Friday is usually the day without blogging. It does get hard to generate decent to good ideas every day of the week. Columnists at newspapers write only a few days each week. But we are trying to be consistent here so we aim for almost every day. Let's take a night off from talking about my disease. Sometimes I reach a point of saturation on that. We can thank CNN for putting up some news that will serve as our topic of the day. We may even try to be a bit controversial. Well, it may not be controversial as much as it makes me think. Thinking is good for a person. Too often we believers skip thinking to move to reciting what someone else says. A little cranial exercise never hurt anyone.

Today CNN posted something on its website that drew my attention. Anne Rice is a prolific author who lives in New Orleans. She first came to fame by writing of creatures of the night. I read her most famous book but never did get all the fuss. Several more books followed about scary stuff which you can find in the horror section of your bookstore. Then a few years ago she made a complete turnaround. She wrote of rediscovering her faith in Jesus after some very serious crises. Her writings were born out of her Catholic background but they did reflect some deep thought about Jesus. It became obvious that her previous readers felt slighted to even feeling outraged. Her new books on the Christian faith were equally popular to the faithful that bought them. CNN reported today of something she wrote very recently that will make the average person begin to wonder.

She writes that she is leaving Christianity. Her reason is that she refuses to be against many things we tend to take up arms about. Later she will write that her faith in Jesus is still central to her life. Her world view was once of pessimistic atheism. Now she speaks of being optimistic in the care of a loving God. She refers to the tendency among us who believe to be mean spirited, quarrelsome, and hostile. The final words tell of her desire to continue following Jesus in her life. She says that being a Christian is about following Jesus first. Who can argue with that?

I know where she is coming from. We have to admit where we as believers tend to be at least a bit ugly in our character. How often do churches describe themselves as friendly until you attend a business meeting? Let me just go ahead and be brutally honest here. Since I am sick there is little need to hold back. I cannot disagree with her thinking at all. The church drives away way too many people because of mean spirited behavior. We have cliques that end up wrestling for power instead of following the One who is all power. We say things both in front of and behind the backs of other followers that are indefensible. We treat others with a cruelty that we would not do to our pets. My heart just gets sick each time something like this happens. Being a follower of Jesus was never intended to be a full contact sport.

My political point of view tends to the conservative. Most believers today tend to vote the same way. But why do we want the government out of the abortion issue while turning around to have it legislate prayer or other similar things? Do not get me wrong. My mind cannot relate to any reason to be pro abortion. But does that give me the right to be hateful to those who are? I've said before that I generally like our President. That does not mean I agree with much of his positions if any of them. Odds are if he is for it then I am against it. But does that give me the right to wish bad things for him? My prayer for him is that he will integrate the faith that he claims into his policy. I want him to succeed as a father and husband. That doesn't mean I want him to raise my taxes but there is still the need to pray for him. What about those who live in lifestyles outside my moral code? Do we just criticize their choice with an ugly style or should we extend the love of God to them? We can go on and on but you get my general point.

Being truly Christian is first and always about following Jesus. It means loving those who He loves. It calls for us to look past our particular filters on life to see as He sees. It means guarding our heart against all meanness so we can radiate His love. Maybe there will come a time when the followers of Jesus will be known by their likeness to Him. That day is not here now. All I know to do is to ask for it to begin with me. Now will you consider doing the same?

Bro. Trey