Rants are my controlled outbursts against the world - both "secular" and "Christian" aspects of it.
The Double Sided Sword of Grace
As Christians we are afraid of grace. Actually, let me rephrase that. As a Christian, I am afraid of grace.
I am terrified by the thought that God died for me. God dying for the world? Okay, that I get, that I'm okay with. There are some really cool people in this world. But dying for me? Have you met me? My heart is black, I'm wicked.
God died for me. Black as my heart is, wicked as I am, God died for me.
I don't want to accept that, I struggle to accept that. As a guy I've asked myself for my entire life if I was enough. Even the games I played when I was young were all about being enough. I was the quarterback (and kicker) for a Super Bowl winning team just so that I could be enough. I was the Jedi Knight who defeated the Sith once and for all just so that I could be enough. I was the sheriff who chased the bad guys across the desert and put them in jail so that I could be enough.
So for God to have had to have died for me...that means that I wasn't enough. I couldn't do it on my own. God's grace reminds me that I will never be enough. And that hurts. It hurts my pride, it hurts my ego, it hurts my psyche. I am not enough. Only God is.
And get this, even though I'm saved, even though Jesus paid for all my sins on Calvary, even though all that's left for me to do is love God with all my heart, soul, and mind...I'm still not enough! I don't love God with everything I am. I'm trying to but every day I fall, every day I fail. Every day I am reminded that I'm not enough - I'm not enough, even saved, to love Jesus with all that I am.
So if I let it, grace leaves me bitter because it reminds me that I'm not enough. Grace leaves me bitter because grace tells me that I messed up, that I needed forgiveness from outside of myself.
And here's the kicker - grace tells me that I now have to show grace to others. Grace tells me that he who is forgiven much must also forgive much. Grace tells me that I must go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, love my enemy, pray for those who hurt me.
Grace hurts. I'm afraid of grace.
But I need grace and I know it. I look at my life, my thoughts, my actions and I need grace. When I finally get over myself, when I finally stop listening to the lies bouncing in my head I have to admit that I love grace, that without grace I would be lost and hopeless.
So this isn't a rant about grace. This is a rant about me. This is a rant about how slow I am to accept grace, how hesitant I am to show grace. This is a rant about my heart that keeps wandering away from the throne of God. This is a rant about my inability to accept Christ's unconditional forgiveness and radical love.
Grace is a gift. Grace only helps me, it only leaves joy in my life. The bitterness, the hurt, the fear, the anger I feel? Those aren't from grace, those are from me.
Father God, forgive me for not accepting Your grace, for being angry when You discipline me. Lord, I need Your touch in my life, I need Your grace & love, Your righteousness & discipline. Father, take away my fear of grace, take away my fear of showing grace. Lord, give me a heart that longs to love, to forgive, to show grace as You do. Lord, crush the proud man I am and remake me into the man You would have me to be.
I am terrified by the thought that God died for me. God dying for the world? Okay, that I get, that I'm okay with. There are some really cool people in this world. But dying for me? Have you met me? My heart is black, I'm wicked.
God died for me. Black as my heart is, wicked as I am, God died for me.
I don't want to accept that, I struggle to accept that. As a guy I've asked myself for my entire life if I was enough. Even the games I played when I was young were all about being enough. I was the quarterback (and kicker) for a Super Bowl winning team just so that I could be enough. I was the Jedi Knight who defeated the Sith once and for all just so that I could be enough. I was the sheriff who chased the bad guys across the desert and put them in jail so that I could be enough.
So for God to have had to have died for me...that means that I wasn't enough. I couldn't do it on my own. God's grace reminds me that I will never be enough. And that hurts. It hurts my pride, it hurts my ego, it hurts my psyche. I am not enough. Only God is.
And get this, even though I'm saved, even though Jesus paid for all my sins on Calvary, even though all that's left for me to do is love God with all my heart, soul, and mind...I'm still not enough! I don't love God with everything I am. I'm trying to but every day I fall, every day I fail. Every day I am reminded that I'm not enough - I'm not enough, even saved, to love Jesus with all that I am.
So if I let it, grace leaves me bitter because it reminds me that I'm not enough. Grace leaves me bitter because grace tells me that I messed up, that I needed forgiveness from outside of myself.
And here's the kicker - grace tells me that I now have to show grace to others. Grace tells me that he who is forgiven much must also forgive much. Grace tells me that I must go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, love my enemy, pray for those who hurt me.
Grace hurts. I'm afraid of grace.
But I need grace and I know it. I look at my life, my thoughts, my actions and I need grace. When I finally get over myself, when I finally stop listening to the lies bouncing in my head I have to admit that I love grace, that without grace I would be lost and hopeless.
So this isn't a rant about grace. This is a rant about me. This is a rant about how slow I am to accept grace, how hesitant I am to show grace. This is a rant about my heart that keeps wandering away from the throne of God. This is a rant about my inability to accept Christ's unconditional forgiveness and radical love.
Grace is a gift. Grace only helps me, it only leaves joy in my life. The bitterness, the hurt, the fear, the anger I feel? Those aren't from grace, those are from me.
Father God, forgive me for not accepting Your grace, for being angry when You discipline me. Lord, I need Your touch in my life, I need Your grace & love, Your righteousness & discipline. Father, take away my fear of grace, take away my fear of showing grace. Lord, give me a heart that longs to love, to forgive, to show grace as You do. Lord, crush the proud man I am and remake me into the man You would have me to be.
"Jesus, Friend of Sinners" by Casting Crowns
Jesus Friend of Sinners
Casting Crowns
Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
Yeah...
Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand
May the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast
For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came
Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast
But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet
'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours
And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast
Yeah...
You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet
It's been a while since I've written a rant. I like that. But this rant is overdue. While I could rant about songs on the radio that are played far too often (this song being a prime example), that's not what I'm here for today.
Allow me to start off by saying that I agree with the main point of this song - Jesus loves sinners, He died to save us while we were yet sinners. That is a message whose power can change lives. So why water down that power with half truths and ambiguous statements?
The ambiguous statement: "You [Jesus] love every lost cause." Taken out of context, which is easy to do since context isn't given until two lines later, this statement is a flat out lie. Jesus does not love every lost cause. Take a lost cause saying that Jesus isn't really God, that Jesus was just a man. (Lost in this case referring to the truth of the cause). No, Jesus does not love lies about His identity.
Now, the context given is that we are the lost causes. And within that context, I do agree. Jesus does love every human and every human is a lost cause. Every last man, woman, and child on this earth is a sinner. Even the heroes of our faith - Paul, Peter, David, Moses, Enoch, John, etc. - are sinners. Jesus died to save them just as His death was to save me and to save you. So why distort, obfuscate such a beautiful truth by making a statement that is blatantly wrong until clarified? It saddens me.
The half truth: "The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me." Really? Is the world really on their way to Christ? Abortion, gay "marriage," wanton murder, lust for power, greed, envy, slander...the world's on their way to Christ? Didn't Jesus Himself warn His disciples that the world would hate them? But to take heart because the world hated Him first? (John 15:18 when Jesus is teaching His disciples at the Last Supper). So no, the world is not on its way to Christ. That is a lie.
But, I called this a half truth. And the half truth part of it is that the world is tripping over us. Right after Jesus warned His disciples that the world would hate them He said: "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
Does the world hate Christians? Some, absolutely. Christians are often the scape goat, cast as the intolerant bigot. The world does hate Christians. So what have Christians done in response? Lived as the world. We are both in and of the world - our faith changes what time we wake up on a Sunday morning more than it changes our actions. That's wrong.
As Brennan Manning says it: “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
So yes, the world is tripping over me, but it's not on its way to Jesus.
There is great value in thinking about what we listen to, thinking about what we hear. Just because it's labeled "Christian" doesn't make it truth. Everything, every last little thing must be placed before the words of Scripture, must be compared to the truths God preserved and passed down to us.
No human, no pastor, worship leader, song writer, youth volunteer, elder, deacon, missionary is without fault. We will all mess up, we will all lie but praise be to a God who cleanses us from sin, who purifies our hearts. Let us continually fall before the throne of grace - begging with assurance for His forgiveness.
Casting Crowns
Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
Yeah...
Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand
May the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast
For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came
Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast
But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet
'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours
And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast
Yeah...
You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet
It's been a while since I've written a rant. I like that. But this rant is overdue. While I could rant about songs on the radio that are played far too often (this song being a prime example), that's not what I'm here for today.
Allow me to start off by saying that I agree with the main point of this song - Jesus loves sinners, He died to save us while we were yet sinners. That is a message whose power can change lives. So why water down that power with half truths and ambiguous statements?
The ambiguous statement: "You [Jesus] love every lost cause." Taken out of context, which is easy to do since context isn't given until two lines later, this statement is a flat out lie. Jesus does not love every lost cause. Take a lost cause saying that Jesus isn't really God, that Jesus was just a man. (Lost in this case referring to the truth of the cause). No, Jesus does not love lies about His identity.
Now, the context given is that we are the lost causes. And within that context, I do agree. Jesus does love every human and every human is a lost cause. Every last man, woman, and child on this earth is a sinner. Even the heroes of our faith - Paul, Peter, David, Moses, Enoch, John, etc. - are sinners. Jesus died to save them just as His death was to save me and to save you. So why distort, obfuscate such a beautiful truth by making a statement that is blatantly wrong until clarified? It saddens me.
The half truth: "The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me." Really? Is the world really on their way to Christ? Abortion, gay "marriage," wanton murder, lust for power, greed, envy, slander...the world's on their way to Christ? Didn't Jesus Himself warn His disciples that the world would hate them? But to take heart because the world hated Him first? (John 15:18 when Jesus is teaching His disciples at the Last Supper). So no, the world is not on its way to Christ. That is a lie.
But, I called this a half truth. And the half truth part of it is that the world is tripping over us. Right after Jesus warned His disciples that the world would hate them He said: "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
Does the world hate Christians? Some, absolutely. Christians are often the scape goat, cast as the intolerant bigot. The world does hate Christians. So what have Christians done in response? Lived as the world. We are both in and of the world - our faith changes what time we wake up on a Sunday morning more than it changes our actions. That's wrong.
As Brennan Manning says it: “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
So yes, the world is tripping over me, but it's not on its way to Jesus.
There is great value in thinking about what we listen to, thinking about what we hear. Just because it's labeled "Christian" doesn't make it truth. Everything, every last little thing must be placed before the words of Scripture, must be compared to the truths God preserved and passed down to us.
No human, no pastor, worship leader, song writer, youth volunteer, elder, deacon, missionary is without fault. We will all mess up, we will all lie but praise be to a God who cleanses us from sin, who purifies our hearts. Let us continually fall before the throne of grace - begging with assurance for His forgiveness.
"Real Life" is Redundant
There is an unfortunate lie that has infected so many people. I first encountered it in a close friend of mine. She was excitedly talking about how she wanted to help orphans and modern day slaves find acceptance and freedom. In the midst of her monologue though she suddenly changed tone and started complaining that because she was in high school she couldn’t do anything.
What? High school prevents you from fulfilling your dreams? From helping others?
Apparently if your actions don’t carry the weight you want them to, they’re not really helping. It was news to me too.
Even if you’re working to fulfill your dream, if you’re not doing it as a job it still isn’t really fulfilling your dream. Once again, news to me too.
Life before college graduation is practice – it’s not “real life.”
I challenge that. In fact, I call that an outright lie.
Real life starts at conception. Even in the womb God watches over us and values us. Real life doesn’t take a hiatus either. David was how old when he fought Goliath? Jesus was how old when He was teaching in the temple? Mary was how old when God called her to raise His Son? Esther was how old when she became queen? Joseph was how old when he was sold into slavery and started an adventure to save God’s chosen people? Moses was how old when God spoke to him through a burning bush? Simeon was how old when he saw Jesus dedicated? Jesus was how old when He died? Enoch was how old when he walked with God and was no more?
My point is this, God’s plans for our lives can be fulfilled at any age. Any age. There is no practice life, it’s real life from day number one.
Paul exhorted Timothy to not let anyone look down on him for his age but rather to be an example to his brothers and sisters in love, in conduct, in speech, and in purity. Timothy, the man Paul mentored, the man Paul poured time and sweat into - Timothy was young! How old were the disciples themselves when Jesus called them to be fishers of men?
I want to end with a challenge. It’s a multiple part challenge so bear with me.
First off, go read your Bible. Find the stories and passages I alluded to. Read them, pray through them, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten your heart and your mind as you read them.
Secondly, start living as if everything you do is real life. It’s not practice. It’s not a simulation. Your words and actions are real life. What you do right now isn’t a game, it’s not something you can do again. It’s real. Don’t look at it as practice for later either, what you’re doing RIGHT NOW is actual Kingdom labor or actual Kingdom destruction. There is no grey area here – you are either for Jesus or against Him. Right now.
Life is real, there’s no practice, there’s no warm up time. What are you doing to advance the Kingdom?
What? High school prevents you from fulfilling your dreams? From helping others?
Apparently if your actions don’t carry the weight you want them to, they’re not really helping. It was news to me too.
Even if you’re working to fulfill your dream, if you’re not doing it as a job it still isn’t really fulfilling your dream. Once again, news to me too.
Life before college graduation is practice – it’s not “real life.”
I challenge that. In fact, I call that an outright lie.
Real life starts at conception. Even in the womb God watches over us and values us. Real life doesn’t take a hiatus either. David was how old when he fought Goliath? Jesus was how old when He was teaching in the temple? Mary was how old when God called her to raise His Son? Esther was how old when she became queen? Joseph was how old when he was sold into slavery and started an adventure to save God’s chosen people? Moses was how old when God spoke to him through a burning bush? Simeon was how old when he saw Jesus dedicated? Jesus was how old when He died? Enoch was how old when he walked with God and was no more?
My point is this, God’s plans for our lives can be fulfilled at any age. Any age. There is no practice life, it’s real life from day number one.
Paul exhorted Timothy to not let anyone look down on him for his age but rather to be an example to his brothers and sisters in love, in conduct, in speech, and in purity. Timothy, the man Paul mentored, the man Paul poured time and sweat into - Timothy was young! How old were the disciples themselves when Jesus called them to be fishers of men?
I want to end with a challenge. It’s a multiple part challenge so bear with me.
First off, go read your Bible. Find the stories and passages I alluded to. Read them, pray through them, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten your heart and your mind as you read them.
Secondly, start living as if everything you do is real life. It’s not practice. It’s not a simulation. Your words and actions are real life. What you do right now isn’t a game, it’s not something you can do again. It’s real. Don’t look at it as practice for later either, what you’re doing RIGHT NOW is actual Kingdom labor or actual Kingdom destruction. There is no grey area here – you are either for Jesus or against Him. Right now.
Life is real, there’s no practice, there’s no warm up time. What are you doing to advance the Kingdom?
Both And not Either Or
More Like Falling In Love
Jason Gray
Give me rules
I will break them
Show me lines
I will cross them
I need more than
A truth to believe
I need a truth that lives
Moves and breathes
To sweep me off my feet, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion
Ever made of me
Was just a sinner
With a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in
Love, love, love
Deeper and deeper, it was
Love that made me a believer
In more than a name
A faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought
The change in me
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh It's like I'm falling
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
It's like I'm falling
(Falling in love)
It's like I'm falling
I dislike this song. I get the point that Jason Gray is trying to make – faith in Christ isn’t just rules and obligations, it’s a relationship as well – but we can’t simplify our faith that much. If we do, then we will find ourselves standing on sinking sands when the storms of life come.
He starts off by talking about how rules are easily broken by the sinful heart. Agreed. As humans, we rebel. It’s in our sinful nature. It’s not right but it’s the way it is. But then he says “I need more than a truth to believe.” Is it true that our truth as Christ’s followers is living, moving, breathing? Absolutely. Which is why we believe it! If our truth was stale, only applying to first century Christians, why should we follow it today? That’s the questions the Mormons asked themselves and now they follow a “current” lie. Truth is truth so that we believe in it. I like Brad Stine’s philosophy of not caring about religion, but rather searching for truth and then believing it. If the Bible wasn’t true, then it’s not worth believing in. But the Bible is true, it is what we’re searching for and whether or not we allow it to sweep us off our feet doesn’t change its truthfulness or how worthy it is of belief. The Bible’s truth is not dependent on our response. It is truly wonderful that the Bible can sweep us off our feet but even if it didn’t…it’s still true and therefore still necessary for us to believe in the Bible.
In the next verse he talks about misusing words. It is true that mankind is great at misusing Scripture (truth) to justify our sinfulness. It is true that we don’t keep our obligation to God of living our entire lives for him. So the words themselves, I don’t have a direct issue with. But the connotation distresses me. If you take away keeping our word, our obligation then you take away commitment and following Christ becomes simply a get out of jail free card to use when life is tough. (I realize that’s hyperbole but it is the destination to the road the lyrics take). Just because we’re sinful beings who misuse words and break obligations doesn’t mean that we get rid of obligations and words altogether. The problem is us, our sin. The problem is not the words and obligations. We are guilty and must take responsibility for that guilt. Words and obligations are useful, they have their purpose. If we take them away to remove any temptation we have to misuse them then we lose the benefit they give and the opportunity to learn self-control.
The main part of the song that I take issue with is the chorus though. “More like falling in love THAN something to believe in. More like losing my heart THAN giving my allegiance.” The words you use to describe your faith are the same words used by middle schoolers who like each other? That’s how strong your faith is? Falling in love? It makes it sound like an accident. Granted, I believe that we can only come to Christ if He enables us (your beliefs may be different, but the cool thing is that so long as your view of God isn’t blasphemous…we can still get along). So since our faith is God’s doing, calling it an accident makes it sound like God made a mistake. “Whoops, We just saved that poor soul. Didn’t mean to.” No, not cool. God desires for every soul to be saved, it is NOT an accident when a lost sheep is found. God searched for that lost sheep diligently, He didn’t stumble upon that sheep randomly. And “more like falling in love than something to believe in”? So your faith isn’t a belief, it’s a feeling that comes and goes and changes with time? What happens when life gets rough and you start to feel bad? Where does your faith go then? “More like losing your heart than giving your allegiance.” So if you didn’t give your allegiance to God first and foremost, if your responsibility to God isn’t your top priority in life, what is? Oh wait, finding your heart since you lost it. Really? Really now? You can’t even compare your faith to giving your allegiance? That’s too much? Then brother, I pity you when the storms come, when you feel lost and alone, when the sky goes dark and the thunder crashes all around. Standing on feelings, on “accidental faith” will only lead to falling down.
I’ve been through various dark times in my life. Without boring you with details, I’ve had years where I’ve questioned God, where I cried out and never heard a response. It sucked (pardon the language). There are few worse feelings that feeling alone. It’s one thing if friends leave you but when you seek God and can’t hear His response…it’s the worst feeling ever. But by God’s grace, my faith never failed. It wavered, the house shook, the waves pounded on the door, the storm tried to blow off the roof but my faith was still standing when the storm ended and the waves ceased. Even though I felt angry with God for allowing the consequences of my sin to happen (which He was totally right in doing but that doesn’t mean I liked it), even though I couldn’t feel God or hear God, even though I felt abandoned, I didn’t let go of God and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God held me even tighter.
I’d like to propose new lyrics to this song. Just a few simple changes. Firstly, take out “more than” in “I need more than a truth to believe.” Our truth is a truth to believe, a truth that lives and breathes and sweeps us off our feet. It’s both and, not either or. Don’t sell yourself short by separating its characteristics. Secondly, change the word “than” in the chorus to “and.” Our faith is about loving God and losing our heart. But it also is about something to believe in, about giving God our allegiance. Once again, it’s not either or, it’s both and. Taking one away is foolish and makes God appear less gracious, loving, kind, just, righteous than He is.
God is good, God is just, God is righteous, God is gracious, God is merciful, God is stern, God is the dealer of vengeance and the giver of life. Let us never forget that we serve a great, wonderful, terrifying God. He is both warrior and lover, savior and judge, redeemer and friend. All at once.
Jason Gray
Give me rules
I will break them
Show me lines
I will cross them
I need more than
A truth to believe
I need a truth that lives
Moves and breathes
To sweep me off my feet, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion
Ever made of me
Was just a sinner
With a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in
Love, love, love
Deeper and deeper, it was
Love that made me a believer
In more than a name
A faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought
The change in me
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh It's like I'm falling
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
It's like I'm falling
(Falling in love)
It's like I'm falling
I dislike this song. I get the point that Jason Gray is trying to make – faith in Christ isn’t just rules and obligations, it’s a relationship as well – but we can’t simplify our faith that much. If we do, then we will find ourselves standing on sinking sands when the storms of life come.
He starts off by talking about how rules are easily broken by the sinful heart. Agreed. As humans, we rebel. It’s in our sinful nature. It’s not right but it’s the way it is. But then he says “I need more than a truth to believe.” Is it true that our truth as Christ’s followers is living, moving, breathing? Absolutely. Which is why we believe it! If our truth was stale, only applying to first century Christians, why should we follow it today? That’s the questions the Mormons asked themselves and now they follow a “current” lie. Truth is truth so that we believe in it. I like Brad Stine’s philosophy of not caring about religion, but rather searching for truth and then believing it. If the Bible wasn’t true, then it’s not worth believing in. But the Bible is true, it is what we’re searching for and whether or not we allow it to sweep us off our feet doesn’t change its truthfulness or how worthy it is of belief. The Bible’s truth is not dependent on our response. It is truly wonderful that the Bible can sweep us off our feet but even if it didn’t…it’s still true and therefore still necessary for us to believe in the Bible.
In the next verse he talks about misusing words. It is true that mankind is great at misusing Scripture (truth) to justify our sinfulness. It is true that we don’t keep our obligation to God of living our entire lives for him. So the words themselves, I don’t have a direct issue with. But the connotation distresses me. If you take away keeping our word, our obligation then you take away commitment and following Christ becomes simply a get out of jail free card to use when life is tough. (I realize that’s hyperbole but it is the destination to the road the lyrics take). Just because we’re sinful beings who misuse words and break obligations doesn’t mean that we get rid of obligations and words altogether. The problem is us, our sin. The problem is not the words and obligations. We are guilty and must take responsibility for that guilt. Words and obligations are useful, they have their purpose. If we take them away to remove any temptation we have to misuse them then we lose the benefit they give and the opportunity to learn self-control.
The main part of the song that I take issue with is the chorus though. “More like falling in love THAN something to believe in. More like losing my heart THAN giving my allegiance.” The words you use to describe your faith are the same words used by middle schoolers who like each other? That’s how strong your faith is? Falling in love? It makes it sound like an accident. Granted, I believe that we can only come to Christ if He enables us (your beliefs may be different, but the cool thing is that so long as your view of God isn’t blasphemous…we can still get along). So since our faith is God’s doing, calling it an accident makes it sound like God made a mistake. “Whoops, We just saved that poor soul. Didn’t mean to.” No, not cool. God desires for every soul to be saved, it is NOT an accident when a lost sheep is found. God searched for that lost sheep diligently, He didn’t stumble upon that sheep randomly. And “more like falling in love than something to believe in”? So your faith isn’t a belief, it’s a feeling that comes and goes and changes with time? What happens when life gets rough and you start to feel bad? Where does your faith go then? “More like losing your heart than giving your allegiance.” So if you didn’t give your allegiance to God first and foremost, if your responsibility to God isn’t your top priority in life, what is? Oh wait, finding your heart since you lost it. Really? Really now? You can’t even compare your faith to giving your allegiance? That’s too much? Then brother, I pity you when the storms come, when you feel lost and alone, when the sky goes dark and the thunder crashes all around. Standing on feelings, on “accidental faith” will only lead to falling down.
I’ve been through various dark times in my life. Without boring you with details, I’ve had years where I’ve questioned God, where I cried out and never heard a response. It sucked (pardon the language). There are few worse feelings that feeling alone. It’s one thing if friends leave you but when you seek God and can’t hear His response…it’s the worst feeling ever. But by God’s grace, my faith never failed. It wavered, the house shook, the waves pounded on the door, the storm tried to blow off the roof but my faith was still standing when the storm ended and the waves ceased. Even though I felt angry with God for allowing the consequences of my sin to happen (which He was totally right in doing but that doesn’t mean I liked it), even though I couldn’t feel God or hear God, even though I felt abandoned, I didn’t let go of God and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God held me even tighter.
I’d like to propose new lyrics to this song. Just a few simple changes. Firstly, take out “more than” in “I need more than a truth to believe.” Our truth is a truth to believe, a truth that lives and breathes and sweeps us off our feet. It’s both and, not either or. Don’t sell yourself short by separating its characteristics. Secondly, change the word “than” in the chorus to “and.” Our faith is about loving God and losing our heart. But it also is about something to believe in, about giving God our allegiance. Once again, it’s not either or, it’s both and. Taking one away is foolish and makes God appear less gracious, loving, kind, just, righteous than He is.
God is good, God is just, God is righteous, God is gracious, God is merciful, God is stern, God is the dealer of vengeance and the giver of life. Let us never forget that we serve a great, wonderful, terrifying God. He is both warrior and lover, savior and judge, redeemer and friend. All at once.
Inside Out, NOT Outside In
So the radio station I wake up to each morning is one of two contemporary Christian radio stations in town. The other doesn't come through clearly except in my car. Anyways, this radio station is doing what they call “Beauty Week” this week. They're giving away massage gift cards and makeover gift cards and I'm not entirely sure all what else they're tossing in as freebies to a few lucky callers. But what's eating me up is that they're calling it “Beauty Week”. Giving away gifts to callers and supporting local businesses? Great. I'm all for that. But calling it “Beauty Week”? Beauty has nothing to do with make up and massages, with curled hair and painted fingernails. Nothing in the slightest. Beauty is about character, its about who you are inside. Not how good you look in a bikini or a Easter dress. Beauty is about how much of God shines through you into your life and not how much of your face is colored differently from make up. I'm not against making yourself pretty on the outside, or taking time to invest in how you look (to some degree, there is a slippery slope there but you are God's temple, you ought to treat yourself right). But that's just looks, it's about prettiness and vanity. It's a chase after the wind because looks fade but beauty doesn't. Beauty shines through when you're sweaty and grimy and covered in mud. And while some ladies I know do look pretty even when they're sweaty and grimy and covered in mud....that's not beauty. That's just physical attractiveness. So please, don't confuse being good looking on the outside with true beauty which is entirely a matter of the heart and then overflows to the outside. Being pretty is just skin deep. Beauty starts when God changes your soul and then spreads outward into your actions, your words, and yes, even how people see you on the outside.
Bikinis
Couple of things to start. There is nothing wrong with bikinis in and of themselves. And yes, I am beating a dead horse. Again. But something about this horse keeps coming back....almost like a zombie horse.
Now that that's out of the way let's begin. Why do girls wear bikinis? I don't get it. First off, I would feel half-naked wearing one (among other feelings o.O). Now granted, bikinis cover the essentials so along those lines there is nothing wrong with bikinis. The problem lies with guys and bikinis. Guys are turned on by skin, especially that much skin. On good looking girls. It's like an insto-death trap for any guy trying to keep his thoughts pure. Yes, there are guys who are able to escape that death trap, guys who can keep their eyes from wandering but for the majority of males out there, that level of self control is a thing of the future. Most guys see a bikini and their thoughts just go downhill as they keep gawking. Guys like bikinis, we like seeing all that skin. And that is the problem. Now granted, bikinis don't pretend to be something they're not; they aren't one pieces with massive cutouts that draw our eyes (and imaginations) to places they shouldn't go. But when the majority of what a girl has visible to everyone is skin...it's just bad. Same destination as those "sexy" (barf) one pieces just a different route.
Girls, I must conclude that the biggest part of the problem is here a lack of understanding. You hear how a guy thinks and it's like listening to a theoretical physicist talk about his latest experiment - nothing makes sense. But, some girls either have their PhD's in theoretical physics or have gotten the implications of the experiment. They're modest. They cover up excess skin. And ladies, you are beautiful when you do that. When a guy can look into your eyes and see your character shining through, when a guy can admire the intricate details of God's handiwork in your smile without having to worry about NOT looking at your cleavage, NOT taking in your legs, NOT etc. that is when a guy can see you true beauty, appreciate you as so much more than just a piece of meat. That is when you give a guy something to fight for, something to protect, something to man up and be a knight, a gentleman to earn - a reward, a gift that he knows is his and his alone. That is the way it's meant to be. None of this hang it all out there and watch the sharks fight over a piece of meat. Because when you, as a girl, show off what God gave you it ceases to be special or worth fighting as long and hard for since everyone has seen it.
So ladies, please, take pity on us guys. Give us a fighting chance to keep our thoughts pure. Don't wear a bikini around guys, don't post pictures of you in a bikini. It's a big temptation for your guy friends to lust over you. Be modest, give Mr. Right something special, something that no one else has seen. It will be well worth it, I promise.
Now that that's out of the way let's begin. Why do girls wear bikinis? I don't get it. First off, I would feel half-naked wearing one (among other feelings o.O). Now granted, bikinis cover the essentials so along those lines there is nothing wrong with bikinis. The problem lies with guys and bikinis. Guys are turned on by skin, especially that much skin. On good looking girls. It's like an insto-death trap for any guy trying to keep his thoughts pure. Yes, there are guys who are able to escape that death trap, guys who can keep their eyes from wandering but for the majority of males out there, that level of self control is a thing of the future. Most guys see a bikini and their thoughts just go downhill as they keep gawking. Guys like bikinis, we like seeing all that skin. And that is the problem. Now granted, bikinis don't pretend to be something they're not; they aren't one pieces with massive cutouts that draw our eyes (and imaginations) to places they shouldn't go. But when the majority of what a girl has visible to everyone is skin...it's just bad. Same destination as those "sexy" (barf) one pieces just a different route.
Girls, I must conclude that the biggest part of the problem is here a lack of understanding. You hear how a guy thinks and it's like listening to a theoretical physicist talk about his latest experiment - nothing makes sense. But, some girls either have their PhD's in theoretical physics or have gotten the implications of the experiment. They're modest. They cover up excess skin. And ladies, you are beautiful when you do that. When a guy can look into your eyes and see your character shining through, when a guy can admire the intricate details of God's handiwork in your smile without having to worry about NOT looking at your cleavage, NOT taking in your legs, NOT etc. that is when a guy can see you true beauty, appreciate you as so much more than just a piece of meat. That is when you give a guy something to fight for, something to protect, something to man up and be a knight, a gentleman to earn - a reward, a gift that he knows is his and his alone. That is the way it's meant to be. None of this hang it all out there and watch the sharks fight over a piece of meat. Because when you, as a girl, show off what God gave you it ceases to be special or worth fighting as long and hard for since everyone has seen it.
So ladies, please, take pity on us guys. Give us a fighting chance to keep our thoughts pure. Don't wear a bikini around guys, don't post pictures of you in a bikini. It's a big temptation for your guy friends to lust over you. Be modest, give Mr. Right something special, something that no one else has seen. It will be well worth it, I promise.
Defying Cultural Norms
Church has sadly become an optional event in our society. People treat it as a come and go as you like event, something above a fair and below an open house. This mindset has permeated to all age groups but especially to the youth. Unless church scares, excites, or wows them, they’re unlikely to go. And even if church does grab their attention they’re unlikely to stay for too long. I’m going out on a limb here but I was curious as to why today’s youth are so averse to church. Is it because we’ve numbed ourselves to the point where only the outrageous breaks through? Is it because our mind sees things through Facebook status updates and Twitter feeds? I guess saying “great sermon on the sanctification of man” wouldn’t get a lot of “likes,” would it? Or maybe it’s because church is what our parents did and we feel the urge, the need to be our own person and rebel against societal expectations. I’m not really sure to be honest. And perhaps my reasons are entirely off. But for the reasons I listed, I want to refute them and give reasons for church.
Outrageous. Something out of the norm by an extreme amount. People don’t look for the outrageous in the normal daily routine of life. We look for it in the adventures, in the moments of life when things aren’t normal. We seek the outrageous; we do crazy things just for the fun of it. Case in point…the TV show Wipeout. Or Youtube. Youtube might be a better example. With the exception of music, I would hazard a guess that the most views on any given genre of video is for the crazy videos of people doing dumb things. Something about it grabs our attention and refuses to let go. We willingly give the outrageous our attention and then keep looking for something even more outrageous. How’s this for outrageous: the God of the entire universe knows your name. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He gave you the eyes you’re reading this with. He is all powerful, all knowing, all awesome, and He wants to adopt you. He wrote out His love for you and it took an entire book and that is just the beginning. No, it’s not some crazy death defying stunt but if you really sit down and think about it…it will blow your mind. Maybe it’s something worth looking up.
As for Facebook and Twitter…somehow social networks have changed our view of what’s important. We seek intimacy without commitment, the approval of all our friends without taking the time to get to know them. Even the word friend has lost meaning because of these superficial online communities. It used to be your friends were people you knew, people you could hold a conversation with or sit in comfortable silence next to. Now friends are people you might have met once, years ago; someone you completely lost touch with or maybe never even knew in the first place. Without spending time to get to know many of these friends, we seek their approval through our posts on Facebook and Twitter. And status updates about church are polarizing or vague. Vague ones rarely get noticed and polarizing ones earn the spite of many. One of the prevailing attitude of Facebook is being generally well-liked by as many people as possible. Church or religion isn’t the easiest or the fastest means to that goal. But here’s some thing to rattle your cages…do you really want everyone liking you? Is that even possible? To get everyone to like you wouldn’t you have to change to be what they want you to be instead of being yourself? If someone likes you for who you are, then great! But if they don’t, it’s rarely ever worth it to change who you are for someone who doesn’t like you let alone someone who doesn’t love you unconditionally to begin with.
The rebellious mindset permeates America. Our country was founded by a bunch of rebels. As heavy underdogs, they overthrew the world power Brits in order to win in order to found the country I call home. I take some measure of pride in that attitude. The attitude that the established view isn’t always the correct view, that there are better ways of doing things than the way it’s always been done. But here lies the rub: the founding fathers thought through what their rebellion meant. They weren’t doing it to be “cool,” they were doing it because of corruption. It wasn’t a social status thing for them, it wastheir very way of life. They still honored English traditions (because honestly, why else would a bunch of guys wear socks like that?) Contras that to teenage rebellion today: there is very little forethought or respect for adults and their leadership, just a want, an urge to be free from under their thumb. So much of an urge that adults expect teens to be rebellious, they anticipate attitude and being ignored. So instead of conforming to the rebellious expectation of today’s society, why not break away from that and treat adults with respect? Then you’re actually rebelling against what society thinks and doing it for a good cause. It spoke more to my church when three teenager walked in to church late and sat down in the front than all the times when we’ve had to ask teens to get off the church roof and to stop vandalizing the windows. Even the elderly people in the back who are hard of hearing noticed the three latecomers sitting attentively in the front.
So where am I going with all of this? As I hope you’ve figured out I feel passionate about church. It’s not necessary for salvation but there is great benefit within fellowship. Jesus taught not only one on one but also to large groups. One on one interaction is great and indispensable but so is gathering with God’s family, the church. And I’m passionate about teen involvement within the church which starts with showing up on Sunday morning. Well, it’s April and that means that the teen highlight event of the year, Prom, is coming up. A night of revelry with friends until the wee hours of the morning. I dare you to do something different this year. Go to Prom, have a great time, make memories, but make a point of showing up to church the next morning. Turn the movie off early (everyone’s sleeping through it anyways), kill the lights and set an alarm. Wake up, dress back up in your ballroom gowns and fancy tuxedos and walk through the doors of God’s house. See how many outrageous looks you can get, watch for the elderly and make a point to say hi to them. If you want outrageous, make it happen. Update your Facebook status with “sitting in church in my Prom dress” or “found another use for my tux before returning it: church” and see what people say. Maybe no one will comment on it, maybe your friends will just think you’re weird. But rebel against what they expect, rebel against what adults expect. Be different.
But maybe you’re reading this and you’ve never really fit in with the outrageous, my-life-as-a-tweet, rebellious crowd. There are plenty of “good” teenagers out there, many of whom I am honored to call friends. I still extend the challenge out to you. Just because a night is hyped doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to stop being a “good”kid. It means it’s even more of a reason to ensure that your witness is evident. When you stand out from the crowd, whether it’s the good crowd or the rowdy crowd, people notice. Stand out in a good way, make a point to go to church because it’s the right thing to do and see if you walk out of the doors unchanged.
I dare you.
Outrageous. Something out of the norm by an extreme amount. People don’t look for the outrageous in the normal daily routine of life. We look for it in the adventures, in the moments of life when things aren’t normal. We seek the outrageous; we do crazy things just for the fun of it. Case in point…the TV show Wipeout. Or Youtube. Youtube might be a better example. With the exception of music, I would hazard a guess that the most views on any given genre of video is for the crazy videos of people doing dumb things. Something about it grabs our attention and refuses to let go. We willingly give the outrageous our attention and then keep looking for something even more outrageous. How’s this for outrageous: the God of the entire universe knows your name. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He gave you the eyes you’re reading this with. He is all powerful, all knowing, all awesome, and He wants to adopt you. He wrote out His love for you and it took an entire book and that is just the beginning. No, it’s not some crazy death defying stunt but if you really sit down and think about it…it will blow your mind. Maybe it’s something worth looking up.
As for Facebook and Twitter…somehow social networks have changed our view of what’s important. We seek intimacy without commitment, the approval of all our friends without taking the time to get to know them. Even the word friend has lost meaning because of these superficial online communities. It used to be your friends were people you knew, people you could hold a conversation with or sit in comfortable silence next to. Now friends are people you might have met once, years ago; someone you completely lost touch with or maybe never even knew in the first place. Without spending time to get to know many of these friends, we seek their approval through our posts on Facebook and Twitter. And status updates about church are polarizing or vague. Vague ones rarely get noticed and polarizing ones earn the spite of many. One of the prevailing attitude of Facebook is being generally well-liked by as many people as possible. Church or religion isn’t the easiest or the fastest means to that goal. But here’s some thing to rattle your cages…do you really want everyone liking you? Is that even possible? To get everyone to like you wouldn’t you have to change to be what they want you to be instead of being yourself? If someone likes you for who you are, then great! But if they don’t, it’s rarely ever worth it to change who you are for someone who doesn’t like you let alone someone who doesn’t love you unconditionally to begin with.
The rebellious mindset permeates America. Our country was founded by a bunch of rebels. As heavy underdogs, they overthrew the world power Brits in order to win in order to found the country I call home. I take some measure of pride in that attitude. The attitude that the established view isn’t always the correct view, that there are better ways of doing things than the way it’s always been done. But here lies the rub: the founding fathers thought through what their rebellion meant. They weren’t doing it to be “cool,” they were doing it because of corruption. It wasn’t a social status thing for them, it wastheir very way of life. They still honored English traditions (because honestly, why else would a bunch of guys wear socks like that?) Contras that to teenage rebellion today: there is very little forethought or respect for adults and their leadership, just a want, an urge to be free from under their thumb. So much of an urge that adults expect teens to be rebellious, they anticipate attitude and being ignored. So instead of conforming to the rebellious expectation of today’s society, why not break away from that and treat adults with respect? Then you’re actually rebelling against what society thinks and doing it for a good cause. It spoke more to my church when three teenager walked in to church late and sat down in the front than all the times when we’ve had to ask teens to get off the church roof and to stop vandalizing the windows. Even the elderly people in the back who are hard of hearing noticed the three latecomers sitting attentively in the front.
So where am I going with all of this? As I hope you’ve figured out I feel passionate about church. It’s not necessary for salvation but there is great benefit within fellowship. Jesus taught not only one on one but also to large groups. One on one interaction is great and indispensable but so is gathering with God’s family, the church. And I’m passionate about teen involvement within the church which starts with showing up on Sunday morning. Well, it’s April and that means that the teen highlight event of the year, Prom, is coming up. A night of revelry with friends until the wee hours of the morning. I dare you to do something different this year. Go to Prom, have a great time, make memories, but make a point of showing up to church the next morning. Turn the movie off early (everyone’s sleeping through it anyways), kill the lights and set an alarm. Wake up, dress back up in your ballroom gowns and fancy tuxedos and walk through the doors of God’s house. See how many outrageous looks you can get, watch for the elderly and make a point to say hi to them. If you want outrageous, make it happen. Update your Facebook status with “sitting in church in my Prom dress” or “found another use for my tux before returning it: church” and see what people say. Maybe no one will comment on it, maybe your friends will just think you’re weird. But rebel against what they expect, rebel against what adults expect. Be different.
But maybe you’re reading this and you’ve never really fit in with the outrageous, my-life-as-a-tweet, rebellious crowd. There are plenty of “good” teenagers out there, many of whom I am honored to call friends. I still extend the challenge out to you. Just because a night is hyped doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to stop being a “good”kid. It means it’s even more of a reason to ensure that your witness is evident. When you stand out from the crowd, whether it’s the good crowd or the rowdy crowd, people notice. Stand out in a good way, make a point to go to church because it’s the right thing to do and see if you walk out of the doors unchanged.
I dare you.
Re: Color Statuses on Facebook
A new trend has come about these past few days on Facebook: color statuses. Now for the more astute and investigative in nature you will notice a few things. These statuses are only found on pages belonging to girls. Normally comments on these statuses are likes and laughs from girls and questions from guys. Further investigation reveals a Facebook group that is for breast cancer awareness and has the tag line "I updated my status with my bra color." Before I go any further let me make one thing clear. I am fully in support of fighting cancer. Having had a couple cancer survivors in my family myself and a relatively high chance on contracting some form on skin cancer when I'm older, any research done in the area of beating back cancer sounds like a cause worth supporting to me. That being said however, I have serious issues with these color status updates. Updating your status with your bra color does not directly further cancer research in any way shape or form. While it may serve to remind others that they so wish to donate to the fight against cancer, a Facebook status does not give any money to fighting cancer and the awareness it generates is similar to but far more harmful than awareness generated by pink lids of Yoplait yogurt or pink ribbons for instance. Now, you may be wondering why I am more in favor of pink lids and ribbons over a whole slew of different colored bras. A couple of reasons. Those lids and ribbons donate to the fight against cancer. Yes, sometimes they require extra effort such as sending in the lids but even if lids are not sent in, the awareness generated by the lids is of far greater value to the fight against cancer. Being male, and a younger male at that, I am created with a very visual mind. When I hear something I immediately form a picture of it in my mind. When I see something that alludes to a project somewhere, a image is created. So, when I see a pink ribbon or a pink lid, I get this picture of a bunch of scientists in white coats standing over microscopes and entering in data on computers, reading printouts, talking through their masks, nurses running to and fro, etc. All relatively bland images. Now, when I read a status that a girl's bra is electric blue or red and white I get a totally different image. Namely of the said girl in that color of bra. As seeing how she is my friend on Facebook and I'm one of those weird people who have nearly all friends that I know personally and see on a relatively frequent basis, when I see this said girl next the image comes back into my mind of what she would look like in that specific color of bra. Also being male, that image leads quite easily to far more sexualized thoughts. For a Christian those thoughts are problematic. Let me give some scripture to back up my point.
Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Ephesians 5:3-4 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
If you're curious go to Biblegateway.com and do a search for sexual immorality for more of what the Bible says about impure thoughts. Now, by virtue of my being male and being able to visualize these girls in their bras of a specific color, I'm looking at them lustfully. Any guy who sees that much skin gets turned on. Research how they advertise for prostitution on the strip in Las Vegas if you don't understand what I mean. Therefore, I have just committed adultery with this girl in my heart because I imagined her in her bra. (To the males out there who are able to avoid such mental images or who are not affected by those images in a sexual way, I apologize for generalizing this to all males and salute your purity of thought). While yes, these statuses are intended to cause awareness in the fight against breast cancer, what they accomplish far more easily is turning young males aside from the straight and true path and down one of sexual images. If you really want to support the fight against breast cancer young ladies, please, go out and buy a pink ribbon, stick it somewhere obvious and skip sharing your bra color with the world and harming young men on their path for purity. There's a reason bras are in the "intimates" section, let's respect that and your brothers in Christ.
Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Ephesians 5:3-4 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
If you're curious go to Biblegateway.com and do a search for sexual immorality for more of what the Bible says about impure thoughts. Now, by virtue of my being male and being able to visualize these girls in their bras of a specific color, I'm looking at them lustfully. Any guy who sees that much skin gets turned on. Research how they advertise for prostitution on the strip in Las Vegas if you don't understand what I mean. Therefore, I have just committed adultery with this girl in my heart because I imagined her in her bra. (To the males out there who are able to avoid such mental images or who are not affected by those images in a sexual way, I apologize for generalizing this to all males and salute your purity of thought). While yes, these statuses are intended to cause awareness in the fight against breast cancer, what they accomplish far more easily is turning young males aside from the straight and true path and down one of sexual images. If you really want to support the fight against breast cancer young ladies, please, go out and buy a pink ribbon, stick it somewhere obvious and skip sharing your bra color with the world and harming young men on their path for purity. There's a reason bras are in the "intimates" section, let's respect that and your brothers in Christ.
