I knew someone who said "I have the love of the Lord in my heart, but I will cuss you out in a second if I had to".

Everytime she said that I was completely floored! I could not believe that someone would use the love of the Lord and cussing in the same sentence. And she said she would not cuss you out if provoked but in a "second". I sat and thought that the love of the Lord needs to be in more than just her heart but his love needs to be apart of her lifestyle. I thought about the unsaved people that need the love of God and would never find it listening to her. I also thought about how misrepresented the love of God was from her to others.

Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" I wondered, if this applied to her, is she too being deceived about God's love? Someone along her journey showed her an incorrect demonstration of God's love just as she does to others.  Just think, if we all showed God's love this way what would this world be like???

When we visited Las Vegas we had a blast. We ate, walked and saw all the sites. It is commonly called the "Sin City" and I see why.  As we walked thru the strip it was "frowned" upon if you didn't go to the Casinos, bars and nightclubs. Someone asked if we wanted tickets to dance at a club we said no thanks and the the guy seemed like he was upset. He said "What????" Aww...come on...your in VEGAS!!!  I call it "what you don't do is the sin" because it is expected of you to gamble and party. If you are a so called Christian you are to leave it all in Toledo, OH and cut loose. It was almost as if you have no other reason to be in Vegas but to "sin".

There were some people who say they are Christians and have the Lord in thier heats that say there is nothing wrong with the nickle slots or a drink of alchol, after all you are in VEGAS!!  Some asked if we would gamble and we said "no" and they said "why not". I said we don't live double lives, going to church on Sundays and say we are Christians and then get to Vegas and live a complete opposite lifestyle. Some may say thats too "hollyer than thou" and some say "one slot machine is OK" but what does God say? Isn't that the problem with Christianity now? Anything goes? and you are still going to Heaven. Its not about "dos and don'ts" its about knowing Who is watching and having integrity.

I believe this is why its so hard for people to come to Christ because of what they see those who say they are Christians do. Yes anything goes in Vegas but does God think the same way when it comes to the sins His Son died for?

If it were in your control, what would you change about todays Chirstians? and why?

For example back in the day almost everything was a sin, but it kept a lot of people out of trouble. Such as: teenagers didin't go on dates alone (or at all), it reduced the chances of any sexual acts taking place. When a womans husband passed away she (in some cases) never remarried and devoted her life totally to God, church and children.  It was frowned upon for women to show their bare legs, arms had to be covered and skirts had to be long. This in many ways kept the modest dress code of the church.

We all know that keeping teens from dating doesn't reduce the chance of them having sex, marrying after a spouse passes doesn't mean you are not devoted to God and wearing long skirts in order not to attract a man does not stop him from lusting after a woman. To me there was somthing lost between then and now. I think that instead of transitioning in our standards of living and beliefs of what is proper over the generations, the church discarded them all together.  I grew up in the time when the mothers (older women) of the church taught the young women how to be women. And when they died, one by one, the teaching died with them. Not necessarily the "do's and don'ts" but the teaching. Granma was strict but most of us wouldn't be the outstanding, respectful adults we are today. You may have thought Grandad was a "square" because he didn't gamble, drink and party, but he was a real man that was admired by every  man he came in contact with. He had a spotless reputation and great integrity.

So that is what I would change in Chrisitans today. The lack of teachings some of us were blessed to have as children, teenagers and adults by someone who is seasoned in God and his ways.  We can't have the same teachers but we can have the same teachings just made for the changing generations.

A question was once raised:

"Is it ok for a christian musician to play for a secular artist/band. If not, why?"