Snake hygeine and gay naighbors

...that snakes wipe their butts after they poop? I'm not trying to gross you out, really. I'm just sharing a tid bit of information I learned at the Denver Zoo today.

John and I took the Little Booger to the zoo (again - we sure are going to get mileage out of that membership some wonderful unkown person bought for us) after church. On Friday we spent time in the bird house and Primate Panorama. Today the heft of our visit consited of staring into fish tanks and terrariums in Tropical Discovery. We saw a snake poop. John saw it first and pointed it out to me and the hundred others surrounding us. I'll spare you the detials, but when the snake (a huge one, about 8 or 9 inches in diameter) finished his business, he wiped himself clean on a rock! Amazing how God programs some critters with the need for cleanliness! Snakes!

The Little Booger enjoyed his zoo visit. There are a lot of trees. Have I mentioned my son is obsessed with trees?

He also was mesmerized by the fish in the aquariums. I'm thinking of setting up his highchair in front of the one in our house...

Our next door neighbors are the most likeable gay men you could ever meet. We have become friends with them over the past few years and have had some very in-depth eye-opening conversations.

One day Gill and I stood in our back yards on our tippy toes chatting over the fence. Gill popped a whopper of a question; "Does your church have 'gaydar'? Like, if I actaully hung around for a few minutes after one of your choir/orchestra concerts, would people see me, point and yell; 'There's a homo in the sanctuary! Purify yourselves!'?"

Oooohhh. What a question. I would love to say, "No way, our church would do no such thing. We are not part of the God Hates Fag movement." Rather I said, "The mature people who really do what Jesus says wouldn't behave like that." Does your church have a "gaydar"?

Let me say this so you know where I stand:

Homosexuality is a sin, period. Any sort of sex outside of marriage is sin, period. Me not trusting God, and thinking He made mistakes in making me is a sin, period. Stealing, lying, cheating, gluttony, pride, perversity etc are all sins. We all need Jesus.

Gill told me several times he wishes he weren't gay. He's tried in his own power not to be gay, but has finally succumbed to the pull of his flesh. He's terrified of stepping foot into a church b/c he's had some pretty hurtful experiences. What does that say about the "Christian" Church? How would Jesus resopond to these men? They are wounded. They are seeking, but unwelcome in the very places they can find what they are looking for. Why is that?

I'm not knocking my church one bit. I'm talking about Christians in general. The God Hates Fags group claims to be Baptist! Hate is sin too!

Jesus loves these men.so much He DIED willingly for them. He would chat over the fence, eat dinner with them. Laugh and cry with them. He would show them His healing power and allow them the chance to turn to Him and then He would lead them down a new path.

Homosexuality is not genetic. It is most likely result of a deep wound. The world then grabs the struggling youngster/adult and erroniously convinces them they are gay which in the end creates a deeper wound. We have all made sinful choices in the throes of painful experiences.

All that said, if you know someone who is struggling with this pain, love them. Don't condemn them. We ALL have our never-ending battles with sin whether or not its covert or overt.

Pray for our neighbors. We love them deeply. Gill has attended a few concerts, but comes and goes before any stray "gaydar" sensors can go off.

Imagine how different this world would be if we Christians actaully lived what we say we believe the Bible teaches. Oh, and one more thing... ALL 66 books are inspired by God. Some people only beleive the "red letters" are scripture, the rest being debateable. It's all true. We can't throw any of it out. Throwing away what we don't like is what got our world into this mess...