Jesus and Love.

Currently listening: Ben Rector, "Ready for Change"
Currently drinking: Mocha/vanilla/hazelnut Frapp
Currently enjoying: wearing Chaco's again

Greetings from this Hill. It's a 60 degree February day. An opportunity to break out the Chaco's, atleast for a little while. It feels good to let these feet breathe.

Lately my conversations have included talks about faith....truth...Jesus.....love. And in that, questions about what is right and wrong. And what is the correct way to conduct ministry. Always, the answer to these complex and controversial issues ends up being "Jesus" or "love." Nice and simple. I pull those answers all the time. But really, what does that mean? Because two very different answers scream in my ears:

A churh condemns homosexuals, pushing them to change or go to hell, in the name of "love"....claiming telling the truth is love. They invade politics, hoping to save more babies and keep marriage sacred.....in the name of Jesus. Others take the other side of Jesus....the merciful, accepting Jesus, to reach out to poor people and spend time taking care of the environment. But be careful to offend people. It's important to be socially accepted. Both are expressed in rather polarized ways. Both sides have valid points and claim "their way" is the way of "Jesus," of "love." But is Jesus one or the other?

Jesus hates sin. That's clear in the Bible. But He is around it too....He's around the sick, gross, smelly, bad-mouthed people, God-hating people. How does He do that? He is peaceful and accepting even though He is holy and righteous. Deserving of more than anything we have to offer.

How do we act this out? People need to hear truth, right? But people also need to be loved. Is there a way to do both? They must go together somehow. I don't think we've figured it out yet.

Perhaps both contain an essence of Christ's character. But should be have to "choose" or go to complete extremes? There must be a way to live this out. Like Jesus. The real one...not the one we make Him out to be to conform to our world....but the Son of God. The One that came to save us.

Faith can become such a complex...rationalized....thought-out thing. Indeed, I think it should be. Deconstructing one's beliefs is important to come out liberated and confident of truth. But the process is uncomfortable and leaves on fairly insecure. The reason what seems to be such a simple truth can be overwhelming and complex in our human minds is because I believe God is so much bigger and mightier than any of our intellects could understand. God is bigger than our arguments. God is bigger than "who is in and who is out."

This is when recognize the time to throw up our hands and surrender. There is so much we don't know. So stop claiming that you have it....because right when you do, God becomes less God and you become your own.

I am put in my place. I am humbled. I am weak. His truth must shine in this life. His love needs to pour out of me. Because I am incapable of doing any of this living on my own.

Surprisingly, I find this all unconventionally....beautiful.