Theocentric Musings

  We've been brainwashed to look at those we agree with as the "good guys" and those we disagree with as the "bad guys", and that is just one more lie from the pit of hell. Keep that in mind when you look at world events, maybe those you don't agree with do good in their own way, and maybe those you agree with do bad in their own way. Regardless of their actions, we should be looking at all people , no matter the religion, the region, the skin tone, the sexual preferences, the education, the immigration status, or the political party through the eyes of Christ. He didn't label people as "good guys" and "bad guys", He looked at them as lost sheep, each and every one of them. And when He looked at them He was moved with compassion. For each and every one of them... #istandwithjesusforallpeople

  Sounds good on paper, but there's one thing that gets forgotten. You do have to actually be compassionate to be "compassionate". The definition of compassionate is a deep feeling of sympathy and sorrow for another. Synonyms of compassiona te are commiserate, mercy, tenderness, clemency. Look up the definitions of these words. How many that share a trope like this one actually express compassion? 90%? 75%? 50%? 25%? 10%? 5%? 1%? Based on my experience not many are actually compassionate, that's saddens me because it takes a great message and turns it into an ugly platitude. So maybe there are 3 huge lies our culture has accepted, the 3rd would be that our culture has redefined being compassionate into some kind of caricature of it's true meaning, and have actually redefined it as compassion's antonyms. Our culture, including the Christian culture, loves to speak crass while pointing out other people's shortcomings with vitriol, usually whi...

I’m going to get serious here for a moment and address something that you may have heard on the news. Unless you live under a rock, even if you have no television, you somehow probably learned about an event surrounding Phil Robertson of the Duck Dynasty clan. He was asked questions, what some consider controversial questions, and he answered them the only way he knows how. With some down south humor and honesty, with a sprinklin’ of bible mixed in. A down south Christian gumbo of an answer, if you will. And I just did. Well, those answers weren’t met well from certain groups and they immediately were offended, possibly like some of you may be as I progress in my writing (shhhh, I shouldn’t give that away so early, you may not continue reading). Well, forget I said that and I’ll move on. If you haven’t heard the interview, I’m going to share it. Well, I’m going to paraphrase it a little because I don’t actually have permission to share the interview, but I think it will make...

Jesus looked upon the multitude and was moved with compassion. This was typical of Jesus, He saw people and couldn't help but have compassion for them. What man y people miss is that in the multitude were men, women, and children, they were gay, thieves, liars, gossipers, back stabbers, and murderers. Drunks, addicts, bullies, and manipulators. Rapists, child rapists, adulterers, divorced, and a sprinkling of religious zealots. He didn't have compassion for them or a love towards them only when they stopped doing things that those in American Christianity™ prop up as the worst sins, He loved them and had compassion for them while they were embroiled in any and all of these things, simply because they were His children. You see, Jesus didn't love the sinner and hate the sin, He loved people and hated evil. He was wise enough to see that the sins, the missing the mark, of those standing before Him that they were involved with didn't define them, and it w...

We defend suffering in our lives because we say it's the chastening of the Lord or disciplining of the Lord, but I have to disagree. I look to scriptures and watch how Jesus "chastened" or "disciplined" His disciples. Also how He chastened or disciplined those that were clearly in the midst of sin, like the woman caught in adultery, the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, Saul/Paul, or pretty much the m ultitude that He looked at and had compassion for. But back to the disciples who spent the most time around Him as He walked the earth, they didn't have a clue what they were doing, they didn't graduate from Bible school, they didn't have degrees or doctorates, they were picking things up on the fly by being in contact with God in flesh, Jesus Christ. They were learning as they walked with Him, some faster than others, some slower than others. They slipped at times, and God was right there with them, He was right there ready to do His chastening and d...