My favorite blogger

I have to say that David Hayward is my favorite blogger out there. I urge you to visit his blog and he also has t-shirts and art for sale on his site. Probably because I really agree with his ideas and how he pastors a church. I almost want to move to Rothesay, New Brunswick, Canada just so I can be a part of that church. I have learned so much just by following his blog. He is all about the Kingdom and Grace, Mercy and Love. I love his cartoon posts too, as you can probably tell by reading my blog. His post today just moved and touched me so much. Here it is...

I had a strange dream last night. Very dramatic. I am in a place that, after awaking, I would describe as Hell. It is dark, scary, and filled with torment, like a nightmarish cavernous cave. It is a place where there is perpetual war. People constantly hating, fighting and murdering. There is no safety. There is blood on the stones. I see a person standing on a high rock, raising his hands in triumph, only to be shot down and beaten, leaving the high rock empty for the next person to ascend it and claim victory. What chaos. What mayhem! What ambition! What defeat!

Then, suddenly, there is a pronouncement made. I’m not sure if I see who’s making it. But I hear the words, “The truth or untruth is in the statement, not the person!” The cause of all this hatred, war and bloodshed, all this animosity and disunity, is that we afflict the people we disagree with. We disrespect, punish, abuse and murder (metaphorically and really) the people we differ with. Can we challenge and debate the ideas without disrespecting the person declaring them? (emphasis is mine not David's) I am committed to open dialogue and debate. I am committed to this in my church community because if I want a diversity of people, I need to be able to invite and tolerate a diversity of ideas and statements. Plus I must humbly hold loosely the position I find myself in. Otherwise we are in a state of perpetual war. Indeed, this is where we are and always will be until we realize that there is something more important than any statement ever made, and that is love.