What if...

I'm going to hit on a pretty touchy subject in this post, so bear with me.

So apart from my work at the church plant, I also work part time at the Big and Tall Outlet in Elkhart. Recently a homosexual male couple came into the store and purchased some clothing. They were very friendly and made some nice conversation with me and some of the other customers in the checkout line.

After they were gone, a co-worker (an openly Christian co-worker, mind you) said over the walkie talkie, "Josh, you see that couple? Don't even get me started on them. That is gross and disgusting."

This got me to thinking. Why is that the first reaction she would have? If we are to be loving and compassionate towards people, just as Christ was, why would she be disgusted with these people? Sure, the act of homosexuality is gross and sinful. But in reality, a lot of times the reason men turn to homosexuality is because they were repeatedly abused sexually early on in their lives. Many times from their own family members, such as a father or a brother. Understanding this, it isn't disgust that I feel for these men... its sorrow, pain, and heartbreak. I think this is the feeling Christ would have had. Sorrow that these men are lost. Pain and heartbreak that they didn't have a loving and responsible father in their lives, so they are taking comfort in another man, instead of taking solace in their heavenly Father.

It is a broken world that we live in. I wonder if these men's lives would be different if they were in a different family situation. If maybe they didn't have that sexually abusive family member. When I see these men, I can only think, "What if..."

It is our duty to love, not to judge. Because Christ's death smeared blood or their doorposts, just as much as ours.


Blessings,
Josh

First Preview Gathering

Well, we are now officially done with our Sunday night gatherings at First United Methodist Church, and have now moved on to Meadow's Edge Elementary School. We held our first preview (practice) gathering there this past Sunday and things went surprisingly well! Everyone was excited to be there and worked very hard to make sure everything went smoothly. It was truly amazing seeing people come together to make it a fun, loving, and cozy atmosphere. Even people who weren't previously involved in church or religion before Epic, have now become passionate about their roles with Epic, which is truly exciting to see! It was great seeing their faces as they helped, because they know that they are a part of something big in Mishawaka.

We have another preview session this coming Sunday, followed by our Public Launch on Sunday, March 7th at 10:30am! Please pray for us as we prepare to finally launch this church plant and do some amazing things for the kingdom!

Blessings,
Josh

Leadership

So I'm reading the book "360 Degree Leader" by John Maxwell. In it, he speaks about various aspects of being a good leader from the middle of an organization. He talks about how in order to be a good leader, one must learn how to lead those above you (ie, your boss), below you (ie, your employees/volunteers), and to either side of you (such as suppliers or vendors). Although you may not approve of everything that your boss does or how he leads, a good leader will not try and cause a mutiny against the poor leader. Someone who is a good leader supports his superior and tries to compensate for his superior's flaws and understands that the superior was put in that position for a reason.

As I'm reading this book, and also reading through 1st and 2nd Samuel, I'm realizing that David is the perfect example of a 360 degree leader. David was just a sheppard boy when he was called into action against Goliath. After this, he finds himself with a huge throng of followers who support him even above King Saul. As Saul finds himself lower and lower in God's favor, he becomes jealous of David and tries multiple times to kill him. David always manages to escape, and even finds himself in striking distance of Saul twice. Yet both times, he allowed Saul to live. David refused to kill Saul because Saul was anointed king by the Lord, and who is David to kill the chosen king? David knew that God had chosen him to be king someday, but instead of taking matters into his own hands by killing Saul, he chose to let God deal with the situation in His own time.

Eventually Saul did die, and David was rewarded for his patience. If you haven't read through 1st and 2nd Samuel, I would recommend it. The life of David is something you can learn a lot from.

Blessings,
Josh