I desire Mercy.

Thursday night. Sophie had her Theatre Recital tonight. She was adorable! All the kids did an excellent job and made the audience laugh continually.

My favorite quote from Jack this week. "I wish I had lice." I said, really why is that? "Because Damion has lice and he gets to stay home from school tomorrow." Jack has summeritis he can't wait for summer vacation.

Jack is doing exceptionally well. He is still sick in the morning, but he is looking better and waking up with color in his face which is a step in the right direction. I can see that he is feeling a bit better each day. Almost 2 weeks off steroids.

The Coffee Group leaves in the morning to speak at the Alta Mesa Church of Christ's Ladies Retreat. I am so looking forward to God blowing us away like he does each time. We bring our little mustard seed and He moves mountains. Incredible.

I am about half way through with "Walking With God" by John Eldredge. I am still loving it, I pray that I am living it. God is certainly revealing more to me and has been for the last several months. There is no getting bored with God that is for sure. He will keep you hopping.

I went to a great class last night at Highland Church of Christ. Sally Gary is teaching a 6 week Wednesday night class on same-s*x attraction. It is so insightful. It is also very convicting and saddening to hear some stories about how Christians have acted with hatred and judgement and without love. The example in scripture she gave us last night was from when Jesus approached the Samaritan woman at the well. She was a sinner, she was an outcast. She went to the well in the middle of the day because she had been shunned by the other women. But Jesus approached her with kindness. He engaged her and he loved her right where she was. She hadn't repented and then found that Jesus loved her, he loved her first. That is the example of how followers of Christ should engage people that are struggling with sin. We are all struggling with sin after all, some of it might look a bit nicer, but to Jesus it is all sin. Love one another as Christ Jesus loves you.

I thought about my friend Carey alot last night. He and I became friends many years ago. He had a vibrant spirit and a generous nature that were apparent the first time I met him. We knew each other a bit from work, we both worked at a local grocery store. I was working nights after my day job to pay for my wedding. He was just trying to put food on his table. A couple of years went by that I didn't see him, but then one day I saw in our church bulletin that he was in the hospital. His mom was a member of our church. God put it on my heart to visit him in the hospital that day. At this point in our friendship we were merely acquaintances. I would have to remind him of my name and where I knew him from. I felt such a strong urging from the Spirit to visit him I went to the hospital, but I went with sweaty hands and a dry mouth. I didn't know how to even start a conversation. Before I opened his hospital door I prayed with tears in my eyes that God would give me words to speak. And He did. I introduced myself again to Carey, reminded him that I knew his mom and told him I had seen that he was in the hospital. He wasn't sure why I was there, I wasn't sure why I was there, but God knew. The Lord opened a door for me to share my past with him. I shared the ugliness of it all. Our sins were different but we were both sinners. And then I shared how I had been restored by God, how He sought me when I didn't want to be sought. He loved me when I didn't think I could be loved. And Carey's eyes softened towards me and he shared that he was afraid. He knew that he was not living a lifestyle that was in line with where God would want him. He didn't know if He could ever be forgiven. That day began a dialogue that lasted many years, a friendship that I treasured. My friend Carey asked that I sit with his family at his funeral before he died. I was able to spend time with him before his time on earth was done. I believe that more than anything Carey needed someone who loved Him with the love of the Lord and who pointed Him in God's direction. And I am so BLESSED that God allowed that person to be me. I must have said it a thousand times, "God loves you." Those words are powerful to someone who feels like they have walked too far away from God to be loved by Him.

People hurting, people in sin, they don't need hatred, they don't need condemnation, they need God's love and they need to enter into fellowship with people who can show them how to live out God's love. I will always err on the side of mercy, for I desire much mercy on my own head when I face Jesus.