An apology to my family, the Church

I have a confession to make.

I have despised the Church.  I have judged and condemned instead of judging for discernment.  I have let pride and self-righteousness build up in my heart toward church musicians, Christian bloggers, and well-known Christian leaders.  I preach grace, and I will till the day I die, but I have not been practicing it fully.  I'm so thankful that I never got around to blogging about the things that I was thinking, but it was all secretly active and scornful in my heart.

On the Holy Spirit's wheel, I'm going to change.

Here's to repentance.  Here's to an open heart and a shrewd mind that does not lend an ear nor a tweet to gossip.  Here's to building up the precious Bride of Christ and to not insulting her not-to-messed-with Bridegroom.  Here's to protecting Her vulnerability and to furthering a safe community within Her.  Here's to practicing what I know to be important.

Dear Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Rob Bell, and Bill Gothard, the Mills Chapel Baptist Church choir, the worship leaders at Bryan College's chapel, the countless others,

I'm sorry.  I'm sorry for condemning you in my mind for not living up to my standards, for hurting my feelings, or for not loving Jesus the way I thought you should.  I know that we won't always agree on things, but we all seek to serve the same God.  As long as we've got the Apostle's Creed in common, you are my brother or my sister, and I'm going to live like it from now on.