I announced yesterday on twitter some news that Dorothy and I are very excited about: we are moving back home to Greenville so that I can be the new worship Pastor of Velocity Church in Taylors.

As I said in a post a week or so ago- we have known we would be moving come Nov 4, and that God had told us to simply wait on Him before freaking out.  God truly works all things for our good (Romans 8:28).

I am so excited about what all God is going to do through this opportunity- being back near family and old friends, and being part of an awesome church like Velocity.

We are going to greatly miss all our friends here in Beaufort and Bluffton- but our guest room is always open!

I start my new job November 5th!

This has been such an incredible experience- letting God truly take control and living by faith the past few months-  when the pieces come together in this way, all you can do is sit back and say, Wow!

When I, as a minister, say the word "Worship"- our minds trigger a vision of singing praises.  We know in our mind that worship is more than songs sung on Sunday. Many worship leaders, such as myself, even like to use the term "lifestyle worshipers". When asked to define this term- we say "it is when someone worships God with more than song, but with their life".

But what does this entail?  How does someone become a "lifestyle worshiper"?  What exactly is worship?

Matt Chandler says,

The root of Christian worship, then, is acknowledging, submittting to, and enjoying the supremecy of God's glory.  In all things.

 Worship is enjoying something at a high respect, at its essence.  We have a choice- we can worship really whatever we like.  From sports teams, to superheros, to celebrities, to "celebrities" that we aren't sure how they became celebrities, to technology, to social media, to food, to music and bands, to anything where enjoyment can be had.

And so, as Christians, we have an opportunity to worship, to enjoy and submit to, the glory of God.  This can be done in song, yes.  But in our daily life- how do we apply this?

By enjoying the life that God gave us.  And in that enjoyment- acknowledge the fact that this was not given to us so that we would fill a void in God's heart.  Acknowledge God's grace in every day occurances. Even to the seemingly mundane like the fact that color exists- give God glory!

When we take our worship beyond songs sung on Sunday morning, beyond a genre of music, we will truly begin to experience what it means to worship God.

Sometimes in life we don't get what we want.  Disappointment comes. Tears fall.
This is life.  As we know it.  As our fathers knew it.  As every human that has found a place on this earth has known- life comes with disappointment.

But it is only half the story.  The other part- the part that keeps us driving- is hope.  Hope.  Life is drenched in hope.  Of course- it has to be,  a life filled with disappointment would mean we would eventually stop trying, stop dreaming, and give up.  Hope offers a chance to dream, a chance to keep going.  Does this lead to disappointment? Sometimes.  Sometimes it leads somewhere beautiful and amazing.

And that is the beautiful part- the trying to understand where the road will lead.  We stand at a crossroads- does it lead to joy or does it lead to heartbreak?  I can't answer that- but I can answer that either road- whichever you choose- will have hope drenched in it.

Hope isn't half of the story- it is the entire story.  It is the story that Jesus painted for us.  He never told us life would be easy- He never said it would be full of happiness.  But we live a life of hope.  Hope in Christ.  Faith.  And at the end of our life- when we take our final breath- hope ends.  There is no need for hope after life- we in Christ see our Savior face to face, immediately taken to Him.

So are you willing, after feeling disappointment, after letting your tears stain your face- to hope again?
I can say, after searching my heart- after doing this very thing- that I can. Troubles will come, but we hold a hope greater than the troubles of this world.  We hold the Truth.

If you are going through one of life's disappointments- if you don't see the hope on the other side- please talk to someone.  Feel free to email me.  Tell me your story.  We aren't called to go through life alone.

And believe me- hope will come.

Playlist:
Beth/ Rest- Bon Iver
Born and Raised- John Mayer
Tennessee Line- Daughtry

This morning I awoke like any other.  Dorothy and I had some spare time so she checked facebook to find out that a girl I had gone to college with, and then worked with at the apartments- a person I would call a genuine friend- had died.

I don't any more details than that.  She was one of the last people in Greenville I spoke to before I left.  When she called to have me put out late notices, or bug letters, or anything like that- I never told her no.  She was that kind of person- so kind, so full of life that you couldn't help but be nice and helpful back.

I can remember this summer when I was applying for the job at Tidal Creek, her and I would sit outside handing popsicles to residents and talk about it, life in general, office happenings.
And now she's gone.  


Life is short.  Yet we treat it like it is infinite.  There is a thought experiment, Schrodinger's Cat, where  a cat is put into a box with a vial of poison.  At a certain point, the vial would break, killing the cat. Because the cat was inside a box and could not be seen- it was both alive and dead, because our minds didn't know which one.  Or think about a wrapped Christmas present- it can be anything you want, until you open it.  But until you do open it- you can think of it as any item you could want.


We treat life like this many times- but finite and infinite at any given second.  We enjoy our life to the fullest, but rarely do we enjoy and spend our time wisely with the notion that our life could end at any moment.  Carpe Diem becomes more of a slogan than an actual mantra.


Time rules over us during our life on earth.  Depending on how much of it we have had, it dictates what we can do, say, eat, watch, where we can go.  It rules our thinking- try to think about the absence of time. Our human minds cannot wrap around that concept.  But one day we will be freed from the rule of time.  We will spend eternity either in the presence or the absence of God.

Last night, I took Dorothy to Nantucket Seafood Grill by Rick Erwin in Downtown Greenville for our one year anniversary.  I have to say, it was one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever had.  And it wasn't just good food.

From the moment we stepped out of the car, the staff made sure that we were taken care of.  When we entered the restaurant and gave our name, the hostess pulled up our reservation, wished us a happy anniversary, and took us back to a table looking out across the Marriot Courtyard's large grass... courtyard... and gorgeous waterwall.  It was awesome.

Honestly, any seat in Nantucket would be a good one, everything in it is designed to impress.

The restaurant is located on the left side
 of the courtyard

The hostess noticed that there was a business meeting going on a few tables away, and asked us if we would like to choose another table (of our choice) if we didn't want the noise.  However, I didn't even notice it.
She sat us at the table, and handed us a card, once again saying Happy Anniversary.

The waiter came, bringing two glasses of very nice champagne.  He wished us happy anniversary, and was extremely polite.  We opened up our card, and it was a hand-written anniversary card that the staff had signed.

The waiter came back for our order, and went beyond his duty to help us pick out food, and explaining to us what things were without making us feel dumb.  I had chosen their Pan-seared Wild Alaskan Halibut, which is only served for 8 weeks a year, but it came with a tomato risotta (I'm not a tomato person).  He told me to choose any side item on the menu to replace it, and gave friendly suggestions to what would go well with it.

Our food was amazing, cooked perfectly.   We were checked in on frequently (but not too frequently- I, for one, do not like it when the waiter is hovering at your table).  We received and paid our check, and headed for the door.

We walk outside to see our car waiting for us!  I'll be honest, and quickly made sure that they had actually taken our car in the first place- they had.  The valet turned, handed me the keys, wished us a good night (by name).  I was so taken off guard at the little things they had done to make the night special I almost forgot to tip him.  I was just standing there trying to piece it all together!

To summarize: Nantucket Grill was amazing.  If you want amazing seafood and an even better experience, come to Nantucket.  It is on the more expensive side, but for a special occasion like a one year anniversary it was acceptable.
Thank You Nantucket, for the wonderful experience.

Today was a great day with Capstone.  The Gathering had a feel to it, as if God was saturated in every breath spoken.

It was an amazing worship experience, as we studied Stephen and martyrdom, then began singing proclaiming  that It Is Well, no matter what storms, tribulations, or blessings we go through.

That is a message I think we as Christians know, often, but we don't transfer the knowledge.  Sort of like in math class, I knew what certain formulas were, but I had no idea how to use them or what they were used for.  And this is one of those lessons, a hard lesson, but a necessary lesson.

The idea of praising God through the bad is hard.  Sure, it's easy to say "I'm going to praise God during bad times", and then get a flat tire and still have an optimistic look.

But this isn't about optimism.  This isn't about staying perky and cheerful.  This is the idea of praising God in the absolute darkest moment of your life, a time when you, in fact, aren't happy- but miserable.  A time when everything is crumbling around you, and you are staring your life in the face.  A time where tomorrow probably won't come, where pain is common.

And in that moment, turning to God,knowing that He is carrying us through, and praising His holy name.

That's a sobering thing to grip, and yet it is something that, I believe, we need to be reminded of more often.

Making sense of life is a tough thing to do.

Sometimes it seems like life is a top spinning out of control, other times it feels like we are behind the driver's seat, steering it in the direction we want to go.

Unfortunately for us, God doesn't promise us an easy life.  He promises to take care of us and provide for us, but there is a very high chance we will all experience heartbreak. That loss of control. That moment of sheer panic when we feel like our life is over.

And in that moment, we feel like our lives are wrecked.  But out of it, out of the wreckage, comes beauty.  It might take a while, it definitely isn't instantaneous, but its there.

Sometimes you just have to trust God to have the skill of a surgeon to put the tiny pieces of your life back together.  Sometimes you just have to trust God to catch you when you fall.  Sometimes you just have to trust yourself and sit in the pain for a bit, knowing that things will get better.

If you are going through a hard time, take the opportunity to lean on friends.  I promise they're there.

How far are you willing to go?


For a stranger?
For a neighbor?
For a friend?
For a brother?


The hard reality is that every answer should be the same.

Yesterday, me and Dorothy visited another church with some friends.  The sermon was on couples: dating, marriage, ect. Our small group last night with Capstone was on marriage as well.  Let's just say it got me thinking a lot.

In America, dating and marriage is built around romance, while it isn't so everywhere.  Yet American Christians have a 50% chance of divorce.  Arranged marriages have a much lower rate of divorce.  Why is this?  And for the married people in the room- how do we avoid being part of this tragic statistic. [Note: This post is not about divorce, or fixing marriages.]

Too often here in America- we view dating as a place to display romance and affection.  Then when the relationship is over, we break up and stop talking.  All ties are cut because everything the couple had in common is now over.

When me and Dorothy first met, we were just friends.  Our friendship grew for three years, and we became very close in those three years.  There were few secrets the other person didn't know.  Out of that friendship our dating relationship grew.  I believe that is why we stayed together those years we were dating, even though we 'took a break' 3 times.  Friendship was our foundation.  If you knew us during those breakups, you know that we still spent time together, we were still close friends.

In our marriage, friendship is still a key part of it, and it always will be.

Pete Wilson recently published a post entitled, "How To Stay In Love."  In it he talks about America's obsession with falling in love.  In falling in love with romance.  We rush past crucial stages in relationships in order to satisfy our physical needs.    This isn't love.  It is selfish.
Erwin McManus once said, "To want to take is not romantic.  To long to give, now, that's romantic."

Staying together is all about being selfless.  Our small group leader told us, "Most mornings, we wake up and say 'What do I need to do today?' When we should be saying 'What can I do to make my spouse's day better?' [that was a paraphrase.] We need to be more concerned with our spouse than ourselves.  And when friendship is the base of the relationship instead of romance, its much easier.

Failing sucks.


Especially when the thing that fails is something you have created.  Why? because its a part of you, its something you have invested time, thought, and care into.  there's emotion involved.


But when it comes to creativity, to art, its a balance.   If you never fail, you never really try to succeed. What I mean by that is this- when you fail in something artistic, it gives you a drive to push harder, to beat the block that is keeping you from your finished work.


Let's use an example from film.  Alfred Hitchcock made the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1934.  It got great reception, however- twenty-two years later, in 1956, Hitchcock remade the film.  He said the first film was "the work of a talentedamateur and the second was made by a professional".

Hitchcock felt like he had failed.  The business and concrete person would say "The film made money, it did its job."  The creator says, "We can make this better."

This brings us to another aspect of failure- point of view.  Hitchcock believed he had failed.  If you put the films side by side- they both would be classified as 'classic Hitchcock'.  Many people actually prefer the original.  But the point of view of the creator, Hitchcock, was that the film had much more potential.

Failing sucks, but as creators, we should look at failures as not a wall that we can't get around, but as an opportunity to learn from and grow in.  If you are looking to be a better guitar player, you are going to fail at certain riffs, until you practice them.


That doesn't mean failing won't hurt.  Failure still sucks.  No one says "Hooray! I failed!"  But next time you fail- just remember that all artists fail, and that something great could come of it.  It will push you towards success.

I have been told by many people that the local news is incredibly depressing.  This is true.  I have heard people, very recently, talk about how it is horrible that all the news talks about is bad stuff. 'Why don't they show good stuff?'

I agree, I wish the news was less depressing.  But the reason the news shows mainly bad news- is because the world is not a perfect place.  There is sin in the world.    People do terrible, horrible things.

As people who do not do these types of things (physically murdering, robbing, etc), we normally do not enjoy seeing them, unless we know its fake- like in a movie.  We don't want it to get real.

Guess what- it is.  And we as Christians have a choice to make- we can either turn it off and live in our own little world, or we can watch it and do something.

Like I just said, the world can be a horrible place.  But you should expect people who don't know Christ to act like it.  They are supposed to.  So the world isn't going to get better by those who can (and should) influence for the better, turn off one of the greatest resources available.  Yep- local news.

By watching local news- you can pray for the people involved- the victims, the accused.  And even more important, you can see places and faces who need the love of Christ.  The love that we possess.  The love that Christ told us to pass along. Get the idea?

This is something hard, because I know I don't really watch the news very often (it isn't as much of a depressing thing as it is an ADHD thing...)  So this is a post for me, if anybody.

This month- this month of love- let's watch the local news and find a way that we can share the love of Christ to help a story we see.  

If you want a better world, you can't just close your eyes until your dreams match your reality.  Go do it.  Let's impact our surroundings!

If you have looked at some of my recent posts, you will find that I seem to 'change directions' alot.  One day I write about 'theology', the next about a new song I wrote, and then I talk about creativity.  One day I use capitalization like this: Hello.  Sometimes I don't, like this: hello.

I finally, after two years, decided on a focal point I want this blog to be about- creativity.  As the title says- in all its forms.  I have ADHD, so the way I get to the point can be incredibly different than the way I arrived the day before.   I hope this doesn't deter you.  Is deter spelled right?  Spell check on blogger here says yes, and I believe everything the internet tells me ;)

Let me start this next 'phase' by saying: if you come to this blog as your main source for creativity information- I will be praying for you, because I am a terrible place to start, in the realms of creative minds, I'd be near the bottom.
But if you are here getting idea for creativity, or learning, or trying to find ways to criticize my grammar- know that each post does deal with creativity, and most of it I learned recently from friends or people I read.  Like writing a list about what I did using clever jargon, doing a 'Caption This' post that fails miserably because no one commented (I blame the economy.  I've heard some people talking about it.)

The point is that no matter what you do, who looks at it, or how it turns out- creativity is about creating.  Not succeeding, not failing.  Not judging, not accepting.  Not making sure its wrapped up properly, not using Helvetica in the perfect way.  Just do what you feel and what comes out.  Lately in my posts, I have felt the urge to keep a very light and humorous feel (going back a few sentences- not sure if you thought so, but that wasn't the point).  Other times I feel like I want to write posts that make people stop reading because tears are filling up their eyes (never happened).

Think of creativity like improv.  Do what comes into your head.  Don't focus so much on one thing that you go crazy because you can never get it like you want.  Trust me.  Learn from my mistakes.

This post took a turn from where I was originally thinking it would go- I figured it would be more of an update post, but turned into something I feel somewhat decent about.  Like I 'proved my point' in the post.  Interesting.

Sorry I haven't blogged in the past few days, I'm sure most of you haven't been able to live a normal life without this.  I've somewhat been away from social media the past few days.  Not like, completely away, but 'mimimal interaction.'

But while I've been gone I have:
1.  Played guitar.  Quite a bit.
2.  Watched Parks and Rec- amazing episode.
3.  Watched 30 Rock- good episode.
4.  Watched the last minute of the Office- an episode.
5.  Bought two Blu-Rays for $5 a piece at different locations! (Very excite)
6.  Learned the language of the 'woo girls'.  Practiced on field with Charlie and Wankers.

If you are not familiar with this language- it's the predominate language of the teenager to 29 year old female in a group between 2 to 9  The common greeting is 'EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEE!', which is responded to with 'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeee'.  The conversation translates to- 'Why hello there friend, how are you doing on this glorious day or night? I hope you slept well last night and I am indeed happy that you are here.' 'Hello yourself, I did in fact sleep gloriously, and this day or night is quite amazing.  I am excited about this evening's festivities.  How is your family?'

7.  Fought off an alien attack [possibly a dream].
8.  Watched 'Saved By the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas' and was shocked to find out the series was 1989-1994. Prior to this I thought it started in 1993.  Interesting fun fact.


Overall this has been a.... couple days.  I should start getting back in my blogging routine Monday.

I don't know about you, but because my mind loves to think of new and exciting ways to look at things, it freaks out and can't see simple solutions.   I have found that to be true with many creative type people.

Grace

Last, while restringing my electric guitar (named 'Grace'),  my bridge pickup fell into the body of the guitar.  Uh-oh.  Freak out.  Not even the 'screaming' freak out, the kind where you just sit there, sweating.  What's worse- I knew what was wrong- the screw had somehow come unscrewed and just 'let go.'  At least, I hoped so.  It was either that or the screw snapped, and silly me- I don't keep extra screws for pick-ups laying around, haha.

So here I am, band practice in 2 hours.  I quickly tried to see if I could fix it, but what happens when you freak out- your muscles go nuts.  I knew I would probably end up breaking something else.  I also knew Guitar Center closed at 7.  It was 6:38.

I sprint from the music room into the living room, throwing on shoes and jacket and keys, yelling 'Broke my guitar- taking it to guitar center, love you!'

I was freaking out.  Because, as a 'creative person', I see all the possibilities of failure and what could go wrong.  Well, maybe that's just me.  But once it was fixed (thank you to the people of Guitar Center Greenville for helping me out), I realized how simple of a solution it was.  That even if I couldn't fix it, Guitar Center was only 5 minutes away.  But I freaked.  Not the good kind where your adrenaline goes, but the kind where after you could cry for days for no reason.

Do you freak out like that when little things go wrong?

What are your dreams?  Not the sleeping kind.  What are your life dreams?  I like to think these kind of dreams are different than goals, because goals deal with things you are 'actively working towards', and dreams are 'what you want to accomplish'.  Goals can become dreams, but dreams have a tendency to be 'this may not happen, but I want it to'.

Too often now, dreams are boring.  When we were kids, our dreams were to be firefighters, superheroes, superhero firefighters.  Anything was possible.  But as we grew up, our dreams died to goals.  We settled for things that will happen.  What happened?

We grow up, and either, we are told that our 'childish ways are behind us', or 'you have a family to take care of', of something else.  So we put our dreams into a coma, and then work at a job we don't really like and make goals of working our way up the corporate ladder.

I don't like this.  I don't like the idea of it.  Yes, you need to provide for your family, but not just with money.  You need to teach your children to dream.  To enjoy life.

So I propose we try dream more.  I am a dreamer.  I come up with things I want to do/ try/ learn every day.  In some ways it is a flaw, but I enjoy that aspect about me.

Need some help getting some dreams together?  Here's a brief list.

1) Make a list of 10 things you want to do before your 30th, 40th, or 50th birthday.  Things that you can't 'just do'.  Take time on this list.


2) Come up with something you wanted to do as a child. For example, if you wanted to be a firefighter, make that your dream.  Research what it would take to be a volunteer fire-fighter.


3) This is the most important, I think.  Don't be embarrassed about your dreams.  Too often, I find that people are ashamed of their dreams, saying things like 'I know its silly, but...'    Don't be ashamed.  Its your dream!  

One of my 'silly' dreams is that I wanted to be part of dcTalk as a kid.  As an adult, my dream has changed to record a song with a member of dcTalk. Yes, it is silly.  But who cares, I am not doing it for you.

So, join me.  Let's dream more.  Let's change this 'american way' of letting our dreams fall short in order for our work.  If you can, post what your dreams are in the comments sections.

Been lying in bed for 2 hours, took a sleeping pill, and was exhausted.  Couldn't sleep.  I don't have 'insomnia' in the 'haven't slept in days' way.  Not like fight club.  

I watched Inception, which obviously got me thinking about dreams. Not if they are real or not.  But on the fact that I never have cool dreams like that.  I have never dreamt that I was a superhero, or possessed magical powers, or that I was kidnapped.  Well, maybe I have, but I never remember them.  Which is common, but I feel like I should have at least a few I remember.  I have one from my life.

In the dream, I could fly.  But not the superman fly, more as if the air was water.  I could jump in the air, and push the air behind me as if I were pushing myself through a crowd.  

But I know why I don't dream when I sleep, and why I don't 'enjoy' sleeping.  I like feeling refreshed, but sleeping is just me being unconscious.  

I am  creative.  Because of this, I'm a daydreamer.  I can see faces in patterns on fabric and create elaborate stories about their lives in a split second.  Not that I try, but just that it happens.

So because I dream in the real world, I don't want to in my sleep.  I control my dreams here- I can be as involved as I want to be, I can see it all play out in my head.  And I can remember it. I can write it.  I can live it.

Right now I'm exhausted, but I'd rather dream while I'm awake than while I'm asleep, letting my subconscious take over.  Yet I'm artistic

 There's a reason artistic and autistic are only one letter apart.  The similarities are there, trust me.  I am no autistic expert, but both are 'lost in their own thoughts', seeing things from a different point of view.

So, doctors of the world- find a cure for sleep.  Not necessarily something that puts me to sleep, but something that makes me not need sleep.  People like me need it.  

So yes, this is a bit 'random', 'babbling', 'unorganized'.  

I wish I were sleeping, I'd rather be up writing, creating.

But I want to be rested.

Last night, out of the blue, I completely re-did my music room.  yes, I said music room.  We have a 2 bedroom apartment, and my amazing wife lets me use the spare bedroom as my music room.

It took my about an hour, and really was just re-doing the furniture.  And afterward- my back was on fire.

But it needed to be done.  There was nothing wrong with how it was before, but I didn't go in there anymore.  I had begun literally just throwing coats in there. After the makeover, I sat and enjoyed the room for hours.

This needs to be done in church, well, and life.  Its not that the first way was bad.  It was probably great, but after a while it looses its shine.  Happens with everything.  Look at your car.  When you first bought it, it shined like the moon. After a while it started to lose its glimmer, didn't it?

When you do a makeover like this, it makes you sore.  It isn't easy.  You will want to give up.  But if you stick through it, you will find that its worth it.

As we are 15 days into the new year, look at your life.  Maybe There is something that can use a makeover.  Look at your church, maybe there is an area that once ran beautifully, but lately has not been as relevant as it could.  Afterwards you will not regret it.

If you are a Holmes, you know what this means even though you haven't heard the phrase before.

Chester is my grandfather.  Papa to me.  An incredible man.  But he has his quirks just like all of us.  And it seems many of his 'signature' traits are genetic.  For example- insomnia.

 I remember as a child whenever we would to go the beach together, he would be up at any given moment of the night.  I have now caught this insomnia.  And many of my cousins have.  Just two nights ago I stayed awake through a slew of sleeping medication, even though I tried with all my might to go to sleep.  

Papa also has a great sense of humor.  Some may refer to it as a "crazy" sense of humor.  This genetic trait is visible every Christmas when the "Christmas prank" occurs.  Every year.
Some of the past 'gifts':
- The 'Expensive Present' (I don't remember this one because I was either too young or not born, but they wrapped a big box full of broken glass, metal, anything they could find, and told my cousin who was very young to bring it to Papa and 'accidentally' drop it)
-The Chester Rester (a portable toilet seat for where-ever he is)
-The Big Screen TV (this is a favorite to 'regift'.  What you do is lay your TV on its back, and attach what is essentially an overhead projector to the screen)
-The Welcome Mat from a hotel (no explanation needed.)

There are many many more 'traits' I could mention, but you get the picture

These genetic traits could send a person to an asylum for commitment.  I don't know many people who could handle it.  You have to learn to deal with it.  I have.  I am proud to call myself a Holmes, as I know my family is.

What about your family?  What weird and strange traits do you have to deal with?

I noticed something yesterday while reading Luke 1:18-20.  Something I haven't ever noticed before.

And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."  And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." (ESV)

Zechariah doubted that this was really a promise from God. Look at how he argued it- he used logic.  He put his faith in what he knew rather than God.  And because of this, he was punished.

But I wonder, was if this was a punishment, or more of a harsh lesson, from God.  If you were told God was going to give you a son, and you didn't believe it, and then you were struck mute and told you would stay that way until that baby is born- you would shift your opinion.  No longer would you dismiss it as "maybe I imagined it" or "I prayed to God for years, and now he answers me?  Doubtful."  No! You would be hoping with everything in your being that it is true.  So maybe this wasn't a punishment for doubting, maybe it was a "push in the right direction."

You hear everywhere you go to be tolerant of everyone. Especially of everyone's religion.

I have to say, it has set off a thought inside my head that seems mighty dangerous.  We gotta stop being so stinkin' tolerant!  Christ says to love your neighbor as yourself, and that your neighbor is anyone you come into contact with (check out Luke 10).  We are supposed to be more than tolerant of the people around us, despite their beliefs.  We are supposed to love them.

We have to stop ignoring the sin just because the person is filling a seat.  Stop ignoring the sin just because dealing with it inconveniences us.

We are called to treat people with love.  All people.  No buts.

I can't get this thought out of my head, because what would it look like if the Church tore down barriers and actually loved the people it was trying to reach.  Now- there are many churches doing that.  But there are also many churches not.  Not pitying people, saying "Well, we know he is living in sin- but we are just going ignore it, he might leave, and if he isn't here, who knows where he would be?"  I will answer that for you- he will probably be in bed. asleep.  Sunday morning at 9.45 isn't really the "prime-time" for sin.  If you really love the person you have brought into your church, you would care about them and lovingly correct them.

There is a phrase that has been 'popular' in the church for a while- "Love the sinner, hate the sin".  I vote we change that.  Not to change the meaning, but just the phrasing.  We were sinners, too.  But with this phrase many times we say it in such an airy way as if we have never done anything wrong.   So from now on, let's just say "Love everyone, hate sin."

So stop being tolerant.  Stand up for what you believe in.  Don't "co-exist", because co-existing doesn't work.  Christians are called to spread the name of Christ.  Coexisting says to keep it to yourself.

Just remember- love everyone. hate sin.