversation? Would they let go of all their prejudices? Would they let them serve others? What is your immediate, gut reaction to this?

I admit, very shamefully, that mine went something like this, "Sure I would talk to them, treat them nicely, but then I would want them to change. I would want to try to change them. As soon as possible. They obviously aren't "clean" enough for church."

But then God challenged me. There's a book I am reading right now, No Perfect People Allowed, and it talks about creating a culture in the church so that people feel accepted and comfortable so that God can work in them. I suggest that anyone who is in church leadership read this.

For so many reasons my generation is getting lost...lost from God. There are multiple reasons for this, and I will not go into them now, but my heart cries out to those people. Although I have been blessed to have grown up in the church and had amazing parents that never pushed God on me, I have felt a "holy discontent" with church as usual. I saw my generation leaving the church, I saw them "playing church" on Sunday and "living like hell" throughout the week. I saw the disconnect that they have with God and all that He is. With the state of the world and the idea of a loving God. I see now the struggles of my generation to find hope and meaning in this life.

I have felt this nagging undercurrent in my soul. I have felt the facade and lived the facade of the modern church. I CAN'T LIVE THIS WAY ANYMORE. MY GENERATION CANNOT LIVE THIS WAY ANYMORE! We want a genuine church, a church that is not afraid to show how imperfect they are. I do not think that Jesus' ultimate goal for His church was to put a "happy" face on Christianity and blow up Abortion clincs in His name, or even somemthing as innocent as shoving His gospel down your friends throat just because they are "unsaved."

Do not misinterpret what I am saying here. I am not saying that we should accept that others are just going to believe whatever they want and make it. I believe that Christ is the only way. But I also believe that Christ will reveal Himself to others. IT IS NOT OUR JOB TO CHANGE PEOPLE. IT IS GOD's. God just requires that we love them.

It is time for the church to wake up! Let's just love people. We are all created in His image. Let's see past all the labels and just love them as Christ would have. I mean He says so Himself. He did not come to save the well, he came to save the sick. Let's be Christ to others. Let's show Jesus to others. Let's be His love. Remeber the prostitue. They religous leaders wanted her stoned. That was their gut reaction. How many times do we want to "stone" people just for their sin.

LET GOD CHANGE THEM. IT IS NOT UP TO US.

You have officially been challenged.