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  <a class="no-pjax" href="/blog/blog/5997738/when-they-ignore-you">When They Ignore You</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/697c7c4d7e43b1a6f8c67b5c2c8359bc51d2a6d9/original/untitled-design-2019-02-23t191443-952.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMzNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="335" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pinit_fg_en_rect_gray_20.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> </a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Sometimes the study of trees (aboriculture) is interesting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">My tree has been plucked as of late, and boy am I sore. Twigs have been hacked and branches sawed off. In short, relationships have been lost.</span></p>
<p><span><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/9cc5c4063feabd5a2e106f9b3cad6a76df4a2170/original/pexels-photo-203553.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></p>
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<p><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/92d23cef6567455d6421238ba23e87acfbcac9c8/original/pexels-photo-52678.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Have you been ignored?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Have you been unfriended?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Were you left out of something important and your soul was crushed?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">If you're getting ignored, it may just be that your tree is getting trimmed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Pruned.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Either way, it hurts.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-family: Vollkorn, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Vollkorn, serif; font-size: large;"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/41948224ff927b3a66aa7aaac27b97f4bfdfd03d/original/let-there-be-light-2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDYzOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="638" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></span></em></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Divert your energy into the remaining branches, and let the old be lopped off.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Let them die.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Refuse to give them any further resources. Nutrition takes away from your purpose and your branches that are still alive. They may droop a little if you divert energy, time, and emotion into things that dead or nearly dying. </span></p>
<p><span><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/816ea3be84a12694f4d5487d6cc5256f77241525/original/nature-sky-twilight-grass-9198.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="265" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></p>
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<p><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/057057be2ab9f3f606b506af41b8a203d6240b2a/original/pexels-photo-92997.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="250" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Imagine you were pregnant and needing to deliver your baby and that there was nowhere for you to do that. Imagine how left out you would feel when everyone was safe in their beds and you were outside in a stable giving birth. I'm guessing you already know what it's like to be on the outside looking in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Jesus knew what it was to be disregarded.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Mocked.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Rejected.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Perhaps you've been the one who wasn't invited to the birthday party.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Perhaps your kids weren't invited, and it hurt you just as badly, if not more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Perhaps you are always the last one to know about what is going on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Maybe you know that people talk about you behind your back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The good news is that how things are on heaven is different than how things are on earth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">While Mary was giving birth to the Savior in a dusty stable with just Joseph and the animals, a great stir was taking place out in a pasture. The angel of the Lord announced to some shepherds that the Savior had just been born, and a host of angels began to praise and give glory unto God.</span></p>
<p><span><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/1f93a52d93bde085504786e2a0ab7ccb890ac325/original/man-agriculture-farm-farmer.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDIyNCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="224" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></p>
<p><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/08d7443838e67a67ca34dad75dc29806c53d23e1/original/pexels-photo-236306.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">In heaven there was a great outpouring of praise over the lowly couple that couldn't even get a hotel room. In Luke chapter 1, the angel who approached Mary referred to her as 'highly favored', and he said 'blessed art thou among women'.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">In the book of Daniel, after Daniel was approached by the angel, the angel said unto him: 'O man greatly beloved' Dan 10:19</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">1 Samuel 16:7 says: "God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Matthew 19:30 says, 'But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It is true that among people you may be left out and rejected. It may be true that you are ignored and counted of little esteem. Your eyes may burn and your heart may hurt, but take courage in the fact that things are different in the heavenly economy than they are down here on earth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Take courage in the fact that God sees your heart and that He knows who you are. It may just be that you are His beloved and that you are highly favored in His eyes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Seek His face and pray to Him, focusing on your relationship with Him. It could be that He uses you to carry His comfort to someone else, because you know what it is like to feel alone. Trust in His plan that He will work everything for good and that He will put the pain of people ignoring you to good use. It says so in His word.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">After your pruning, you may actually be healthier. Pour your energies into those things which are living or are just about to blossom forth. Let go of the old when a thing has run its course.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Cry if you need to, and remember that Jesus will never leave you or forsake you and that he always works all things for the good of those who love Him.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You Need Salvation</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gutsychristianity.com/blog/you_need_salvation/"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/b39e160af010bbbd465d1d32d8a677a57cec83da/original/you-needsalvation-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTAweDEwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="100" width="100" /> </a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The Beautiful Temptation</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">My Trip to the Gay Bar</span></p>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2019-12-09T10:58:23-05:00" title="December 09, 2019 10:58">12/09/2019</span></p>

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<h2 class="heading-secondary heading-blog alt-font">
  <a class="no-pjax" href="/blog/blog/5997737/you-need-salvation">You Need Salvation</a>&nbsp;
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<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Everyone is a sinner.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Including me.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Including you.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">All of us have broken God's commandments.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And that is a problem, because God is holy and cannot look upon sin.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">We've all told lies, have stolen something that did not belong to us and in other ways committed sins. Think of the ten commandments. Have you ever put anything before God? Disrespected your parents? Committed adultery? That's sin.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And the Bible says that:</span></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;"><em><strong>'the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:23.</strong></em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Put simply, a person who dies in their sin will burn forever in a literal place called hell. God, however, does not desire that any should perish. (2 Peter 3:9)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Here is what God did so that you could be saved.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Jesus, who is the Son of God and God, came to this earth, born as a baby in a manager, and He fulfilled the law that you or I never could. He dotted every I and crossed every t. He was perfect, and He never sinned.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">He willingly went to the cross for you and me to pay for the sins that we would commit. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. (Heb 9:22)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Jesus died and willingly took on our punishment. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">When you acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself, pray this prayer, believing in His sacrifice:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">'Jesus, I am a sinner. I repent, and I ask you to forgive me of my sins and be my Savior. I believe that you died and rose again for pay for my sins. In Jesus's name. Amen'.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The Bible says that when you call upon the name of the Lord you shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You don't have to guess or worry about your salvation. Believe on Him, and the Bible says you shall be saved. That's a promise.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">That salvation is also eternal. John 3:16 says:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">That life is eternal. You can be at peace. Today right now. It is my hope that you will say yes to Jesus and say yes to salvation.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">When You No Longer Trust Church People</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;"><a href="http://www.gutsychristianity.com/blog/when_you_no_longer_trust_church_people/"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/4bbb4a336685850cfb15a3c33a5a7e0735fcc44b/original/when-you-no-longer-trust.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTAweDEwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="100" width="100" /> </a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">My Trip to the Gay Bar</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The Beautiful Temptation</span></p>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2019-12-09T10:58:21-05:00" title="December 09, 2019 10:58">12/09/2019</span></p>

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  <a class="no-pjax" href="/blog/blog/5997736/the-beautiful-temptation">The Beautiful Temptation</a>&nbsp;
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<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It happens in the desert when you're in a season of dry, barren landscapes parched for just a taste of something succulent.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Or it happens in the land of plenty when you're more than satisfied but maybe a little bit bored.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Either way, it is beautiful.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It looks like the shape of a lovely lady bathing on a rooftop (not that what happened was her fault).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It can look like a moment of convenience, like when the spouse is away, and you just happen to be laying down on a bed, like Potiphar's wife did.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It can look like a handsome co-worker who says all the things that you're dying to hear. The one that sports those bulging biceps or the charming witticisms that make you think about him well past the hours when work is done.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">That one who is so easy to get along with, unlike your husband.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And you fell in love.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">How do I know?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Because most people aren't trying to screw over their spouse, nor are they trying to wreck their own lives. The bait is always mouth-watering, finger-licking good, and you're positively screaming for just one little, harmless little bite. You find yourself on slippery ground before you know it, and you're not sure you even want to turn around at this point.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">'Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?' Proverbs 6:27</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The odds are good that the other person is just seducing you. Look at Samson with Delilah. She teased him, but she didn't love him. Look at Potiphar's wife and how quickly she turned on Joseph. She had him thrown in prison.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">In Proverbs 9, there is a flirtatious woman who tries to seduce passersby, but in verse 18, it says this:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">'But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.'</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You may think you're in love, but the chances are that the other person is playing a game. A game of bait and switch. And the results are disastrous.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And even if they do think they love you, the end is still bitter.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">'But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.' Proverbs 6:32</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">If you're a man, the bait is likely that she gets you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">That she has respect for you, unlike your wife.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">That she doesn't make you jump through hoops to get her smiles and her affection.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It may be that her clothes are just a little too tight and that her jeans fit her just right. She may think you're the funniest guy on earth, and she may laugh heartily at all of your jokes (a pretty good sign she's faking it, as nobody will find everything you do to be amazing. Just keeping it real).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Girls, if he just has all the time in the world for you, and he is intense and knows how you feel, if he seems inordinately interested in the minutiae of your life and cares about your feelings, even while sporting tense muscles and the cool facial hair of your preference, stay far away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Far, far away. (He's also faking it.)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Your heart can be taken in by a beautiful temptation, a gorgeous sin, a deadly trap, a luscious piece of flesh wrapped up in a swirl of heady seduction. He may drive you crazy, dangling the forbidden fruit just an inch out of your grasp. She may show you enough so that you can easily imagine all the rest. You're salivating and chomping at the bit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">But don't fall for it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">That fruit has a worm with a deadly bite.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">In the garden, the devil used a piece of fruit that looked good for eating.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It didn't look disgusting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It didn't have the sins of the world etched on it, nor did it belie the screams of those in agony that would one day rot in hell because of the effects of sin. It wasn't covered in maggots, nor was it stained with the blood of mankind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It was inviting, cool, and something new, although forbidden.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Sin is enjoyable. Don't let anyone tell you it is not, but it lasts just for a season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">His warm friendship will not warn you of an impending divorce certificate, nor of the selling off of all your things. The desire for his lips will not prepare you to inform your spouse of this betrayal. Your playful banter will not include the words: joint custody. Everything will be fun and games until the sting of this poisoned dart is felt in your flesh.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And then there will be regret.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Tears.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Confessions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Anger.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Questions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Silence.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The end of sin is death.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Repent if you have gone too far, and ask His forgiveness. If you've yet to take the plunge, my best advice is that you stay far, far away. (Prov. 5:8)</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;">My Trip to the Gay Bar</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.gutsychristianity.com/blog/my_trip_to_the_gay_bar/"><span><strong><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/6747b4debc261d8dcd7f09bf502c45209ffe13d4/original/my-trip-to-the-gay-bar-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTAweDEwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="100" width="100" /></strong></span> </a></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">When You No Longer Trust Church People</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;"></span><a href="http://www.gutsychristianity.com/blog/when_you_no_longer_trust_church_people/"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/4bbb4a336685850cfb15a3c33a5a7e0735fcc44b/original/when-you-no-longer-trust.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTAweDEwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="100" width="100" /> </a></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The Hateful People We Admire</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;"></span><a href="http://www.gutsychristianity.com/blog/the_hateful_people_we_admire/"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/bbcdec5a6c0324c09ee222a3afbb12745fb7dcc3/original/do-women-belong-in-ministry-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTAweDEwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="100" width="100" /> </a><br></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #000000; font-family: times,serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></strong></span></p>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2019-12-09T10:58:19-05:00" title="December 09, 2019 10:58">12/09/2019</span></p>

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  <a class="no-pjax" href="/blog/blog/5997735/my-trip-to-the-gay-bar">My Trip to the Gay Bar</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/"><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/d1ffa1d08f8a19b8c8de1cc009f6e8e8619daaaa/original/untitled-design-2019-02-20t221610-991.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMzNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="335" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pinit_fg_en_rect_gray_20.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> </a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I was depressed. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I wanted to sing. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Singing cheers me up when all else is lost. I was in the middle of a divorce, and I was on vacation in Florida. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">With my ex husband. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I was walking down the street in the vacation town, and I saw a sign that read: karaoke. The sign above the marquis was lit up in pastel neon colors, and it made me feel hopeful. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">When the evening came, I ventured inside: I did not realize this was a gay bar. What attracted me was the welcome atmosphere and the sense of fun. I was not a Christian at the time, so it wasn't out of the ordinary to order a drink of rum and coke. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I wanted to loosen up so I could sing a song of heartbreak and woe. I took my turn at the mic. The song I selected was 'Crazy' by Patsy Cline. In the midst of my turmoil, the song provided an emotional release I desperately needed. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The crowd knew. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">They seemed to understand. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The rest of the night was filled with me singing one sad song after another. And yet, I somehow felt surrounded by family. By people who understood alienation, grief, and loss. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">No one seemed to judge me. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The bartender took his turn singing songs the regulars all knew and the people exchanged knowing looks. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Another person chose a song to sing that wasn't on the official list of songs. It was about chasing everything and missing the one important thing that mattered: the love of their life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">This same person sang this same song night after night. I know this, because I came back night after night. In between the sad songs and the knowing songs were the songs about celebration and having fun. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The range of emotion and open communication shared in a bar with strangers was not like that of an ordinary bar setting. There was a thread of shared alienation and hardship and an unwillingness to alienate others. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I felt accepted and could easily tell that most of the people there on any given night were not visitors. Much like I was becoming. Although I was really just a visitor myself. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">When the fast songs came on and everybody danced and reveled in the enjoyment of living, it was than a random dance floor anthem. It was a release. These were people of deep feeling, just as I was then. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I wore my heart on my sleeve, because it was too heavy to conceal. I shared laughs and hoorahs with people who were attracted to those of the same sex. No one was mean to me or suggested that I hogged up the singing slots with sad songs of heartbreak. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">No one was upset that I was using this as a venue to vent all my troubles. It seemed expected and like a place that welcomed that very thing. And that was the overall tome of my experience: I felt welcomed. Which is why I came back night after night like a soldier returning to old friends. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">When it was time to go home, I did not regard this as my foray into forbidden territory or like I had done something scandalous. I had been attracted by the element of fun and the opportunity to sing, but I found something so unexpected: friends instead of strangers. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The pastel neon sign still beckoned me even as it was time to go, and I knew I would miss the community that presented a space be kind and simply to be human. I knew the reason people returned again and again. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It was the same reason I did. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">T</span><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">o be accepted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">To not have to pretend. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Some people think the message of Jesus and of grace is hiding what we really are. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It isn't. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">God knows who and what we really are. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">We need grace because of who we are. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Sinners. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">All of us. </span></p>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2019-12-09T10:58:18-05:00" title="December 09, 2019 10:58">12/09/2019</span></p>

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<h2 class="heading-secondary heading-blog alt-font">
  <a class="no-pjax" href="/blog/blog/5997734/when-you-no-longer-trust-church-people">When You No Longer Trust Church People</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p><span><img src="//images.zoogletools.com/u/398967/89bc141b9103577edb165b76f941790434b9cc59/original/make-two-lists-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMzNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="335" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /><br> </span>
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<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You used to trust church people. Until you got burned. And now you no longer trust people who represent religion.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I understand. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I knew of the mockery that existed within Christianity before even coming into the church. I remember the money hungry, ridiculous men and women on television with their greedy hands outstretched to grab ahold of the wallets of the poor and disaffected.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">I remember it was like it was yesterday.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;"> I would watch the television on Sundays and watch scripturally devoid messages, and I would later hear of people whose 'ministries' had erupted into scandal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The church attracts wolves sometimes, and Jesus even said as much.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And it attracts legalists. These were the people who crucified Jesus. These were the ones for whom rules and prestige were more important than the truth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It is true that some people inside the church have sinned grievously. Depending on your experience, some of these sins may have been overlooked by the church you attended.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It is also true that the church is rife with hypocrites. These are people who say they believe one thing, and yet they do another. It is exasperating.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You may have gotten sick of the cliquish way in which church behaves like a social club for spoiled sorority members more than it does a welcoming place for the broken.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You may be exhausted with the never-ending list of rules, and you may be tired of the worship wars.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You may resent the fact that some members gossip and backbite one another.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You may be tired of people judging you for things they do not understand.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You may have been deeply hurt or even betrayed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">The list of possibilities is endless, because we live in a broken world, and because church is the place we go where we're truly vulnerable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">We come expecting something, needing something, and instead, we get hurt and pain we were not expecting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">We let down our guard and were zealous, and we got a stab in the back in return.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">This doesn't represent Jesus. And this doesn't represent all churches. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And in response, some may say that they can do church all alone or at home, but that really isn't true.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Even if we have to find a new church, we need to be faithful to the teachings of the Bible.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And we also need to guard against bitterness and unforgiveness. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Forgiveness isn't saying that what was done is or was okay, it is simply means that because we follow God we do what He tells us to do. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">And He tells us to forgive. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">He also tells us that we need to love. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Everyone. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">From those who love us to those who hate us and everyone in between.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It doesn't mean we have to return to the fellowship that hurt us. It just means we are to love. Even if is from a distance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">It also says in God's word that we are not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together. So, find a church, and get plugged in. Love the people you meet, and understand that God will deal with those who hurt you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">He knows why they did what they did, and He, alone, is their judge. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">You are set free from the matter completely. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: Vollkorn, serif;">Let God heal your hurts, and don't give up on church. And by all means, don't give up on Him, because He is the only One who will never give up on you. </span></p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-family: 'arial black', gadget, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Do Women Belong in Ministry?</span></strong></p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">The Hateful People We Admire</span></strong></p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Are Female Bible Teachers More Prone to Error?</span></strong></p>
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