You Give Love a Bad Name

"Why don't you come right out and say it?  Even if the words are finally gonna hurt, I'd rather have the truth than something insincere."       - Relient K
In America, more and more people quit going to church every year.  The church has become a place not where they can go to be loved and accepted but where they are harshly judged and looked down upon.  The group that is supposed to represent the body of Christ, more often ends up acting a great deal like the Pharisees.  Legalism and piousness abound...compassion and humility are drowned.  Our churches should be a safe place where people are truly unconditionally loved and where souls can be bared and closets emptied of skeletons without fear of rejection or gossip.  If we aren't able to be real, why would anyone want to gather with us?  Insincerity and fakeness are everywhere.  In fact, the whole world is full of it.  If we aren't real, we can't heal.  Our hidden wounds will fester within us, causing us to rot from the inside; rendering us useless, broken vessels, unable to receive blessing or to bless others.  Conversely, the uncomfortable, sometimes even painful cleaning of those same wounds can allow healing to begin, bringing us back to the point where we are cups overflowing with living water, pouring out upon the lives of everyone we come into contact with.  So you can either pretend you're okay, wearing your mask of mediocre fineness, and suffer inside from painful, festering wounds for the rest of your life or endure a painful cleansing and purging process that will lead to the regeneration of healthy "soul-cells".  Lead the revolution and demand more from your church, from your brothers and sisters, from yourself.  Show the world that there is a place where people truly care about others, where humility and compassion can be found and where people aren't afraid to throw down their masks, ask for help and find healing.