Brennan Manning On What It Means To Be A Christian

Photo Credit: Guppydas

Taken from Brennan Manning's The Furious Longing of God:

“The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creation. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian.”

Honoring God By Honoring Immigrants

Photo Credit: Boss Tweed

One of my favorite bloggers of late is Christena Cleveland. Christena does a great job of bringing a biblically-based perspective to issues that affect the Church such as culture, racial reconciliation and multi-ethnicity. She is currently doing an enlightening series that's named "Beyond Multiethnic" where she is "talking about ways that we can honor the image of God in diverse people."

Matthew Soerens recently offered a guest post on Christena's blog entitled Crossing Borders in the Church: On Embracing Undocumented Immigrants that I think is worth a read.

A highlight:

"Several months ago, I was invited to speak at a large, conservative Southern Baptist church that is, in some ways, a microcosm of American evangelicalism as a whole.  The crowd of several thousand at the first Sunday service was distinctly older and almost entirely white, but at the morning’s second service, the senior pastor removed his tie and delivered exactly the same sermon to an audience that was much more ethnically diverse.  Later that day, under the same roof, the church hosted worship services and Bible studies in Creole, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese.  Within that one local church—as is true of the Church as a whole in the United States—coexist native-born U.S. citizens, naturalized citizens, lawfully-present immigrants, and undocumented immigrants, and with them a broad range of views on immigration policy. 

One of the church’s pastors related to me that, the previous week, a young Hispanic man had come forward at the end of the service seeking prayer. He shared, hesitantly, that he was facing deportation. He’d talked to lawyers and tried everything he could to resolve his situation, but it seemed inevitable that he would be separated from his family.  The pastor prayed for God’s provision and, then, as the man turned to leave, added, “We just want you to know how welcome you are at our church.” 

“With all due respect,” the man replied, “if people at this church knew I was ‘illegal,’ they would hate me.” 

The pastor assured him that their church—which, to their credit, had done far more than the average congregation to embrace immigrant communities—loved him.  But he went home, he told me, shaken by the man’s comment: what was it about his church that had conveyed to this man that people would despise him if they knew he lacked legal status? 

However, if we consider the rhetoric that some in our society, including some Christians, have used to discuss the topic of illegal immigration, the young immigrant’s conclusion that many of his native-born Christian brothers and sisters might hate him seems quite logical.  When presidential primary candidates compete to see who can be harsher on undocumented immigrants and the TV pundits say they’re doing so to win the “evangelical vote” in the Iowa Caucus, the undocumented within our churches notice. When the church’s parking lot is marked with bumper stickers for a candidate who proposes—to wild applause—the construction of an electrified fence that would kill those who attempt to unlawfully enter the United States, the unintentional message is: “I’d rather you’d be dead than sitting next to me at church.” 

Whenever those associated with Christianity blame the undocumented for the country’s economic trouble (despite nearly unanimous economic data to the contrary), imply that most are criminals or terrorists, or compare them to rats, cockroaches, or any other animal, the message conveyed to the undocumented within our congregations—even if very few would convey such a message directly—is that “God loves you…but we loathe you.” 

Some sobering thoughts to consider.

To read the rest of Matthew's post please click here.

In Love’s Service, Only Wounded Soldiers Can Serve

Photo Credit: Wally Gobetz

From Brennan Manning's Abba's Child:

"God not only forgives and forgets our shameful deeds but even turns their darkness into light. All things work together for those who love God, “even,” Augustine of Hippo added, “our sins.” 

Thornton Wilder’s one-act play “The Angel That Troubled the Waters,” based on John 5:1-4, dramatizes the power of the pool of Bethesda to heal whenever an angel stirred its waters. 

A physician comes periodically to the pool hoping to be the first in line and longing to be healed of his melancholy. The angel finally appears but blocks the physician just as he is ready to step into the water. The angel tells the physician to draw back, for this moment is not for him. The physician pleads for help in a broken voice, but the angel insists that healing is not intended for him. 

The dialogue continues — and then comes the prophetic word from the angel: “Without your wounds where would your power be? It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men and women. The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children on earth as can one human being broken on the wheels of living. In Love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve. Physician, draw back.” 

Later, the man who enters the pool first and is healed rejoices in his good fortune and turning to the physician says: “Please come with me. It is only an hour to my home. My son is lost in dark thoughts. I do not understand him and only you have ever lifted his mood. Only an hour.... There is also my daughter: since her child died, she sits in the shadow. She will not listen to us but she will listen to you.” 

Christians who remain in hiding continue to live the lie. We deny the reality of our sin. In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. We cling to our bad feelings and beat ourselves with the past when what we should do is let go. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, guilt is an idol. But when we dare to live as forgiven men and women, we join the wounded healers and draw closer to Jesus."

When Our Heroes Lie To Us: My Prayer For Lance Armstrong & Manti Te'o

Photo Credit: Neon Tommy

It's been a rough week for cyclist Lance Armstrong and Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o. It is being reported that Armstrong has admitted to the use of performance enhancing drugs in the past and, as a result, has jeopardized his standing as an American icon. In Te'o's case, it appears that the story of his deceased girlfriend was all a hoax. Whatever role he played in the charade is yet to be determined but, at minimum, it seems that he was not honest about it even after learning of the prank.

These instances, of course, are not the first cases of our athletic heroes disappointing us. In recent memory we've also seen legendary figures like Joe Paterno, Tiger Woods and too many MLB players to name have failed to live up to our expectations of them.

With the advent of social media, the public response is swift and strong when these stories come to light. We can easily cast our judgments about our heroes without knowing all the facts and are quick to make light of their perceived failures. Without excusing the lies of those we've placed on pedestals, I do wonder if the expectations we place on our heroes might be asking too much. Do we allow them to be human...or do we literally expect them to be superhuman?

In a article from a few years ago, ESPN.com's Jeff MacGregor wrote of the failure of a couple revered heroes -- baseball player Alex Rodriguez and Olympic legend Michael Phelps. MacGregor writes:

"And this has been our recent trouble with American "heroes," at least the ones arriving still warm off the humming assembly lines of popular culture. The problem lies not in their manufacture, but in our perception of the final product. Once we've been sold their heroic stories by the media and the for-profit institutions in charge of such things, we refuse to see our heroes for what they really are: complex, fallible human beings just like us who rise briefly out of the mire to do something extraordinary, then return to join us in the hog wallow of moral confusion and squalid appetite that is everyday life. 

Heroes never were meant to be an accurate reflection of daily human enterprise. They were meant to be examples of the rare capacity to exceed ourselves. Go back to ancient mythology, and you'll see what I mean. The Greeks understood that becoming a hero didn't absolve anyone of being human. In fact, that was usually the point of the story. Cautionary. Many of those "heroes" were lucky to get out of those stories alive. Most traded a single act of glory for a lifetime of punishing regret or a grisly death. 

Here in 21st century America, however, we prefer the Candyland version of heroic myth, in which no one is doomed to die or drown or wander forever in a wasteland of pain, but instead sets a record, scores a contract with William Morris, makes a million and marries a swimsuit model, and everything winds up hunky-dory at the end. Nobody has to sleep with his own mother and then claw his eyes out with a brooch."

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask our sports heroes to be people of integrity and to be honest with their fans. But we must realize that they are not perfect and that they will fail us. Athletes are no different than any else in regard to their humanity. They may happen to enjoy tremendous athletic success, but they still struggle with the same insecurities, need for acceptance and even the same sins that we all do. It seems to be an American pastime to worship people as they rise...and ridicule them as they fall. How sad.

Although it disappoints me when our heroes fail us, it doesn't surprise me. In a world where style is so often valued over substance and where we expect our heroes to perform superhuman feats, it's not unreasonable to surmise that some will cross ethical lines to achieve what they think we want them to become.

I don't know all the facts about Lance Armstrong and Manti Te'o. But I do think it's fair to say that some of their behavior is wrong, even though we are not in the position to know their motives and what led them to deceive the public. I, too, struggle with wanting to please others and pretend to be something that I am not so that others will like me more. But as I've gotten older, I've learned that presenting a false self to others is ultimately not fulfilling. Because at some point, our true self will be revealed, the imposter that we've been presenting to others will become unmasked and we will be seen for who we truly are.

I don't think we have to be fake with God since He knows all about us and loves us anyway. The conditional love of fans will never match the unconditional love of God.  My prayer is that Lance and Manti would both come to realize the love, forgiveness and acceptance that can be found through an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't know their personal lives so they may already have a relationship with God. But I hope they would both be able to experience God in such a way that they would be able to live honest and forthright lives in front of others. Although I'm sure they will both have difficult days ahead, my guess is that they will be resting a little easier at night knowing that the darkness they've been living in has now been revealed in the light.

The heart of the Christian message is that we can never be good enough to earn God's favor but through faith in Christ, God accepts us as a new person. We no longer have to pretend to be something we are not. In the words of Pastor Tim Keller, the humble Christian understands that they are "more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope." May this be true of our heroes and of us. Amen.

A Prayer Of Peace For Us All

Photo Credit: Mr. Ducke

In the midst of troubled times, this peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is fitting:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen"

Why Missionaries Must Love The People They Are Reaching

With Impact student leaders in 2011

Ed Stetzer offers a challenging perspective to all Christians who feel called by God to reach out to a specific community. It is a mindset that of missions that I hope to live out in my own life and ministry.

He says this:

""Give me Scotland or I die!" That's what John Knox said of Scotland. I would say: To fall in love with your community, you have to die--to yourself, to the mission and to your own preferences. 

If you are going to reach a community, you need to be deeply in love with it. Jesus, looking down on Jerusalem, cried, "They are like sheep without a shepherd." We have to say the same, about Plainview, Philadelphia and Pasadena. I am convinced you will not reach a community for Christ unless you are deeply in love with the community and its people. 

I have often called for Christians in our world to think like missionaries in the Two-Thirds World. If you have ever been around a missionary, you know that the good ones all love the people they are sent to--they can't stop talking about the culture and context. 

When missionaries take up residence cross-culturally, they truly love the culture where they live, sometimes even more than the culture back home. In the same way, a person looking to minister in a specific community cannot be disinterested in it. If it is a fishing community, you had better love fishing or learn to love it. If the community has a high school football team, you had better keep up with it. If you are a church leader, the community and its people must have an important part in your heart. 

I think you and I need the same passion in our contexts--our own personal "Scotlands"--for the Gospel. 

Jesus demonstrated this very concept in His earthly ministry as He: walked with the people in His culture, lived with them, listened to them, told stories to them, welcomed their children, and recognized and met people's needs. 

Too many church leaders read a book or go to a conference and get a great vision of a church in their heads. The problem is, they don't have a great vision for their community. The catch here is that part of you often has to die. Your own preferences have to be laid down to receive Christ's call and mission to the community. I don't care what you like; I care that you love the Gospel and the people God has called you to reach."

While Stetzer words are true for any Christian hoping to reach out to a certain community, I believe it is especially true for those of us that minister cross-culturally. Above all else, a cross-cultural minister needs to live their life in a way that the people to whom they minister will never question either God's love for them or the love their experience by the missionaries serving their community. It's not enough to just love God...we must also love the people to whom he sends us.

To read the rest of Stetzer's post please click here.

How The Love Of Jesus Trumps The Politics of Polarization

Photo Credit: aftab.

Taken from Philip Yancey's, The Jesus I Never Knew:

"People who looked to Jesus as their political savior were constantly befuddled by his choice of companions. He became known as a friend of tax collectors, a group clearly identified with the foreign exploiters, not the exploited. Though he denounced the religious system of his day, he treated a leader like Nicodemus with respect, and though he spoke against the dangers of money and of violence, he showed love and compassion toward a rich young ruler and a Roman centurion. 

In short, Jesus honored the dignity of people, whether he agreed with them or not. He would not found his kingdom on the basis of race or class or other such divisions. Anyone, even a half-breed with five husbands; or a thief dying on a cross, was welcome to join his kingdom. The person was more important than any category or label.

I feel convicted by this quality of Jesus every time I get involved in a cause I strongly believe in. How easy it is to join the politics of polarization, to find myself shouting across the picket lines at the "enemy" on the other side. How hard it is to remember that the kingdom of God calls me to love the woman who has just emerged from the abortion clinic (and, yes, even her doctor), the promiscuous person who is dying of AIDS, the wealthy landowner who is exploiting God's creation. If I cannot show love to such people, than I must question whether I have truly understood Jesus' gospel.

A political movement by nature draws lines, makes distinctions, pronounces judgment; in contrast, Jesus' love cuts across lines, transcends distinctions, and dispenses grace. Regardless of the merits of a given issue -- whether a pro-life lobby out of the Right or a peace-and-justice lobby out of the Left -- political movements risk pulling onto themselves the mantle of power that smothers love. From Jesus I learn that, whatever activism I get involved in, it must not drive out love and humility, or otherwise I betray the kingdom of heaven."

How One Evangelical Church Is Reaching Out To The Gay Community

Photo Credit: Royal Oak
Missionary Church

While driving with my twelve-year-old son to church early one Sunday morning a few weeks, I noticed a large billboard next to a major road that had caught his eye. The billboard was touting "Gay Days", an annual event here in Orlando where Disney and a number of other businesses sponsor events tailored for the gay and lesbian community.

I asked my son if he knew what "gay" meant and why there were two men on the billboard together. He understood what it implied and this led into what I thought was a healthy conversation (which was really not all that awkward considering that we had had "the talk" some time ago) and I explained to him how we should respond as Christians to people like those on the billboard.

We discussed that even if we don't understand the choices of others or don't necessarily agree with their lifestyles that we should still respect others and not tease, make fun of or be mean to them. I told him that there may be people we know that are gay, even if won't don't realize it. As a Christian, I believe that God's Word instructs me to stand up for the ridiculed and the marginalized and to demonstrate His love to all those He brings across our path.

With the recent vote in North Carolina and President Obama's comments on gay marriage, as well as the widespread media coverage of cringe-worthy comments from some members of the clergy, the topics of homosexuality and gay rights are very much at the forefront of the national dialogue. Although there are some Christian ministers that continue to build barriers between people of faith and the gay community, I know of at least one church that is intentionally reaching out to gays and lesbians in a loving and creative manner.

Royal Oak Missionary Church (ROMC), led by Pastor Bill Barnwell and located just outside of Detroit, is dear to my heart in so many ways. Not only is it the church that nurtured my wife in her youth and eventually sent her out as a missionary, but it is also the place where Lori and I became husband and wife. Many dear friends of ours are members of ROMC and I couldn't be prouder of what they are doing this weekend.

The church is putting on a play entitled "Masks" that will address topics like marital infidelity and homosexuality, with proceeds from the play going to a non-profit organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention to gay and lesbian youth and those struggling with their sexual identity.

The Daily Tribune shares about the play:

"If a church proclaims itself as pro-life, the members should care about gay teenagers who are at risk of committing suicide. 

That’s what the Rev. Bill Barnwell of Warren believes. He is practicing what he preaches with his evangelical congregation at Royal Oak Missionary Church, 411 E. 11 Mile Road. 

Barnwell’s play called “Masks” opens next week at the church and 80 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales and advertising will go to The Trevor Project. Even before the curtain rises June 1, the church has raised about $6,000 for the nonprofit group that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.  

“I attribute the fundraising success so far to people in the church just really catching the vision for saving young lives and seeing the value in reaching out a hand of friendship and love to the LGBT community and letting them know that their lives matter,” said Barnwell, calling his congregation brave. The central theme of his three-act play is that secrecy breeds dysfunction in any relationship. Barnwell intertwined two major plots in the script with a closeted gay youth pastor driven to despair after years of torment and a prominent, successful married couple struggling with infidelity and their teenagers’ sexually related angst. 

While some pastors are going on record as saying that they wish we could just get rid of all gay people, I'm thankful there are others like Bill Barnwell that are willing to take faith risks and face the scorn of their own community so that gays and lesbians can find life in Christ. If we as Christians say we are pro-life, we need to be pro-life for everyone. We don't have to agree with people to esteem them as image bearers of God and I'm grateful that a church that I am so close to is doing just that.

If you live in the Detroit-area and would like to see the play this weekend, please visit here for ticket information.

Money Can't Buy You Love

Photo Credit: brandon king

"I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too/
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you/
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love" ~ The Beatles

Can money buy you love? Apparently not. Money may enable you to get more stuff but it won't necessarily help your relationship. From USA Today:

"Researchers have found that focusing on money and possessions can take a toll on couples' happiness and stability.

In conducting the study, investigators from Brigham Young University analyzed relationship evaluations completed by more than 1,700 married couples across the United States. The participants were asked how much value they placed on "having money and lots of things."

The study, published in the Oct. 13 issue of the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, found that couples who believe that money is not important scored up to 15 percent higher on marriage stability and other measures of relationship quality than materialistic couples.

"Couples where both spouses are materialistic were worse off on nearly every measure we looked at," lead author, Jason Carroll, a BYU professor of family life, said in a university news release. "There is a pervasive pattern in the data of eroding communication, poor conflict resolution and low responsiveness to each other."

To read the complete article please click here.

Starbucks, Bill Hybels & Responding Like Jesus

Photo Credit: Robert the Noid

Bill Hybels is one of America's most well-known pastors and is the leader of one of the country's largest congregations, Willow Creek Community Church. Willow Creek, located just outside of Chicago, hosts a Global Leadership Summit each year that attracts thousands in person and many more through satellite and other forms of technology.

The Summit has attracted a bit of attention this year due to the withdrawal of invited speaker Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. Schultz's withdrawal came as a result of an online petition that urged him to drop out of the Summit due to what some feel is Willow Creek's "anti-gay" position.

Faced with a variety of options on how he could have responded, Pastor Hybels answered Mr. Schultz in a manner that is quite befitting of one that follows Jesus Christ. Please watch this video to see how Bill Hybels chose to address the situation:



I hope that Pastor Hybels is able to begin a dialogue with some gay and lesbian leaders as a result of his Christ-like response to this situation. God's love is available for all and I'm grateful that a prominent Christian leader such as Bill Hybels is making that known.

(h/t to Ragamuffin Soul for the video link)

Why You Don't Want To Be Primarily Known For What You're Against

Photo Credit: 4lfie

It is a sobering reality that in many segments of our society Christians are known more for what we are against than for what we are for. Our public demonstrations against various sins and groups that we believe to be enemies of God have left many with the impression that we Christians are simply a bunch of angry zealots with nothing better to do than to demonize others.

In a convicting and telling post, Byron Yawn outlines the reasons why we probably don't want to be known as the "angry prophet." Yawn says this:

"Of the many things I’ve learned about pastoral ministry over these years one stands out among the most helpful: There is a real danger in consistently defining yourself and your ministry by what you are against."

He then goes on to list ten dangers of defining yourself by what you're against. Though primarily directed at pastors, his admonitions could apply to any of us. Here they are:

1. You’ll forget to talk about what’s good… especially about Jesus.

2. You’ll begin to take yourself too seriously.

3. You’ll begin to preach the same sermon from every passage.

4. You’ll foster mean people.

5. You’ll eventually assemble an audience of self-congratulatory clones.

6. You’ll take all correction personally and as an unpardonable offense against “God’s man.”

7. You’ll make a terrible shepherd.

8. You’ll become the type of person you warn others about.

9. You’ll thrive on controversy.

10. People will stop listening.

Jesus instructed us that we would be primarily known as followers of Him by the love we show to one another. That doesn't mean we never seek to speak truth but it does mean that the truth we speak is motivated by love and not condemnation.

You can read Yawn's complete post here.

(h/t to Tim Challies for the link)

Mother Theresa On True Hunger

Photo Credit: Peter Guthrie

From A Simple Path: Mother Theresa:

"The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God."

A Valentine's Day Reminder of God's Love

Photo Credit: hiOakie

Valentine's Day is a mixed bag. For those that are in a romantic relationship, it is a day spent demonstrating one's love for that special someone. For others it is a sad reminder of love gone wrong or love that has yet to be realized. For me, it is a combination of experiencing deep love for my wife and a haunting reminder of the loss of my brother (who passed away on this day 35 years ago).

Whatever your experience on February 14th may be, there is a comforting reality that God's love is extended to and available for us no matter what our circumstances. My favorite author, Brennan Manning, comments on God's love in his outstanding book, The Ragamuffin Gospel:

"Justification by grace through faith is the theologian's learned phrase for what Chesterton once called "the furious love of God." He is not moody or capricious; he knows no seasons of change. He has a single relentless stance toward us: he loves us. He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners. False gods — the gods of human manufacturing — despise sinners, but the Father of Jesus loves all, no matter what they do. But of course this is almost too incredible for us to accept. Nevertheless, the central affirmation of the Reformation stands: through no merit of ours, but by his mercy, we have been restored to a right relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of his beloved Son. This is the Good News, the gospel of grace."

True and unconditional love, the type of love that God has for us, will never grow old and it will never leave. Whether you are in a dating relationship, married or unattached romantically at the moment, rest in God's love today.

What is Love?

Photo Credit: Shanissinha_

I love my wife. I love Snickers candy bars. I love Michigan football. I love God. I love the smell of the air after a rain shower.

This simple word -- love -- is used in so many ways within the English language yet few uses adequately describe its true meaning. Unlike some other languages, we don't have multiple words to describe love. For example, when my daughter claims she loves Justin Bieber, I sincerely hope that it does not mean the same thing as when she says she loves me.

Love is more than a feeling and it's more than a preference for someone or something. We may love food or a certain hobby, but not in the same way we love our family or closest friends. At its deepest level, love is a state of being. It speaks to who we are at our core and represents the character that is within us.

In my opinion, the greatest explanation of love is contained in the book of First Corinthians, chapter 13 in the Bible. Often recited at Christian weddings, this passage gives a glimpse into the kind of love that God has for us. The Apostle Paul challenges followers of Christ that all we do should be motivated by the selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love modeled by Jesus himself:

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance...

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."

(Taken from the New Living Translation)

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

All too often we Christians are known more for the things we dislike rather than the love we show. Even though Jesus told his first followers that they would be known by their love (John 13:35), the self-professed followers of Christ that many times get the most attention are those that are anything but loving.

It seems to be the angry, self-righteous folks that get all the attention while the meek and humble that quietly serve others go unnoticed. But it is encouraging to know that some believers in Christ think that love is more powerful than hate and that grace will win more people than guilt.

A gay pride parade was recently held in Chicago and a small group of a few dozen Christians decided that they would attempt to demonstrate at the parade. This group, however, went with the motivation of love and weren't driven by hate. They wore t-shirts that said "I'm Sorry" and attempted to show some remorse for how the gay community has been treated by so many Christians.

Tim Schraeder shares more details about the parade on his blog and provides a link to a story told by Nathan Marin, a leader in the Marin Foundation (the organization that led the unique demonstration). Here's the story from Nathan:

"What I loved most about the day is when people “got it.” I loved watching people’s faces as they saw our shirts, read the signs, and looked back at us. Responses were incredible. Some people blew us kisses, some hugged us, some screamed thank you. A couple ladies walked up and said we were the best thing they had seen all day. I wish I had counted how many people hugged me. One guy in particular softly said, “Well, I forgive you.”

Watching people recognize our apology brought me to tears many times. It was reconciliation personified.

My favorite though was a gentleman who was dancing on a float. He was dressed solely in white underwear and had a pack of abs like no one else. As he was dancing on the float, he noticed us and jokingly yelled, “What are you sorry for? It’s pride!” I pointed to our signs and watched him read them.

Then it clicked.

Then he got it.

He stopped dancing. He looked at all of us standing there. A look of utter seriousness came across his face. And as the float passed us he jumped off of it and ran towards us. In all his sweaty beautiful abs of steal, he hugged me and whispered, “thank you.”

Before I had even let go, another guy ran up to me, kissed me on the cheek, and gave me the biggest bear hug ever. I almost had the wind knocked out of me; it was one of those hugs.

This is why I do what I do. This is why I will continue to do what I do. Reconciliation was personified.

I think a lot of people would stop at the whole “man in his underwear dancing” part. That seems to be the most controversial. It’s what makes the evening news. It’s the stereotype most people have in their minds about Pride.

Sadly, most Christians want to run from such a sight rather than engage it. Most Christian won't even learn if that person dancing in his underwear has a name. Well, he does. His name is Tristan.

However, I think Jesus would have hugged him too. It’s exactly what I read throughout scripture: Jesus hanging out with people that religious people would flee from. Correlation between then and now? I think so."

We don't have to agree with the choices that people make in order to love them. And many in the gay community possess deep wounds from Christians and the Church that has led them away from a relationship with God. Unfortunately, we all fail in our hope to love others well. I know that I'm not consistent in my desire to love others as Christ does and I'm guessing that you're probably the same way. But as we yield to God's Spirit in our lives, He gives us the ability to love others in ways that we are unable to in our own strength.

Hate has never changed the world but God's love will. We don't have to compromise our convictions in order to be loving. Jesus was more committed to truth than you or I, yet he never wavered in His love for the broken and hurting. As a follower of Him, I hope that I can live the same kind of life that is more characterized by love than anything else. I frequently fall short of that goal but I will continue to pursue loving others just as Christ has loved me.

(h/t to Keith Battle for the link to the article.)

How Do You Define Love?

I received this from my cousin, Kim...

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of four to eight year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That's love." ~ Rebecca- age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." ~ Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." ~ Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." ~ Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." ~ Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." ~ Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." ~ Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." ~ Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." ~ Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." ~ Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." ~ Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." ~ Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." ~ Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." ~ Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." ~ Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." ~ Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." ~ Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." ~ Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." ~ Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." ~ Jessica - age 8

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