A Sleeping Giant

I'm sitting in the peace and quiet of the sanctuary at church.  No one else is in the building (other than my dog) and I love that it's just me and Jesus right now.  Since getting back from the mission trip, I've hardly had time to process because this is the in-between week... next week we have VBS.  Summer has been anything but slow, but I like it.

As I sit here and peer out over the empty pews, I think about how just a couple of years ago, this place was foreign to me.  It wasn't comfortable.  You know when you go to a new place, even a hotel on vacation, and you think how strange it feels?  Like last week on the mission trip... the church we stayed in was beautiful, but it was huge.  The first few times we traveled from our sleeping area down to the fellowship hall, I felt lost.  It felt unnatural.  But by the end of the week, thanks in part to my inability to sleep leading to some exploration, I found it simple to navigate.  It became comfortable.

This sanctuary is comfortable for me now.  I love to be in here.  I love to sit at the foot of the cross or on the floor under the alter.  I love to sit at the piano and mess around, playing through hymns and worship songs.  I love to bring my guitar over and have jam sessions, singing at the top of my lungs.  This is a place of comfort.  I expect to meet with God when I'm in this room, not that He's not present all day, er'day, but here is different.

I think about the amazing things I saw last week.  Over and over again I expressed to the kids how the mission trip is the peak of my year because I get to be with them, serving, without having to plan anything that particular week.  It's a time when everything is planned, the Bible lessons and worship are done by the mission organization and I get to just be with my kids.  I cherish it.  It's completely exhausting, but I love it.  We served with a few different ministries throughout the week and we got to spend a good amount of time in Raleigh learning it's history and culture and exploring a bit.  What a blessed time with my group.

One of my my favorite parts of the week was our church group time.  Every night each church group there met individually and had time just with their own people.  It's my fave because I love hearing how my kids are doing and processing the week.  I love singing and worshipping just in our group.  I love praying for them.  I love how much they love each other.  I love getting a feel for where my kids are at spiritually.  It's such a vital time and really helps me connect with them.

I have to say... they did an amazing job.  They all worked really hard and connected with the people we worked with AND they did it without any complaining.  I am thoroughly impressed with them.  They were joyful.  They were strong even when they were exhausted.  They all got along.  The best part for me to see was that they were hungry for Jesus.  They really wanted to know more about Him.  They experienced Him in new ways and I think many of them came to love Him even more.  They asked really good questions and were very open and honest with both me and one another.  During morning devos, they thought through our discussions, didn't just give Sunday school answers.

My absolute favorite part of the whole week was when they said they wanted to know more about the Holy Spirit and His role.  Um, yeah we can talk about that!  It happened to be the last night at about 11:30pm when that was brought up, so we agreed that we'd have that convo in the cars on the way home thanks to our walkie-talkies!  So we did.  In two separate vehicle, driving down the highway, we talked about the Holy Spirit.  Praise the Lord for kids who ask questions!  How cool are they, seriously though??  I have to say, I was quite nervous that I wouldn't be able to answer well or that they wouldn't understand... and truthfully, I didn't know everything, but the Holy Spirit was present and His words were louder than my own.

I watched a group of kids in tight quarters, in an unfamiliar city, come together and serve.  They understand the Great Commission a little more.  They know that being a believer means being a person of action, ready and willing to carry out the Gospel... even if that looks like cleaning a toilet.  Amazing, right?

I saw a beautiful picture of Christ's Church in my group last week.  They came together and just did it.  They were Jesus to people who don't encounter Jesus every day.  They loved when it was hard to love.  Tears stream down my face as I type this because I am so excited for these kids.  I'm so excited to see how else God will use them and how else they will walk in obedience and say "yes."

It has me thinking about the state of the Church in the U.S..  It's been my opinion for years now that the North American Church is a sleeping giant.  It's here, but for the most part it doesn't act or look like the Church I read about it the book of Acts.  I see pews full of people, but I don't see the amount of fruit you'd expect to see from such numbers of pew-sitters.  I see people who come to church to be served, but who don't do much serving of their own.  I see lots of people who attend church, but not as many people who's lives reflect their time at church.  I hear lots of complaining that things aren't the way people want them, but see unwillingness to make changes.  I hear the Word preached, but I don't always see a response to the call to action (the Word being lived out).  I see a church desperate for resources and volunteers, but a lot of averted eyes when the plea is placed.  I hear lots of talk about love and grace, but don't see them extended unless it's convenient or being given to someone who looks and believes the same.  I see a world crumbling down, but watch the news and see that politics and the latest diet trend are more important than the starving, sick, and homeless.  I see sin being ignored and lots of double lives being lived.

What's the answer?  Jesus.  If we are walking in complete obedience to Him, always saying yes, even to the hard stuff, then we are being sanctified, being made more like Him.  If that were happening, I believe the Church would look different.  We would know Christ, really know Him.  We would hear His voice so clearly.  People wouldn't be content to sit in their pews and talk about their relationship with God... they would have to get up and move... it would show, they wouldn't have to talk about it.  They would have to be an action people.  They would say no to sin and stop making excuses for it... they would strive to live like Christ.  To let go of their stuff and trust God to be enough for them.  He's more than enough.

I saw more of this this past week on the mission trip than I've seen in a long time.  No, my kids aren't perfect and yes, they will continue to be crazy teenagers, but for a week, they got a taste of the real Church.  What it's like to be a part of the body of Christ that isn't asleep or sick.  And it's beautiful.

I so long to see revival.  To see the Church wake up, get healthy, and move forward.  Please, Lord Jesus!  I long to see my brothers and sisters (and me) say only "yes" to God.  To set themselves aside.  To proudly live for Christ... which looks like humility, service, and LOVE.  I long to see a people tired of making excuses and keeping one foot out the door.  I long to see Christ's bride, looking lovely and fighting hard for her bridegroom.  I long to journey through this life partnered with a man who is walking in obedience to God... ready to serve, ready to love, ready to be Jesus to the least of these with a life dedicated to Christ.

Come Lord Jesus.  Free us from ourselves and our selfish desires and tendencies.  Give us the courage to walk in obedience and love.  Give us your heart and your eyes.  Let us look beyond these 4 walls.  Amen.

Breathe

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

It's natural and comfortable... at least I hope so.  Being around my friends who've served in Uganda is always just like breathing.  I can't describe it well, but it's a relief.  (It probably seems like I'm in some sort of perpetual state of discomfort or something the way I say that, but I'm not.)  It really is like a breath of fresh air.  It's exciting.  They don't get sick of talking about Uganda and they understand exactly what I'm talking about.  They have clear mental pictures and can hear the sounds.  They know the smells.  They know the smiles.  They understand the frustrations that pop up in daily life.  They've been burned by the equatorial sun.  They've been to the markets and eaten the food.  It's a shared experience... it makes sense, right?

This past weekend my first Uganda roomie, Jean, my friend Jodi, and I drove down to Atlanta to celebrate the marriage of some very dear friends.  The groom, Francis, was the first Ugandan I got to know quite well.  He was a colleague at the international... our beloved music teacher.  We've been friends and partners in ministry for 6 years now.  The bride, Missy, was my roommate for a few months during my second year in Uganda and she's been a very a dear friend and encourager in my life.

Jean and I were asked to participate in the ceremony, so we arrived at the church Friday afternoon.  They had just started the rehearsal so we grabbed some seats in the back of the church.  It was such a weird feeling.  I had hung out with Missy in the States a few different times over the years, but Francis had never been here prior to this month.  Sitting there, I was beyond anxious to run up and hug them both.  I've been saying for two and half years now that I want to go back... if only to visit, but I've not had the opportunity.  To see Missy and Francis in the States brought a little bit of Uganda to me.  Memories rushed back.  Things fell right back into place.  They brought love and greetings from my dear loved ones.  They brought tears of joy.  They brought the joy of the Lord.

After the ceremony, at the reception, we had lots of time to catch up with dear friends... ones we've served with, but haven't seen in years.  I was very honored to have Francis ask me to give a speech representing him and the Ugandan community.  What a privilege to share with people just a little bit of my love for the Lord, for the couple, and for Uganda.  It was a very special time.  And to top it all off... we all stayed until the reception was over.  We helped clean up and as things were wrapping up Francis, in true Francis fashion, took my guitar out and we had a jam session.  My heart was exploding with joy.  It's just what we always did in Uganda.  Francis always has a guitar (or some other instrument) in his hand.  We're all always singing.  It felt so natural and right.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Trust Jesus.

Rehersal Dinner!

Getting ready for the ceremony

Practicing before the ceremony

With the Bride and Groom

Hanging with the Bourne's 

After wedding jam session

Roomie selfie

Chamuka-ing with Francisco :)

Suited Up

I've sat down to write many times in the last two months, (some ideas were great, others not so much) but for some reason, I've not been able to get anything out.  My energies have been exhausted.  Much has happened, but I don't feel the need to go on and on about it right now.  Shocking?  I think so.  I'm not entirely sure what brings me back tonight, aside from missing writing.  I was really good at journaling up through about college, but that went out the window a long time ago.

Much of my blogging through the years has been for me, though the updates were usually at the request of those keeping up with my ministry (sorry I've not kept you updated, but it will comes eventually).  I say it's been for me because since I've not journaled consistently, I've used this to record things that God has told me.

Maybe God is bringing me back tonight.  As is a common theme in my life, I've been desperately missing Uganda for the past few weeks.  I miss every single thing about it, even things that frustrated me there.  My passport is expired and my bank account is far from being in the black, so a trip anytime soon seems HIGHLY unlikely.  Just the passport being expired is enough to make me want to cry.  So since I've been daydreaming of walking the orange dirt roads so much, God has been sustaining me with His presence.  When my longings to be on the mission field over-take me, He reminds me that He is enough and that I am where He is asking me to be.

Being on the mission field is what God has commanded all of us to do.  There's no disputing that.  For some, that looks like pastoring a local church.  To others it looks like moving 9,000 miles from home.  For some it means going to work and being Jesus to co-workers just by how they live their lives.  Spreading the gospel is obedience, no matter where or how.  One is not greater than the other.

Something that God has been reminding me and showing me is that South Jersey is my mission field.  It is no easy mission field for me.  Yeah I'm in America, but not the America I've always known.  It's not easy because it's America.  If I'm being honest, it's actually quite difficult in our too-much-stuff, always busy, selfish culture.  Priorities are tricky.

So as I've been thinking of South Jersey as a mission field, I've noticed that my expectations are skewed because of my time in Africa.  In America, we've moved away from a community culture.  We don't build community outside of our family units very well.  I've experienced this since coming here, as I'm sure I would experience all over this country of ours.  My experiences prior to this were so different because I was home and then I was in Uganda where there is a very strong sense of community.  It's tricky to come into a culture that's so set.

It's also tricky to have experienced a culture where people's decisions to follow Christ may cost them their families or even their lives, yet they do follow Him.  It's amazing.  Here, our lives aren't in jeopardy, but our way of life is... that is, we are not as easily persuaded to give up our sin.

(I realize that these are generalities and not every person lives this way or struggles with the same things.)

The mission field is where I live and I need to keep remembering that.  There's a constant battle for souls going on.  I need to stay suited up and smelling like Jesus. (Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 )

Living Above the Clouds Again

It seems like the seasons have remembered their roles.  Fall was beautiful and vibrant; the weather stayed decent longer than I expected it would.  Winter really lived up to it's name and maybe even overcompensated a bit.  It was beautiful at times, yet it became draining.  Living under constant cloud cover is exhausting.  Spring has awakened the earth and has already brought many days of rain with many more to come, this week included.  With all of the days of rain ahead and Spring doing it's job- bringing the earth back to life- we will be clouded again, temporarily separated from the sun.

We go through seasons in our lives too.  Maybe our moods/attitudes shift with the earth as it journeys around the sun.  The other day as I was reflecting on some seasons in my own life, I found that there have been times when I've lived like I'll never see the sun again.  Maybe you have too.  Many do.  The truth is, the sun has NEVER ceased to shine... not once since the beginning of time.

The Lord gave me the image of a plane's journey during take-off and landing on a dreary, rainy day.  I can picture it clearly because I've been on so many flights like that.  I take the window seat whenever possible.  I love gazing out over creation, even if I've flown that same path many times.  I never want to miss an opportunity to catch a glimpse.  On a rainy day though, there's not much to see at first.  Sitting on the tarmac is gray and gloomy.  When the plane starts moving and the earth starts shrinking, visibility is limited, unlike on clear days when you can see for miles.  Soon the earth is just a memory as the plane is engulfed in the clouds.  There's nothingness.  It's blank.  And then it begins to get lighter.  The plane continues it's ascent, climbing higher and higher.  Finally it bursts through the clouds and there's nothing but blinding light and clear skies.  NOW you can see for miles.  Now you can imagine yourself dancing and spinning on the clouds, free from burden and the weight that's been holding you down.  Life above the clouds is always sunny and bright.  For a time, it's exhilarating.  Breathing is somehow easier up there (though without the plane it would be impossible).

And then, like all planes do, it starts it's decent.  Heading slowly back down towards the clouds isn't so bad at first.  There's still so much to see.  Even once you're back in the clouds, the first minute or so is intriguing.  But as you break through on the other side, back to the gloom and gray, the exhilaration you felt just minutes before fades.  Returning to earth under the cover of the clouds once again can be discouraging.

What would it look like to live above the clouds?  To know that even in the storms and on the ugliest days on earth, the sun is still shining bright?  To let go of fear and insecurity and trust in the God who created it all?  What does that look like for you?

Today, for me, that looks like resting in Exodus 14:14 like I mentioned in my previous post.  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."

I found this video when I was looking for the lyrics of the song, Called me Higher by All Sons and Daughters.  It fits pretty well with the image that God has given me (minus the clouds) and the song is stunning.  Enjoy.

The Lord Will Fight

Today was different.  Good different... finally.  For the first time in a long time I felt like I could breathe.  Nothing extraordinary took place.  Just peace.  Life has been anything but normal for me these days and I'm ready to get back to some form of normalcy.  It will happen eventually, of this I'm sure.

A fresh promise from God could not have come at a better time.  A friend recently sent me this verse, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."  Exodus 14:14.  I've been meditating on this verse for nearly a week now.  It hit me like John 15 did so many years ago... stopped me in my tracks.  My plans ceased and God started making some changes.  I've not been too pliable lately, but that must end.  Even in the stillness I'm being called to, I must be willing to move and bend.  God is fighting for me... and it's a good thing because I'm tired.  He doesn't grow tired of fighting for me.  He doesn't grow tired at all.  Knowing that is such sweet relief to my weary soul.

In this passage from Exodus, the Israelites had just witnessed the first Passover.  They saw the miracles of God first hand and yet at the first sign of trouble, they panicked.  I'm much like the Israelites in that way... miracle after miracle and clear word after clear word, and I still panic.  But the Egyptian army was closing in on them and they had reached a dead end.  The Red Sea.  Had God not already promised to save them?  Indeed.  But they panicked nonetheless.  After they are all clear and to the other side, when the Lord destroys the entire Egyptian army, it is then that the Israelites fear and trust Him.

Oh Lord, may I not be as wishy-washy as the Israelites.  I know that Your promises are true and that You are trustworthy.  Let me not forget that You will fight and I need only be still.

Retreating, Idol Removal, and Other Adventures

Warning: a long update lies ahead.  Proceed with caution.

A few weeks ago I mentioned a retreat that I had taken with my youth kids.  I've taken some time to think through and process all of the things God did and the best way to describe it is amazing.  Of course, I expect nothing less when it comes to God.  The group that went was a good mix of newbies and veterans to this particular retreat center.  The couple of weeks leading up to the retreat, I spent a good amount of time in prayer and I also asked my youth team to be praying as well.  The day before we left on the retreat I had a phone prayer time with the other leader who came on the retreat as well.  Many of our congregants were in prayer too.  It's such a blessing to have so much prayer support and I'm convinced that the retreat went the way it did because it was completely covered in prayer.  Thank you to those who prayed with us.

Everything went smoother than I ever could have hoped.  We never have any behavior problems (so far), but everything else ran very well too.  The trip up to the retreat center was a blast.  After we got settled in, we went for our first time of corporate worship.  It's always such a refreshing time for me to be able to just be with my kids without having the pressure of preparing huge lessons and teaching.  I got to just sit with them and worship Jesus.  How cool is that?  After worship, they went to their age group meetings and the leaders had a meeting.  After that we met back up with just our church in our designated room.  What an amazing time of vulnerability.  My other leader led a short devo for us, we chatted, prayed, and then went to play wallyball until bed time.

The next morning at breakfast we found our assigned tables for our church, but instead of splitting into two groups, we all decided to cram around one table.  It was then that I knew the retreat was going to be nothing short of awesome.  My kids, ranging in age from 12 to 18 actually WANTED to sit together.  They were genuinely enjoying each other and loved getting to know the others.  My heart was swelling with pride in that moment.  After breakfast we went to morning worship and then the kids went to two seminars of their choosing while my other adult leader and I met to pray and pick music for our church group time later that night.  Again, that time of prayer and worship with the other leader was incredibly important and definitely prepared our hearts for our time with the students later that night.

Volleyball tournament... heading to the 2nd round!

The afternoon was spent playing in a volleyball tournament, sitting in a hot tub and sauna, swimming, and playing more wallyball.  Our kids stuck together the whole afternoon... again, they really loved their time together.  After dinner came the talent show and then evening worship.  My leader and I had been praying specifically for the evening worship service because as is the norm on retreats like that, it was going to be the alter call night.  I knew I had kids who didn't personally know Jesus and my prayer was that if they made that decision, it wouldn't be based on the pure emotion of the moment.  My prayers were answered and the college kids leading the weekend did a fantastic job of presenting the Gospel and opening the alter without trying to coerce the kids into anything.  I believe that the decisions made that night were very genuine.  During the music, though they were playing songs I loved, I couldn't do anything but pray for my kids.  And then during the alter call I had the opportunity to pray over each of my students individually.  It was such a privilege to kneel beside them, ask if I could pray, and then pray for them.  Thanks be to God for leading in that way.  All glory to Him for the souls that were saved that night!  After that, our church group time was a fabulous time of worship and fellowship.  We got hear from the kids and talk them through what they had experienced and then of course, we ended the night with a crazy game of wallyball.

By the time Sunday morning came, we were all a bit sleepy, but still somehow energized by God's movement.  The closing worship was great and our church group time was a sweet time of worship and sharing.  The kids expressed their love and thankfulness for one another and I, of course was amazed by them.  I talked with them about reentering the unchanged world as changed people and how to keep moving forward.  God gave such clear words to share with them and it was so encouraging to hear their responses.  We ended our time by having a picnic as a group down by the lake, which was also a sweet time.

Aren't we cute picnic-ers?

I love this group of people!

Our trip home was as fun as the ride up was.  Leaving is always bittersweet for all of us, but I was definitely ready for a nap!  Again, thanks to all who prayed for us and thanks be to God for a life changing weekend.

Since then, life has continued to move quickly.  The Yield service continues to go well, and again, all glory to God for that.  I absolutely love Saturdays... more than before we started Yield.  Preaching still challenges me (in a good way) and I really love bringing the message each week.  I also love the music we've been doing lately... not that it was not good in the past, but as our repertoire expands, my heart overflows with love for the Lord.  There are weeks when I'm sitting at the piano, playing and sing, and I just can't keep from smiling because I'm overwhelmed by His love and mercy.  So thankful!  Two Saturdays ago, I even got the chance to play guitar again and that was refreshing too.  I found that I'm a tiny bit rusty, but I've missed playing guitar and Jesus loved even the few botched notes because they were for Him anyways.  

Last week, my former youth kid (and current friend :) came to visit for her spring break.  It was a wonderfully busy week and I'm so thankful for such good times with her.  The first weekend was kind of low key and chill, but as the week began it was full steam ahead.  Tuesday we explored the shore a bit.  Neither of us had ever been to Atlantic City, so we wandered around there for a couple of hours.  We were such nerds as we drove on the "Monopoly" streets excitedly.  The boardwalk was pretty much clear of snow so we walked around for a little bit before getting too cold.  Then we headed up the shore to Seaside Heights... made famous by the Jersey Shore series on MTV.  Some of our friends were really into that show a few years ago, so it was fun to explore Seaside and see all of the stuff we had heard about and/or seen on TV.  We had made reservations at an Italian place in Tom's River called Rivolis, also made famous by the show, so after leaving the shore we headed to dinner.  It definitely lived up to our expectations... HUGE portions and delicious.  Good thing it was Fat Tuesday.  

Seaside Heights, on the boardwalk

Wednesday was spent getting some work done and shopping.  Jodi needed clothes for an interview and also wanted to get a hair cut... a spring break tradition for her.  Instead of going to a salon, which is what I normally do when I need a haircut, Jodi suggested we just go to Great Clips.  She's not as crazy about her hair as I am.  My hair has always been something I've paid way too much attention to, and my mom, being licensed, has always cut my hair... so having someone other than her cut it is a huge deal.  I would never consider Great Clips because I'm a hair snob.  I've been contemplating getting my hair cut quite a bit shorter for a few months now.  It had even become a distraction for me.  As I sat next to Jodi and watched her cut 5 or 6 inches from her hair, I realized just how invested in my hair I had become.  It had somehow become an idol for me.  When you've got 6 or 7 different kinds of shampoo and conditioner in your shower, you've got a problem.  Right there, in that chair, I knew I needed to let go of whatever stupid pride I had and get rid of the idol I'd been carrying around so proudly.  So, I told the girls I wanted mine cut too... for $7.99... at Great Clips.  4 or 5 inches later, the drama was over and my hair was gone.  Honestly, I felt completely free after that.  It's been wonderful and my hair is so easy to do these days.

Thursday we spent the day in Philly with an amazing family from my church.  We went to the flower show at the convention center and then got cheesesteaks from Geno's and Pat's.  All in all, it was a great day filled with WAY too much food.  

Emma, Carrie, Jodi, me, Nancy

And then on Friday, we drove up to north Jersey to meet a friend of mine to go skiing.  Neither Jodi nor I had ever been, so it was a nervous drive up there.  My friend has gone skiing a lot, so she taught us on the bunny hill and was extremely patient as we fumbled and learned.  We had an awesome day and I definitely can't wait to go again!  Too bad it's such an expensive sport.

Jean, me, Jodi

I took Jodi the airport at 4am on Saturday and our whirlwind week ended.  It's always so refreshing to have someone from home visit.  It's like a vacation for me too since I get to do touristy things when people come.  It's definitely more fun to have someone else to explore and go on adventures with.  

This week I'm getting back in the swing of things and preparing for an insanely busy weekend with the youth.  Prayers are very much appreciated.  

Sabbath Work

This past weekend I took my youth kids on our winter retreat.  It was incredible and I will definitely post about it here when I'm done processing it.  Thanks be to God, though!

I've been blessed with a huge variety of different types of relationships and as I'm sure you know, I take pride in them.  They are a gift from God and I cherish each one.  My youth are so important to me and something I've heard a lot of in the past few weeks is that the Church can be confusing because it is hypocritical in some ways.  When I ask for specifics I'm not usually given too many details, but I try to do my best to explain things.  That's something that the Church as a whole has always been accused of and unfortunately, it has been proven true too many times due to our human nature and the sinfulness of this world.  We will never please everyone and we will often mess up.  Thank God for His redemptive grace, amen??

This week I was saddened to experience some of what they were talking about.  I've not been able to look past it.  The issue of the Sabbath has always been a bit of a hot topic in churches.  There's disagreement about what day the Sabbath falls on and what we should or should not be doing on said day.  It's become so legalistic that people are turned off to the idea of regularly attending church.  How sad, really.

I don't claim to be a "Sabbath genius" or anything awesome like that, but here are some of my observations/thoughts.  I work on both Saturday and Sunday.  That's the nature of my job.  Should I quit so that I don't work on the Sabbath?  The answer is a big NO!  I choose to take my sabbath on Mondays.  Do I sometimes have to get stuff done on Mondays?  Yes.  My sabbath time is spread out throughout the week because of my ministry schedule.  

There are some who are of the firm belief that Sunday is the Lord's day and NOTHING should be done on that day.  It must be a day of rest.  I can respect that.  Here's my question, though: If Sunday is indeed the Lord's day, yet you choose to go out to eat after church, are you causing others to sin?  The people who cook and serve you your food, those who clean your table... those people all have to work on the Lord's day.  Don't we want a restful Sabbath for those in the restaurant business?  What about retail workers?  Where does it end?  Our culture has drastically changed and it's socially acceptable for these places to conduct business 7 days a week.  Are we okay with "others" working or shouldn't we encourage them to rest as well?  

I've seen people very quick to shoot something down because of the Sabbath and then seen those same people go out and expect others to work for them.  So where is the line?  What is acceptable?  Why are we so nonchalant about the lives of others when we're so concerned about what happens to those within the 4 walls of the church building?  Jesus came for all, not some.  

Legalism and double standards run rampant.  My hope is for my youth to know Christ in spite these things.  Jesus, give us your eyes.