One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said:
"Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."
-Titus 1:12
I left the church after cleaning up at our monthly family movie night Friday night and right in the street in front of my house was a street brawl. A bunch of teens got in a fight, a girl got punched in the head and a some guys got after each other, fist flying, heads getting pounded on the cement...all while my kids watched from inside the house.
8 police cars, two fire trucks and an ambulence...lights flashing, sirens blaring and cops all on edge. You never know around here if something is going to go deadly real quick...it's often a powder keg waiting for a match and the cops know it.
Our neighborhood is full of Cretans....evil beasts.
The countless Rottwielers and Pitt Bulls chained in numerous back yards, testify of the spirit roaming in this area. Some of these creatures sound like the mythic blood hungry Grendle as they strain at the edge of thier chains in a fit of rabid horror, practically jumping out of thier skin to taste your liver! Think of the people who have these flesh-eaters as pets and you get my point.
Savegry is a part of life here...many people are cruel, rude, cocky, loud, obnoxious, vile, foul mouthed and dirty. They are always lying, stealing and live lazy lives of drug dealing, jocky box'n and welfare draining schemes. They pump out kids for money, they rip off the state with endless tall tales and pretend to have every ailment under the sun in order to spend another day loafing around.
Yet...God loves them and calls me to love them because He desires that they get saved, cleansed and taught how to live lives that glorify Him and add life not death to the community. Like Titus must have felt, I feel overwhelmed at times by the wild west like reality of doing church here...on the edge of civility
I often lay on my bed at night wondering...can a pastor carry a gun?
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