So another wow thing that happened this weekend was I met a man named Joe. Joe is a gay hairdresser and he has a partner. They consider each other as husbands because they have been together for 30 years. Joe went to ISSE with us and while we were all getting ready to go to the club I interrupted the hair teasing and make up applications to address something that was concerning me.
Nathan and I have never really went "clubbing" we have been to a club or two in our life times but the bar/club scene was never our thing. I was afraid that we would get to the club and I would HATE it and want to go back to the hotel but be stuck at the club because everyone else was loving it. Joe was so sweet and asked me what I would say if we got to the club and he said "Guys I really think this is lame and want to go back to the hotel" I said I would go back with him. He said and "So would I."
I thanked Joe for being so cool about my anxieties.
Joe then told me that I am a shining example of what Christians should be.
I said "I am?" and he said "Yes"
He then proceeded to tell me that when he first met me that morning and he asked me how I came to California and I told him that we moved to start a church here in Escondido he immediately thought he wasn't going to like me but curiosity got the best of him and he asked me what kind of church. So I briefly told him what our church stands for and how we don't have a denomination because we believe in the Bible and not all the fuss that comes with the title of a denomination, the unnecessary battles over baptism, communion, music, etc. We follow the Bible because it is God's word. Whats a better way to run a church than by using the word of God!? I also told Joe that we want people to:
Come as you are
Hear the word of God
Do the word of God
Tell others how awesome God is
Joe saw that I wasn't condemning him for his lifestyle, I accepted him for who he is. It is not my job to convict Joe about this lifestyle or to try and change him. Its my responsibility to share God and his love with others and that is what I did. I believe that God has a plan for Joe and his partner. What that plan is I don't know but God is going to take care of it. Joe said that if more Christians were like me than maybe he and his partner would go to church. They haven't had very good experiences with attending church and I can understand their feelings. It just makes me think about my second blog post on this blog. We have to be careful of the things we say and do because it can cause so much damage. In our haste to show people Gods love we tend to try and force that love down their throats. "Oh whats that you didn't change right away? Here let me shove it a little deeper"
"It's not our job to lead people to Christ. It's our job to introduce them and let God do the work"-Dave Ikenberry (sp)
Don't get me wrong. I am not tooting my own horn. I am just happy that I was able to show Joe the love of Christ and a seed was planted. Thank you God!
God is good and I pray that he continues to use me in ways that I can't even imagine. I want to touch peoples lives and not even realize the impact it had. Glory to God, Glory to God.
I'm a believer God but I'm still a work in progress. Please keep working on me and changing me for the better. I want to be a living example of you and your holiness.
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