Good Afternoon Friends and FB Browsers I am posting a conversation that I have had today, with the permission of Nicole that illustrates very well the reason behind our new Wednesday evening series. The fundamentals of faith are vital to Christ-followers. BUT, the word fundamentalism has been hijacked by people who wear the Christian label who do not have a commitment to the heart and character, the love and mercy of God. Fundamentalists has also been a word describing hate-filled, murderous terrorists threatening the world today. Open Door Ministries Long Beach is not a fundamentalist community in the sense that many use the term today. If you have interest in being involved in the conversation, a discussion group meets at 7 PM on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Wednesdays of each month at ODM’s office complex: 2221 Palo Verde Ave. 2G / Long Beach, CA 90815 I will also be presenting a Sunday AM series on this topic later this month, September 2014. Good morning Pastor Dan A Burchett. My name is Nicole and I attend your service almost every Sunday now for the past few months and I love it! I love the people and I love the experience. Im writing to you today on a very sad day but im very torn right now and I need some guidance. I have never been a religious person nor do I think I ever want to be. I started attending your church in search of something and I wasnt sure what that was. My girlfriend has always been religious so it was very easy for her to jump right in when she started attending your service being as how she was kicked out of her familys church when they found out she was gay. Beside that what I was searching for I had no idea, I wasnt sure what I would find. I still am not sure but what I have found so far is that your service doesnt make me a more religious person but it does make me a better person. I listen to every word you say and I try to take home a lesson with me every week, this past Sunday I took home peoples opinions of god or yourself or anything else is superfluous. I LOVE THAT! the od me was a very judgmental and critical person and I would let you know what I thought. I still do but I monitor myself and I do my best to not judge people anymore and Im always helping others if I can. So I know attending your church and speaking with the people who attend and seeing the love they share for each other and their king is truly inspireing to me. So to get to my pickle Im in....I have a lot of family who live in East Texas family that I love dearly. Ive never shared their political views or their religious ones but I see their opinions blasted on facebook almost every day and today is going to be a bit overwhelming. It is so hard for me not to counter post about how ridiculous they all sound. and I know that doing this would be really dumb on my part and would make me look just as stupid as they sound. so my question to you is...how do you get past those feelings what do you think of when you are pushed to your limits and you just want to slap someone lol? Anything you say will help Thank you Pastor Dan A Burchett. Sincerely, Nicole My Response… Good morning Nicole. Thank you so very much for taking the time to write this morning. I am also very encouraged to hear that you are finding meaning and purpose in the Messages on Sundays at Open Door. The question you pose is a common one and filled with a lot of emotion and past hurts. I believe that the God that is true is using the LGBT Christian issue to rattle the cages of fundamentalism and traditionally minded churches, exposing what is not true and what does not reflect the true heart of God. I understand that traditional Christians often feel threatened by a more excepting, generous, loving God. As hard as it is I try my best to live with greater love and try to emulate the character of Gods love in front of those people. You will likely never argue someone from a fundamentalist mindset into excepting what is wrong about their approach to God in truth. That is why it is so important to find an environment like Open Door that can feed our spirits and our souls with love and acceptance so we can mirror the true God in front of those who seem to be contrary to his message. I hope this helps and please let me know if I can speak further with you about any of this. Have a wonderful day Nicole.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:27:26 +0000
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