It's my day off so I"m going to rant a little.

Many many random things go through my mind on a daily basis but lately I have been thinking about the definition of sin. Who decided what is and isn't sin? Yes - I know - I have the pat Sunday school answers. The Bible is the ultimate word of God and so on and so forth. And...I'm not trying to be sacreligious here but --- I have sort of a problem with that. I do believe the Bible is the word of God but it is interpreted in 5000 different ways by each person who reads it. Take 5 men off the street and have them read the same passage. Each one will get a different meaning out of it.

My last blog was about finding God in the midst of a tattoo parlor. Someone commented about how they have found God in a multitude of unexpected places more so than they ever found Him in a church. Now that's just sad. But you know what? It can be so true. I've noticed the happy hour crew tends to be more of a family than the church people I know. I even know a group that meets at the bar every Wednesday night and call it "church". There is a closeness there that supercedes what we are doing in our churches. Maybe there's no fear of judgement. Maybe its the alcohol. Whatever it is, we as Christians need to find it. We are missing the mark!

And then... I think of people. Many Christians I know don't have a clue what it means to mimic the love of Christ. Church is the last place some would go to find comfort or solace in the midst of a crisis. They'd rather talk to the bartender or the hairdresser or the tattoo artist. We tend to look down at the gay and lesbian community for the lifestyle but they often have a better grasp of God's love than we do. Yes - I struggle with the lifestyle but only because I don't understand it. Who am I to say they are wrong? Perhaps my view has changed because my brother is gay but I also know many other homosexual individuals that display the love of God in their lives more than any straight guy I know!

So I really wish people would stop compartmentalizing God. I really wish people would quit assuming they *know* what is sin and what isn't. That is not our job. Our job is to display the love the Christ in our lives and accept all people for who they are and love them. Love them to Christ! And look for God....look everywhere! He is everywhere - literally. He is in the grocery store, the liquor store, the bar, the strip club, the tattoo parlor and the street corner. He is also in my life, the lesbian across the street's life, the gay hairdresser's life, and the life of that guy who is a different religion that you.

And in this blog. And even at the Golden Globe awards last night when that weirdo made the comment at the end (and thank you to God for making me an atheist). That guy needs the love of God - he just doesn't realize it yet. Someone will show him - and that someone will probably be the guy you'd least expect.