Yes, I am a Christian, and no, that doesn't mean I am personally financing Terry Jones' matches...

I don't like writing things like this. Things that everyone else is writing about, and most of them doing it in a significantly better manner than I can. Things that are in the news. Hot topics. Blah blah blah.

The thing that I am discovering is that I can spend all my time writing about the love of God, sowing seeds of peace, calling the church to a higher place of discipleship in Jesus instead of man-made rules and laws, reaching out to others, rebuking those who judge, attack or hurt the weak, lost or different, live my life walking as close to Jesus as I can and seeing the evidence of His love in the broken and hurt people who are learning how very much they are loved...

...and let one crack pot in Florida decide to burn the Koran on September 11th, and suddenly I'm assumed to be the guy's biggest supporter. I have to be, right? After all, I haven't bombed his church out yet(Anyone got plane fare for Florida, 'cause money's a little tight these days?), I haven't written long-winded, hate-filled rants about him yet, I haven't dug up any dirt on his past love life and sold it to the Enquirer yet. So I must agree with the guy.

Good gravy, what is happening to logic these days?

For years and years, Christians were vilified for talking the talk and not walking the walk. Now, people are peeved when we are too busy walking the walk to join in the endless talk. I know it is important that people speak out against this stuff. People ARE speaking out against this stuff. The Vatican has condemned it, Christian religious leaders have joined with Jewish and Muslim leaders at the National Press Club in Washington Tuesday to denounce it, and I have read countless personal reports of people who are horrified by this guy. I do not know one Christian that would support these actions. In fact, the only people that might support him are the 50...yes, 50...people in his congregation. And who knows how many of them are trying to speak some sense in the midst of the crazy?

So what is going on? Hatred begets hatred, that's what's going on. This guy hates Muslims because the people responsible for 9/11 were Muslims, so he wants to burn the Koran. The world hears about it, and since the guy responsible for the plan to burn the Koran is Christian, decides to hate Christians. And the beat goes on. Essentially, we are saying, hey, this guy's attitude and behavior are so wrong that the only way to address them is to...mimic them??!!! Oooh, good plan. I hate who you are so much, I want to be just like you. And this makes sense...how?

At some point we have to make a choice to stop reacting and start acting. My first Bible was destroyed in a raging fit by someone that I had lent it to. It had all my first notes in it, the highlights of my first discoveries that God loved me and actually delighted in me. It was precious. I remember the very moment when she told me what she had done. We were in the car. It was dark. I was in the front seat, and she was in the back. She told me very flippantly. She had no idea what she had done, or was so self absorbed that she didn't care. I don't know which. I was immediately furious. Seriously. I remember, in my anger, receiving a gentle, inner invitation to be different. She had allowed her anger to result in destruction. While I was filled with the desire to do the same, I had a choice. I didn't have to react destructively. I didn't have to rip and tear. I could choose a different path. It was tough. I don't know, maybe by choosing to act on the words of my destroyed Bible, I honored it. I never regretted not blasting her. I have had many Bibles since, and I love them all. My first one was the most special, not because it was my first, but it was strong enough to come back to me when I needed it. God used it to change me into who I wanted to be, and gave me the freedom to choose how I would act, rather than allowing someone else's behavior to force me into the same mold as they are in.

For the record, I do not support Terry Jones' plan to burn the Koran. If you know me, you already know this. If you don't know me well enough to know this, but you need to hear it from my keyboard, that's sad. If you think that this guy's behavior represents the thoughts and beliefs of all Christians, then you have more in common with him than you think, because that's exactly what he thinks about Muslims.