Forgive and Forget?

So, it's been quite a while since I penned anything for this blog, but I read something today that has got me a little riled. A local pastor was indicted by a Texas Grand Jury last September on two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child younger than 14 and  two counts of indecency with a child.  If you read the article it goes into detail of the nature of the charges. Personally, they make my skin crawl! But that isn't what made me want to write today. A local church (not the church where he was pastor, he resigned from there) has a flyer advertising their Good Friday service. At the bottom of the flyer it lists, along with photo, several pastors who will be speaking, and smack dab in the middle is the grinning face of  Pastor Pedophilia. Why, you may ask? That is my question! Not just why is he preaching? Why is he out on bond? He was arrested last May. And why is he allowed to be here in Virginia when he is awaiting trial in Texas for his disgusting behavior? And, ultimately, who in their right mind would ask him to preach in front of a congregation? If I were a betting woman, I would say, given that it's Good Friday, there will be some grandiose confession and a message about how Jesus dies for ALL. For all you Christians ready to pounce on me right about now, let me say this. Yes, I believe, as a Christian, that Jesus did die for all. We are all redeemed by the blood of the lamb and forgiveness is there for anyone, and I do mean anyone, that truly repents. However, that does not mean that we should be placing these people in front of the masses to "share the good news." I am not exactly sure why he is still free, but if convicted he will be behind bars for the rest of his life. So, while we've got him, let's let him lead a flock....NO!!! The article further states that after his resignation, the board discovered that he had "multiple extramarital affairs" with church members and people in the community. Wow! What an upstanding guy! I am sick and tired of people hiding behind the robes of Jesus to excuse their abhorrent behavior. And people wonder why the church gets a bad rap. Should we forgive? That's what the Bible says, but I haven't seen any repenting.

It's Friday, but Sunday is Coming!

Looking at my newsfeed on Facebook today, I saw a clip posted of a brief mini-sermon, you could call it, with the title, "It's Friday, but Sunday is Coming!" The speaker was addressing Good Friday. He pointed out all the sad and tragic things that were going on that day in the life of Jesus, but with each phrase he would end with the uplifting, "But Sunday is coming!" No one, except, perhaps, Jesus knew that SUNDAY and all the hope that held was coming. Even the human nature of Jesus on the cross cried to God why He had forsaken Him. Imagine the fear, the despair, the grief of his friends, followers, loved ones. We have the benefit of knowing that Sunday did come! Jesus is alive!! But at that moment when Jesus breathed his last, they all knew it was over. It made me think. How many "Fridays" do we have in our lives? How many times do we feel that all hope is lost, nothing will ever be right again, we are stuck in a vicious downward spiral of despair? When those times come, if we can just remember that Sunday is coming. There is hope! We can survive! We are loved!
Several years ago, I felt like my life was one big Friday. Nothing was going right!!! I was taking a Bible study, and the last part of it was to be in a half day of prayer. This was a little daunting for me. I pray, but I could not imagine spending 4 hours praying. How would I stay focused? I read some suggestions the study had of starting by writing a letter to God. I decided that's what I would do. The day came, and we were holding our prayer day at the home of one of the ladies in our class. We each picked a room in her house where we could be alone. I picked one of the bedrooms. Armed with my Bible and a spiral notebook and pen, I sat down in the small room. I began to write, "Dear God......" and it began to flow. However, you couldn't really call it a prayer. My words were angry and filled with "Why is my life this way?" "Why are you punishing me?" "What have I done to deserve this?", "Why have you left me?" "WHERE ARE YOU?!!" I took a small break in my rant to God and looked up as I was writing. There, spanning the wall, directly across from me was a painting hanging over the bed. It was a painting of a stormy sea with a lighthouse shining it's beacon at one end of the picture. That painting was my SUNDAY. It was what I call a sledgehammer moment. It was just like God saying to me, "Like this lighthouse, I am always here to guide you through the storm. However, you must look for Me." I was humbled. My rant became an apology for my selfishness and anger. Do you have goosebumps yet? It gets better. After our 4 hours of prayer were over, we joined each other in the main room to share what we had experienced. I told my story of the painting. The owner of the house told me that the painting had been under the bed and she had just decided to hang it a few days ago. I believe in signs, messages in all  shapes and forms. I truly believe that God knew I was going to be in that room and needed to send me that message. When I am going through the Friday's of my life, I think of that Lighthouse and know that SUNDAY IS COMING!!!