You're Not Going to Like This...

Some of you aren’t going to like this… which means it probably applies to you most.

God loves Nikolas Cruz.

Just as much as He loves you.

One of the biggest lies Satan has sold (successfully) is that our sins are ok while the REAL evil people deserve what they get. And it’s an effective lie because it feeds directly into what may be the most dangerous human attribute: our pride.

“If I’m not THAT bad, then I’m ok.” That mindset is destroying those who profess themselves as Christians. There is nothing further from Biblical truth than that mindset. It flies in the face of everything God tells us. It’s the perfect lie.

That comparison to the extreme is stripping away what should be a simple Biblical truth: For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

All.

I sin daily. You do too. And each single sin is enough to create an unpassable chasm to God. Which is where John 3:16 comes in.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

The world. (That includes you, me, and Nikolas Cruz).

It’s easy to skim past certain words in that verse, because it’s turned cliché. The meaning of the verse gets lost in familiarity. It shouldn’t. It may be a simple truth, but it’s impact is deep, deep, deep.

We are no more deserving of God’s love than Cruz is. And our human minds struggle with that. Mine sure does. But, that nature is what separates God’s love from our own. It doesn’t make sense.

But, if God can love Nikolas Cruz enough to send Jesus for him (and I’ve outlined proof that He does), then that means He loves you too in your own imperfection.

You can’t out-sin God’s love or forgiveness. You just can’t. Because if you could, there would have been no reason to send His Son. Why would He send Jesus to live in this messed up world, suffer, and die if it wouldn’t be enough to account for all sin? Just from a logic perspective, that makes no sense. So, God loves and forgives sinners. That’s what He does. That’s who He is.

But, we like to create an additional layer in that simple, yet strange truth: Ourselves.

If you’re anything like me, forgiving myself is often harder than forgiving others. And forgiving others isn’t always easy.

“But you don’t know what I’ve done… who I’ve hurt.”

No, but God does and that’s EXACTLY why He sent Jesus. Exactly why.

If He sent Jesus for all the perfect people, He wouldn’t have in the first place. No one’s sin is better than yours. (Or worse). Don’t listen to anyone who tells you differently. Imperfection defines hypocrisy. Don’t be afraid to chase the Christian truth because you see nothing but sinful Christians. Of course you do! But, look to those who acknowledge their sin instead of rationalize it. Don’t reject Christian belief because you’re measuring it against imperfect people. Measure it against the one it’s built upon.

What you’ve done? God still loves you. You’re not bad enough to escape His love. You’re just not. If Nikolas Cruz isn’t, you sure aren’t.

The self-loathing we feel when we mess up (big or small)? God still loves us. We can hate ourselves and God is still standing there with open arms, wanting to embrace us.

It makes no sense. But it shouldn’t. That’s why He’s God and we aren’t.

If we can agree Billy Graham was a decent enough guy, just know he sinned too. He needed God just as much as you. Good people don’t get to Heaven. Forgiven people do. Once that truth hits, we can’t help BUT to love God back in appreciation.

If you are one to struggle with this truth, which is understandable, even Graham himself said, “I’ve never known a man who received Christ and ever regretted it.”

I guess the purpose of this rambling, preachy post is to remind Christians to act like it. And to let those interested in Christianity (but abhor most Christians) know you are forgivable. You are loved. You are accepted. Don’t let your loathing for yourself or imperfect Christians skew these truths.

If God can love Nikolas Cruz, He can love you too.

My 100% Guarantee... Change is Coming

So I had a small conversation with Val this morning about societal changes. It revolved around the Florida students in protest for stricter gun laws, but it opened up a much deeper point.

Regardless of what you think needs changing on an individual basis, it seems a lot of the same issues we’ve been battling over the last 20 years haven’t budged. I don’t have any research behind me, but just thinking things through and using what I know of human nature, I posit that in 20-30 years, this country (and world) will be nearly unrecognizable. That may be good. That may be bad.

But, the Baby Boomers have been running this country (and they obviously raised my Generation, Gen-X). They were of a specific mindset, which in turn obviously helped shape ours.

(I’m not interested in arguing if these mindsets are correct or not. And also… don’t take offense if I say something negative about your generation. It’s not personal. It’s VERY broad, on a macro-level. I’m not attacking anyone. Everything below is based on generality, so put down your pitchforks)

As society has shifted, the Boomers played a large role in that shift. They brought us Flower Power and peace and love and the sexual revolution. They upset a much more conservative society than most of us have ever experienced. They fought the civil rights movement with MLK. Their generation changed the world in a lot of good (and bad) ways. Translation… progress isn’t always good.

But, their time of youth certainly shifted the culture of America.

Moving onto Gen-X, I think we largely perpetuated that model. We grew up looking for an identity that, ultimately, rooted itself in hard work and persistence. We grew up in a major technological shift in the world (internet). We just had no idea how deep that rabbit hole would go. Also, those who fought WW2 passed along a patriotism to the Boomers. They in turn, passed down much of that to us, while at the same time watching the country we’ve been taught to love turn into one to make us question why?

But, as Gen-Xers, we aren’t really at the age to do THAT much about it because we’re straddling what we were taught vs what we see this country becoming. And the ironic factor is it’s not politically based. Both liberals and conservatives (and even moderates) all think this country and its leaders are messed up. If everyone thinks everyone else has messed the country up, it’s clear we want to love our country but can’t agree on how or why.

The key factor here, though, is I think we’ve not handled that straddling very well. While we are patriotic, it’s by proxy and largely not through experience. We haven’t done a good job passing that down to the next generation because we grew up in a time where national pride centered around how great we are, not because we saved the world from the Nazis. (And we wonder why younger generations are entitled…. It’s because we’ve given them no perspective to be otherwise!) Our national accomplishment was rooted more in entertainment and athletics than worldwide saviorhood.

Fast forward and let time and ‘progress’ take root. We now have a nation with so many problems, it’s easier to count what’s right about American than what is wrong. Why would Millennials and younger be patriotic for a nation they deem to be so flawed? And those flaws were caused by the two generations prior. In their minds, the curtain has been rolled back and they don’t have the frame of reference to know why America is the best country in the world because they haven’t seen it.

They’ve seen a new round of racial tension. Old rich white guys ruining the economy out of greed. Gun violence. Hatred for all sorts of groups. Political embarrassment.  They’ve seen the creations of the Boomers and Gen-X ruin a country they are told to love. Boomers and Gen-Xers have covered the country in a film of sludge while telling them how beautiful it used to be. They’re starting to see through it.

This planet is at a precipice. The technological age has changed us and the world. It brought us together in ways never before, but only to give us the tools to tear each other apart in ways history never predicted. The internet age because the information age which has become the social media age. And it’s happened to fast, there is/was no way to let the change occurring trickle out. That water was flooding our lives faster than we can/could control it. This new age has given us lots but has taken away a lot too.

But in the midst of it all, Millennials and younger were given something no other generation really before had en masse: A voice.

When Boomers wanted something, it took time for their movements to take root. When they did, it was world changing, but it was slow. We as Gen-Xers created a solution, but didn’t quite know how to utilize it and honestly, had very little cause to find our voices. We created the tools and then wondered what to do with them.

But Millennials and younger have/are growing up with it. Even when no one wants to hear it, they have a voice… and they’re learning how to use it. Using their voice IS their culture.

All this is preamble to tell anyone asking if/when ‘x’ will change… Change is coming. Hard and fast. And honestly, I’m guessing the pendulum is going to swing waaaay too far. But, that’s actually a different topic around what needs to change and why.

But why do I 100% guarantee change is coming? I’m an AccidentalGenius, of course. ;)

Right now, the Boomers are beginning to leave the workforce/positions of power and Gen-X is taking the mantle. (Good or bad) It’s our turn to rule the world. And those in power don’t relinquish it willingly.

At any point in time, there are typically two ruling generations: Those 35-50 and those 50-70. As those two groups reluctantly relinquish ‘power’, the younger generation backfills.

In about 20-30 years, (assuming artificial intelligence hasn’t created our own version of Skynet/Terminator… and I’m only kind of joking) you’ll see a world driven by Millennials and the I-Gen. These guys want change. They know the change they want. They know how to use their voice. And when they get the opportunity, then, and only then, do I think you’ll see true change in this country.

Now, all this will be buttressed against those happy with the status quo. They won’t be able to hold back the tidal wave.

There’s a lot of depth I could go into as to what that could mean… but, I fear it. Not because I fear change, but because I fear the example we’ve set as Gen-Xers and Boomers is a poor one. We’ve not instilled the things we say are important to us. We’ve said what’s important, but we haven’t instilled it. Millennials may be the entitled generation and the I-Gen may be snacking on Tide Pods, but WE are the ones who raised them. We are the ones who taught them. They really are a reflection of us… and most of us don’t want to admit it.

Many of these Tide Pod-munchers are going to change this world, assuming they live long enough to. But we’ve created such a world in need of so much change, we haven’t taught them the right perspective on where to stop. We haven’t taught them balance or moderation. Or, apparently, common sense.

So when it becomes the Millennials and I-Gen power-years, change WILL happen. I 100% believe our country will be unrecognizable in 25-30 years because of it. The perfect storm is building and it’s going to slam hard.

Maybe this is the natural order of things. Maybe this dynamic has played out through history over and over. But, I think the perfect storm of voice, opportunity, and areas in need of change is on the horizon. Many things in need of change will actually change. But will they have the wisdom and discernment to know what and how much? THAT, my friends, is a prayer we all need to adopt and repeat over and over until we’re gone.

Change is coming.

I just fear it’ll go too far. If there’s one thing humanity, regardless of generation, has shown, it’s we don’t know when to stop until it’s too late. And we’ve created a world for them void of much Godly direction.

Pray.