11.15.2012
11.12.2012
Ministry Monday - Homosexuality
Let me start by saying, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. WAIT!!!! Don’t stop reading! Now, let me say… the church has not done a good job at expressing the heart of God on this subject! In this post I’d like to address some things to the church and some things to the homosexual. Before I go into that let me start by apologizing on behalf of the church to the homosexual community. We have not done a good job of loving you like Christ loves you. Our mission as the church is to love God & love people. We have done a really good job at judging and condemning you instead of loving you and for that I am so sorry. You are loved by God so much! You are important to Him and you matter very much!!!
I’d like to start by explaining why God says “homosexuality is a sin”. So often the church preaches at unchurched people the word of God without explaining what they are preaching. When that happens, it often comes across in a condemning way.
Let’s define sin. For so long the world and even the church has defined sin as something bad that we do. I’ve come to realize more and more that sin isn’t so much as a specific bad act we commit, it’s more of a separator. The Lord God is Holy! He can’t sin, sin is not apart of Him whatsoever. God calls us to be Holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) When we sin we become less holy thus pushing us further and further away from God. God’s heart is to be so close to us, to have such a personal and intimate relationship with us. Unfortunately, when Adam & Eve sinned in the garden, that single act separated us from God. Thankfully, God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross so that sin would have no power over us. When Christ died, he bridged the gap from us to God. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous”(Romans 5:19). He is the only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Now, for years I would read that one verse and I always read it like this “Look, you better pick this Jesus guy otherwise you’re going to hell.” Or “If you pick any other religion, you’re going to hell.” God is NOT saying that in this scripture. What He is saying is “No one else is coming for you, I’m not sending anyone else to be your savior. I’m sending Jesus, my only son to build a bridge back to me, for you”.
Now that we understand that sin is a separator, let’s talk about why homosexuality is a sin. Before I go into that, I’d like to start by saying that there is no rank to sin in God’s eyes. Sin is sin and no matter how you try to rank it, it still separates us from God just the same. The reason why I say that is because homosexuality has become such huge thing & it’s really no bigger than any other sin. satan who is very real, has used homosexuality to cause strife in the church & in the church’s relationship with the world & it has got to stop! The church was never supposed to be in debate with the world. The church was always supposed to be love to the world. Church, we’ve got to stop the debate! It’s not about who’s wrong & who’s right, it’s about Him! It’s always been about Him. Stop biting satan’s bait of debate. That’s pride. World, please show us some grace, the church never claimed to be perfect. If anything, we are the first ones to admit that we are not. The only difference is that we realize we need something more than what we are to live in total freedom in this lifetime and the next.
Sorry I got off track, here we go…
Since this is a sensitive subject, I am going to do my best to be very gentle with it. I know a lot of people have been hurt. The Bible is very clear that homosexuality is not God’s plan for our lives. There are scriptures that clearly say this (1 Corinthians 6:9 & 1 Timothy 1:10). The biggest question that is asked in response to those scriptures is the question ”Why?” For so long the church has not been able to answer the “Why?” questions that people have on most major topics. Since we believe that The Bible is the perfect and infallible word of God, we’ve valued it enough to just take him at His Word. Unfortunately, much of the world doesn’t value it the way the church does so they want to know why God says certain things. The answer to the question “Why?” is found in knowing the one who created you. Ya see, knowing “Why?” will not set you free, knowing God is what sets you free. If that’s not good enough & you still want to know why, maybe this will help a little…
I was sitting in church one night listening to the late Dr. Leo Godzich, founder of NAME: National Association of Marriage Enhancement preach on relationships. He quoted Genesis 1:27 (AMP) which states, “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Then he said something that struck me, he said men are the representation of the image of God and women are the representation of the likeness of God. Let’s break this down…
MAN = IMAGE
WOMAN = LIKENESS
IMAGE + LIKENESS = COMPLETE REPRESENTATION OF GOD
When a man & a women come together in marriage, they make the complete representation of God on the earth. And God is all about bringing heaven to earth. In the Lord’s Prayer we hear Jesus say “they kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The “on earth as it is in heaven” part means, “If it aint in heaven it don’t belong on earth.” A man and a man together or a woman and a woman together distorts the representation of God on the earth. And God wants a clear representation of Himself on the earth.
One of my friends who struggled with homosexuality once said to me “How could this be wrong in the eyes of God if He created me this way?”. That question broke my heart, first because I could hear the pain in his voice that he had experienced from people condemning him & second because he had no idea who his true identity was in Christ. The fact is, humans aren’t born gay or straight, they are actually born Asexual. That is how a new-born baby can nurse on their mother’s breast and it not be a sexual act. Some feel they were born homosexual and I believe that they can look back on the course of their life and the only people that they were sexually attracted to were those of their same-sex. That makes sense to me & that may be true however, everyone is born into the sin nature. Those who struggle with pornography (yes, that is sin as well) weren’t born pornographers. Those who struggle with adultery weren’t born adulterers. We are all fearfully & wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14) but we were also all born into the same sin nature, and we have the choice to deny our cravings for that sinful nature that separates us from our Creator or we can choose to give into them & push Him further and further away.
To the person who is struggling with homosexuality: First, YOU are loved more deeply than you can ever imagine by God. You matter. You are important to God and all that He is doing on this earth. The Bible says that satan is the father of all lies (John 8:44). satan is lying to you to try to pull you away from your position of strength. When he tries to get the men to act like women and the women to act like men, he is trying to pull them away from their position of strength. Second, You are more than who you sleep with. You’re identity is not found in your sexual orientation. You are so much more! Please don’t settle for defining your whole life off of one small part of it. I encourage you to start a relationship with Jesus, give Him your heart and let Him begin to whisper who you are & what He’s created you for, over you. Jesus is willing and ready to accept you, just as you are with open arms right now.
To the church: Those forgiven much, love much. Let’s not forget how much we’ve been forgiven of & let’s become the best at loving. We represent the God of the Universe who is love (1 John 4:8). Let’s rise up & be who we were created to be…all of us!
Until next time, love you!
Kerrin
I’d like to start by explaining why God says “homosexuality is a sin”. So often the church preaches at unchurched people the word of God without explaining what they are preaching. When that happens, it often comes across in a condemning way.
Let’s define sin. For so long the world and even the church has defined sin as something bad that we do. I’ve come to realize more and more that sin isn’t so much as a specific bad act we commit, it’s more of a separator. The Lord God is Holy! He can’t sin, sin is not apart of Him whatsoever. God calls us to be Holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) When we sin we become less holy thus pushing us further and further away from God. God’s heart is to be so close to us, to have such a personal and intimate relationship with us. Unfortunately, when Adam & Eve sinned in the garden, that single act separated us from God. Thankfully, God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross so that sin would have no power over us. When Christ died, he bridged the gap from us to God. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous”(Romans 5:19). He is the only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Now, for years I would read that one verse and I always read it like this “Look, you better pick this Jesus guy otherwise you’re going to hell.” Or “If you pick any other religion, you’re going to hell.” God is NOT saying that in this scripture. What He is saying is “No one else is coming for you, I’m not sending anyone else to be your savior. I’m sending Jesus, my only son to build a bridge back to me, for you”.
Now that we understand that sin is a separator, let’s talk about why homosexuality is a sin. Before I go into that, I’d like to start by saying that there is no rank to sin in God’s eyes. Sin is sin and no matter how you try to rank it, it still separates us from God just the same. The reason why I say that is because homosexuality has become such huge thing & it’s really no bigger than any other sin. satan who is very real, has used homosexuality to cause strife in the church & in the church’s relationship with the world & it has got to stop! The church was never supposed to be in debate with the world. The church was always supposed to be love to the world. Church, we’ve got to stop the debate! It’s not about who’s wrong & who’s right, it’s about Him! It’s always been about Him. Stop biting satan’s bait of debate. That’s pride. World, please show us some grace, the church never claimed to be perfect. If anything, we are the first ones to admit that we are not. The only difference is that we realize we need something more than what we are to live in total freedom in this lifetime and the next.
Sorry I got off track, here we go…
Since this is a sensitive subject, I am going to do my best to be very gentle with it. I know a lot of people have been hurt. The Bible is very clear that homosexuality is not God’s plan for our lives. There are scriptures that clearly say this (1 Corinthians 6:9 & 1 Timothy 1:10). The biggest question that is asked in response to those scriptures is the question ”Why?” For so long the church has not been able to answer the “Why?” questions that people have on most major topics. Since we believe that The Bible is the perfect and infallible word of God, we’ve valued it enough to just take him at His Word. Unfortunately, much of the world doesn’t value it the way the church does so they want to know why God says certain things. The answer to the question “Why?” is found in knowing the one who created you. Ya see, knowing “Why?” will not set you free, knowing God is what sets you free. If that’s not good enough & you still want to know why, maybe this will help a little…
I was sitting in church one night listening to the late Dr. Leo Godzich, founder of NAME: National Association of Marriage Enhancement preach on relationships. He quoted Genesis 1:27 (AMP) which states, “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Then he said something that struck me, he said men are the representation of the image of God and women are the representation of the likeness of God. Let’s break this down…
MAN = IMAGE
WOMAN = LIKENESS
IMAGE + LIKENESS = COMPLETE REPRESENTATION OF GOD
When a man & a women come together in marriage, they make the complete representation of God on the earth. And God is all about bringing heaven to earth. In the Lord’s Prayer we hear Jesus say “they kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The “on earth as it is in heaven” part means, “If it aint in heaven it don’t belong on earth.” A man and a man together or a woman and a woman together distorts the representation of God on the earth. And God wants a clear representation of Himself on the earth.
One of my friends who struggled with homosexuality once said to me “How could this be wrong in the eyes of God if He created me this way?”. That question broke my heart, first because I could hear the pain in his voice that he had experienced from people condemning him & second because he had no idea who his true identity was in Christ. The fact is, humans aren’t born gay or straight, they are actually born Asexual. That is how a new-born baby can nurse on their mother’s breast and it not be a sexual act. Some feel they were born homosexual and I believe that they can look back on the course of their life and the only people that they were sexually attracted to were those of their same-sex. That makes sense to me & that may be true however, everyone is born into the sin nature. Those who struggle with pornography (yes, that is sin as well) weren’t born pornographers. Those who struggle with adultery weren’t born adulterers. We are all fearfully & wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14) but we were also all born into the same sin nature, and we have the choice to deny our cravings for that sinful nature that separates us from our Creator or we can choose to give into them & push Him further and further away.
To the person who is struggling with homosexuality: First, YOU are loved more deeply than you can ever imagine by God. You matter. You are important to God and all that He is doing on this earth. The Bible says that satan is the father of all lies (John 8:44). satan is lying to you to try to pull you away from your position of strength. When he tries to get the men to act like women and the women to act like men, he is trying to pull them away from their position of strength. Second, You are more than who you sleep with. You’re identity is not found in your sexual orientation. You are so much more! Please don’t settle for defining your whole life off of one small part of it. I encourage you to start a relationship with Jesus, give Him your heart and let Him begin to whisper who you are & what He’s created you for, over you. Jesus is willing and ready to accept you, just as you are with open arms right now.
To the church: Those forgiven much, love much. Let’s not forget how much we’ve been forgiven of & let’s become the best at loving. We represent the God of the Universe who is love (1 John 4:8). Let’s rise up & be who we were created to be…all of us!
Until next time, love you!
Kerrin
***I welcome any questions or comments on this topic but my heart is never to argue or debate with anyone, only to express my Father’s heart accurately. Like I said in the post, it’s not about who is right and who is wrong, it’s about the truth. If you are in pursuit of the truth, please feel free to comment but I will not argue or debate with you.***
11.09.2012
Who am I...
I am...blessed.
I want... to be a wife.
I have... two tattoos.
I wish... to travel the world.
I hate... bugs.
I fear...heights.
I hear... people chewing popcorn in the theatre right before the movie starts...that's my favorite!
I search... for the perfect thrifting finds.
I wonder... if I will ever have a white Christmas[not likely in Phoenix]?
I regret... that one time I wore stilettos walking around NYC.
I love... camping.
I ache... when someone misunderstands the heart of God.
I always... listen to my music really loud.
I usually... drive with my windows down and my hair blowing all over the place.
I am not... a summer person.
I dance... all the time.
I sing... all the time, but people rarely catch me.
I never... let my food touch if it's on the same plate.
I sometimes... eat chocolate cake at midnight.
I cry... every time I watch Pride and Prejudice
I am not always... quiet.
I lose... track of my age. I am 26... ya, I'm 26.
I am confused... by our nations most recent presidential election.
I need... the weekends to be longer.
I should... eat better.
Who are you?
(Post idea from Running On Happiness)
11.07.2012
A "Sartorialist" Moment
The other night I popped in to H&M to do some "browsing" & I spotted this lady:
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I couldn't help but take a picture of her. She looked so stylish and fab. I think I might have freaked her out because she responded with "why are you taking a picture of me?!?" I said "because you are fabulous!" She laughed and that was that.
Beware: if you are stylin' I might just pop out of nowhere and have a paparazzi moment!
Happy Wednesday everyone!
11.06.2012
OOTD
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Photography by the amazing Courtney of All Things Loverly!
11.05.2012
TOPSHOP/ Running on Happiness Event
This past weekend the TOPSHOP in the Nordstrom at Chandler Fashion Center partnered with Katie of Running On Happiness, a local fashion blogger for an event. Topshop raffled a chance to win a head to toe look styled by Katie valued at $500. That's legit! Unfortunately, the winner wasn't present for the drawing so we couldn't watch Katie in styling action. I did however get to chat with Katie and a few other fabulous bloggers that were there. Here are a few pics of me & Katie from the event.
Events like these are really awesome to attend simply because you will meet other members of the blogging community in your area and you can get some great blogging tips in the process. I'm so glad I went!
Events like these are really awesome to attend simply because you will meet other members of the blogging community in your area and you can get some great blogging tips in the process. I'm so glad I went!
11.01.2012
Wish List
WishList
1>> Choies.com Slim Short Coat Stitching Woolen With Pelpum
2>> Choies.com New Style Nude Sexy Perspective Night Club Backless Dress
3>> Choies.com Detachable Vest Yarn Skirt
4>> Choies.com Leather Sleeveless Dress With Chiffon Hem
5>> Forever 21 Faux Fur Collar Cardigan
6>> Forever 21 Studded Eagle Top
7>> Choies.com Stitching PU Collar Short Motorcycle Jacket
8>> Forever 21 Buffalo Plaid Shirt
9>> Forever 21 Wherefore Art Thou Tank
10>> Forever 21 Pleated A-Line Shirt
11>> Forever 21 Textured Eyelet Lace Top
12>> Forever 21 Sequined Boxy Top
13>> Forever 21 Faux Leather Moto Jacket
14>> Forever 21 Studded Chain Strap Crossbody
15>> Choies.com Large Rivets Elastic Bracelet
16>> Choies.com/Forever 21 Locomotive Style Vest
A little late night shopping tonight, I think so! :)
xoxo>>Kerrin
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