All Gods Wonders

"I will give thanks to the Lord,
with all my heart, I will
tell of all your
wonders"

I am learning...
1. That telling about ALL God's wonders is actually impossible.
2. That I can't even identify God's wonders unless I slow down my life at certain points and think about them on purpose. This stuff doesn't happen by accident.
3. That I actually want to tell of all God's wonders. And I do mean ALL of them.
4. The 5000 gifts project is one of the most amazing ways that we can join together and tell the world of God's wonders.

Are you on the list, yet?

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being,
praise his holy name. Praise the Lord,
my soul, and forget not
all his benefits - "

Community Project #2 | 5,000 Gifts

The story of humanity is a story of God who has created good things. The scriptures are about a God that can’t be confined to spaces; a creator God that comes down to us; a giving God that is deeply Good. Anything, anywhere that is true or beautiful is from this amazing God. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father. It doesn’t matter where in the world we find this beauty, it’s a gift from God. Our ordinary, mundane lives are completely saturated with God’s good gifts.

I deeply believe that one of our biggest callings and challenges in life is to discover, uncover, or re-discover the God-given gifts in our mundane lives – which, in turn, creates a richness that is anything but mundane!

Be joyful always… give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

A thorough celebration of God in our ordinary lives will produce an experience that can’t be found in the greatest of church services.

What if we stopped often in our day to think about and celebrate every single gift from God that our minds can come up with? A certain smell? A special song? The doorknob on your front door – have you ever thanked God for that? What if we lived our whole life as worshippers? Because worship is exactly what I’m talking about. Every time we pause to notice what God has done for us, that’s worship – that’s praise – that’s thanksgiving.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

So, the questions start steam-rolling, “Am I living a life that is aware of the Gifts of God all around me? Are there hundreds or thousands of gifts that I’ve never even thought of? And if so, what would change in my life if I stopped often to celebrate God and His gifts too me?

I’d like to invite you to join a MASSIVE, GLOBAL THANK-YOU LIST TO GOD. You can find it at www.5000gifts.blogspot.com. It’s an experiment in gratitude.

Here’s the scoup: We want to collect 5,000 Thank-You’s in time for Thanksgiving Day.

• Go to the website to view the 500+ (at the time of this writing) Thank-you's and to submit your own gift list. It’s painless, it’s free, it’s good for the soul... and you can do it often.
  
• OR – just type a comment into this blog and I will post it on the site for you. If you use this option, it may make this page extra fun to come back too.
• My church is planning a huge celebration using the 5,000 (or more) gifts on November 18 (everyone is invited!). I’m inviting you to participate. I’m inviting your church to participate.
• I secretly hope that 5,000 gifts is too little. I’m hoping to laugh at myself for ever thinking so small.
• Would you tell everyone about this? Your friends, enemies, family, etc. Here is some code to place a banner on your blog, myspace, virb, or website. The banner is identical to the one above
  

Lastly, I’ve posted a video below. Background: If we have any sort of contact, you probably know that I’m rarely without my camera. One reason that I enjoy taking photos is so that I can capture moments, people, things that I’m grateful for. The video is simply a slide show of few things that I’m grateful for. Enjoy.

Are you on the List?

FINAL UPDATE: COMMUNITY PROJECT #1 | COME AS YOU ARE

Final Update: Friday October 5, 2007 at 11:58pm: This has been an amazing project. I've enjoyed seeing how people ARE and knowing that they are fully loved and accepted by God - "as is". It reminds me of when Bono sings,

"What once was hurt,
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty Out of ugly things"

I'm not insinuating that you're ugly (necessarily), but I can certainly relate, personally, to the reality that my ugliness, my brokenness and my defiance has been embraced by Grace. It's God's amazing Grace that has lead me to pursue forgiveness, healing and a total life-realignment. (Romans 2).

If you can make it to Axis Community Church this Sunday, you can participate in the culmination of all this activity. I have a friend that is creating an amazing video that will incorporate most (maybe all) of the photos, plus some other footage. I'll make an attempt to post it here within the next week, no promises (I haven't talked to my friend).

Last 2 thoughts:
1. If you'd like, you may send in more photos (admin@axiscommunitychurch.com). I'd be happy to add photos for awhile longer.
2. The next community project has arrived. It's a global experiment in gratitude. I'll be blogging about it very, very soon. Head on over to the 5000 GIFTS sight now.

____________ _______________ ________________

Update September 28: This project has been a very rich experience for quite a few people. Contributions have come in from Alaska, Florida, Maryland and more. NEW I've included some text from people that have written about their photos.

More people have blogged about this blog, here's how to view them. 1. Rachel Denbow. - at blogspot.com 2. Sarah Plants - her myspace profile is set to private, unsure if it's possible to view unless you're her "friend". Dan Rhoten, Niki, and Tina.

Remember: You can send as many pictures as you want... keep them coming. e-mail them to admin@axiscommunitychurch.com

__________ ___________ ___________ ______

PREFACE: Grace is Amazing. What is so amazing about it you say? The complete answer to that question would take far too long to unpack in this forum (not saying that we COULD have a complete answer to that question – oh, the mystery!). A decent summary could be found in the words, "Come as you Are". I'm convinced that God accepts us "as is". He invites us to come to him even though we can (easily) be evil, arrogant, messy, lazy, or down-right defiant. His invitation is the same to those who have betrayed, are atheist, democrat, or homosexual. Are you horny (yup), jolly, pessimistic or hopeful? All are welcome at Grace's table.

Some friends of mine named their church, "The Grace Place". I find that to be (almost) the perfect name for a church. Hasn't God/Church been misrepresented often as primarily judgmental, bigoted, or intolerant, yet the church is meant to be a place of Grace. A place where Grace is experienced in all of its glory.

THE PROJECT: Send me a photo of "how you are". (admin@axiscommunitychurch.com) Be sure to see the examples below. I encourage you to be as honest and vulnerable as you possibly can. I'd prefer that you'd actually be in the picture, but don't let my preferences stop you from sending a picture. The pictures should have some text describing 'how' you are. So, unless the photo is EXTREMELY obvious, use text. Use your imagination – write on a napkin, your skin, your fridge or your car… or print on a normal, white, college ruled piece of paper (how boring).

Send as many pictures as you like until Friday, October 5^th at midnight. As I receive the pictures I will post them here… so come check back often and drop your observations, learning or questions.

THE ALTERNATIVE: No access to a digital camera? No problem. Leave a comment. Here are some suggestions to prime the pump: kind, full of zeal, selfish, impressive, cheerful, light-hearted, timid, scared, angry, shocked, sober, drunk, supportive, hateful, fiery, alienated, blissful, meddlesome… and on and on.

THE POINT: "What's the point?" you say? The point is multi-layered. 1. It will be fun. 2. It will also help us all to catch (possibly) a deeper look into the depth of God's Amazing Grace! I hope and pray that as people are honest and vulnerable we can grow in our appreciation of God himself. 3. It will help us to get to know each other better... maybe much better.

Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA
I feel like I've been sick- In a lot of ways. But, I feel like I'm finally getting better. so when someone asks me, How are you? I can't really say good and be completely truthful. I can only say that I'm getting better. Fresno, CA

Chico, CA

Chico, CA

and, joe... why is a sad face good for the heart? i've been thinking about that all day. Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

...why not share at least that much about myself...crop as necessary...and thanks for the opportunity to do this...for what it means in the big picture and in my office tonight.
Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Santa Ana, CA

Florida

Fresno - via Wisconsin

I must say that this little question How are you? Is one I rarely ask myself. Why?... Because it's sort of a loaded scary question for me.

It took me a good couple of hours to come up with something that was authentic and that described the many parts of me at this moment = spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

1. Physical: We're poor right now (in our eyes, not really in context with third world citizens!) We're barely scraping by for the next couple of years while Lor's in school. This also means I'm in poor shape - I hate the gym. And I'm tired all the time. And stressed.

2. Emotional: Let's just say that I'm the emotional equivalent to a snail = I respond slowly and show little emotion, if any. My poor wife! This is all due to past wounds that haven't quite fully healed yet. This makes me a great endurer and a strong shoulder on which to cry, but not a great empathizer or tuner.

3. Spiritual: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God." This is my blessing. My soul is always thirsty and hungry for more of God. Somehow, this triune poverty is being filled every day through his mercy, grace, and care. Most days I feel like I'll fall over if I take one more step, but I make it through each one still standing. I'm running on fumes, but I make home. I'm suffocating, but I find the surface just in time for a breath.

Fun project Joe. Can you post the emails and comments that came with the pics too. I think it would add a lot to this!
Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

Maryland

What I'm feeling right this moment.
I'm unusually happy this monday morning. My coffee was perfectly sweet and strong. My cheap chic outfit from Old Navy is making me feel confident.
Greedy because I seem to want it all. New clothes and shoes, a newer vehicle, new toys. I'll soon get over it when I realize it's the simpler things that truly make me happy.
I'm so motivated to work and create. To get actually finish things I have started.
and hopeful that next month I will see two lines instead of one. Anchorage, Alaska

i went to the beach yesterday...i came back a little red...so here's one...with a double meaning of course! i am loving this project...it's so fascinating...great job on really out of the box thinking...maybe i will get a few more in before the end of the week! Fresno, CA

Go Pack, Go! Fresno, CA

I make life more about me than I normally care to admit. Fresno, CA

Fresno, CA

The devil has been attacking me big time and hitting below the belt. Check out the feelings and these are just a few my mind has been going crazy. At least I still have faith!!! ~Maryland

Southern Oregon

i had to get a positive one in...do something else like this it's fun...and i am so coming on sunday to hear about grace...excited about that! Fresno, CA

Dallas, TX

Location Unknown

Location Unknown

Tennessee

We still exist

Super Mario

This has nothing to do with church planting.

Update:

On February 18 we had over 40 people (not counting kids) at our church. It was a really good day for Axis; the most amount of people we've ever had at one time. We felt like we got a needed 'boost'.

Then...

On March 4, our very next gathering, we had 12 people. Yup, 12.

The cool thing is, God's in control. He's asked us to do this. He is IN it.

Christians and Bare Feet

//_Ancient Hebrew slaves were barefoot//
//_Slaves have no rights//

BEFORE:
I resist the notion of having any kind of master or ruler or ANYONE that can tell me what to do, when and how to do it. "Who do you think you are!" is my initial response. I wouldn't make a good slave. If I were a slave, I would be part of any underground resistance that I could find. If there was no such thing, then I'd start the revolution! I think that the abolition of slavery in America was one of our finest moments.

//_Moses was asked to take his sandals off at the Burning Bush//
//_The Israeli King, David, walked out of Jerusalem barefoot//
//_Jesus walked barefoot to the Cross//

AFTER:
I'm not a big fan of footwear. I'd rather be barefoot most of the time.
I like to run, walk, swim, and play guitar shoeless. I like to feel the sand between my toes.

Although my anti-footwear preference came to me naturally (apparently it's not genetic), there is a supernatural, biblical significance that I try to connect with on occasion.

I try to remember that I've chosen to become a slave. I've willingly chosen to be a servant of God (Romans 6:22). Yes, it's true. As I've grown older I've discovered that I'm not nearly as capable of being in charge of my life as God is.

//_Boaz took off his shoe as he negotiated for Ruth and subsequently the future of Israel //
//_A Jewish High Priest would walk into the Holy of Holies… barefoot//
//_Jesus once sent out 70 disciples… barefoot//

PRESENT:
I think that the abolition of slavery in America was one of our finest moments. Yet, I find myself as an advocate for a new kind of slavery; servant hood. A new kind of revolution, maybe? A central part of my life is spent suggesting that others ('Christians" included) make God their leader, boss, LORD. I've found Him to be the most qualified to tell me what to do, when and how to do it. I'd give up all my rights to let God lead me.

not my feet.

Axis Update February27, 2007

Axis Update February27, 2007

On February 18 we had an exciting day for Axis. After10,000 mailers and 1,000 doorhangers, we had 40 people join us for church!

It was a very exciting day. We got a needed 'boost' for our little group.
The feedback was very, very positive.

Now we are trying to capitalize on the momentum, praying that people 'stick' and continuing to follow God in this long process.

We've just finished a small group series titled "Just a Walk Across the Room" by Bill Hybels. This has been really good for us! We don't want to grow from 'transfer' growth. We are targeting the 'un-churched' primarily. This means church growth may be slower than some other church stories that I've heard, but we are certain that this is what God's got for us. By the way, for us, "un-churched" can mean believers or non-believers... anyone that's not currently in a church.

Prayer requests:

• That God will extend His kingdom through this new community of believers!


• That God will help us with people that can 'run' important systems
  needed for us to be organized.


• That God will provide needed finances. (and I DO mean needed!)


• For people, people, and more people!

More of Axis on the Web:

• A video that I made for the February 18th church gathering.


• Some photos taken on February 18th.


• My blog. My other blog. My other other blog.

God bless!

Joe Green

Church Planter/Lead Pastor

Partnering With God

let's try a new type of blog! a VLOG, video blog!

followers of jesus are people who are partnering with God to help make this world more like the world God originally intended it to be. when we do this, we literally bring a little bit of heaven to earth.



originally this video was meant to be shown at our church last sunday, but we lost the remote to the dvd player and couldn't get it to play... welcome to church planting, sigh.

(credit: much of the monologue was taken from some notes i took while listening or watching Rob Bell - i just don't know when or where or what exactly- my notes are so unorganized)

Reasons why I Changed my Gender

I WILL BE RAMBLING, SO DON'T EXPECT STRUCTURE....


A few astute people have noticed that my Myspace profile lists me as a 36 year old FEMALE.

Several months ago a good friend of mine mentioned that MEN on Myspace see different advertising than WOMEN. I was skeptical, so I changed my gender (from male to female) in my profile as a test. Since then, I have seen approximately 90% less skantily clad, awkwardly posed women who 'want' me for something or another. The last two Ads that I've seen are one for a purse and one for Ugg boots - neither of which match my 'outfit' today.



Sexy sells. Cars become sexy with the right woman leaning on it. Even pizza becomes sexy when a pretty blonde is standing over you (allusion to a pizza commercial with Jessica Simpson). Sexy sells things and pornography ruins lives.



Did you know that 72% of all porn viewing is done by men?

I have a friend who is becoming like a hero to me. Pornography addiction has threatened his marriage, career and his friendships. Recently he's been taking positive steps toward recovery and with God's help he's going to make it!

I just wish we could have more control over advertising. Couldn't we sign up for certain types of Ads and opt out of other types of Ads?? I feel like so many ads (other media too!) on the internet are destructive. I think they objectify women. SHE becomes THAT. Jesus talked about when SHE becomes THAT when he told those who lust after women that it's better to poke out your eye than for your whole body to be thrown in hell... (for more on this, you should come to my church on Sunday and I'll explain why Followers of Jesus aren't eye-less). In other words something "hellish" happens to US when we strip a person of there humanity and that person becomes an OBJECT. It's anti-human. Anti-human in anti-God. There is no amount of darkness that can erase God's divine imprint on our lives... anytime we reduce someone to an OBJECT we're playing with fire. We must protect God's imprint in the lives of other people an maybe in doing that we're protecing God's divine imprint on our own lives?

Here are some stats for you about TEENAGERS AGES 10 - 17 that can be found at a FOXNEWS article here:

• 42% said they had seen online pornography in a recent 12 month span.
• 66% of those teens said they did not want to view the images and had not sought them out
• 33%+ of 16 & 17 year old boys said they had intentionally visited X-rated sites in the past year
• 8% of 16 & 17 year old girls said they had intentionally visited X-rated sites in the past year
  

I have to tell you that I won't let my 15 year old boy have a myspace site unless he's willing to have a sex-change... don't tell him... currently he's not asking for myspace.

Anyway, today is VALENTINES DAY and I intend to make-out with my wife. Have a good porn-free day!

New Website for Axis

http://www.axiscommunitychurch.com

The new site matches our first mass mailing ever! 10,000 postcards by this weekend.

And I've moved our 'real' website here: http://www.axiscommunitychurch.com/blog - it should allow for much more interaction and contribution from our little group! Check it out and drop a comment!

my kids, my new camera

HopeEddie_Feb_06
Originally uploaded by Joe and Sarah.

I just bought a Canon Digital Rebel Xti and now i'm playing! I should be working.

click picture for larger version.

January 25 Axis Upcoming Stuff

Axis is a strange thing. We don’t do much that is normal, have you noticed? We are a church that has both started and is starting. We meet every week, yet not in a traditional way. Let me tell you about our eclectic next gatherings that we call church.

#1. JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM – this Sunday
We’ve got a choice as a new church, we can take (steal? Borrow?) people from other churches as a way to grow or we can invite the un-churched to join us a faith community. You don’t have to know me long to know that I vote for the second choice. I’m very uninterested in growing primarily by way of what we call “transfer growth”. Transfer growth might make Axis look good or successful because we have people in our seats, but it certainly doesn’t seem very helpful to the Kingdom of God as a whole. Transfer growth doesn’t represent any increase in the amount of people who are choosing to follow Jesus in Fresno .

Side note: I DO believe that we need many Christians in order to help get Axis Community Church off the ground… I do not believe that we need to be EXCLUSIVELY un-churched – and so, that’s where you come in!

Because of this we’ve decided to do a small group studies about how to share our faith with other people. The Study is called “Just Walk Across the Room”. The stakes are high, join us as we wrestle with and learn about how to share our faith.

This Sunday at 4pm.

The Rich’s Home: 250-7322
181 E.
Escalon Ave Fresno , CA 93710 (use mapquest or visit our
website)

The Green’s Home: 916.9545
8393 N. Thyme Way Fresno ,
CA 93720 (use mapquest or visit our website)

#2. SUPERBOWL SUNDAY – February 4, 2007
We wonder if church’s party enough?! Have you ever read the Old Testament and noticed some of their celebrations? This is nothing compared to those, but it is something!

Game starts: 3:25pm

The Green’s Home (see above
address)
Multiple TV’s
Classic Football food/snacks
Games/prizes
We
WILL watch the commercials!

We believe that these events ARE church. Church is more about PEOPLE than a building. So, we ask you to consider these events as serious as you would a ‘normal’ church gathering on a Sunday.

Christians and Profanity

Today I was driving out by Millerton Lake (for you locals - I've never been out there before today) and I was reminded of something from my childhood. Below you'll see some snapshots taken with my phone.

I was in the 4th grade and I was riding in the back of a small toyota pickup truck with a shell over the bed. Mr. Becker was driving and my friends and I were sliding around as we took the curves... we loved it. Eric Becker and his younger brother Kevin were alot of fun to hang out with. This particular day we were headed up to Lake Cuyamaca for a day of fishing (well, at least Mr. Becker intended to fish).

As we neared the lake, Eric and I saw signs for the Dam at the same time. We looked at each other and then we both giggled. Then we proceeded to figure out every way that we could say the word "Dam" with out saying "Damn". We'd say things like "Dam on the lake", but we'd say "on the" really fast and quiet so it sounded more like "Damn lake".

Eric said "Dam!" followed by a lengthy pause and a pointed finger and then said "...over there."

Then I'd say something like "Dam, it..." followed by an equally comical pause "...s over there, see it?". - only a slight variation of Eric's brilliance. I heard once or twice that when Jesus called Herod a "Fox" in Luke 13 that it would be comparable to us calling someone a jerk, a clown or a jackass (or jack#$% if you prefer) - what do you think of that? Have you ever heard anything like that?

Growing up, I wasn't allowed to use words like "piss" or "crap" (or the word "Fart", but that's a WHOLE other story) and at one point there was discussion about whether or not I was allowed to use a word like "geeze" because it sounded too much like I really wanted to say "Jesus". sheesh.

I think it may suprise people to learn that the King James version of the bible can get a bit crude. Forget about "piss" the Kings English went straight to "pisseth". Earlier version of the bible used "ass" and "bastard" - not too mention several examples of asses and bastards throughout the good book.

What do you think about cussing or cursing or whatever you call it? Do you think it's ok for a Christian to use "swear words"?

San Diego Super-Loser Chargers

i'm sad. i mean really sad. i actually have strong emotions after the San Diego loss to New England. i don't really have anything good or positive to say right now. football sucks.

INformation About our Formation 25

INFORMATION:

• We had 22 people at church last Sunday.
• Tithes and offerings are very low right now.
• Mike Rich has stepped up to help as church “Treasurer”
• We had 4 visitors with us last Sunday!

We are starting a video-based small group study on Sunday’s. It’s called “Just Walk Across the Room”. Visit our website for some details. This study is important to our church plant because we are convinced that we’re called to be disciples who make disciples… and making disciples often starts with a walk across a room.

We will be meeting at the Rich’s home AND the Green’s home this Sunday at 4pm for the bible studies. If you’re interested in coming visit the website and you’ll find maps to each house.

FORMATION:
We will be doing our first mass mailing (10,000 postcards!) in February in order to get the word out about the existence of Axis. On February 10th we will be hanging 3,000 doorhangers. If you’re in town, we could REALLY use your help (1:00pm at Kastner Intermediate School). Can you help mobilize a group of people to help??

One of our biggest needs right now is what I’m calling a “Connect Team Leader”. I think it’s crucial to our success to have a strong leader that can help the process of connecting people from their first visit until they are “part” of the community. Stats say that our best chances of growing is when we can take good care of the people that DO show up… funny there are stats like that, it just seems logical to me.

I think we are getting better and better at building a genuine community. Deep, meaningful relationships take time to develop, yet I can see this happening slowly, but surely.

We need more people! We are still trying to gather 50 ‘core’ people to help us get this thing off the ground. Of that 50 people, we need 100% that are willing to contribute financially and practically… it’s a lot of work to “do” church.

iphone

i'm salivating over the new iphone. how ironic is it that i'm preparing a message about how having more stuff doesn't make you happy! arrrg.

...and after we buy a building, hire high capacity staff, and put up that gaudy sign out front, then we can reach out to people in jail, visit the sick and bring shoes to poor children in Mexico...

Brett Favre

I saw this photo and I thought of my wife. See, she's from Wisconsin and is a HUGE Packer fan. I'm really just here to say two things. 1. I love my wife. 2. I hope Brett Favre doesn't retire.

Homosexuality Round 2

This blog is a follow up to a blog that I posted on Myspace. The blog ranked #2 in myspace's "Religion and Philosophy" category. I found it to be facinating and you may want to read it first. Oh, and what was facinating was the responses, not the blog itself... which may be the case here, too.

I tell you the truth... the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ----Jesus, Matthew 21:31

I think that there are two questions that unchurched people ask most often about Churches. Question 1: "What do you think about other religions?" - or some variation. Question 2: "What do you think about Homosexuality?" - or some variation.

I struggle with writing down any sort of response on this topic. I don't have all the answers, I haven't discovered the formula to minister to the gay community. I, like most people, sense the tension over the topic and I'd rather not live in the tension - sometimes. I think God has called me (and Axis, my church) to be open to dialogue on a variety of issues.

WHAT'S A GOOD QUESTION?
The Question isn't, "Should we let homosexuals into our churches?" - they are already here.

A good question is, "Are we going to let them talk about it?". Another good question is "What is a healthy response?"

UNIQUELY UNABLE?
Do you tell a gay person that they are uniquely unable to receive God's grace? Pornography, materialism, gluttony, greed, murder, rage, lustful heterosexual thoughts - Jesus died to sanctify people with those struggles. Is somehow homosexuality unique among the list?

GAY PERSON: "Am I going to hell because I'm in love him/her?"

JOE: "First of all, I'm not the one who judges who goes to Hell and who doesn't, but I can tell you with certainly that you won't go to Hell for loving someone"

GAY IN GOD'S EYES?
I don't think that God sees people as "Gay". God created humanity with more dimensions than sexual expression or attraction. In God's eyes, you are more than just your sexual attractions. I think that the church (and me sometimes) has polarized the issue.

IS BEING GAY A SIN?
The scriptures indicates that homosexual sex is not God's will. Here are some scriptures for you to consider. Genesis 1:27-8; 2:18-24; 19:4-9, Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9-10, I Timothy 1:9-10.

BORN GAY?
Some studies indicate that homosexuality is not a choice. Genetic studies have been inconclusive either way. In rats, late pregnancy trauma causes low testosterone in the brain of the male babies, but that doesn't explain females. Some people note lack of nurture of males by fathers as a source of homosexuality. Sexual abuse has ties in many cases. Psychosocial influences and and biophysical influences may play a part. Evidence for the source of homosexuality points to a variety of reasons... no simple single cause seems apparent.

Many gay people that I've talked to would not choose the same-sex attraction if they could choose.


GOD HATES HOMOSEXUALS AND I'M DOOMED TO HELL:
Homosexual sex is not the unforgivable sin. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. God doesn't condemn people for being in a state that they didn't choose. Many things in life happen by no choice of ours. Rape. Mental Illness. A bent toward Alcoholism, addictions or even rage might be a product of upbringing or even genetics. Clearly our world isn't fair. My answer would be "NO, I don't think that a person is condemned because of ANY predisposition"

Even if you don't seem to be able to choose your sexual attraction, you can choose your sexual action.... we ALL have a choice whether or not to have sex or not.


IS BEING GAY ABNORMAL?
Only in the sense that none of us are as God originally intended us to be.


THE "LEADER IN CHURCH" QUESTION:
I think the only reason a gay person wouldn't be allowed to lead in a church is the same reason that a heterosexual person wouldn't be allowed to lead... because they aren't willing to follow Christ.

If a heterosexual person is engaged in sexual activity outside of their own marriage, then they aren't going to be effective leaders... and won't be asked to lead at church. This topic melts into the whole "Marriage as a man and woman" issue, which we won't get into today.

Leaders should be following Christ in their sexual actions, this includes wrong heterosexual acts and homosexual acts.


CHURCH TODAY:
If we don't choose to live with whatever tension arises then people will be forced to choose between being loved and accepted in the gay community or being isolated and alone in the church.

Let's not make this as much about being gay or not, but rather about how to be human as God intended.


Special thanks to John Burke, author of No Perfect People Allowed.