Do you love New York?

As you've no doubt heard, New York recently became the 6th state to legalize gay marriage (get that story here). Whatever you believe about this debate it has been an emotional battle for sure. It has been framed as an issue of rights but it really isn't (no one had the right to marry the same sex and everyone in our country has the right to marry the opposite sex - we all have equal rights). It is rather a debate about restructuring and tinkering with the foundation of our society in a way that will have many potential consequences (get some unbelievable stats from peer reviewed journals here). That being said, we, the "church" bear a tremendous amount of responsibility for the reality that our country has devalued marriage to the place we're at today. Christians have led the divorce revolution, showing through our lives and marriages that marriage and the family aren't worth respect or protection. We've also made this political issue more important than showing love to the gay and lesbian community that need to see God's love in a real way! I think the main thing for us to remember in all of this is that the gay and lesbian community are no different from any other demographic - they need Jesus! In stead of getting drawn too deep in this firefight I hope you'd take the time to love your spouse (and begin living a good example of marriage), pray and share your faith with any gay or lesbian friends you have. Here are a few great ideas for sharing your faith with gay and lesbian friends. Also, you won't want to miss the great video by Mike Haley below. So, to answer the question I began with, yes, I still love New York and hope you do too and I really hope we'll reach New York and the gay and lesbian community around the world for Jesus! Finally, this, like all news stories, provides a great opportunity to share the gospel. Get ideas on how to turn a conversation about this topic, or any topic, back to the gospel here.

We still love you Alray!

No doubt most of you are very aware of all that has been happening on our campus the past few weeks. Student Body President Nelson Alray had apparently received threats and hate messages and in response the students of FLC responded with support (read the original story here). This was the right response; none of us should ever tolerate hate. During the whole ordeal I heard from 2 professors and other students that the rumor on campus was that the Christians were spreading these hateful messages. I also received multiple hateful messages during this time but have no idea if they were a response to these rumors (I talked a little about this back on Oct.31st). Regardless, hate is always wrong. That is why we marched together with the students of FLC to share the message that God is love and hates hate.

Most of you received the e-mail from the college or read in the paper today that the hate messages President Alray reported were false (you can see the story here). On the one hand I am glad these messages weren't authentic because I don't think anyone should ever receive those types of threats. On the other hand I am saddened that this whole issue was a lie and that the rumor that Christians were responsible for it started spreading around campus. Jesus told you to expect this in Mt.5:11-12, saying, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." As long as we keep our eyes on Him and continue following Him, obeying Him and loving Him and everyone around us (Mk.12:30-31) the truth will always win out. Ps.37:4-6 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD ; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

I am definitely glad that people won't incorrectly think Christians are spreading hate. I am also so proud of all of you Christian students! Jesus tells us in Mt.5:39, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." That is truly the attitude I saw in each of you. You were quick to forgive, quick to love and quick to point others to Jesus. You guys are AWESOME!!!

That all being said, I want to ask you to reach out to our former student body president with love today! Please e-mail, call or facebook Mr. Alray and tell him that we and Jesus still love him. If you are mad about being lied to I want to remind you to love and forgive. Please reach out to your gay and lesbian friends and reaffirm your and Jesus' love for them. If you haven't checked it out yet, please read this post on how to share your faith with gay and lesbian friends.

If you're reading this president Alray, I want you to know that Jesus and each of the students involved in Connect love you and forgive you and we are still here for you. I hope you'll have some time to debrief over break and hope and trust you'll be able to visit us again after break. Please check out a short message straight from Jesus' mouth by clicking here. We are praying for you, we love you and so does Jesus.

Finally, whoever you are and wherever you are remember you're not alone; remember, pray for and support the persecuted church worldwide and boldly stand for Jesus today and point to Him no matter what situation you find yourself in. He will always be your strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, salvation and stronghold! Ps.18:1-3

How to share the gospel with gay & lesbian friends

With everything that has been happening this past week I wanted to post a few notes on how to share the Good News with gay and lesbian friends and family. I am by no means an expert on this subject but working in college ministry we find there are students struggling with homosexuality and same-sex attraction in our ministry pretty much every year. They often come to us asking for answers. It is important to remember that sin is sin and we should NEVER look down on them thinking their sin is worse than other peoples' sin. We should love them with open arms the same way Christ has loved us.

Here are their main points for sharing your faith with gay and lesbian friends you know: 1) See a person not a homosexual, 2) be willing to listen, 3) point your friend to Jesus not heterosexuality (1st things 1st), 4) don't expect to know all the answers and 5) give them hope for something better. Get those points in full detail by clicking here and please check out the Exodus resources page here.

I would also encourage you to listen to Mike Haley's testimony and share it with them (this is one of the best testimonies you will ever hear, Mike turned to Christ from the gay lifestyle and now has a wife and kids and has an incredible ministry to that community in our country - here's part 1 of his testimony and here's part 2). If you like Mike's testimony check out his book, "101 Frequently Asked Questions about homosexuality" here. If you have time you should also check out "Ministering to the Gay and Lesbian Community." Also, for very revealing stats and peer reviewed resources that support Biblical truth about this issue check out these notes (but on that note, be sensitive about how and who you share those resources with).

More important than anything though is to genuinely love them. They need to know you accept and love them as a person. In that context of authentic Agape love you can share the hope we have in Jesus with them. I'm sure I'll write more on this later but I know it's on a lot of your minds right now so I wanted to share a few resources with you. Finally, check out the short version of Mike's testimony here (but also, please, check out his full testimony linked above). I hope you have a great day and please share the Good News with your gay and lesbian friends.