i pulled this post from a guy's site... i'm not tech-savvy enough to put the link here, but i'll give him credit as best i can. Here's his site's address: http://www.xanga.com/shertzaik

i loved what i was reading, because it's true. we can't allow ourselves, as Christians, to be taken in by the hypocrisy of what's going on in the churches of america, now.

We have to return to the ancient ways of Jesus, who taught us to leave violence behind.

Yesterday, I was inspecting the house across the street. we're writing up a contract today. I was with a man who graciously donated his time and expertise to help us.
He is a banker, realtor, construction dude, and inspector and appraiser. He's the bomb--a real mover and shaker.

...and he asked if i had guns for protection in this neighborhood... i told him about how i have left behind violence and self-defense...how i believe in laying down my life...

and it made me sad that i'm not more like that...more meek. Last year, i broke up a fight in the backyard by taking two boys by the ear... now, i wish i had been kinder.

read what the guy had there on his site and please consider the need of the poor today... maybe you could save a lot more lives by DOING something RADICAL...

The Two-Part Christian



“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?”

Luke 6:46



It’s no coincidence that this verse comes just after the section ‘Love for Enemies’. We know what Jesus tells us to do…feed the hungry, cloth the naked, love our enemies…basically “Do to others as you would have them do to you”.

But why don’t we do these things? We may give $30 a month to World Vision but is that enough? Isn’t Jesus asking us to get our hands dirty? Is the American Christian living up to Jesus’ standards?

If I wouldn’t want bombs dropped in my backyard, then would I support an administration who is doing this very thing in a far away land? Should I turn a blind eye to those companies who produce weapons of mass destruction? Should I teach peace and nonviolence in my Sunday school class knowing some parents may disagree? Should I not denounce all who participate in war and war making? Should I be silent about it or shout from the rooftops? If I was a single mother of three, barely able to make ends meet, and suddenly my insurance premiums skyrocketed because of legislation, would I not want someone to speak up for me? Should I be silent about budgets that tilt heavily to war and forget those who are poor? Should I continue to be a patriotic American or a worldwide Christian? Who is my savior, George W. Bush or Jesus Christ?

I believe every Christian needs to be involved in some kind of ministry. Whether it is a homeless shelter, youth ministries, or prison ministries, a Christian who is able (which includes just about everyone) should be involved.

But it doesn’t stop there. Jim Wallis draws a vivid picture about this. He says we should pull those out of the water who are drowning. Also though, we should be going upstream and see who or what is pushing them in. This is the activism part for the Christian. This part may be the hardest because it draws enemies. It judges those who lead and calls them on the carpet. Leaders, both politically and religiously, need to be held accountable and this is our responsibility.

Dorothy Day is a great example. She worked endlessly day and night, caring for the least of these. But she also was very vocal against war and social injustice. In her newspaper, The Catholic Worker, she wrote article after article denouncing war. She saw the correlation between monies spent on war and monies spent on the poor. She drew ire from the Catholic Church, but she never wavered in her commitment to Jesus’ call of love for all.

It’s called a two-part Christian. Pulling those out of the water and then running upstream to see the causes and making them stop. It will bring condemnation, persecution, and ridicule. But those who read the words of Jesus and take them seriously know the calling they have received. They will know they are doing the things Jesus asked us to do. Amen.