So glad she's back

Cindie got back from Mexico last night. Ten days without her was rough. But she has a burning heart for missions, and I am glad that she can find an outlet. She is so beautiful.

It's February, but Easter's Comin'...

I'm really excited already at the thought of Easter. I'll probably use this video:

Amaechi Is Gay. Do You Care?

All the talking heads in the world of sports are talking about ex-NBA player, John Amaechi, coming out of the proverbial closet. Talk show hosts want to hear from from you, America, "Would you care if one of your favorite players admitted to being gay? Would you still root for him?"

Many who use their Christianity to mask their homophobia respond to these calls. "My faith cannot allow me to cheer for someone who would involve themselves in something which is an abomination to God," they might say.

Well. let's think this through. As a sports fan, you will more than likely cheer for some immoral people. The NBA players, for example, are known for sleeping around and doing drugs. There are probably people like that on every team.

Why would I would I single out homosexuality as the sin bad enough for me to turn on a person? Why not breaking marital vows, or having a lot of "casual sex"? Is homosexuality really worse than those things, or does homosexuality just make us more uncomfortable?

I'm not a fan of 'tolerance' since sins hurts the sinner and those around him. Tolerance is not always loving. But it seems to me that a lot more Christians are willing to tolerant of heterosexual sins than homosexual sins. Why is that?

So, are we promoting the sin, if we cheer a basketball player who happens to commit that sin? And, who does leave us to cheer for? Christians only? Sinless people only?

So, if a player says that he is gay, does that mean that you stop rooting for him to do well on the court? I don't think so. What do you think?

How a vow of poverty produced a $3.6 million mansion

Channel 7 news in Detroit did a story about a church that purchased a parsonage worth $3,600,000.00.

A few thoughts:

1. I'm pretty sure Ray Sayah (the reproter of this story) has a bit of a vendetta against preachers, or maybe just against the ones who make money. I once saw him interview Rob Bell. The tease for the story led me to beleive the story would be about what Rob teaches. So, I was a little bit disappointed to find that that Ray focused mostly on Rob's passion for skateboarding, and the idea that a preacher would where sneakers (during the sit down interview, the camera kept panning to his shoes). And then at the end of the interview, he pulled this doozy out of the blue, "What kind of car do you drive?" So, when Iheard there was going to be an exposee about a multi-million dollar parsonage, I figured it would be Ray. I pray that God would surround him with Christian leaders who are the real deal, so that his suspicions would melt.

2. A church can give clergy a house or money for a house and not count it as income. The reason for this, histoprically speaking, is that Catholic priests take vows of poverty. If you tried to tax them on the value of the home that the church supplied, he would have nothing to give. Because they did not want to discriminate against Catholic churches, all clergy get that break.

To think that a church took that bit of mercy from the government and turns it into this is disgusting. nobody needs a home this lavish. And the local government (schools, police, fire dept., etc...) lose out on tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes every year on this home. All in the name of protecting people who were giving their lives to poverty to serve the community.

3. I benefit greatly from that provision. But if they wanted to take it away, I wouldn't fight it. It does not seem fair, especially when you have people abusing it like this. I accept it as mercy, but I wouldn't demand it as justice.

4. In Channel 7's online poll, 75% of people siad they thought it was okay for a church to give multi-million dollar homes to their pastors. How many of those supporters, do you suppose, are members of that church?