I love gay people!

Will anyone be offended if I'm extra blunt today? If you are, well that's too bad. Sometimes the truth hurts. Just saying. (Of course everything I just said was in a sarcastic tone) ;)

I want to talk about stereotypes. Isn’t it easy to judge people based off of their religious beliefs? Or their style of clothing? How about their skin color? Their family background? Their accent? Their weight? Their sexual orientation? Their financial status? How do stereotypes even get started in the first place?

All it takes is one.

One person to start a trend.

One person to start a rumor.

One person to start a movement.

It saddens me that most homosexuals don't feel welcome in churches. We gladly welcome alcoholics, couples who are sleeping together outside of marriage, drama queens, liars and gossips into our churches, yet we look down on gays? That doesn't make sense. We need to stop looking at homosexuality as a big scary issue. Is it a choice or is it not a choice? Is it only sin if you act on it or if you're just thinking it and trying to not think it? What if you've always felt this way since you can remember? Honestly I don't know all the answers! I don't know if anyone will. But what I do know is that homosexuality is just sexual sin. Just like porn, or sleeping with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or cheating on your significant other. It's all sexual sin and that's the issue we should be addressing. I know that the generation before us was raised in a more conservative way regarding homosexuality, but I say our generation should be the one that reaches out to the gay community in love. They should feel welcome in the church. They should not be afraid to go to church because people "will judge them".

It's time for change. We need to change the way we see homosexuality, how we react to it, and what we're doing about it. If you're reading this and you're gay, I want you to know that I LOVE you (and of course I LIKE you too, lol) and you're welcome to come to church with me any time. Or if you just want to hang out that's okay too. ;)

I don't want anyone to feel like I'm targeting gay people, I just think Christians have made a huge deal out of homosexuality when it's just sin. Just like my sins that I struggle with every day. Everyone justifies their own sin and tries to make other people's sin look so much worse. I mean, isn't materialism a sin? And I would say almost every single person I know has completely given in to that sin. Who really needs a 4,000 square foot house? Or even 2,000? We could be taking the money we spend on our mortgage every year and give it to the millions of children dying of starvation in other countries. Just a thought.

Anyway, to sum everything up, we're all jacked up. Every single one of us. Some of us are just much, much better at hiding it. That's why we're saved by grace. Because no one has all the answers, and no one is going to get it right every single time. If you're messed up like me, say AMEN! Lol

I hope this post was thought provoking.

Faith.Hope.Love.

Chelsea Rae

Just DO it

You know what I did today? I bit the bullet and I applied at Pierce College. I am learning something right now that I thought I already knew. Obedience. But you know when you "know" something but you don't really know it? You know something to be true but you don't act on it. Well...that's where I've been for the last year and a half.

During my second year in MI (Ministry Institute) I sat down with God and asked Him what He wanted me to do after the program was finished. Was I supposed to stick around Puyallup, move to another state, work full time, go to a four year university, do another internship at another church somewhere, enroll in community college while working full time...there were so many choices! I felt very strongly that I needed to enroll in school. Didn't matter where, just go to school. Well it's been about two years and guess what I haven't done?! Wow. My stubbornness and stupidity amazes me sometimes. I've been asking God for months, "What do you want me to do now? My life isn't going anywhere, I'm not moving forward. Why aren't you directing me? Why aren't you telling me what you want? Hello? Are you even listening?!" What a whiner! But He already told me what to do and I ignored Him! I've known all along that's what I need to do. Do you ever do that? Just push aside the voice of God hoping He'll stop pestering you? Well, let me just inform you, HE DOESN'T GO AWAY. If God wants you to do something, He will keep whispering in your ear and bugging you until you do it.

Not to make it sound like God is annoying, He just knows what's best for us. The morale of the story is this: If you aren't getting any direction from God, take a look into your past and see if you did the last thing He told you to do.

I haven't even started classes yet and I already feel a weight lifted off my shoulders! Chad Veach once said, "Obedience brings confidence." When you know for a fact that you're walking in the will of God you just feel better. There's a reason God says He desires obedience over sacrifice. Because He knows all the benefits of being obedient. It's easier to smile, easier to be generous, easier to resist temptation...you literally feel lighter. I would encourage you to try it.

Well, it definitely felt good to get that off my shoulders! Now, take a look in the mirror, my friend. Are you being obedient?

Faith.Hope.Love.

Chelsea Rae