This post is more for those who are Christians, Christ followers, those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who laid down His life for a world He loved more than Himself.  I just wanted to share from my heart to believers for a few minutes about some things I have observed.

I live in the south right smack dab in the middle of the bible belt.  Here in Georgia where I live, there are so many churches it is unreal.  I jokingly say we have more churches than Waffle Houses and that is a lot! 

What I don't see here, however, is change.  I do not see much change in our communities.  I do not see much change in our society.  You would think if there were so many Christians in all these churches that there would be significant changes going on concerning morality, crime, addictions, divorce, you name it, but there is not.  Why is that?  I have been observing a lot this past year and here is my own personal opinion.

I think for the most part, Christians go to church because that is the acceptable thing to do.  Church is part of the culture, it's what you on Sundays.  They key word there is Sundays.  Folks go to church and that's it.  There is no real change in their lives because of what they might learn in church.  They go to church but live however they want to.  To me, what is even worse are the churches who stay "safe" within their own walls and keep away from what they might call sinful people or people with sinful behavior.  They judge and criticize the way people look, or behave and never try to make a difference in their lives. They don't try to reach out. You can't show me one time in the bible where Jesus criticized those who were lost.  The ones he criticized were the religious leaders of the day.  What does that tell you?

We can not call ourselves Christians and not love what Jesus loved.  He loved people.  We can not shelter ourselves in a little cocoon and be effective in a broken and lost world.  This generation faces more than my generation ever had to face.  They face more violence, more drug abuse, more temptation when it comes to sexuality, and even more hatred toward what is good and godly.  This, however, does not give us an excuse to bury our heads in the sand or to judge and run away from  it all.  Jesus walked among those who were lost, He prayed for and ministered to them right where they were.  We have to be willing to do the same.  We cannot judge people or get offended by them living out their true nature.  We have to understand the times and respond accordingly.  We respond with love, patience, kindness, and by considering others even more than ourselves.  This sounds completely opposite of what the church is doing today it seems, don't you think?  We must love even the unlovable.  We must love the unlovable whether they are someone who does not know Christ, or a brother or sister in Christ who is having a difficult time staying on track.  Love covers a multitude of sins and real love doesn't hide from the challenge of the unlovable.  Let's not hide, let's not judge, let's be proactive and be purposeful in evangelism and in love for a world Jesus chose to lay down His life for!

I love you all
Cathi

Some of the most beautiful and powerful times I experience as a Christian come when I spend time in the Lord's presence.  Sometimes this is at the altar in a church setting but more often than not, it is when I am at home alone, in prayer and worship entered into His holy chambers.  That sense of deep calling to deep at the altar of surrender, that is the place I love to be and quite honestly I could care less what is going on around me.  This is as close to heaven here on earth I can ever be. 

The woman with the alabaster jar of perfume understood this too.  She poured out everything she had and didn't care about the cost.  Even though those around her were negative, it just didn't matter to her.  If we are still measuring out our offerings, then we do not yet fully understand His worth.  To her, he was worth every bit of that expensive perfume.

There are always going to be people around you who are negative, who don't understand your love relationship with God and they will not be afraid to spout their opinion.  But you know what?  It just doesn't matter.  What that woman did was so important to Jesus that he said that wherever the gospel was preached through out the world, what she has done should be also told in memory of her.  How amazing is that?

I wonder if there is something I have done for the Lord that will ever be recorded in history?  Sound kind of crazy or kind of out there?  Not really.  The apostle Paul never knew a few letters he wrote to some churches were going to affect so many people as his writings are most of today's New Testament.   There is healing, peace, cleansing, forgiveness, joy, release from bondage and addiction, and pure happiness in God's presence. There is nothing more I would love to do than spend as much time there with Him as I possibly can.

I'm pouring out...my praise on You
I'm pouring out my love on You...

Cathi