God is Good

As Christians (humans), we tend to be happy when we experience good things or when bad things pass us by.  For example, there was a tornado that just went by my brother and sister-in-law’s neighborhood and it missed their house. The tornado also missed their truck but destroyed everything that was across the street. They were extremely thankful and I do believe that this is a good thing.

This video and a couple others were posted on their Facebook page. Again, nothing wrong with that.

It is good to be positive, but it is not ok to avoid the reality that terrible things just happened to our neighbors.  Our thankfulness should not blind us to the reality that even though God is good, not everything in life is good.  Just because it was good for us does not mean it was good (or even ok).

The part that always makes me think is when you see or hear comments like “God is good! I am so glad y’all are ok,” and “thanking God you are both ok.” Again I agree with these statements.  I am thankful that my family members are safe and that their house wasn’t destroyed. But the reality is that people just a couple blocks away did loose their houses and there are people that are not ok.

Why are Christians often really only concerned with their friends and family? I didn’t comment on the video (posted on FB) because all I could think about is what is being done for those families who did loose their house.  How do we show/tell those people that God is good.

I guess there needs to be a balance between thanking God for out blessings and privileges and realizing that others are not always blessed and don’t always have the same privileges, while keeping in mind that we did not earn these blessings. 

One way that I think we can address this problem is by helping those who are not as fortunate as we are and understanding that negative situations and blessings are not any indication of how good of people we are.  The people whose house had a tree fall on it did not deserve that or earn it in any way.  We need to remember that we are not better than others.  We also need to avoid the mentality that "gee, I am glad I am not in their situation."

Any other thoughts out there?  How can we avoid thinking that we deserved to be blessed?  How can we be thankful and humble at the same time? 

I am also curious to know how this relates to the Problem of Evil (not the Problem of Pain as posed by C.S. Lewis)...I think this might become a future post!!!

Hands

Sarah Kay is a spoken word artist. She is the founder and co director of Project Voice, and organization promotes the use of spoken word as a form of self-expression. Spoken word is so often a powerful form of speaking truth (spiritual, religion, political and historical). 


Click here to watch Sarah Kay perform Hands

Lyrics to Hands:

People used to tell me that I had beautiful hands
told me so often, in fact, that one day I started to believe them
until I asked my photographer father, “hey daddy could I be a hand model”
to which he said no way,

I don’t remember the reason he gave me
and I would’ve been upset, but there were far too many stuffed animals to hold, too many homework assignment to write, to many boys to wave at, to many years to grow.

We used to have a game, my dad and I about holding hands cus we held hands everywhere, and every time either he or I would whisper a great big number to the other, pretending that we were keeping track of how many times we had held hands that we were sure, this one had to be 8 million 2 thousand 7 hundred and fifty three.

Hands learn more than minds do,

hands learn how to hold other hands, how to grip pencils and mold poetry, how to tickle pianos and dribble a basketball, and grip the handles of a bicycle how to hold old people, and touch babies , I love hands like I love people

they’re the maps and compasses in which we navigate our way through life,

some people read palms to tell your future, but I read hands to tell your past, each scar marks the story worth telling, each callused palm, each cracked knuckle is a missed punch or years in a factory,

now I’ve seen middle eastern hands clenched in middle eastern fists pounding against each other like war drums, each country sees they’re fists as warriors and others as enemies
even if fists alone are only hands.

but this is not about politics, no hands aren’t about politics, this is a poem about love, and fingers.

fingers interlock like a beautiful zipper of prayer.

one time i grabbed my dads hands so that our fingers interlocked perfectly but he changed positions, saying no that hand hold is for your mom.

kids high five, but grown ups, we learn how to shake hands, you need a firm hand shake, but don’t hold on too tight, but don’t let go too soon, but don’t hold down for too long, but hands are not about politics, when did it become so complicated.

I always thought its simple.

The other day my dad looked at my hands, as if seeing them for the first time, and with laughter behind his eye lids, with all the seriousness a man of his humor could muster, he said you know you got nice hands, you could’ve been a hand model, and before the laughter can escape me, I shake my head at him, and squeeze his hand, 8 million 2 thousand 7hundred and fifty four.

What is your favorite line. I like how she addresses politics, says hands are about love and then goes back. What spiritual references do you see in this poem? 

Hey Fred, God Loves Gays

Read more about this poster and others at my site titles "Grace is a Bit Queer."

If Jesus loved the murderer on the cross next to him, I would be willing to bet that he loves gays as well.  God loves the glutton and the lustful (both of which are addressed in the Bible more than homosexuality.  There is not a person on this earth that has fallen short of the glory of God and there is not a person that God doesn't or can't love. 

It is hard to grasp but God even loves Fred Phelps.
Even though I do believe his hate makes God soooooo Sad.

It is easy to think "God doesn't like that person, or this person because...."  I would argue that God may not like someone's actions, but there is no way that I would argue or could be convinced that there is a person whom God doesn't love.

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A different Approach

**This reading is the story of a pastor, Jim Pace, at Virginia Tech. Pace decided that it was time to start taking a different approach when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. Pace was sick of the misconceptions, judgments, and ignorance that others often direct at Christians. Pace worked with a group of the leaders to come up with an idea that could help bridge the gap between the GBLTQ community and the Christian church.

The story shows the pastor beginning to understand more of the problems that the GBLTQ community faces. He learns from individuals as well as God. He gains wisdom on the topic and how to address the topic without giving up on his own beliefs.

The story begins with a lot of hate toward the Christian community and misunderstanding from both sides; the story ends with a pledge where both sides agree to stand up for one another when people are being ignorant. This makes it seem like there is hope for Christians and the gay community to get along and defend each other, even if they don’t agree.

One frustration the Christian community faces is the choice of “either denying civil rights or condoning clear sin.” This is a frustrating position to face. It is even worse when the groups are accusing you of being bigoted, ignorant, unintelligent, irrational and hateful. In my opinion, this story is a good example of how the two groups can get past their own prejudices and see people for who they really are.

I didn’t expect the stories on the Exodus website to be as positive as they are.  Most of what I have heard is from the GBLTQ community and extremely negative.  I have not looked at the whole site but many of the stories that I have read are from loving people who are just trying to do what they believe is right.  This specific story was honest and uplifting. Both groups involved ended up better than they were before. They are now better and more informed individuals and they have gained support from unexpected individuals.

**If the direct link doesn't work go to ExodusInternational.org and find "Read some real-life stories"
under "Youth."  Select "Pastors and Counselors," then select "A Differnet Approach."

Pace, Jim. “A Different Approach.” 2005. Exodus International. Nov. 1, 2010. [www.exodusinternational.org]

Dear Tony and Forgiveness Part 2

Forgiveness is not quick and easy. It sometimes is a life long journey. The journey changes but the need to forgive is always there. When someone hurts you, you will often need to forgive him or her every day for years.

My biological father left before I was born. He slept with my mom, found out she was pregnant and left. My mom was fine with that and didn’t want to deal with him anyways. He never found me. If he tried, he obviously failed. Then he was shot in Athens, GA when I was 8. I found this all out my senior year of high school after the letter was written.

As you can imagine, I had the stereotype of the deadbeat black man stuck in my head. You know the one you see in the media (music videos, Movies, literature)? I was mad at him for living, and for dying (I assumed that his death had to do with him being bad and black in a big city). I was mad at him for making me look different from everyone I knew (I now cherish these differences and love that I am not the same as everyone else).

From learning more about him, I have found that he did search and that he wasn’t a bad man. I learned that he liked sex and has kids from various mothers. However, he owned restaurants and was loved by many. The story goes that he was shot because of racism (sniped by the KKK because he would not back down and close his restaurants). It case is technically still an unsolved homicide.

Even after the letter, I still needed to forgive him. For the most part, I think that I have. But now there are several more people that I need to begin to forgive.  The process may be different and these other people may have hurt me in less serious ways; however, that does not make forgiving them any easier.

Possible Benefits of Ex-Gay Ministry

This NPR interview discusses aspects of various Ex-Gay Ministries. Issues covered include the use of Reparative Therapy, the power of communal living, and accountability. The various groups in the Ex-Gay movement are is many ways similar to various Alcoholics Anonymous groups. For someone who wants to change, the 12 steps are often effective. Forcing someone to join an Ex-Gay ministry could potentially cause more harm (or only harm) rather than good; however, the person that does fit the criteria for Reparative Therapy and does not want to be gay, or maybe wants to learn more about himself, could benefit from the various aspects of the program.

Accountability is a beneficial aspect of life. Confession sounds bad, but being able to tell the truth about yourself is extremely liberating. Having a group of people to share your downfalls with is powerful. You are able to learn that you are not as strange or messed up as you think. I am not sure if the Ex-Gay ministry focuses on grace, but as a Christian organization, it should.* In a group that understands the **grace of God, people will not judge you, nor will they shun you. If there is not mutual respect and brotherly love there is no community or accountability. The accountability would be transmogrified into forced actions.

If there is a habit that you want to change, having people who want to support you and want you to be healthier is going to help. The person who is quitting smoking, can not do it on his own. There are various forms of help include: the patch, for the nicotine cravings; candy cigarettes, for the person addicted to the action of lifting the cigarette; and people, who are willing to encourage you and ease your guilt. Everyone needs someone to talk to at some time.

We need to be supporting each other through our struggles, but in order for us to fully support one another, we need to be open. I was a camp counselor for a couple summers***. One of the camps is set up like an 1880’s style log fort. You live here with around 40 people for 5 nights a week and you live in cabin on the weekends. You shower about once a week. The weeks consist of around 40 miles of hiking. You also have horses popping their noses in you cabin window. Basically, you smell. You get to know your staff very well. You experience the “happies and the crappies” of life with these people and they love you no matter what.

Various types of therapy (I would argue group therapy) are beneficial for most people. If you have access to free therapy as a benefit of you work or school, go. Going to therapy does not make you crazy. That belief is a stigma that our society has inaccurately created. On the other side of that maybe we are all crazy and that is why therapy benefits us all. We all have our issues and mis-beliefs. Why not challenge ourselves to improve these fallacies?

Regardless of my personal thoughts on Ex-Gay ministries and the movement, some of the same aspects that are beneficial in the 12 step programs may also benefit members of the Ex-Gay ministries.


Future Posts - If you want me to address these soon, just ask.
*I will address it later but read The Ragamuffin Gospels or What’s so Amazing about Grace if you don’t understand the arguments that say it is wonderful.
**Christ was 95% grace, and someone labeling themselves with his name should attempt to be as well.
***I am in this camp video.  It is a bit of a big deal, not really, but my hair was sweet. - go to 5:02.

Dear Tony and Forgiveness Part 1

Dear Tony,

I used to want to meet you, just to tell you that I hate everything about you, and the way you do what you do. I wanted to tell you that you were a nothing but a stupid nigger and that was all you would ever be. I wanted to know how you thought it was right to get a woman pregnant, call her a liar and say that there was no child at all, tell her she was a whore and that if there was a child, it wasn’t yours, then curse the bastard. After doing all that you threatened my mom, your baby’s mama that if she ever did look for you, you would join the army, she would never find you and you would never pay child support. I have hated you for so long. I had no reason to care about someone who never cared about me, who hated me. I wanted to tell you I hated you because you hurt me, your tore me down. I thought I needed you more than anything but wanted to tell you that I was better off without you. You made me believe that my mom and grandma were the only ones who cared about me and that no one else ever could including my dad, my real dad the one who is there for me, and is more than just a sperm donor, like you.

Recently I have found someone that has turned everything around. This someone is Jesus. He built me back up. He helped me forgive you, which took 17 years and a lot of prayer. He did this by forgiving me for everything I have done the past few years. I still may want to meet you, but it’s not to tear you down. Telling you you’re horrible won’t make me any better. We are both only human. It doesn’t make what you did right or help me to understand. I no longer hate you. Without you I would not be here. I would not be who I am today. You have shown me that I do not need you, or any man except Jesus Christ, the one who died for me and loves me unconditionally. This is just one of the things he has helped me with over the last four years. Now I do want to meet you, not for advice, but to thank you for making me stronger, bringing me closer to God (although that was Him), and for giving me the challenge of loving someone who hates me, wanted to kill me (abortion is homicide) and the world tells me to hate.

Thank you,

Your loving daughter,

Felicia

*** This was written when I was in HS.  I think I was a sophomore or senior.  So maybe in 2004 or 2006.

Oddballs: Part One – No Oddballs Allowed (A Brief Description of Old Testament Rules)

The Old Testament is composed of many types of writing and various topics such as prophecy and laws (The Law). Many of the laws separate the Jews from the Gentiles (all other races) and Pagans (non Jewish). These laws include not eating certain things and determine who can sit where in church. There are many reasons that God may have given the specific laws that he did. Some of these reasons include the health benefits such as avoiding certain diseases and overall bodily health (the Jews were the healthiest people group in the world in Bible times). The laws may have also prevented people from getting mistaken for Pagans because some Pagan rituals involve eating certain animals.

In Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace there is a chapter titled “No Oddballs Allowed.” This chapter proposes that the animals that the Jewish people could not eat were the animals that are different i.e. one cant eat land animals that don’t walk on 4 legs or birds that don’t fly. In addition to not eating these animals, the Jews could not sacrifice the imperfect animals to God. God could only be surrounded by the best and the same went for his Jewish followers.

In addition, this idea seems to explain how people were treated and interacted. The ones that were not perfect were not “clean” the same as the animals. The Jewish men prayed daily, thanking God “who had not made them Gentiles, who had not made them slaves, and who had not made them women.” Even these Jewish males could not commune with God directly even though they were toward the top of the spectrum. Only the one person (a priest) a year could talk to God by entering the Holy of Holy’s, the room that God lived in.

Philip Yancey's website