"People...is Stupid!"

Do you have friends? Do you talk with other people? Do you read blogs (obviously!) and other types of thought provoking literature? If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, then there is no doubt in my mind that you have come across people with whom you disagree. You may have even found yourself agreeing with the great David Letterman that "People is stupid!" And you know what? So what?

I have known for many years that a great many of the people I know do not agree with me on many of the hot button topics of the day. Politics. Social justice. Theology. Eschatology. Meteorology. The list goes on and on. I have many friends on Twitter - friends that I pray for on a regular basis- who would just keel over dead if they really knew my thoughts on the USAmerican political system. I have worked for churches who would have banished me if they had known parts of my theology. We live in a world where those kinds of differences are often walls that separate people. But I'm not here to write about the world- I'm here to talk about the Jesus Revolution. And the revolution says this- it doesn't matter how different (or stupid!) someone may seem, your task is to love them. Not to convince them of your point of view, not to change them, not to tell them how wrong they are- just to love them with the radical, forgiving and grace-filled love of Jesus. If our relationships are based in God's love, then our differences will not separate us, they will lead to discussion and healing. I can disagree vehemently with someone who knows I love them, and in the end the love will remain. If we spend our lives arguing things we really don't know about with people we really don't know, then we are just bags of hot air wasting our breath. Just like_____________  (insert your least favorite political figure here, because I know we would disagree!).

So here's your homework. Today, whether in conversation or on social media of some sort, when a friend says something you disagree with, simply remind them that you love them. Save the arguments for another day. If someone you don't know says something you find ridiculous, just think to yourself (or post randomly for no apparent reason), "People... is stupid!" And then move on to the really difficult conclusion to that statement "...and Jesus said to love them ALL!!!" Actually, to love US all.  Hi, my name is Carl, and I'm stupid...  Viva la revolution!

Because of Jesus,