invisble children; if you've never seen please go and do

if you have never watched this movie please get it. it's amazing to be apart of something bigger than you...

i've got these friends

so this is freakin cool, i never before in my life have i ever witnessed to or had jewish people around me like i do now. just went out to dinner last night with one of my wifes friends who will be visiting the church and i have a team member from work that is jewish coming to service...and these are really great people who are strong in there faith and faithful to there upbringing. i have to appreciate that but its definitely on my heart to see them come to Christ, become a messianic jew (chrisitian) or someone who says yes to jesus. i mean they aren't my project at all, they are my friends which is even more of a reason to see them come to christ! just thought it was weird that out of nowhere God puts these people in our path...i thinks it pretty cool...we are becoming really good friends and i think it's great that they are both open to the gospel...my friend from work is still not sure but is open with me as a friend...and i am proud of him for being bold enough to hang and even come to a service...i am convinced that when we hear the good news about God's love and what jesus did for us in its true form it is difficult to say no...God is that good!

why i live

i have been thinking alot lately...i am always in a constant evaluation of my life and where i've been and where i am going. i can look back at the last 12 years of my life and i am thankful for the experiences i have had, some really really good and some really really bad, but all beneficial...

i want so much, regardless of my good and bad experiences thus far, to help people and make my life count for people. i have recently been thinking of some moments i have had helping people how they have changed me. and to this day they remind me of who i am.

it's been a few years back but i remember coming home from work one day (long story short) and seeing 2 homeless guys coming down the street where i lived...it's as if i couldn't help it, my emotions are filled with compassion and reaction. my first instinct is to one tell them about jesus but two, help them with food or transportation, whatever. one was pushing the other in a wheelchair. the guy in the wheelchair was so drunk he didn't know where he was at. i stood there by my car and in my heart i want them to desperately have a normal life. i know i couldn't give that to them but i still felt that way. they looked really hungry as i assume most homeless people who are bone skinny are. i asked them if i could by them some food. the one that wasn't drunk asked if i was going to get the cops, i reassured him that i wasn't. i told them if they stay there i will go get them some food. i got in my car, drove to the nearest grocery store and bought them some food. when i got back they, thank God, were still there. my heart is overwhelmed at this moment because this really is all i could've done...i prayed with them to receive jesus, gave them there food, and said goodbye. they strolled on down the street to never be seen again...i often wonder what happens when you do something like that...where are they now, i guess i will never know. but one thing i do know is i was born for that moment in time, it was what i am living for!

all i can say is i am not trying to become like jesus to this world. i am not trying to figure out what jesus would do...He, jesus lives in me, therefore making me like him...i don't have to work or pray for it. and if i make myself aware of jesus in me i can't help but give love and compassion to someone. after all the church is the only jesus this world will ever see. i could be the only jesus someone like those homeless guys will ever see. i am getting more stirred than ever before to help people, love people, see people get saved and come to the greatest love of all...see them fed, help etc...

for those who have read this far i am really writing this for me. it reminds me of who i am and why i exist. it reminds of why i live and who i live for...i am constantly looking for open doors to give someone the gospel, to help someone move there house, to be a blessing to whoever needs something...this is why i live and this why i am here! for people...

songs that are inspiring me rignt now

leeland: tears of the saints

jesus culture: oh how he loves us

united live: all i need is you

hillsongs: none but jesus, lead me to the cross

tim hughes: take the world

chris tomlin: take my life

kristian stanfill: jesus paid it all, beautiful jesus

uh reach out and reach someone...barna study shows

a barna study shows that the number of unchurched people in the US is now near 100 million. that means that it is time for christians to get to work. not to say that everyone who does not go to church regularly is lost, but how will we know unless we ask them. time is short. many of our friends and neighbors are on the fast track to eternity...with no condemnation behind it i ask the question to myself where do i need to say something...and who do i need to say it to...everyone has someone on there heart usually 5 people they work with or are friends with...what is stopping you from saying something...the great commission (mark 16:15 go into all the world) does not give us the option of hoping that someone will say something. a real reality is people are dying without Jesus. SO there is no greater feeling than seeing someone come to christ!!! and we have so many relevant ways to make church relatable, the gospel easy to understand, i mean for the love of God the gospel is relevant! who doesn't wan't to live guilt free and have your heart cleaned out...how FUN and awesome it is to see people come the know the LOVE of God!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here is the barna report...

Over the past decade, the unchurched population has remained stable at one third of the Americanpopulation, the latest Barna Group survey showed. The Barna study found that 33 percent of adults are classified as unchurched – people who have not attended a religious service of any type during the past six months. The statistic has remained relatively the same since 1994 when 36 percent were reported to be unchurched.

Still, the unchurched population in numbers is staggering. An estimated 73 million adults are presently unchurched. The number nears 100 million when teens and children are added to the population segment. That also includes an estimated 13 to 15 million born-again adults and children. On its own, the unchurched population of the United States would be the eleventh most-populated nation on earth, the Barna Group noted.

Some people groups are notorious church avoiders, the study found.
Political liberals (jesus isn't a republican by the way "my input' not apart of this report) were more than twice as likely to be unchurched (47 percent) than political conservatives (19 percent). Single adults were also more likely to avoid religious services (37 percent) than married adults (29 percent).

Those least likely to be unchurched are residents in the South (26 percent) while residents in the West (42 percent) and Northeast (39 percent) remain the most church resistant.
The study also found sexual orientation is closely related to church status with 31 percent of heterosexuals classified as unchurched compared to 49 percent of homosexuals.

not that everyone who doesn't go to church is not a christian but if you have a heart for reaching people with jesus then this should leave you very uncomfortable...we have job to get done, it's a great job, fun job, the best job, loving and reaching people with that love, GODS LOVE...

AND SCENE...peace

beware i am going to invite you to church

in my completely informal and non scientific study of people i know and work with have no church affiliation. a poll data reveals the following troubling “fact”: most people have never been invited to church.

in retrospect this isn’t that surprising, because, before now, i hadn't invited most of the people at work around me to church, so why would i assume that someone else had? and i’m a worship leader, for pete’s sake.

i can understand why this happens. you don’t want to come across as that pushy church guy, so you don’t ever bring it up. your church is kind of weird, and the pastor (not my pastors) makes really terrible puns, and he sometimes still likes to make everyone hold hands in the service. also, we "relevant" church folks like to point out that the church is not the whole of church, and we should best de-emphasize the worship service at every opportunity so we can look normal and not weird. and for the most part i am realizing that this is not necessarily wrong but certainly isn't right either...

so what is right? i have found out it’s pretty simple, OPEN MY MOUTH…finally i start to get it. i probably have invited half my co workers to church and on a personal level with them talked to them about jesus, but it wasn’t that long ago I kept quiet until someone asked about what i do...

before, in my life, i may have catered to much to being normal so i'm liked rather than categorized as the christian guy. don't get me wrong i am extremely passionate about seeing people come to jesus so here my heart, my desire to be normal is stemmed from a heart for people so i could reach them in the work place...and i am by no means ashamed of the gospel so please don't comment about me being ashamed...and if you think i am you are missing my whole point...

i’ve decided i’m not going to make peoples’ decisions for them anymore. church still can be weird. i often make bad jokes. there are sometimes odd people there and people who don’t always have the best social skills... some of our language is different, but that’s us and that’s church. i figure people like to be invited to stuff. even if they have no interest in ever actually going, people like to be included and it opens the door to say something about jesus, the gospel.

i have thrown caution to the wind, so here goes…

i love Jesus, and i know that he is good news for the world, and because i love Jesus, i try to love the things jesus loved, and one of those things is the church. it’s weird and messed up and often wrong, but that’s who we are...more importantly the church is the HOPE of the world "if we will be"...i choose to be!!!

anyway, you wanna come to a church service with me?
and we can go to chipotle after. Promise!!!

hit play, sit back and listen; you will be changed!!!

it’s not my fault okay. the fact that I may possibly bring myself to severe hearing loss and vocal strain due to this song as my voice is all ready tired from leading worship this sunday. BUT it’s impossible to sing this song soft. although it’s possible to listen to it softly, it’s just pathetically WRONG to do so and you in fact may not love God if you play this song soft :). this is one of those "meant to be cranked freakin loud" songs.

i blame noelle and brad … they are the ones who exposed me to this incredibly anointed song from jesus culture, a ministry out of Bethel Church in Redding, CA. please go buy the album on itunes , search kim walker "we cry out". i just bought it and i must say this is one of the best worship albums i have heard in a really long time...thank you kim walker for this remake as your version is way better than the original, no offense john mark mcmillan..but dude she just brought your song up about 100 levels!!!

the arrangement is powerful. they actually sing the chorus after the first verse, but as far as I’m concerned, the shift into overdrive happens around 3:10 in the song where kim walker takes it up an octave and belts this chorus over and over. i sat on my couch balling my head off experiencing the LOVE OF GOD again. i am truly and deeply moved by how much HE loves me. and it only reaffirms my heart to get people knowing the real God who loves them!!!

confession: I could totally do without the “sloppy wet kiss” line in the 2nd verse. although I can appreciate the creativity of the writer because i would've never thought of that line myself, the analogy doesn’t work for me and, well, is kind of weird. no, i’m not opposed to that kind of reference, or i’d surely tear “song of solomon” out of my bible …it just doesn’t work for me, but whatever. i can't wait to do this song at our church, but i'm not sure if that lyric will fly, so, i’ll either change the 2nd verse, or change the lyrics a bit .. i hate to scrap the verse because “I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us ..” is an AMAZING lyric!

thank you noelle again for showing me this song. thank you GOD for showing me once again that you love me so much...i am truly in complete awe of what you've done for me and how much you have made me feel your unwavering love...it is my life's goal to give this love to other people...and i will live the rest of my life displaying Your love to others...

oh how you love us!!!

the 10/40 window, what it is and should i care

one of the most untalked about subjects in churches on sunday, reaching an unreached people group. 95% of the groups in the 10/40 window are unevangelized. this not only is alarming on many fronts but to myself, what am i doing to reach these people. this video was really intriguing to me. just a reminder that there is so much more to be done globally for the kingdom of God. this is our opportunity as believers to seek out those who are reaching the unreached and help them financially and prayerfully...maybe even ourselves, doing something for these people...

anyways...its just something that is #1 one my heart...as much as i like to have fun i will never forget the job jesus gave in mark 16:15. there is one ultimate job that God has asked us to accomplish and that is to seek and save those who are lost and don't know Him and His unconditional love...

peace

God hates fags? wow he must hate fat people too!!!

this is the perfect example of something that is wrong with the church...now, let me first say there are so many things right with the church after all i helped to pioneer one in AZ...i believe in the church and fully see that the church is the hope of the world...and i am by no means trying to expose someone or some ministry who feels a certain way...so my heart is only to focus on the this particular video as it was very intriguing to me and it brought some interesting questions, SO...

i pose the question, if God hates gays then he must hate the fat preacher who, is condemning towards homosexuals, for over eating at a buffet? i mean, you don't see any christians outside of the sizzler picketing against the sin of gluttony...think about it, we have more fat people than ever...when you look at the state of america and unhealthy lifestyles that americans live you can clearly see that gluttony is a much bigger epidemic of sin than homosexuality...so it's puzzling to me...does God also hate people who speed since speeding is breaking the law...does God hate everyone who complains because the same scriptures in corinthians that talk about sexual immorality bring up murmuring at the end of the scripture verse...even more i would say that complaining is even more of an epidemic that gluttony is because i would say everyone i am around clearly complains everyday...SO why does God only pick on homosexuals...

don't get me wrong i do not condone the act of sin as a homosexual lifestyle is according to the bible immoral...and sin clearly has consequences that the bible talks about but this post isn't about that...it's about us as followers of JESUS and people who call God our father being a light to the world. and to clarify, we are not the light that exposes sin...rather we are the light that exposes the unconditional love of jesus...we are the light that exposes the complete acceptance of God...we are the light that exposes the goodness of God that leads men to repentance...

john 3:17 says that jesus doesn't condemn the world...
romans 5:8 say while we were still sinners christ died...
john 3:16 for God so highly valued the world he gave his only son...
1 john 3:1 we are called the sons of God

ephesians 3:18-19 8 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

i actually completely, with everything that is in me, 100% flat out believe that GOD LOVES GAYS...GOD LOVES FAT PEOPLE, GOD LOVES SKINNY PEOPLE, GOD LOVES MUSLIMS...GOD LOVES COMPLAINERS, GOD IS LOVE AND GOD SIMPLY LOVES PEOPLE!!! and, well, so should we!!!

so very simple, HE LOVES YOU

my uncle ricky gave me this worship album about 4 years
ago from his church in NC...the album wasn't that popular
however it had one of the most powerful moments i have
heard caught on a live worship album. it is one of the
greatest words from God i have ever heard...if you listen
to the whole thing you will see what i mean...i lost that
album but thank God for the wonderful wonders of youtube...
someone put it on there. the video is geared toward woman
but you get the picture...the greatest truth i have ever gotten
ahold of is let God love you first and then you can love Him
and others back the right way!!! GOD LOVE US!!!

10 EVANGELISTIC PRODUCTS GAURANTEED TO WIN PEOPLE TO JESUS, ok yeah right???

ok so i found these on a friend of mines blog and i had to post them up...
this is just classic!!!!

#10. Jesus "Action" Figures This line of figurines represents Jesus being kick-butt at a variety of activities... #9. Armor of God Pajamas These days, for a child, sleep is a constant battle with the forces of darkness.Now you can help your kids defeat darkness with the Armor of God pajamas. It is thought to be the ultimate test of a man's faith when he can enter battle with nothing but a cushy pajama shield. #8. Lookin' Good For Jesus Mini Kit Lookin' Good for Jesus Kit: Contains a mirrored Jesus statuette, body cream (with sparkle!) and a folding mirror compact. The top of the package, adorned with eerie looking cartoon women staring googly-eyed at the Lord, says "Get His Attention"... seriously this is one of the weirdest one of them all!!! and did I mention that this is really being sold! #7. Jesus is My Coach We don't know exactly what the designer of these statues was going for, probably some kind of After School Special about believing in yourself or not abusing drugs. or maybe its giving your little sportster a trophy with Jesus on it. Nonetheless, when they designed the "Jesus is my Gymnastics Coach" statue, they were either the sickest people on earth or so genuinely clean-minded, they couldn't conceive of the thousand and one horribly offensive jokes you can make seeing this thing, HORRIBLE. #6. Jesus Holiday Specs 3D Glasses I don't even know what to say!!!! #5. Praise Workout Circuit Training Video Pick up the Praise Workout Circuit Training Video so you can trim down to the sweet beats of inspirational worship music. Be sure to invite your sinning overweight friends to come and workout as this is a sure way to be a witness for Him...If all other workouts have failed, this has to work as it puts God on your side. If this fails, you're almost definitely going to eat your way right to hell. Make sure you pick it up today... #4. Grapes of Galilee Wine Haroz wineries gives us the Grapes of Galilee wine, from vineyards rightin Jesus' old neighborhood. The crops are even irrigated with waters from the river Jordan where Jesus was baptized and where, in 2008, raw sewage is dumped. Who knows, Jesus Himself may have eaten the great, great, great grandfather of the grape that got pressed into the wine you're drinking. AND if you’re going to get drunk with friends why not use grapes from the Holy land as a witness while you pouring the wine... #3. Testamints Makes your breath smell heavenly...ever tried to witness with your breath smelling like Hell while talking about going to heaven...well NOW you have Test a mints...when you breath on someone they literally want to get saved...and if you are trying to reach people with the love of God, well, you better make sure you have a Test a mint in your mouth... #2. Bibleman Video Game Now, you too can kick butt for the Lord in video game form. When your heathen friends come over to game and before you put in Halo or Tour of duty (games that rock!), you must put in Bible Man "A Fight for Faith...this will draw them in, AMEN!!! #1. Dog Nativity Set Well, when you want to witness to your animal loving friend this nativity scene is sure to bring them in, to the kingdom that is...Make sure you have this set , for sure, next Holiday season...by the way i said Holiday because Christmas is now offensive...and of course why would I want to offend somebody for saying CHRISTMAS!!!!!! That's not Godly... ok so this was pretty ridiculous but i had to post it because of the sheer stupidness of it...and we wonder why people think christians are weird...i am glad jesus wasnt weird, in fact he was the exact opposite...he was relevant in all areas... yeap that’s right, the good news about who God is and what he did for us through jesus is still relevant without some sort of gimmick!!! all i got for now... peace

evangelism linebacker; and,well, i wasn't sure at first

the evangelism linebacker was freakin hilarious...it reminded of another blog or post i read the other day...

several weeks ago my buddy brad put up a post on his blog that put out the challenge "the "great commission (mark 16:15)" or the "great commandment (Matthew 22:39)", or something like that...and after reading his post i wasn't sure how i felt...i didn't disagree at all and in fact i agreed with everything he said but i felt myself getting a little testy with that comment "the great commission (mark 16:15)" or "the great commandment (Matthew 22:39". i wasn't sure at first if it was downplaying the great commission and to be honest i had to ponder it for awhile...but then something happened that helped me see that the post was right, i met my neighbor matt...he lives about 3 doors down from our condo...i would say he is probably 25ish or so and has been walking his dog over the past year around the complex. i never had met him until last week. he was pretty cool and had a pretty cute shitzu and i have a pretty cute yorkie poo, so there you go...two really tough guys with their chick dogs, awesome!!!

in my conversation with him i was trying and or looking for a way to say something about jesus...and i felt desperate to be a witness and see him come to Jesus...as we talked i started to feel frustrated that I couldn't find an open door to win him to the lord...then i remembered brad's blog...he made the comment "are we trying to win someone or are we trying to love them"...if i had to answer that question honestly i would have to say i wasn't loving him rather i was waiting for him to give me that one sweet chance to win him...and i again recalled the "winning someone" rather than "loving them" comment...

i had to step back, check my heart, and realize that my zeal to win someone should only follow my heart and love for them, not the other way around. i look at the scripture "love your neighbor as yourself" and i see a great underlying command and that is giving people the gospel and giving people the real Jesus...i realized after seeing that scripture that the "great commission" and the "great commandment" are synonyms...one can't live without the other. By loving people i am compelled to give them Jesus. By loving people the great commission is fulfilled because of God's heart in me to GO (to the world)...by loving people i am compelled to be bothered by whole nations not knowing Jesus...and loving people let's me be myself and be a friend to my neighbor, by loving him the door will open for me to give him the gospel...for whatever reason there wasn't an open door with matt, and as much as it bothers me to not know if he has said yes to Jesus i know i can't throw it down his throat. It bothers me enough to make sure that next time he is outside with his dog, I will go back to him again...and again...and again. He will know that I care about him because he is my friend and not my project. I will pray for an open door to say something...and when that happens i gladly and boldly will walk through that door...because I love him.

i guess all that to say that the evangelism linebacker was funny but that approach doesn't and well, never will work...

word to your moms!!!

the pissing preacher (is pissing in the bible? i never knew)

uh this video just simply made me remember why preachers frustrate me at times. i sat there an watched it laughing trying to figure out if this was real or not...but then i heard the few amens and realized "crap this is for real". i even looked up the scripture and sure enough, "1 kings 14:10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall"...wow, i found the other passages as well...it's crazy what the bible has in it...hahaha

the one major thing that i have noticed over the last 15 years of church and ministry is that when we see a well meaning preacher standing in his pulpit yelling about some sorta of sin and or soap box he has, it usually means its what he or she is dealing with the most. in other words, it's like the preacher who gets up and says not to do the very thing he can't stop himself from doing when he is by his self or where no one can see him. or the tv evangelist preaching against sexual sins and then gets caught having an affair. unfortunately i have seen and been around men and woman of God who have fallen while condemning someone else while they are fallen (fallen means, getting caught doing something you shouldn't be doing) and for the longest time i have been shouting from the mountain tops "preach the GOSPEL"...the gospel isn't a soap box to stand on and pick on a particular sin or group of people who are sinning, it's the good news about how God redeemed man through jesus and because of this redemption we now have the ability of God in us to do the right thing...and when someone messes up we have the grace to forgive and restore...that is what God is and who He is in us if we will let Him be!!! we don't have to preach what we are against but we can preach, talk, communicate what we are for...and i am for the Gospel...God has made peace with man. Sin is no longer the issue rather identity is now the issue...when we know who we are in jesus sin is easy to walk away from!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God loves us so very much...more than we will ever know!

i find that when you have someone who screams "HOLINESS, LIVE HOLY OR GOD CAN'T USE YOU", that person usually isn't that holy when no one is watching. and really that statement is not true...because if it was God couldn't use anybody. he couldn't have used moses because he was a murderer and a complainer, he couldn't have used samson because he was a fornicator or was having sex with an ungodly woman who wasn't his wife, he couldn't have used king david, a man after His, God's own heart, because david was a liar, murderer, adulterer, cheater, and he even tried to cover up his sin too before getting caught. if holiness or "pissing sitting down" was the issue then none of us would qualify...that's why i believe so strongly in teaching and preaching and talking about "WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST" rather than "who we aren't and how we better try to be". the world needs to know God and that salvation comes through His son Jesus and because of jesus you are now qualified, accepted, worthy to be called His child. this is what frees people from sin and gives them the strength to live holy. i am not sure "standing up to piss" is what God is saying right now...or maybe He is and i am just totally misunderstanding salvation and reaching to the world with the love of God. yeah that's probably true...

this is true about me, i would never want to sit in the seat of the scornful judging a preacher for what they feel God is giving them to preach on but i do challenge preachers to sit down and listen to what and how they are saying it. is what i am preaching about coming from a place of love for people, is what i am saying going build up someone and give them the courage to go on and live right? condemnation doesn't produce God's ability in someone to do the right thing rather it hinders it. jesus never pointed his finger and yelled "we have men sitting down to piss today and i am the Son of God and i pee only the way God's pee's and that is STANDING UP, GLORY". however you do have jesus pointing his finger to religious leaders and telling them that they were a bunch of judgmental snakes...you also see jesus turning and reaching out his hand to a woman caught in adultery and giving her the strength to not sin anymore, forgiving her, showing her acceptance...we have jesus when he was on earth challenging every religious duty that was listed under the law and on the other hand forgiving a ruthless criminal hanging next to him on a cross. He was and is the living gospel...what he does is what i do!!! you don't have scripture of jesus ever condemning the world, rather you do have him standing up against church people for being judgmental...does jesus have a standard for holiness? yes, but the way he preached was different from ours. he actually gave a sinner the right to call God abba or father first. he established the relationship with God, told people who they were and who God has made them to be, THEN, they had the ability and strength to change there behavior, and maybe that was peeing sitting down, maybe someone really struggled being a "standing up to piss" kind of a guy...really, maybe!!!

in closing this preacher struck a good nerve in me that had me look inside and make sure that what i am saying is out of love and not out of being right...it had me thinking i guess.

hmm, i had to write about this too because, well, maybe i feel guilty...i sit down when i pee...ask tonya...

peace

joshuaproject.net

wow what an eye opening site...the best i have found on the web about the great commission and unreached people groups!!!

jesus, friend of sinners

its been a while and i am glad to be blogging again.

for several weeks i have been really thinking and pondering the life of jesus and who he was to people especially when he walked on this earth...i read this scripture the other day "matthew 26:50 jesus replied, "friend, do what you came for." and after reading and hearing it, it blew my mind. matthew 26 is the chapter that has jesus at the last supper and getting betrayed by judas. and here jesus, knowing what is about to happen, calls judas a friend.

think about it...the words "friend do what you came for" were directed at judas when he came to betray jesus. and like i said jesus knew judas was going to betray him yet, in the midst of betrayal, jesus still had enough love in him to call judas "friend". for GOD'S sake!!! judas basically gave him up to die for money...how crazy it is for judas to betray jesus in this manner and jesus have the nerve to still call him friend...i mean was jesus being sarcastic...? the word "friend" in matthew 26:50 literally means in its original language 1. a comrade, mate, partner 2. a kindly address 3. friend, (my good friend)...wow, so in context of this scripture jesus was literally addressing judas as a "good friend" or "comrade"...

when i sit and think about jesus and who he was i am humbled by his love for us. it's as if jesus was telling us that even if we betray him, turn our back, deny him, he will still call us friend! this seems sorta unfair...it's unfair because it almost sounds as if i can be a prick and you can be a good christian, pay your tithes and yet we both are still called friends of God...i can almost find it hard to believe but then i found more scripture...luke 7:34 the son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a "friend" of publicans and sinners! Matthew 11:19 the son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions." so jesus is a friend of sinners hmm, i looked up the word "friend" again in these passages and for the greek scholars out there the word "friend" means:
1) friend, to be friendly to one, wish him well
a) a friend b) an associate c) he who associates familiarly with one, a companion
d) one of the bridegroom's friends who on his behalf asked the hand of the bride and rendered him various services in closing the marriage and celebrating the nuptials
after looking this up you can safely say that jesus is calling drunks and tax collectors companions. and here you have judas betraying jesus, and jesus being accused of being a gluttonous person because he is hanging with sinners, it starts to become clear on who jesus was trying to reach...who he was trying extend himself too. i wonder if we could learn something here...and yes i know he came for everyone but that's not my point...i am in my on heart searching to see who he had his focus on...

so in conclusion i found a specific pattern in the life of jesus that is found in the gospels...jesus the son of our holy living God was a friend to people who betrayed him and to people who sinned alot...why was jesus accused of being a glutton and a drunkard...it's because that was who he hung around, that is who he associated with. don't believe me, read the gospels and you tell me who he hung around most other than his disciples...on the flip side who was jesus most frustrated with? you might be suprised, and well, that's another post at a later time...jesus was a real friend and he didn't put a condition on whether or not he was befriended back.

a clue, jesus hung out with sinners and yet was sinless while the church is to afraid to engage sinners because of sin. it really is time to quit being afraid of the world and it's sin and start reaching out without sinning, uh, it can be done...jesus did and if he did so can we...not only can we but i believe jesus called us to it. the bible says that God isn't willing that any should perish and it's time the church take it's rightful place and love people even when there's betrayal...what would jesus do? HELLO WE KNOW WHAT HE WOULD DO so let's start DOING WHAT JESUS DOES and that's love people and let God love them through us with no conditions!!!! wow, loving with no conditions hmm we can do it...

peace my peeps...