Whoa! Or Woe.

You've heard the statement before: "The church is full of hypocrites." And you've probably heard the clever congregant's retort: "It sure is, and there is room for more. Come join us."

Yes, the church is full of hypocrites. Repenting hypocrites, but hypocrites nonetheless. But it doesn't mean we should act like one. I think that is my biggest frustration with Christians within and outside of the church ... their inability to act like Christians.

Recently I heard the story about a young married couple who found out before their nuptials that they were expecting a baby. When this couple, post wedding, went to worship at their church, they were told they were no longer welcome there. Say what?! Why? Because they fornicated? Since when is that sin any greater than the one committed by the folks within the church walls? Yes, they sinned, but they got married, repented and were coming to worship the One who died for them. And church members tell them to leave? Good heavens.

Then I heard the story of a teenage girl who recently moved to a new area with her family. The family tried out a new church near their new home and sent their daughter to the youth group. The teen was welcomed to youth and had a great time. However, when she went to school the next day, she was snubbed by the very youth who welcomed her the day before. As a result, the family chose not to attend there, informing the youth pastor of the reason. The youth were hypocrites. Proclaiming the love and acceptance of Christ, but not living it.

Jesus Christ, while loving us in our various states of sin, has choice words to say to hypocrites. He called them vipers, snakes and blind guides. He says repeatedly, "Woe to you," and at one point even says, "How will you escape being condemned to hell?" (Matt. 23:33). Christ tells his followers about these hypocrites in Matthew 23:3 "Therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach." How sad and pathetic is that? Christ knew our lives would be a sad example of what he wanted us to be. Gandhi spoke of it when he said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

What did Christ call us to do? His greatest commands were to love: first God, then our neighbor as ourself. He also asked us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey. All well and good, but that means we need to obey as well.

I cannot tell you how many people have treated me poorly in churches. Christians. They have lied to me, betrayed me, excluded me and made fun of me. Within the church walls. And sadly, I must include myself in this, because I know I have done the same at various times. We are a church of hypocrites, this we know, but good heavens, we should be working diligently, continuously, enthusiastically to make sure we don't. What example are we setting?

Are you excluding a soul at church? Are you treating someone poorly? Are you cussing? Are you lying? Are you stealing? Are you committing adultery? Are you not forgiving? Are you gossiping? Are you slandering? Are you making fun of someone? Well, for heaven's sake, for Christ's sake, for our sake and that of the soul you are hindering in their faith journey - stop it.

I expect I'll see non-Christians behaving in a non-loving manner, breaking moral laws and ignoring Scripture, but to see Christians doing it is so disheartening. Who would want to worship with those people? People who call themselves Christian and behave as if they are not should be the rarity, not the norm, and I'm seeing more and more examples of the latter than the former. Christians, hear your Savior! "For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves" (Matt. 23:15); "For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matt. 23:27-28). 

Do you remember the old Gatorade commercial with Michael Jordan where the choir sang, "Like Mike, if I could be like Mike?" As the children of God we need to be singing, "Like Christ, if I could be like Christ." Let our lives reflect those of the One True King. Stop yourself before you treat another of God's children - created in His image - as lesser than you. Be obedient to the teachings of our Lord. When we become selective and wishy washy in that obedience, our example is like that which Christ referred to when He said, "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt. 18:6) Christ demands much of us, and expects us to do it.

Do you know what hypocrite means? It means a liar, a contradiction, a pretender. I proclaim I am a Christian ... a little Christ. It's about time those who proclaim that label act like it.

Leftover Beads

Last week after my accountability group met, we ran into some women of the church getting together for a women's meeting. One of the ladies, Ruth, was wearing a beautiful multicolored beaded necklace with a cross in the middle. My friend, Debbie, commented, "Oh, I love this! Jill, make me one!" Debbie knows I do some beading. I took a good look at it and said, "Yeah, I think I could make one of those." This particular day, my mom was not doing very well in the hospital, 16 hours away from me, so my mind was preoccupied with her healing and with prayer. Not knowing what quite to do with myself, I pulled the bead case out of the closet and began stringing. Before I knew it, I had four of these multicolored necklaces strung and ready to be given away as gifts. It was very cathartic for me to focus on something else.

When I was thanking Debbie at today's accountability group meeting for asking me to make one I shared with her, "You know I buy a few beads for this or that project and inevitably have one or two of those beads always left over and never had anything I could do with them. This gave me something to do with those leftover beads." Debbie said, "I think there is a message there, isn't there?" Indeed, there is. What I thought I would not be able to use was combined with a bunch of other different beads to make something beautiful. It reminded me of the accountability group I was a part of and the very church building we were sitting in. The church is made up of many different people, all sinners, all with a story, some in the autumn or winter of their lives and others in the spring and summer. These are people searching for love and purpose. Everyone one has a different personality, talent and gift. They all come from different backgrounds, environments and socio-economic levels. We all look different, dress different and even worship differently. But bring us all together and you have the most beautiful thing. You have the body of Christ, uniquely designed, working exquisitely together for His glory.

These necklaces I made ... you can wear them with anything. They have so many colors, they would work with whatever you wear. I think the church is like that as well. It works for everyone. No matter where you came from and where you are going, your church family fits perfectly. It's a blessing in this country of ours that we have the option to worship our Creator wherever we want in whatever way is most comfortable for us.

I am grateful for my peace of mind, that my friend asked me to make her a necklace and even more grateful that she brought to my attention the message in it. I don't think it was her intention to help keep my mind occupied while worrying about my Mom, but in her sweet request, that's exactly what happened. I was able to gift her as she had indirectly gifted me. Church family works that way.

If you don't have one, find one. Find a place where you can worship unique to who you are. Make connections through a small group as soon as you possibly can. Serve in whatever way God has gifted you in the church itself and in the community at large out of love for the Father. Watch as your family grows by the many the Father puts in your path with brothers and sisters in Christ. As they bless you, you will bless them and kingdom itself. That's what the body of Christ - in it's unique, lovely way - does together. You are not alone. You are not left over. You are part of something exquisite, so work on getting strung together. And watch what beauty happens.

By The Grace Of God Go I

The other day Brad and I had lunch with a friend of his whom he met at Kairos. A former inmate, he lived near a location we were traveling by and we decided we'd stop by to visit with him and his new fiance. We enjoyed our visit with them. His fiance shared some about her life and some of the challenges she'd been through. A father who died young of kidney disease. A mother who kicked her out of the house. A grandmother who took her in who was an alcoholic. Her drug use to take away the pain of the loss of her father. Story after story of heartbreak and restarts. Praise God through it all, she had a church connection. At this same time, I was reading the beginning of the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. She had similar stories of loss, drug abuse and promiscuity. I remember saying to Brad, "By the grace of God go I."

Two days later, I was watching a celebrity reality show about a guy who plans parties for the rich and famous. I watched as opulent plans went into place for the baby shower of a singer. Shiny gold, furniture, twinkle light trees, dancing, an elaborate menu, rental of a million dollars in jewels, a stylist to dress the star ... for a baby shower. A baby shower! I was in shock. What a waste of money. And to top it off, the diva shows up four hours late to her own party. Again I whispered, "By the grace of God go I."

I was not born into poverty or wealth. I have had a good childhood. I haven't lost a parent. I have never done drugs, nor found any reason to do so. I was taught to be frugal. My parents did not believe is wasting money or time. It is by God's grace I was born into the family and situation He placed me, praise His name. It is by His grace I have the blessings, challenges and strength to handle what comes my way. Not every day is a good day, but neither have they been horrific.

There are souls struggling every single day for food, health, shelter and peace. Others have been given the challenge of learning to live with excess and success and what that does to reliance on God. God warned the Israelites of that very thing in Deuteronomy 8:11-18, "Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today."

There are all kinds of people in this world and we cannot possibly understand the path they've taken through this life unless we've walked it ourselves. We can empathize, sympathize and pray without ceasing for folks around us who are struggling, as they will for us when we are in challenging circumstances, because we never know what a day may bring. We need to be careful not to judge others for where they are, because we haven't walked in their shoes. But I also think we need to fall on our knees to thank our Lord for any blessed moments in our lives. It is by His grace we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). And through Him that we love the lost, hurting, confused, sick and depressed. Love, love, love and love some more. May we remember His grace in both our good times and bad, remember our value in Him, how much we are loved by Him ... and reflect it.

You Already Know Good

Last night I watched a favorite television show that solves crime cases. It's mostly a lighthearted show, but this particular episode featured a creepy character taking delight in the power of killing. I don't do well watching horror of any kind, so the show had me hearing every bump in the night between nightmares. It was a rough night.

I remember when my parents would watch scary movies when I was little - really bloody stuff - that would give me nightmares as a child. My father would say, "Honey, it's just pretend." But then one day our family was watching Helter Skelter. I remember repeating to myself over and over again while we watched it, "It's just pretend. It's just pretend," at which point my dad said, "This one is real."

Say what!? This show was worse than all the crazy fictional ones we watched and it was real?! That did it for me. I was done with horror films. I like a thriller as much as the next guy, but bloody, torture stuff, I just don't get it. How is it entertainment? It's evil.

When I teach Sunday School kids about that first sin in Genesis 3, I focus on something the serpent says to Eve. He says about the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil found in the middle of the garden, "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

I always ask the kids, "What were Eve and Adam really learning when they ate the fruit?" To which the kids always brilliantly respond, "Evil. They already knew good." Think about it: God had created this beautiful perfect place where all their needs were met and "it was good." His words. So they already had the knowledge of good. What they learned in their disobedience was evil. And it led to death, as God forewarned.

There is a song by Tal and Acacia called Garbage In. The lyrics say: 

I fill my mind with bad things
So horrible, I feel ashamed they'd show
I've taken sin so lightly
That lately, oh, the darkness is all I know.

Then the chorus says: 

Garbage in, Garbage out.
What goes in is found out.
All can see what goes in me.
I pay the price. 

I have seen some television shows and movies and read books and magazines filled with such evil. And I wonder why I wasted my time. Why do I need to fill my head with this garbage?

A book came out a few years ago that is a sadomasichistic thriller with bondage and domination. It became very popular and a movie is coming out based on the book next Spring. I haven't read the book, because I see absolutely no reason to invite something so evil into my mind about something so beautiful that God created for married couples. I already know good, why would I want to know evil?

I think we, as ridiculously vulnerable humans, have to truly examine what it is we watch, download, read and research. Especially if we are Christians. I do not see the benefit of opening up our minds to something that will in no way make us better. And opening up that door just a crack to evil, allows the devil to get a foothold. Sorry, just don't want to give him that chance. There are so many beautiful, wonderful things we can be thinking about and filling our heads with. It's time to leave the garbage where it belongs: in the trash can.

Colorful Metaphors

I remember the very first time I cussed. I remember because I was in high school next to a friend of mine in the hallway. I don't remember the circumstances, but I do remember deliberately using the word to watch for her reaction. She reacted as I expected - startled that a word like that could come from my mouth. As my childhood neighbor, I wonder if she was thinking, "What would your mother think of you using that word?" But she never said anything. Just wide-open eyes that said it all. But I don't remember feeling ashamed. Instead, I felt empowered. I remember that evil feeling very, very well.

I mention it because once that door is opened, those cuss words just flowed out. And I could cuss like a sailor. I don't say that with bravado, but with shame. See I hear young people cussing all the time now. I imagine, like me back in high school, they feel empowered by the words. To cuss, one pretty much has to make a conscious choice. It's not natural for it to come out (and if it is, it's time you reexamine your heart).

Recently I visited with someone who cussed up a blue streak. F-bombs mostly. This was a young lady and I can honestly say I cringed every time she spoke it. Did she feel empowered to say it? Was it cool? Cause from my end it reeked of trashiness. But here's the thing about cussing: it's addicting. After being around this person for a few days, the cringe-worthiness wore off, and I found myself easily dotting my speech with what Spock in Star Trek IV called "colorful metaphors." I could feel my insides scrunching, like an evil waking up, desiring to grow. Since it's a conscious choice, I remember each time I thought - yes, thought - about what I could/would say. It made me sick to my stomach to hear me say anything.

Cussing is ridiculous. It really is. You sound crude, disrespectful, unintelligent and shallow. And the Lord has plenty to say about it. Jesus says in Matt. 15:10-11 "And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Jesus' brother James writes: "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." Prov. 4:24 says: "Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you." In Prov. 8:13, Solomon writes that God hates "perverted speech." Paul writes to the Colossians in 8:3, "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips." And of course, God is very much against using His name as a cuss word, making that one of the Ten Commandments, adding in Lev. 22:32: "Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy."

So it is pretty clear how we are to talk. We are to edify one another, open our mouths with wisdom and kindness, speak commendably, be self-controlled, be a person of dignity, integrity and sound speech, be righteous, transformed, good and acceptable. And honestly, this isn't difficult.

The Lord tells youth through Paul in his first letter to Timothy, 4:12: "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

These are not just words for the youth, especially if adults are setting the example to start with. Recently I heard a pastor cuss (no, not my husband). He was referring to a parishioner, calling the person a cuss word (normally used to describe a donkey) because of some ridiculous comment they made about his sermon. I was taken aback. He giggled when he said it, even surprised by my comment that I'd better leave his company before he made a poor influence on me. They say the last word pilots say on the black box recordings if their plane is crashing is a cuss word. And in a moment of surprise, it may also be the first word out of your mouth. But it sure isn't what God wants.

In Prov. 10:18 the Lord calls a person who cusses "a fool." He is listening and tells us we will be accountable for every careless word we speak ... even as it is in my case to dysfunctional inanimate objects.

I would ask that you would truly listen to yourself speak and refrain from foul language. If I hear it, I am going to call you on it, and I would like you to do the same for me. There is no excuse for it. None. And as vast as the English language is, surely we can find something beautiful or creative to say in its place. It would be a corn-swabbly shame if we didn't. See what I did there? Fun.

Beastly Green Eyed Monster

Brad and I were watching a recent episode of Project Runway and saw a classic Bible story being reenacted, though I doubt the two participants knew it. It's a classic case of jealously. One contestant - Amanda - in this fashion design show has repeatedly been successful with her creations and has been rewarded as such. And another - Korina - has repeatedly be unsuccessful and thus oftentimes found at the bottom of the scoring. So one morning the unsuccessful contestant decided to tell the successful one that she found her to be phony. The criticism did the trick. The successful contestant could think of nothing else except the cruel comment made by her competitor. I paused the show and turned to talk to Brad.

"This is a classic case of Cain vs. Able, " I told him. "Able's offering is good. Cain's was not, so Cain decided to take out the competition."

When Cain's face was downcast after his offering was not acceptable to the Lord, God said to him in Gen. 4:7, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 

In other words, "Keep at it! Focus on what you can do well and do it! Don't be worried about what others do. Just do your best for Me."

Instead Cain opened the door to that sin and killed his younger brother.

I have seen this story unfold in many different ways of late. Friends and relatives have shared stories recently where they were verbally attacked by someone for no apparent reason, by people they loved and trusted. I, myself, have had the same experience a couple times. And it's the same story over and over again. The root of the cause is jealously. 

Jealousy is a beast. Shakespeare called it a "green-ey'd monster" in Othello. It causes people to do a lot of weird things. When those people are Christians, the behavior is puzzling and frustrating. When they are not Christians, while it is easier to understand, it is not easy to dismiss.

So what is our recourse to such behavior? Stand up for and do what is right. Love as Christ commanded. Forgive 70x7. Press on in the fullness God has given us. And know that the Lord will fight for us.

To those feeling the jealousy, before you say or do something hurtful, ask why you are feeling as you do. Did this person truly hurt you? Did they do something wrong? Or are they doing something well that you feel you can't compete with? Here's the point ... you aren't competing. God created all in His image with amazing gifts and talents. Some are better at some things than others. But those same folks are not good at things others are better at. It makes us a really great symbiotic world of folks working together for good. Instead of focusing on what someone is doing better or more efficiently than you, ask what you're doing wholeheartedly for the Lord to the tune of "well done good and faithful servant."

In this episode of Project Runway, these two contestants were thrown together for a team challenge. Working together they did as expected - dead center of the scoring. The successful contestant made her competitor a better challenger. She even helped her finish her project. It was class-act behavior at its best. It is my hope a lesson has been learned.

It is also my hope that instead of cutting our brother or sister in Christ down, that we will instead rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15), edify each other, correct each other in love and continue to serve to the fullest and best of our abilities. My goodness, we could accomplish so much more for His glory. And isn't that what it's all about?

Noah: Fiction is Stranger Than Truth

The truth is stranger than fiction, it's said. However, I just watched the movie Noah last night, and after that, I'm going with "fiction is stranger than the truth." I had heard mixed reviews about the movie, so I waited until it came out on DVD before watching it. I also heard it was off the Biblical target in a huge way and to just enjoy it as a special effects-filled movie adventure. So I went into it with that attitude. It didn't help. At one point I found the plot so ridiculous, that I walked away to fold laundry.

The story of Noah is fascinating. Moses tells in Genesis about the story of the flood, a tale found in many cultures throughout the millennia. Noah is described in Scripture as "finding favor with God," "righteous" and "blameless" in his generation. Everyone else is described this way: "Every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually." Yikes, that's a lot of evil. So God decides to wipe out every living thing on the earth, except for Noah's family - Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives - and two of every animal on earth, except for clean animals of which there were seven pair (one of my favorite trivia questions). It takes Noah 100 years to build an ark (think long floating, waterproof box) to house everyone for the more than a year they were on there. It had three decks, and its dimensions were similar in proportion to dimensions of our great ocean liners today. You can read about Noah's story in Genesis 6-9, from the material he used (gopher wood - unknown today) to the rainbow found at the end of the story that came with God's promise to never destroy all flesh again by flood (which by the way still leaves a bunch of other options).

It's a wild story, but Darren Aronofsky's was wilder. [Spoiler alert - if you haven't seen the movie and want to, plot revelations ahead] Rock giants that were fallen angels; a nasty stowaway on the ark; Noah abandoning an innocent girl to be trampled to death; no wives for two of Noah's son's who were already over 100 years old at the time of the flood; Noah wanting to kill his granddaughters; putting all the animals to sleep during floating time; both Shem and Ham wanting to kill their dad; an adopted daughter; Noah's dad Lamech getting murdered (he actually died in the year of the flood if not in it, along with Noah's granddad, Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived); and on and on it goes. So when I say fiction is stranger than truth, in this case, it truly is.

I am not sure why Hollywood insists on altering stories in Scripture for what they may deem is drama or advancing the plot, but the stories in the Bible are so amazing, it seems like needless change and enhancement to me. 

A friend commented to me yesterday when I told her I was going to watch the movie that she hoped it inspired people to go to their Bibles to read the actual story of Noah. I agree with her, that is my hope, too.Otherwise the movie is a huge waste of anyone's time.

Noah is not a story of a vengeful God wanting to wipe out the children He created, but rather a merciful God, patient enough to give us all a second chance. I have to say, there is one thing that movie reinforced for me, and that is the notion that our all loving God is also almighty, holy and just. It embarrassed me to think about how pathetic we are as humans to contend with the Creator, dismiss Him and disobey Him. Who do we think we are?

So as for the movie Noah: the special effects are cool. That's about the only redeeming factor. I feel like I wasted my time. I've read the story in Scripture many times and never felt that way. It's another case of "Read the book. It's better." Fabulously so.

Makes me wonder what Hollywood will do with Exodus: Gods and Kings coming out Dec. 12. If "Gods" is any indication, I may skip it altogether.