Mercy

By Justin Gray


I remember a time, shortly after moving to Nashville, that I was without a job. Slowing sipping from the puddle of my savings I began searching for new employment. One day, between my daily resume drop-offs, I stopped for lunch. Outside of McDonald's sat a man on the curb. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were ratty, and his face was smeared with dirt. Our eyes met as I approached the entrance.

I wanted to look away, just as I had many times before; but something was different.

He said he needed help. I asked him if he was hungry. He said yes.

I wanted to leave him with some food on my way out; but something was different.

I asked him to come inside. The cashier gawked at him as we placed our order. Then she said: "Will that be for here, or to go?"

I wanted to say "to go" and simply part ways in peace; but something was different.

I said "for here". The man from the curb gawked at me as I motioned to an open table. At this point, there was no turning back; eating in silence was not an option.

We talked and we ate. We both stood over the ruins of his life staring in disbelief. He wanted to start over. He wanted a job. He no longer wanted to sleep in the woods. I told him by the grace of God he could start over. I told him there was hope in Christ. We dumped our empty trays and walked out into the parking lot.

I felt that I had done enough; but something was different.

There was a consignment store in my periphery. I asked him to follow me. His eyes grew bigger as we approached the store. I invited him in. His eyes filled up with water, but didn't overflow their banks.

We walked the aisles and filled our basket. The cashier tried not to stare at him as she entered our total. We grabbed our bags and were once again in the parking lot.

He thanked me. I prayed for him and we parted ways.

That day I thought long and hard about my encounter with the man on the curb. Why couldn't I just look away? Why couldn't I just leave him food? What was so different this time?

Mercy.

I wept that night because I realized that every one of us is a man on a curb waiting for mercy.

Thank God that he did not pass by our desperation.

Luke 18:35-42

A Simple Appeal

By Justin Gray

I am not a theologian. I am not a scientist. I am not a doctor. I'm just a person.

When I was growing up, my father often said of himself jokingly: "I am not a Rhodes scholar, but I am a road scholar because I've learned a lot on this road of life" - I feel much the same way.

To be clear, by no means do I think he opposed education or the greatly educated; nor do I for that matter. On the contrary, I do honor and admire those who have given their lives in order to scale the lofty heights of academia that they may breathe that rarefied air.

It is often these men and women who share with us valley dwelling villagers a perspective from the mountain tops. And I admit that I often dare to dip my face to drink from the fire hydrant of their knowledge, albeit at the risk of being smothered; a very refreshing and yet overwhelming expense.

So in light of my intellectual mortality, I'd like to apologize in advance to those giants who may stumble upon the pebble of this post.

Now on to my simple appeal.

I beg my fellow villagers to listen carefully.

Have you not noticed that there is something wrong?

We rise in the morning and set about our days with great concern for our time, grooming, and business travel. Once to work we are daily pressed by our occupations for better results despite our greatest efforts.

Have you not heard this call of excellence from within and without?

We return home only to spend our evenings fighting back the disarray which creeps into our homes also known as "cleaning". 

Do we not also with great exertion pull together tightly the fabric of our relationships as to avoid the threat of a breach? What is this force that tries to tear us away from each other?

Have you not noticed the many temper tantrums of nature?

Too often are we subject to her meteorological mood swings. Violent waves and swirling winds. Angry storms and the quaking earth. What has made her so upset that she seems to rail against us?

Have you not noticed that there is something wrong? I have.

I have wrestled long with this question only to discover that in asking the question I acknowledge that things are not as they should be. Everyday I notice a little more that something is wrong and everyday I do try to make things right; I think we all do.

Do you see it now?

Haven't you noticed that in all of our trying it seems as though something is still wrong. So we find ourselves waiting, but we are not sure for what. Hoping, maybe one day, it will get better.

Now I make my appeal.

You may not be a theologian. You may not be a scientist. You may not be a doctor. So I simply appeal to your person.

Could it be that the call of excellence to us both from within and without points to a goodness beyond ourselves?

Could it be that the wrong we notice creeping in us and over us only indicates our great need for things to be made right?

Could it be that nature is upset (just as we are) and awaits the day when things will be as they should.

Could it be that what we call 'wrong' could be called 'sin'?

Could it be that the only hope of better things is from God?

This is my simple appeal. Please consider it carefully.

Romans 8:18-25

How To Love: Christians and Homosexuality

By Justin Gray


After much consideration I have decided to attempt the death-defying act of writing on a very controversial topic. A topic which elicits conflicting thoughts and emotions for many who have experienced its social, political, and spiritual effects.

Homosexuality is a very sensitive subject. Shame, disappointment, and confusion are just some of the feelings often associated with this issue. Furthermore, homosexuality is becoming more pervasive in our culture with gay rights activism growing out of its epicenter.

So engaging this conversation is virtually unavoidable. 

In all honesty, as a Christian I have struggled deeply with how to express love and develop relationships with those of the LGTBQ community because of our differences.

This post represents some of my own conclusions after a time of deep personal reflection on this all important topic.

Here goes nothing...

1. “Homosexuality is an abomination!”

I have found that this is a phrase that is often misinterpreted and
taken out of context.

I will spare you the great theological detail and just say that there is consensus among biblical scholars, both conservative and liberal, on the prohibition of intimate same-sex relations.

So I agree that Christians should have sure moral footing on this issue. However, it seems that one of the more prevalent Christian positions concerning homosexuality is that it is a "cardinal sin". And by virtue of this position many have elevated this prohibited lifestyle above all others; consequently producing an unfair social stigma for people of the LGTBQ community.

In the minds of many Christians if you are gay, you are REALLY BAD.

This leads me to believe that some who claim strong religious convictions are probably more homophobic than overtly Christian.

We should be reminded that Jesus often found himself among the outcasts of society. The gay community, though increasing in prominence, is still a fringe social group or ‘outcasts’ to a certain degree. In order to share the love of Christ, we must be willing to put our fears and stereotypes aside to share the gospel message and discuss openly the implications of this message with regard to sexual lifestyle.

2. “Love the person, hate the sin.” 

This philosophy has become an extremely convoluted Christian ideal.

The American social landscape is changing. A society once shaped by traditional Christian values seems to be no more. Today, we are beginning to see those traditional views being challenged with what many would consider to be “more progressive” thinking. The homosexual lifestyle is no longer treated as a psychological disorder or shunned as a sexually deviant behavior as it was just a few generations ago.

The LGTBQ community has now risen to a level of public acceptance on the grounds that sexual orientation is not “what you do” but “who you are”. Many people who live a homosexual lifestyle embrace the idea that they were born with a predisposition toward the same sex. So in the mind of this person it is impossible to separate their sexual behavior or deep same-sex attraction from their personal identity.

So the phrase "love the person, hate the sin" is interpreted as "hate the person who loves the sin".

Unfortunately, in frustration many Christians either turn their backs on this community all together, or take the “just-give-your-life-to-Jesus-and-stop-sinning” position when engaging their homosexual family members, friends or acquaintances. In my opinion, these attitudes are cold, harsh, and even accusatory.

I believe that Christ would be better represented in these relationships if we learned to pray and be patient.

God has been incredibly patient with mankind throughout the course of history. One person after another failing to live up to God’s standard of true righteousness, and yet, He has continued to be merciful and forbearing.

We have a lot to learn about grace where this is concerned.

Our desire for the restoration of one's personal identity should never override or violate one’s human dignity. People have the right to choose and we must be loving and patient even when they do not choose to our liking.

3. "Speak the truth in love."

I once heard a preacher give an interesting analogy to describe the process of delivering truth to a person.

And it went something like this:

Truth is like an eighteen wheeler truck in that it is usually very heavy. Truth needs a road to travel in order to reach the person.

In a sense, our relationships act as the bridge or that road upon which truth travels. If the relationship is not strong enough to support the weight of the truth, then it will collapse before it reaches the person. The stronger the relationship, the more weight or truth can be supported. Heavy truth is more likely to be received when there is a strong relationship upon which it may cross.  

I've found these to be very wise words, which typically hold true with one exception - situations of dire urgency.

For example, we all would probably agree that a fire fighter doesn't need a strong relationship with those he urges to flee a burning building. And we can be equally sure that those who are perishing in the flames, would prefer an abrupt rescue over a friendly marshmallow roast.

However, given the full context of a persons situation we must be balanced in how we engage people. Generally speaking, I feel that even in our attempts to communicate truth with urgency a great deal of loving carefulness is vitally important.

I find too often that instead of making a personal investment in a relationship with a person of differing values, many Christians only care about delivering their precious cargo.

Some may disagree with this statement, but ultimately I'd prefer a visitor to knock at the door of my life rather than try to kicked it down. In scripture, Jesus knocks on our door (Rev 3:20), and he also invites us to knock on his (Matt 7:8, Luke 11:10).

Wherever you stand on this topic I pray that my words will be taken to heart. This is an issue that we can't ignore, if for no other reason because it touches so many of us on multiple levels.

We must recognize that there is more at stake than a right or wrong position in the growing debate over sexual lifestyle. Learning how to love our homosexual neighbor could be the difference between life and death both temporal and eternal.

Our Grandfather Who Art In Heaven

By Justin Gray

After a week of casual observations from social media, co-workers, etc.  I asked myself the following question:

'If I were to rewrite the "Lord's Prayer" according to the standards of American culture, how would it read?'

This question provides the basic premise for the rest of this post.

I believe the rewrite of Jesus' words would sound something like this:

Our grandfather who art in heaven, inaccurate is your name, my kingdom come, my will be done, on earth as it should be in heaven’… and so on.   

Interestingly, in C.S. Lewis’ book The Problem of Pain he says that most humans want “…not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven…” this is an incredible insight, and I feel, very much ahead of its time. 

Many people bristle at the notion of a holy God, because so many of us hold fast and live according to the idea that ‘nobody’s perfect’. 

This presents a great dilemma for most people. If we are in fact called as Christians to live holy or (morally perfect) then it would seem that God has placed a demand upon us to conform to an impossible standard.  And for non-Christians this concept seems even more ludicrous in light of the notion that 'nobody's perfect'.

In reaction to God's demand for holiness, I believe we have created a God in the likeness of a spoiling and passive grandfather.  

Primarily, because the great expectations and correction of a loving heavenly Father is seen as being far too lofty a concept, or too unbelievable for our post-modern sensibilities.   

As Lewis puts it, "He (God) has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.” 

So what are the implications of living out the CRV (culturally revised version) of "The Lord’s Prayer"?  What are the results of a “grandfather in heaven”? 

I believe the simple answer is moral relativism.

Moral relativism has been incubated by post-modernity. And represents a shift in categorical thinking particularly concerning 'truth', fostering a belief that an individual’s worldview is all there is apart from any governing standard.

A world with no governing standard is the equivalent of a completely unsupervised universe. 

We can do whatever we want, because our heavenly grandfather doesn’t care as long as we’re having fun. 

We can eat our fill from the cookie jar, and have ice cream on demand. If we hurt ourselves, he will come running to attend to our wounds only admonishing us to ‘be careful.’ 

However, what it means to actually ‘be careful’ is undefined and left for us to decide.  

In our culture there seems to be no definitions; only applications. We create our own sense of reality based upon the way we choose to do things.

In light of this point, imagine what it would be like to be invited to dinner only to find the table spread with ice cream, candy bars, and fruit snacks- for most people this would be strange and even unappetizing. 

However, "dinner" in post-modern terms is nothing more than a word to describe a meal served at the end of the day; so “dinner" is what we make it.   And the host of this "dinner" smiles with his rotten teeth and invites you to partake in the meal he has so graciously prepared for you.

If moral relativism is truly the order of the day, we are all doomed to dine at its buffet of beliefs. 

And what’s more, our heavenly grandfather chuckles with delight to see us eat our fill, oblivious to the fact that we are rotting away.

By creating a “grandfather in heaven” we have lost what it truly means to ‘be careful’.  And only a holy God can define for us what being careful truly means.

To be clear, God did not leave us to fend for ourselves in this world but he sent his son to live amongst us exhibiting all the attributes of a holy life.  Not to set the bar of achievement, but so through Christ's sinless life, death, and resurrection God’s righteous standard would be satisfied in Him.  And we by faith in Christ have become holy and have been empowered to ‘be careful’.  

So let us forsake the way of the orphan,
which leads to loneliness and despair,
and turn to the One who will embrace us,
the One through Christ who makes us heirs.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed will be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

The Last Words of An Atheist

By Justin Gray

I

’ve often wondered what the last words of an Atheist would be. As they lie helplessly upon their bed, writhing in pain or slowly withering away as death creeps over them. What happens when they are faced with the rigid finality of death and the potential annihilation of their being?

If there were someone dear to listen, what would they say? The words "I love you" would seem most appropriate. However, such a statement would imply that love transcends life and there are no transcendent realities according to the Atheist. For him, love does fade with the lover. And even if they should decide to persist in love, how can they be assured that it would endure beyond their demise? That would require faith, and faith is for the foolish. “I love you” just doesn’t work.

What words, if any, could force their way through the harsh philosophical matrix of the Atheist to touch the one who attends their bedside?

I imagine that in this moment death makes a world once ripe with answers, seem shrunken beyond words.

For if “I love you” doesn’t work then what is left to say? To speak of any enduring virtues would be a lie, but to stare defiantly into the darkness saying nothing would be equally shameful. All the doors seem to slam shut on what can be said, however one possibility remains. They may dare to be honest.

“I love you, but soon I will love you no more. Love is only for this life, and so I must leave it behind. So enjoy love while you have it, because one day you will surrender it to death. Goodbye.” – the Atheist

1 Corinthians 13:13

Our Deep Secret

By Justin Gray

I

f we're honest, (honesty probably being the most elusive of all virtues) beneath the Band-Aid of our lives there is a blistering reality that plagues us. A tender wound we nurse grows deeper; and we know that no salve or bandage of our making is adequate for its healing. Oh how weary and cynical we have become because our energies fail us in treating this issue. Continually seeking refreshment and finding none.

Day after day we lift the cup of life to our lips, and are surprised by its bitter taste. Even moments of sweetness are fleeting and far too sporadic to bask in; much like the sun setting only minutes after it has risen.

This trouble in our souls is such a painful puncture.

Always trying to clothe our consternation, but the changing season dictates our attire and inevitably the wound is exposed once again. 'I'm doing fine' is but a conditioned response used to draw the attention of others away from our plight, and we also find the question 'how are you doing?' equally as superficial.

It seems as if no one really knows us. 

Does anyone care to know us?

When will this charade end?

Can’t they see that something is wrong?

These are the screaming questions we silence with a smile. And another day passes; and yet another. And time feels like a snowball becoming an avalanche sweeping over us, burying our pain even deeper.  A pain so deep and indescribable, we prefer that it go unnamed. If we dare name it, we may call this ‘our deep secret’, but its real name is ‘loneliness.’

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;

but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:6

Living By Design

By Justin Gray

W

hen God gives us life, that life has purpose.  Our movement toward that ultimate purpose is the fulfillment of God's intention in creating us, and of our own desire for happiness.  Regardless of what we may desire for ourselves, fulfilling God's purpose is our greatest good.  To rebel against the purpose for which we were created is a violation of our design, and consequently an incredibly miserable condition. 

A man convinced he can fly will spread his arms and jump from a stool, and then a ladder, and then the roof of his home, until he attempts a height from which there is no recovery. There will be great frustration and pain until he accepts the fact that he is naturally destined to walk. 

He must not despise his legs, but rather yield to their function.  In the same way, we must yield to God's purpose for our lives.  With time, we will discover that fulfilling His design is a higher calling, much higher than any birds of the air.