I have no idea what ticked this guy off so much but I got the message LOUD and CLEAR! As I walked past his house, with no intention of going to it, I knew that I would not be welcome anyway (I’m going to be honest… I was kinda shaking as I stood in their driveway to take the picture in case some ravenous dog came running after me).
Strange that I would have such a drastic reaction… simply to some paint on a piece of wood. No one ‘said’ anything to me and nothing was happening around me to set off my Spidey-senses… but as I stood there, camera in hand, taking a picture of someone’s obvious desire to not be disturbed… I knew my presence was not welcomed at all.
I am always fascinated to hear stories from people who come to our church after attending other churches first. For us, we want everyone’s experience to be just like ‘home’. Home is where you feel most comfortable, most vulnerable, most accepted. It’s where ‘love’ doesn’t need a reason and forgiveness doesn’t need probation.
I think that churches and organizations can often be caught ‘saying’ that everyone matters while the ‘signs’ point otherwise. At our church we believe that ‘each person’ who walks through the door is a gift… regardless of how many weeks, months, or years they’ve been coming. And so if we ‘believe‘ it, our actions should line up with it.
Tomorrow is Sunday… and many of you may be going to church somewhere. For those who plan on going to church, may I suggest that you make every effort to leave your ‘signs’ of isolation, judgment, callousness, and indifference at your house… tucked somewhere deep in the recesses of your closet. Remember that you may be the deciding factor tomorrow on whether someone feels like they have finally come “home”; where love and forgiveness should always be found in excess.
At least that’s how I see it,
C
Living Venti In A Grande World 