RESPECT

The more I deal with, the more expeirence I get, the more I respect and even trust many inmates in the COUNTY jail. Often, I even respect them more than a good portion of church folks. Why? Here are a few reasons: 1) At least 90% of them have some sort of addiction. 2) A majority of them got caught for the same thing you did today but you didn't get caught. 3) They tend not to be phoney, hidding behind their sin. 4) They want mercy and an escape of the consequences of their wrongs/sin, but they are often very open and transparent and willing to be held accountable. 5) Many of them say and admit that they have faults (not tongue-in-cheek like us) and want better lives and characters. 6) They are genuine when they say "I'm lost, hurt, and broken". 7) They are real. 8) They have more courage in their pinkies than most of us altogether.The list is endless. Do I see flaws in them and their characters? Absolutely. But do I also see a broken and lost people with an openess, genuiness, kindness, and love that is lacking in many of our congregations today? ABSOLUTELY! Now before I ger a bunch of hate, self-justification or rationalisasion email, tweets, or posts let me say: I am not putting everyone in a box and saying this is the way it is. People are different. What works for the majority of inmates is not true for all inmates. But, I am proud of a majority of them. I am proud that many are my friends. I am even proud that I can say, "I am one of those people. I was lost but now I'm found."

So, may be before we get too self-righteous or hasty, we might want to look in the mirror. Let's quit playing church and BE THE CHURCH. -Pastor Gregg