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There is no safer sport in politically correct (for the most part) America than Christian bashing. Comedian Kathy Griffin went for shock value, sure publicity and safe offensiveness with her recent comments about Jesus at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards show.

Griffin made the remarks over the weekend upon receiving the award for Outstanding Reality Program for her show “My Life on the D-List.”

“I guess hell froze over,” said Griffin, whose show overtook ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. “A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.” Holding up her statuette, Griffin topped off her off-script speech by saying, “Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now.”

That offends me. I made a mental note to avoid all things Griffin (TV shows, CD’s, comedy shows, etc) in the future. But that was the end of my reaction. What Kathy Griffin thinks about Jesus doesn’t register a blip on my radar. Note to my fellow believers. This is in the brochure.

And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. (Matthew 10, NLT)

What an odd marketing campaign Jesus launched to sell this new faith. The world will hate you. You will have lots of trouble on this earth. Not exactly a Madison Avenue approach. Picture this advertisement for a new product.

“Buy our product and you will be hated and persecuted! No interest financing available now!”

So when a spare comedian takes a cheap shot at Jesus I am not at all surprised. I ache for her. I would never make such a mean spirited comment about anything or anyone dear to her for publicity or a cheap laugh. Her comments reveal all you need to know about her heart.

The response from some of the Christian community was predictable.

Griffin’s remarks immediately drew harsh criticism Monday from Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who called on the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to denounce what he called “vulgar in-your-face brand of hate speech.”

Donohue called for censoring of her remarks and an apology. I think Bill Donohue is a good man doing what he believes is right. As for me, I do not want either. Let her remarks be heard. And what good would an apology do?

All of this leads to today’s iPod Devotional song. Nichole Nordeman is one of my favorites. She is a thoughtful writer. Nichole is honest about her faith and her struggles. The song today is called “What If” and it deals with the doubt she feels when others challenge her belief in Jesus.

What if you’re right?
And he was just another nice guy
What if you’re right?
What if it’s true?
They say the cross will only make a fool of you
And what if it’s true?

What if he takes his place in history
With all the prophets and the kings
Who taught us love and came in peace
But then the story ends
What then?

People who never have a single doubt scare me. I love Nordeman’s honest and aching questions. I have wrestled with all of those. I have read the arguments of Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. I do not live this life of faith blindly. But I have come to a different conclusion than Harris, Hitchens and Ms Griffin.

Nichole Nordeman’s song echoes my questions to those who mock my faith.

But what if you’re wrong?
What if there’s more?
What if there’s hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He’s more than enough?
What if it’s love?

It is pointless to debate your faith with those who refuse to acknowledge even the remotest possibility of God or faith. I know they feel the same way about me. Comments like Ms.Griffin’s are designed to evoke an emotional response. Praying God’s wrath on them does not follow the example that Jesus set. Luke relates a story that applies to this debate.

But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them.  So they went on to another village. 

James and John are just like you and me. We want to get’em!

“So you are going to disrespect my Lord? Well we’ll show you! Can we burn them up? Can we Lord? Can we?”

And I picture Jesus looking at them with a mixture of patience, love and sadness. They still didn’t get it. And neither do we. Jesus knew that the Father calls men to faith. Some respond. Some don’t. Jesus simply said to move to the next village. Judgment and justice will happen in God’s timing and not mine or yours.

I am unshaken by attacks on Jesus. I feel sorry for Kathy Griffin. I hope that she will someday ponder the questions that Nichole Nordeman poses.

What if you’re wrong? What if it’s love? What if He’s more than enough? What if?

 

(My schedule is insane today. I have updated an earlier iPod devotional. Hoping for a fresh batch starting tomorrow)

Welcome to the experiment known as the iPod devotional series. Here is how it works. On the old iPod is a “shuffle songs” feature. You hit the button and the iPod randomly picks a song.  I am writing a blog about whatever song the device selects on that day from the 1,000 plus songs on my iPod. My music list will further confirm my status as a Christian who makes others feel superior. My music goes from Al Green to the Youngbloods. Beatles to U2. Old hymns to modern praise music. Toby Keith to Frank Sinatra. Oldies to the soundtrack from Monty Python’s Spamalot. This could be interesting.

Regular readers of this site know that I am a huge fan of the group Casting Crowns. So it is no surprise that a song from the Atlanta based group would come up in this series. The song is called If We Are The Body and the lyrics are convicting.

It’s crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls’ teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

We are the Body of Christ. So why aren’t His arms reaching? Why aren’t His hands healing? I am afraid the answer is a hard truth. We don’t care enough for the lost. We don’t ache for the hurting. We don’t sacrifice enough for the poor. If that offends you then I will make it more personal.

This week I have been absorbed with the Ohio State University’s football game. I grew up about 45 minutes from the Horseshoe (football stadium) at the Ohio State University. I love the Buckeyes. I am not proud to admit that until recently a Buckeye’s loss wrecked my mood for a couple of days.

This week I have read internet newspaper reports from Columbus, Ohio. I have thought about the game and how it might turn out. This weekend I had a disturbing revelation. As I walked down the streets of San Francisco and saw dozens of homeless and hopeless people it occured to me that I care far more about the game this Saturday than I do about these lonely people. Yeah, I know it sometimes feels overwhelming when you see the vast needs and incredible suffering. But I can do something. Helen Keller once said,  “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do.”

I am not trying to shovel guilt on you or myself. There is a place for sports and entertainment. But the fact that I have spent more time (by far) reading the sports page than I have reading God’s Word is revealing. I will still watch the game this week with a lot of passion. But I am determined to remember it is only a game. And I hope that I remember that I need to pray for at least a portion of that passion to be reserved for the poor and hurting and spiritually seeking.

I don’t intend to quit being an Ohio State fan. That is not a sin (except in Michigan). I do believe I need to seek a balance in my life. I do desire to be a more passionate and willing participant in the Body of Christ. Because if I am not then His arms aren’t reaching as far as they could.

Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

I know by the grace of God that there is a way. His love is the way. What if His people really cared? What if I really cared? Wouldn’t it make a difference? There is one way to find out. That way is for us to take seriously that we are the Body of Christ. And then act accordingly. Straight talking James writes in the Book of James that “to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

 I cannot argue that I do not know the right thing to do. I do. My response will reveal my heart.

(Today’s crazy schedule does not allow time to whip up a fresh blog from scratch. I have frozen this past favorite in an airtight zip-lock for just such a day. A quick pop in the microwave defrost setting and it is ready for your consumption…hope you enjoy).

Welcome to the experiment known as the iPod devotional series. Here is how it works. On the old iPod is a “shuffle songs” feature. You hit the button and the iPod randomly picks a song.  I am writing a blog about whatever song the device selects on that day from the 1,000 plus songs on my iPod. My music list will further confirm my status as a Christian who makes others feel superior. My music goes from Al Green to the Youngbloods. Beatles to U2. Old hymns to modern praise music. Toby Keith to Frank Sinatra. Oldies to the soundtrack from Monty Python’s Spamalot. This could be interesting.

Before we hit the shuffle button I have to share a series of questions from regular and no doubt beleagured reader Steve. I had posed that the iPod Devotional series was a dual risk from Apple attornies and…what? I never really explained the other risk. Since reader Steve has an inquiring mind he wrote the following…

The Apple lawyers I get, but what is the other risk?
A) That the random song the iPod picks is something you can’t use?
B) That the the resulting blog will be so sappy/ boring/ insipid/ etc. that no one will read it? (as if)
C) That the resulting blog will be so controversial/ inflammatory/ offensive/ etc. that you’ll get kicked off of Crosswalk.com?
D) That the artist/ composer/ record company will take issue with what you say and file suit?
E) That the iPod will fail to serve up a song at random?
F) That you will wake up and realize that you have been grooving to that random song for so long that there’s no time left to write?

So in a bonus edition of Ask a Bad Christian the answer is (G), all of the above. In reality my biggest fear is probably the first one…that a song will come up and I will be holding a large bag of nothing in response to that selection. I probably should be worried about (B) but I am not sure you can recognize your own insipidity.

Now that you realize the risks let us shuffle and pray.

Okay that was stupid. Note to self…next time pray and then shuffle.

Today’s song continues our God has a sense of humor theme. The iPod landed on Alison Krause and Union Station. Alison Krause has a voice like an angel. She is an artist that I can listen to no matter what my mood might be. But the sense of humor part comes in when the shuffle feature selected the song Crazy as Me.

The lyrics are talking about a series of failed relationships but the lyric that Alison Krause sings that relates to me are these words.

Some folks seem to think I only got one problem
I can’t find nobody as crazy as me

There are some drive-by readers that are pretty sure I have more than one problem but let’s put them aside for awhile. I laughed when this song came up because I often feel that way in my journey with Jesus. Am I missing something here? Does my messy walk with Jesus make me a bad Christian? Or does my willingness to be honest about my weakness give me a chance not to be a bad Christian? I have found a handful of committed followers of Jesus who are as crazy as me. But the bottom line is a bit disturbing. Shouldn’t we all seem a little crazy if we are really following the teachings of Jesus?

I don’t mean drooling crazy. I am talking about doing things that make no sense to the world.

The world says to look out for number one. Jesus says to look out for the least of these.
The world says to spend time with those who can help you advance. Jesus says to spend time with the poor who can do nothing to make you more successful or reach your goals.
The world says that the one with the most toys wins. Jesus says the one with most treasures stored in heaven wins.
The world says get even and exact revenge. Jesus says to love your enemies and (I hate this one) pray for those who persecute.
The world is fearful of disease, the future, the economy. Jesus says to not worry about tomorrow.
The world says to build your financial security and you will be happy. Jesus says to build on the solid rock or your happiness won’t sustain the storms of life.
The world evaluates us by our title, power, and stuff. Jesus evaluates us by our fruit.

So I guess if we actually live this counter-cultural lifestyle the world will think we are crazy.  Paul acknowledged that to the church at Corinth.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. I Cor 2 NIV

Foolishness. I used to think exactly that about the crazy Jesus people. Now I am as crazy as them. Who knew? And here is the exciting news. Everyday I am finding more followers of Jesus who want to be authentic and full of grace. That is the way I desire to represent Jesus to my world. And there is nothing crazy about that.

USA Today Columnist Craig Wilson noted that a new collection of quotes had piqued his interest. The book is called Not Bartlett’s and it is a compendium of thoughts on life, love, etc. Wilson listed a few samples and one caught my eye.

“What a wonderful life I’ve had – I only wish I had realized it sooner.”  Collette

That is true for most of us. But for some reason we tend to dwell on the disappointments, failures and hurts instead of the blessings most of us have in abundance. One reason was articulated by the Church Lady on SNL.

   “Could it be (echo) SATAN?”

Yes. Without question that is a factor for followers of Jesus. Satan’s battle plan is threefold. To cause us to dwell on past disappointments, to focus on current problems and to fear future events. Falling prey to any or all of those strategies robs us of joy and distracts us from the solution.

Jesus.

I love this passage written to the church at Colossae and I quote it often in my blogs.

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus…   (Colossians 3,  NLT)

Ouch. And amen. Here is a very uncomfortable pop quiz:

1. Do I live like Christ is all that matters?
2. Do I put on mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience each day?
3. Do I make allowance for other’s faults?
4. Do I forgive those who offend me?
5. Do I understand how much I have been forgiven?
6. Do I let the peace of Christ rule my heart?
7. Am I always thankful?
8. Do I let the message of Christ fill my life?
9. Do I teach and counsel His wisdom to others consistently?
10. So I sing to God with a thankful heart?
11. Is everything I do or say predicated on being a representative of the Lord Jesus.
12. Does Jesus still love me?

My answers. 1. Not always, 2. Not consistently, 3. Sometimes, 4. Usually, 5. Yes, 6. Most of the time, 7. No, 8. Not always, 9. Not consistently enough, 10. Usually, 11. Nope, 12. ABSOLUTELY!

The answer to number 12 is the mystery of grace and Christ’s work on the cross. If God graded me on the honest answers to those questions I would be in deep doo-doo. What grace God demonstrates to me that He loves me and calls me His child in spite of my mediocre results to the quiz above. But Satan does not want you to experience that grace. The enemy does not want you to realize that Christ is all that matters.

We must not allow Satan to win this battle. Life is difficult. Relationships are often hard. Church goers do things that are wrong and indefensible. When viewed through the lens of the culture you have every “right” to be angry. But the Holy Spirit is prompting us to see through a new lens. I need to have Jesus “laser surgery” on the eye of my heart so I can see through that new lens that Paul describes above. Easy? Hades no! But it is possible when we focus on how much we were forgiven when we were unforgivable and how we were accepted when we were unacceptable.

There is a huge risk when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable in Christ. It is especially tough when we have been once or twice burned by life or by others. But it is a risk not only worth taking but I believe necessary to grow more like Christ. There is a song from  Martina McBride that talks about the risks of life. Here is a sampling of the lyrics from Anyway…

You can spend your whole life building something from nothing
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach and you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

Chorus:
God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway, I do it anyway

This world’s gone crazy and it’s hard to believe that tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons, and in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love’em anyway

And that is my desire as I follow Jesus. Sometimes life ain’t so good. I believe it is a dangerous teaching that Jesus will make your life all green lights and blue skies with good health always and riches untold. Jesus gives you purpose and significance. Eternal hope. Peace. Security. But there are no guarantees that life with Jesus will be trouble free. Au contraire. Difficulties refine us in our faith and reveal our spiritual state of the union with Christ. “Consider it all joy”, James says, “when you encounter various trials.”

Choose to dwell on the blessings. Choose to build it anyway. Dream it anyway. Believe it anyway. And even if I get hurt along the way I choose to love’em anyway (that does not include abusive relationships). My reason for making those choices is very simple. God chose to love me anyway when I did not deserve such love. My prayer for every follower of Jesus is that they never have this realization late in life.

“I have had a wonderful life with Jesus – I only wish I had realized it sooner.”

 

 

Today’s winner is Matthew West and the song is called “Nothing Else”. You might better know Matthew West from a song called “Next Thing You Know”. His CD called History is one of my favorites and today’s song is an honest reflection on the journey to find happiness. Here are some of the lyrics to Nothing Else.

I tried money I got as much as I could and I went to the store And I bought it all But it wasn’t enough ’cause I wanted some more But my house was full So I bought a bigger house and filled it up And there I was with all that stuff And empty.

Been there. Done that. Just took the t-shirt in a bag of other stuff to Goodwill. We have so much stuff at our house. Other Christians are so convinced that God is angry over one or more of the top 10 sins on their personal countdown (gay marriage, alcohol, et al). I have a deep burden that He is most unhappy about our lack of commitment to His Lordship and our lack of giving in the midst of incredible wealth. If you go through Scripture you will find that Jesus is described as Savior 16 times. Jesus is described as Lord of our lives over 400 times. God’s Word talks about Jesus as Lord 96% of the time and describes Him as Savior 4% of the time.

I would suggest that we have it all backwards. I would guess that we talk about Jesus as Savior 96% of the time and reluctantly talk about Jesus as Lord about 4% of the time. I believe that because I have done exactly that for most of my Christian journey.

I want the Savior part of Jesus. I desperately wanted to be reconciled to God. I knew He was Holy. I also knew I was not. I wanted to spend eternity in heaven. But making Him Lord of my life is another story. That takes sacrifice. I have to give up control. I have to surrender to the Holy Spirit. I can tell you that control and surrender don’t sleep well together. How can the God of the universe who created the amazing complexity of life know what career move is best for me? I had better take control of that. Silly, isn’t it? But human nature is to want a savior…not Lord.

Matthew West nails the essence of our often futile pursuit of happiness in the chorus of Nothing Else.

Nothing else can take the place of You Nothing else can take the place of You

A very simple concept. A very difficult application. Matthew West, like most of us, tried something else.

Still I try friendship I called everyone I knew And invited them over for a party They ate all the free food And they told me how much they loved me But when the food was gone My friends were gone And there I was all alone And empty

So take the place The place of You And fill this space The way You do I’m tired of searching Those days are through So take the place It’s made for You Not friends or money or alcohol None of these things, believe me You can try them all Not status Not success I know none of these things will ever bring true happiness

Realizing the simple truth of these powerful lyrics can save you years of frustration. Nothing else can take the place of Him. I have tried. I am convinced of that simple statement. We were created to be in fellowship with God and nothing short of that satisfies. You can try other things. But just remember that God will be patiently waiting when you figure out that nothing else can take the place of Him.

The shuffle landed on a song today that I had already written about in the last series. I went back and read that piece, and unfortunately, it still works. So here is a solid gold flashback…

The tune is called Clumsy and it is written and performed by one of my favorites, Chris Rice . You can find the song on the CD Deep Enough to Dream. How interesting that the third song in the shuffle series is my anthem for my Christian journey. ESPN’s Chris Berman signature line for a football blooper is “rumbling, stumbling, fumbling”. That would have been how I described my Christian walk until I found this song. Here are the lyrics from Chris Rice that I could have written if I had any musical talent or ability to write lyrics. Those were the only two obstacles that kept me from writing this song. 

You think I’d have it down by now
Been practicin’ for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doin’ here
Reachin’ out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me what’s a boy supposed to do?

I have been practicin’ for 38 years. So I should be a couple of hundred miles farther than Chris Rice. And I have the exact same frustrations. What am I still doing here? Why do I keep reachin’ out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit? The lyrics continue…

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless

To quote Bill Murray in Stripes…”and then depression set in”. This is not a new issue. Paul wrestled with the same problem as he addressed the church in Rome.

• It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.  (Romans 7,  NLT)

But there is good news to be mined in our stumbling, bumbling, clumsy journey. Somehow God’s amazing grace patiently moves in our lives through all of this clumsiness.

But You’re sayin’ You love me
And You’re still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
‘Cause You’re makin’ me holy
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah

As I look back over three decades I see frustrating missteps. But I also see subtle and real growth in many areas of my life. I am better than I used to be and not nearly as holy as I desire to be. Chris Rice unveils the key to stumbling your way into His presence someday.

From where I stand
Your holiness is up so high I can never reach it
My only hope is to fall on Jesus

That is so simple and yet so difficult for us to live. Paul had some real encouragement immediately following the bleak picture he painted above.

• So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

No matter how clumsy or foolish or stupid I might be in my attempts to follow Jesus there is exceedingly good news. If I fall on Jesus and follow the Spirit there is no condemnation. And I no longer feel so useless.

I have never understood opera. My entire exposure to opera until just recently was from Bugs Bunny. Everything I knew about opera was from “What’s Opera, Doc?” and “The Rabbit of Seville”.  To go from Elmer Fudd singing “kill the wabbit’ to having opera music on my iPod is an amazing transformation. Sadly, I haven’t gotten more sophisticated or cultured. My budding interest in opera came from an unlikely source.

Today’s iPod shuffle landed on a song that I couldn’t even spell a month ago. The song is called Nessum Dorma and it is from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot. Believe me, I had to Google that bit of info. I also found out that the song has been a signature of famous Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti who, ironically, passed away today. Nessum Dorma is Italian and translates to “let no one sleep”. But the reason this music popped up on my iPod was not the song but the singer. A British mobile phone salesman named Paul Potts has moved me from Bugs Bunny to Puccini.

If you don’t know the story Paul Potts auditioned for the TV show Britain’s Got Talent this season. The American version of the show recently finished it’s run with ventriloquist Terry Fator from nearby Mesquite, Texas winning the competition.  A friend clued me in to the Paul Potts story. Potts auditioned for the show wearing an ill-fitting sport coat. His appearance was non-descript and his demeanor shy. The judges (including the acerbic Simon Cowell) were openly skeptical when Potts announced he was going to sing opera.

And then he opened his mouth to sing. If you haven’t seen this amazing moment you can click here to watch.

I had chills listening to this unlikely talent sing. And I wondered how often we make the same mistake in the body of Christ that the show judges made in their initial judgment of Paul Potts. We look at the outward appearance and decide. You don’t look the part. You don’t fit the profile. We are looking for someone better looking or more outgoing or more engaging. You could tell from the judges sideways glances that they had already decided about this unassuming man.

And then he opened his mouth to sing.

God has given all of us a vital role in the body of Christ. Lord, forgive me that I have judged your people before I took the time to see how you have gifted them to serve You. Paul (the Saint, not the opera singer) realized that every part of the body is vital.

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12, NLT)

Later in the passage Paul summarizes his analogy.

If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

It is so easy to value the wrong things. So natural to gravitate toward the funny and the attractive. I am guilty. I am sure that God has put people like Paul Potts in my midst and I looked right past them to someone that is more in my image. I pray that I will be sensitive through His Holy Spirit to look for the gifts and talent in every part of the body of Christ. You will never know how God has gifted one of His Children by simply judging their appearance. Straight-shooter and toe-stomper James says it this way:

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?  (James 2, NLT)

Feel free to be direct, James. But I need to hear that straightforward truth.  I pray that I can begin to see the body of Christ as God sees them. Valuable. Worthy. And all one in His Spirit.