A Gay time in Chicago

As a Christian who was raised in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod till we move to the U.P. and now a ELCA Christian since 1963, I am now concerned what will become of the Lutheran Church since this past week when in the ELCA Convention in Chicago, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed a resolution at its annual assembly urging bishops to refrain from disciplining pastors who are in "faithful committed same-gender relationships."

This passed by a vote of 538-431, What does this mean for the church? what does it mean for my church and what does it mean for me?

At Zion Lutheran here in St.Ignace our Church council president is a gay woman living in a committed relationship with another woman. I really like both women though only one of them attend church. I suppose that this vote will mean nothing physically to Zion Lutheran. Things will continue to go on as it has before.

I Imagine after the CORE convention Sept 28 some church's will split from the ELCA, how many will remain to be seen but I wonder if it will be 431 churches.

Core http://www.commonconfession.net/index2.html

What of me? I have 1 1/2 year of Lay School , I am deeply committed in a multi-Denominational Ministry in 4 prisons and have a hunger for the word of God.

Well, I will not attend a church that has a gay minister. I will still believe that what the Bible says that Homosexuality is a sin. Not so much because of scripture says verbatim but for the fact that A homosexual relationship is all about that person, And for thousands of years millenniums upon millenniums God has made it a HARD point to say it is NOT ABOUT YOU, It is about your relationship with Yahweh. So homosexuality is in defiance of Living for God and God alone.

For that Gay Community it is not only all about me, It seems they want to jam there lifestyle down our throats.
This call for Prayer, It calls for loving our gay brothers and sisters, But it also calls to God for Faithfulness.

In Messiah
Rick

Saved by Grace

Today was our Monthly Prison reunion / Bible Study at Newberry Correctional Facility. We had 5 inmates come and we discussed scripture in great detail, I ,Yellow highlighted many passages that I found great for teaching, Teaching me.

It's funny but when you talk to saved people about scripture outside in the world so to speak they either blow you off or change the subject. In Prison those men hunger for the word. And they are joyful that we come to see them, us men who have so much, are so blessed, who evangelize to those with so little. In the end it is we that are blessed.

On our Thursday night Bible study's at the Pike Unit inside Chippewa Correctional Facility we have been beating sin over the head vigorously. For three weeks we have been discussing, 1. How do you know if Holy Spirit in indwelt inside you. AND If you have been Baptized in the Holy Spirit and you keep sinning is Holy Spirit in you or are you misunderstanding Holy Spirit?

Will sin drive the Spirit out of you? If you have the fruits of the Holy Spirit can you still not be saved?

Well I sure am a sinner, It does not take that attractive of a girl/woman to catch my eye and even though I do not generally have lustful thoughts I sure do enjoy the beauty of the feminine form. SO If I do not covet and I do not lust, is it sin, Or are we getting to fundamentalist? and are splitting frog hairs of sin? Are we becoming Pharisees?

Sure Paul said he did what he did not want to do, and I guess that can be a scapegoat. But If We are working hard for the furtherance of Gods Kingdom If we truly love God and do works as a pleasing offering of sacrifice because we love out Father in Heaven, then can we be so damned? or are we still in Grace?

Grace, There it is. there can be no further discussion we are saved by grace and even all men's works are dirty linens to our God.

So I try to please God, I am covered in Grace, and as I do my best for our Jesus in the end we are all sinners, non better non worse.

May our God Adonai and his son Jesus Bless you this day.