tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28456747.post1636720718145702640..comments2008-04-04T06:07:39.793-05:00Comments on charisshalom: Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00788345747841842640noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28456747.post-34981028231631942962006-10-20T16:09:00.000-05:002006-10-20T16:09:00.000-05:00This topic is close to my heart, because my countr...This topic is close to my heart, because my country of birth, Zimbabwe, is one of the hardest hit by the AIDS crisis.<br /><br />Thanks for posting this and continuing to make people aware.<br /><br />BTW--we're glad that you are all okay. I heard about the earthquake on the news, and immediately prayed for your family.Kiki Cherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12645328643005103103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28456747.post-67584258704785381272006-10-20T14:13:00.000-05:002006-10-20T14:13:00.000-05:00Strider, great words. They are just like us and b...Strider, great words. They are just like us and but for the grace of God there go we. Excellent reminder. It is always so much easier to think in terms of us and them than to live in the reality that we are but dust and cling desperately to an amazing and wonderful God.Bryan Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00788345747841842640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28456747.post-66454932838169238252006-10-20T13:37:00.000-05:002006-10-20T13:37:00.000-05:00My father was a hospital chaplain in 1983. It was ...My father was a hospital chaplain in 1983. It was unbelievable the attitude that the churches had against those with AIDS. It was as if the sin of homosexuality trumped all others. People were afraid of AIDS and homosexuals. Many hated them because of their fear. While pastoring a small rural church we had one family who had a son with AIDS. He was a hemephiliac and got the disease through blood transfusion. That did nothing to lesson the suspicion and shame for that family. At that time I began to say that AIDS was not God's judgment on homosexuals it was God's judgement on the Church. The needy are dying all around us and we by and large applaud it. This judgement proved we were not in fact, followers of Christ. Christ never behaved this way toward sinners or toward suffering people. Fifteen years later have we learned anything? I love Dorcas and her blog but her comment above says it all to me. We should pray for those 'not like us'? How are they not like us? They are sinners whom Jesus loves JUST like us. The fact that we 'feel' so different from them does not reflect Christ' work in our lives. It reflects how little difference He has made in our lives. <br />Wow, sorry so long a comment- guess you hit a nerve!Striderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347436154893544535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28456747.post-77733120604011525382006-10-19T23:08:00.000-05:002006-10-19T23:08:00.000-05:00Bryan -
Thanks for the reminder to remember to pr...Bryan -<br /><br />Thanks for the reminder to remember to pray for those "not like us". Sometimes it is easy to pray for things we identify with (for instance whenever someone loses a loved one I feel like I can empathize), but it is harder to pray for others when we can't really say "I know what you are going through." The point is that I should pray in all matters, and not have prayer "special interest" areas. Yet there is so much need, I am glad y'all have specific days to focus on certain areas of need.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com