Christians should be known for what they are for, not what they are against. Love, compassion, care for the poor.

Unfortunately people like Jim Wallace give us a bad name.

This morning he put out this tweet,

“Jim Wallace: Just hope that as we remember Servicemen and women today we remember the Australia they fought for – wasn’t gay marriage and Islamic!”

This is more than unfortunate on many levels.

Jim Wallace is the public face of the ‘Australian Christian Lobby”. Reading through the twitter stream exploding at the moment, it is obvious that secular Australians think this person represents Christianity.

How would Jesus react to the Homosexual and the Islam?

My hunch is that He would react in the same way as He did to the prostitute, the woman caught in adultery, the Samaritan. These people were marginalized, discriminated against and unfairly treated in that society at that time.

Interestingly enough Jesus was called a ‘lover of sinners’. He was roundly criticized for accepting those the rest of society, at that time mainstream religious society, rejected.He went to their houses, he ate and drunk with them, he accepted them!

But who does Jesus reserve his harshest criticism for, going so far as to publicly call them ‘white washed walls, hypocrites’ and other such culturally offensive terms. He calls the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day these things. Because they were the ones oppressing the people, and instead of showing them love, showing them rejection.

Now I need to be frank, as a Christian I don’t believe that living a homosexual lifestyle is Gods best plan, but it is someones choice. God has standards, but it is our choice what we do with God. He gives us a choice, so should we Christians. We should not legislate morality.

I hope that I demonstrate love to all people. We are all made in God’s image, and are loved by God. We all deserve the right to live our lives as we decide. I don’t say that, God does. Ultimately I believe God will make us responsible for how we live our lives. I wont. And it is not my role to judge. Unfortunately that is what Jim Wallace is doing, and in the process alienating the very people he should be caring for and loving.

Love to see you there.

A casual, but moving time as we remember Jesus. Your family is welcome, good music, media, spoken word and inspiration.

More details

Seriously good this young fella.

This is whats happening over April at Inglewood Community Church.

I have blogged before about how a leader of a growing church needs to adapt to the growing needs and style needed for differing size of the church.

As I look to the next big step for Inglewood Community Church, I am starting to clarify in my own mind what changes I need to put in place.

That is not to say I have clarity, I don’t yet. In fact the next steps are not clear at all.
But perhaps God is allowing me to go through some fog to help me see, and really understand, that I do need time to ‘be still and know that I am God’. Its one thing to know that. Its another think to know that.

Had an interesting chat to someone today about adrenaline and stress levels. A Pastors day can oscillate widely during the day. For instance….one phone call can be a terrible one…death, tragedy, depression. The next could be a financial stress, the next could be someone needing to know what songs are being used on Sunday. Then you could be doing something technical, updating your website. The variance in a day is not boring, but it can be taxing.

I am not complaining, I love my job, and am privileged to do it. But for whatever reason God is causing me to reflect further on it….I believe so I can adjust for the next season.

Kick butt Christian Band….good stuff

Just a couple of things I am thinking about at the moment….

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“It is often advantageous to us also to have no way open to us, to be straitened and hemmed in on every hand, and even to be blinded, that we may learn to depend solely on God’s assistance and to rely on him; for, so long as a plank is left on which we think that we can seize, we turn to it with our whole heart. While we are driven about in all directions, the consequence is, that the remembrance of heavenly grace fades from our memory. If, therefore, we desire that God should assist us and relieve our adversity, we must be blind, we must turn away our eyes from the present condition of things, and restrain our judgment, that we may entirely rely on his promises. Although this blindness is far from being pleasant, and shews the weakness of our mind, yet, if we judge from the good effects which it produces, we ought not greatly to shun it; for it is better to be “blind” persons guided by the hand of God, than, by excessive sagacity, to form labyrinths for ourselves.
Calvin