Lion and Lambs

Today it is official….100 days with no rain.

And no rain in sight.

But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “(B)He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7

There has been much controversy about the new film End of the Spear. It concerns the choice of Chad Allen, a gay activist, playing the part of Nick Saint. In my email circle, the “as Christians, I don’t think we should see it” argument was supported by one man’s opinion of the movie. So I will start my argument there.

Here is a quote from Sharper Iron’s blog:

…by the end of production Allen was invited along with Saint and a select group of actors and producers from the film to live with the Waodani for several weeks, three days’ journey from any working telephone. “When it was over,” Allen says quietly, “both [Steve Saint] and I were in tears, hugging each other saying goodbye, because so much love had developed between us. It was an amazing experience.”chadallenonline

Now God’s opinion: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Perhaps Steve Saint got this. We need to love people to Jesus. I don’t recall anywhere in the Bible where Jesus gathered people to Himself through protesting sin or boycotting sinners. How did Jesus handle a known prostitute? by avoidance? or by drawing her into Himself and rebuking those who scorned her?

Every Tribe Entertainment is a new movie company that has as it’s mission, “To create quality entertainment for a broad audience that inspires hope through truth.” It was founded by Mart Green, founder of the Mardel Christian and Educational Supply chain. When confronted about the issue of Allen being in the film in a leading role, he told Christian Retailing Magazine that he did not believe that Allen being in the movie will “present a problem for Christian viewers.” He said, “After someone told me that Chad appeared on the cover of the gay and lesbian magazine The Advocate, we just felt, ‘Hey, he’s still the best actor.’ If anything, he was more concerned when he found that we found out — not that he has been hiding his sexuality.” He’s “available to tell our story of faith and forgiveness in the best way possible…Our position is we’re making quality films that tell faith-based stories, so we hire the best.”(Christian Retailing, Tuesday, October 18, 2005)

After all, is the focus of the film homosexual love or the incredible miracle that happened because of the love of some missionaries? I dare say that if this hadn’t become such a media generated controversy most of us wouldn’t even know there was an issue.

Do we even get why this is such an amazing story? Because Elizabeth Elliot, for one, stayed and loved the people, who murdered her husband, and they were won for Jesus. Isn’t that the point of this? How many of them, or others like them around the world, would be loving Jesus today if Elizabeth would have staged a boycott telling Christians we can’t associate with or love them cause they’re sinners!!

Let me ask you this, how many of you have gone to see movies where actual sinners were the actors? men and women who have fornicated or had affairs? actors addicted to drugs or alcohol? actors who are homosexual? actors who blaspheme the Lord? Have any of you seen a Rock Hudson, Doris Day movie? How many have seen The Passion of the Christ? (We would point out that Mel Gibson’s _The Passion of the Christ_ had an enormous impact despite the fact that several of the actresses had performed in questionable roles in previous films prior to the making of that movie. FOF)

Are we going to allow Satan to destroy the potential of this movie to get this extraordinary story of love out to the public? Of course we as Christians don’t need this story, after all:

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ’sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matt 9:11-13

Or do we?

Yes, I hate homosexuality as much as any sin, but let me get the log out of my own eye first.

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? Matt 7:4

Update: Koodos to Focus on the Family, they get it. You can read their opinion, which is very contradictory to Jason Janz’s, at Plugged In Online.

Over the years it has aggravated me to be with women who cannot even run to the corner store without curling their hair and putting on all their makeup. This morning I was given a fresh perspective.

I was going to make a quick walk to the grocery store to get a couple of apples to juice, so I didn’t do anything special to fix myself up. Pulled on sweats, ran a comb through my hair, put on my tennies, I was on my way. Then it dawned on me that all my big water bottles needed to be filled so I decided to drive and I grabbed the bottles.

Trying to maneuver from the front door of the store to the produce section, I noticed I had one of “those” carts and it was pulling to the left. Through my mind ran the thought of trying to steer it with fifteen gallons of water in it. Ugh! So I grab my apples and head back to the other side where the water dispenser is, and I pass six gorgeous firemen…sweet! A bonus for the days drudgeries.

I complete the aggravating task of filling large bottles in the one gallon at a time machine and go check out. Who should get in line behind me? Oh Yes!! Not thinking this a bad thing, until I try to push my cart out of the aisle to allow them to move up. Remember the wonky cart? Yep, it turns into the counter, gets stuck, and the first fireman in line, who is backwards and pulling his cart, falls over me.

Now it is not everyday that a fireman falls for you, did it have to be on a day I was not prepared? My friend asked me if I was hurt. My reply? Had I showered and done something with my hair…I probably would have sustained an injury.

Preparedness.

In one of my favorite devotional books, A Gentle Spirit, the Christmas entry was written by Emilie Barnes. She titled it “The True Christmas Spirit”, but I thought it would be a great way to start the new year, with our focus on other people.

“Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 NIV

Markham wrote a poem based on a story by Tolstoy. One night Conrad, a cobbler of shoes, dreamed that Christ would come to his shop on the following day. All morning he waited, but the only visitor was an old man who asked him if he might sit down to rest. Conrad put the best pair of shoes in the shop on the old man’s feet. Throughout the afternoon the only person he saw was an old woman struggling under a heavy load. Out of compassion he brought her in and gave her some of the food he had prepared for Christ. Just as evening was falling, a lost child entered Conrad’s shop. Conrad carried the child home.

Finally in disappointment the old cobbler cried:
“Why is it Lord that your feet delay?
Did You forget that this was the day?”
Then soft in the silence a voice he heard:
“Lift up your heart for I kept My word.
Three times I came to your friendly door;
Three times My shadow was on your floor.
I was the beggar with the bruised feet;
I was the woman you gave to eat;
I was the child on the homeless street!”

May you find the joy of sharing with others in need, then every day can be a holy day.