Don’t Call Yourself Christian

I’m fed up.  If you follow this blog at all, you’ll know that this is not my usual tone and it takes severe anger to get me like this.  What I have to say today is going to be controversial, and frankly… I don’t care.  It needs to be said, and it is long overdue.  If you need to move along to a different blog because you cannot handle this, I understand.  Hopefully, I don’t have to be this BLUNT the next time I get behind the keyboard.

I just left a friend’s house.  She just turned 20.  Today.  For her 20^th birthday, her father unplugged the battery from her truck so that she couldn’t go anywhere.  Meanwhile, they’ve gone out of town for the week.  They had absolutely no regard as to whether she’d be able to leave her house in the event of an emergency.  (She had no idea what was wrong with her truck, nor how to repair it… that’s why she called me.)  She nearly missed a party that her friends had planned for her because of what her dad did.  (He just sent her a text telling her that he unhooked the battery because he figured she’d be too stupid to figure out how to fix it.)

I’ve received calls from her so many times before because of her father.  He’s abusive.  She’s had her shoulder nearly dislocated and her knee injured because of his abuse.  In addition to the physical abuse that she’s endured, there also comes the mental abuse.  Time and time again, she has shown me text messages from her father where he’s called her names, and referred to her as a “sorry sack of sh__.”

Here’s the kicker… he’s in church every Sunday.  He lifts his hands, and sings Holy Holy Holy, but treats his daughter like trash when he’s home.  He puts on the pretty face and nice suit at church, but at home acts like a pagan.  Her mom defends him, and does absolutely nothing to comfort her tormented daughter.

Matthew 23:25-26 (NLT)

²⁵ “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

James 3:10-12 (NIV)

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

The truth about who you really are is defined not when you’re in public, but behind closed doors.  You are detrimental to heaven with your activities.

Matthew 23:13 (NLT)

¹³ “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.

If you’re this way, scriptures tells us that you are truly not a Christian… and I am tired of you running my Savior’s name through the dirt.  You’re a hypocrite, and unless you repent of your sins, scripture says you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 24:51 (NLT)

⁵¹ and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth occurs in Hell, there are no tears in heaven.  Or consider the Parable of the Wedding Feast, where the King finds someone at the party not clothed in proper wedding garments.

Matthew 22:12-13 (NLT)

¹² ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. ¹³ Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Hypocrites will not be able to crash God’s Wedding Feast, they must be properly clothed in a true righteousness that comes only from Christ via obedience to His commandments.

If we live in hypocrisy yet call ourselves a Christian our joy of Christ will be short lived.  Hypocrites are the seed that falls on the rocky soil, it never takes root and the heat of the day comes and destroys the seedling.

Do you really know Christ?  Do you spend quality time with Him, intimately praying and seeking His counsel?  This cannot be done in Church in all practicality but is best done in quiet time we carve out and give to God.  It won’t matter on the last day if our social network thinks we were a holy person and prayed a lot; it will only matter if God says we knew Him and met His qualifications to enter His Kingdom.

I wish I could say that this is an isolated incident, but unfortunately… it is not.  I have another friend who is forced to endure something quite similar from parents who also call themselves Christians.  It’s absolutely horrible.  I understand that children must be submissive to their parents, but I also understand that Godly parents are to have responsibilities to their children as well.

Ephesians 6:2-4 (NLT)

² “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: ³ If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”^[a]

⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

If you fall into this category, I beg of you…

1. DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN!
2. GET RIGHT WITH GOD… REPENT OF YOUR SINS, AND TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS
3. THEN, AND ONLY THEN… CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN!

Call yourself a heathen or a pagan…  but stop running my Savior’s name in the dirt.  You’re disgusting, and you make me sick… and according to SCRIPTURE, you’re making GOD sick, too.

Revelation 3:15-16 (NLT)

¹⁵ “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!¹⁶ But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

Now, if you want to get upset with someone, you need to choose someone else besides me, because all I’ve done is shared scripture with you.  No opinion, just the facts and The Word.  Just an idea, why don’t you get upset with YOURSELF.  That’s the first step on your road to recovery.  Get right with God!

I’m Here

I know we’re all still trying to process the death of Robin Williams… I know I am.  As I had serious problems getting to sleep last night, I thought of Robin’s career and the things that everyone has said about him in light of his passing, and specifically the rumor that he took his own life… … … Everyone has been saying “I loved Robin Williams” or “THE WHOLE WORLD loved Robin Williams.”  And it makes me sit back and wonder… How can someone who is “loved” by so many people take his own life?  And it occurred to me that “love is NOT all you need.”

 

Only Robin really knew what was missing from his life.  We can only speculate.  But I myself have spent the largest portion of my life battling severe depression.  Now, I know that many who read this won’t believe it, because I have been told many times “there’s no way” or “you mask it so well.”  You’re right, I do…  I do it because it’s not socially acceptable to be depressed.  No one wants to be around a “downer.”

 

When Robin performed, he brought his “A-Game” every time.  EVERY time.  And that is why he was so loved.  He had to.  Actors or comedians who show negative emotions don’t get called back for the next gig or audition.  I have to do the same thing.  I have to get out there and do my best to blow people’s socks off, in a manner of speaking, if I want to return to the stage next tour.

 

Here’s the problem.  When you have no real outlet, those negative emotions need to get out.  It’s like trying to hold in a belch…  Do it too long, and you feel like you’re having a heart attack.  You can’t hold things in too long.  You have to have a person or a group of persons that you can vent to.  And these people have to be strong and prepared.  They have to know going into this relationship that there are times that it won’t be fun, and they might have to lend their shoulder to someone’s tears from time to time.

 

Take your anti-depressants or your St John’s Wort if you’d like… that’s fine.  But, having someone in your life that can perhaps relate, or just say “I’m here” is the best love you can give.  Having that relationship with a troubled soul can mend a broken spirit.  It can do more than pills, and it can do more than just love alone.

 

I didn’t write this to bring attention to myself or my situation, or to in any way steal any attention away from Robin Williams.  That’s not what this is about.  It’s about putting your money where your mouth is.  So many people who worked with Robin have said how “kind, loving, and generous” that he was.  Well, did they really prove it to him?  Did you tell him any of this while he was still alive?  It was no secret that the man battled depression.  We have Facebook, Twitter, TMZ… we know when celebs fart, for crying out loud…  Your friends exhibit signs from time to time.  It may not just be “a bad day” or “negative vibes” that you’re just not comfortable with at that moment.  It could be full blown depression.

 

And I am going to go as far as saying this…  If you are aware of someone who is dealing with ongoing severe depression, and you call yourself their friend or best friend, and you’ve not made an attempt to reach out to them… damn you.  DAMN YOU!  Robin showed us that life can take a tragic turn just like that.  It can end in a literal heartbeat.  And this is not about the fact that we don’t get to see his next Stand-Up special, or Mrs Doubtfire 2… it’s about a life could have went so much further if more people just said “I’m Here.”

“I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone.” – Robin Williams

Smile (for Daniel)

“You’re better than the best.”

We sometimes might use that term of endearment toward a spouse, significant other, or family member.   It’s quite a compliment.  But, how exactly do you become “better than the best?” I certainly don’t consider myself better than the best, but I do like to see people happy.  I am honored to be in the line of work where I get to make people feel better, laugh,and… smile.  That’s right, I get to see people smile because of the things I do. But not everyone gets a stage, a rig of lights, and a microphone to amplify their words and thoughts into the translation of a smile.

Some people don’t need any of those things to make people smile.  They make people smile just being who they are.  One person whom I would most certainly call better than the best was a young man from my hometown named Daniel.  Daniel DiNardi.

“You’re better than the best
I’m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip-side of my pillow (that’s right)
Completely unaware Nothing can compare to where you send me
It lets me know that it’s okay (yeah, it’s okay)
And the moments when my good times start to fade…

You make me smile like the sun,
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird,
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record,
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool,
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold,
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile.”

Wow, that’s a mouthful!  But it speaks volumes about Daniel.  Person after person after person has told stories about how Daniel made a difference in their life.  About how he brightened their lives, made them a better person just by knowing him, and most of all how he made everyone smile. 3 years ago, Daniel was headed to his earthly home when Jesus intervened and took him to his heavenly home instead.

Even when you’re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack
And just like that
You steal away the rain
And just like that…”

Tragedy has an ugly face when you first look at it.  It can cause you to be angry, point fingers, and cast blame.  But when you look at the really big picture, and you understand that Earth is not our home, and that our departed are where we long to be… that should make you happy.  It should make you smile. Here’s how it more than likely played out.  Daniel awoke in a very unusual place.  Unusual, because it probably is very unlike what you have heard from your church pulpit simply because there are so many opinions and screwed up contexts thrown in there with scripture. But, while this place was unusual compared to Earth, it was amazingly magnificent.  There were no constraints.  There was no confusion.  No sadness. There was no pain.  That’s right… no pain.  Any pain that Daniel might have endured during his final days on Earth were gone in an instant when he joined his Heavenly Father.

I like to believe that when it finally hit him that the pain was gone, and he realized where he now was, and that this was the place he had heard of, but maybe a time or two didn’t believe was possibly even possible… Daniel shed his final tears.  Because Jesus joined him on streets of gold, reached down and dried that young man’s eyes, and then held him tight, and then said… “2000 years ago, I hurt too.  But I took the pain for you.  Just for you… Just for this moment.  Today.  June 27^th.”  And as Jesus held him, he said to Daniel… “I’ve got this.” And Jesus smiled… and Daniel smiled.  And friends… THAT is what makes me smile.

“Don’t know how I lived without you
‘Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile.”

Are you smiling?  Go ahead, do it.  It feels good. We’re not home yet.  We are going to cry, and we are going to hurt.  But, if we know Jesus, he will dry those tears and await that smile.  Jesus makes me smile.  Knowing that He has gone to prepare a place for us where we will never again live in pain or fear makes me smile.  Knowing that I will get to take fishing lessons from Daniel one day in heaven makes me smile.  (I hope Jesus is still into multiplying fish like he did in His Word, because something tells me that Daniel has a rod and reel and is emptying Heaven’s lake as quick as Christ can fill it.)

Get excited everyone, because we are closer now than we ever have been before.  Let’s get happy, and just for Daniel… let’s smile!

 

SEE THIS STORY IN THE FORM OF A VIDEO SLIDESHOW…