Red Meat a Sin?

Sad but true...no, not that red meat is a sin, wait...let me back up.

The other day I was listening to my "favorite" radio program. Yes, I am being sarcastic. (aside: I think God draws me to the program to help me work on my acceptance of other peoples way of "preaching" and "ministering" to certain people)

Back to the "meat" of the subject - bad pun.

So, while listening to the program, a caller asks if eating meat that is cooked rare (or any other way but well-done) meat is a sin.

It saddened me. Honestly, I felt for the caller. I wondered, what teacher, pastor, friend, leader, you name it, must she have that she would worry about such a thing?

The cynical part of me begins to bubble inside, and sometimes I want to...I don't know what. I get angry, though. I really do.

No doubt, the devil has his hand in some of these things.

A diluted Gospel.

Scaring people about whether or not things are "sinful" or whether or not they are really, truly saved, making them fear that maybe, just maybe they might be "backsliding."

How would they know?

Scolding people because they don't feel that they are getting anything out of church. Hey, maybe the church IS to blame. Maybe the church has it's prior ties wrong. Maybe we do. Maybe it's both.

Most likely it's both.

Worshipping God...I don't think anybody did it better than Jesus...and how did he do it?

I know, we want a comfortable, safe God...I want that too...but that's NOT how God is.

We must get our hands dirty, we must become vulnerable, we must become open, we must LOVE.

Oh, it'll hurt.
We'll be made fun of.
People might take advantage of us.
People will_____hey, put anything you'd like, they'll do it.

But you want to praise God? You want to feel him? You want to get close to God?

He's in the trenches. He's in the muck. He's that homeless guy on the corner. He's that lady you think is fat, ugly, and a terrible parent. He's the person you gossip about. He's the family down the street that you wish would move. He's the guy that hopes today he will get a smile, rather than nasty looks. He's the person who would just like one person to give them a hug rather than accusations. He's the person breaking into a car, to get whatever he can to sell so he can buy drugs/sex/whatever. The person that cut you off in traffic? Guess who that is. That lady with all the coupons in the check out line?

Or as we sometimes like to call them: THOSE people.

It isn't US vs. THEM.

It's just US. All of us. We are in this together. We are all going to fail, do something wrong, cheat, lie, steal, get angry, and on and on.

I'm no better than you, you're no better than me.

God gave you talents and dreams and means...use them. Can you help someone today?

Do it.

Can you help them tomorrow? Or someone else?

Believe me, I am not the best at this either...in fact, I'm still resisting God in many many ways...and while I have my reasons (God knows them, we've talked about it), I also know that my frustrations that I am feeling and anger will only grow...and to be honest - I am scared to take that step of faith, because it sure feels like a leap across a canyon.

(This post is as much if not more FOR and AT me than it is by me)