Have you ever gone to church only to leave after the services feeling the preacher was looking dead at you the entire sermon, feeling the whole sermon was directed to you and you alone? It is called guilt. Had you not felt guilty of doing what the sermon was about you wouldn’t have felt it was about you. Had you not felt ashamed you would not have felt he was looking dead at you. In a church we take those lumps dealt us and move on with the lesson we have learned. I guess we have the mindset that is what a preacher is supposed to do so we accept it. But whoa unto he that calls you out in everyday life. You assume the praying mantis stance ready to lash out and strike. Let a friend, family member, or stranger call you out for stealing, lying, cheating, etc and you will bring upon them all the wrath you are capable of. In fact, if they are related they should not say anything to hurt you but look the other way because they love you, right? If they are a friend well… everyone knows friends don’t stab friends in the back, not true friends. Last but not least the stranger, how the hell is it any of their business anyway, right? Well, one of the major things wrong without the world today is that the overwhelming majority looking the other way, saying nothing to save faith, or just minding what they believe to be their own business. Goodwill never overcomes evil because everyone is putting the resolve in the hands of the priest. News flash there are more people than you would ever like to imagine that don’t, ever, have and may not ever attend a church of any kind. So guess what? They don’t get that browbeating you are used to. Until people decide to grow some nerves and stand together calling out that which we know is wrong, those doing the wrong will always believe they can get away with it. If you are a liar, a cheat, a thief and you hear something mentioned that includes your name, don’t get angry, do something about the reason, not the person or people saying it about you. You either are who you say you are, do what you say you do, or you are not and do not. Do you feel backed into a corner? Good, maybe you got something good out of this laymen’s sermon.
Simply my thoughts
Dean Butler
