Sunday, September 22, 2013

A Demonstration of Vulnerability and Authenticity

I just finished watching Rick and Kay Warren's interview with Piers Morgan on CNN. If you want to know what real Christianity is about, just watch that interview. Christianity is so much more than words alone. It is power. It is grace. It is blood, sweat, and tears. And it is honest.
Rick and Kay's son, Matthew, had a lifelong battle with mental illness. He ultimately decided to take his own life, in spite of everything Rick and Kay have done over the years to love their son unconditionally and help him in his illness. Their story will give you a better picture of Christianity than 1000 sermons alone could ever give you. And it will give you hope to press on in the midst of your trials and grief.
Piers Morgan did a beautiful job of asking the important questions. And God did the rest. If you want to see how real Christians struggle through the most painful experience of their life, then watch this interview. You will learn more about God, and grace, and hope than 1000 sermons alone could ever teach you.
This is where the rubber of Christian hope meets the road of hard knocks. And even though Rick and Kay were knocked to the ground by the gut-wrenching pain of their son's suicide, their faith in God has empowered them to persevere.
Thousands of people are interviewed every year on a whole host of networks. But you will be hard-pressed to find an interview that does more to display real Christianity than this one.
Rick and Kay Warren are genuine and loving people. They are just like the rest of us with their times of joy and times of sadness. But their pain through their son's death has taken them to a place of intense brokenness.

Through it all, they know Matthew is in heaven. He was a believer in Jesus, and a young man of tremendous compassion. He was saved by God's grace. And it is that same grace which carried Rick and Kay through this amazing interview, and which has flowed through them to millions of people around the world for many years now.
Christianity is not about being a "celebrity pastor." Rick will be the first one to tell you that. It is about what Rick and Kay do on a daily basis to serve others by God's grace, and the living water which poured out of them in front of a worldwide audience on CNN.
This will likely be one of the few interviews in your lifetime which has the power to literally set you on a new course. A course of hope. And a journey to heaven.
I hope you make the time to watch this interview. And then share it with others. When Matthew was on earth, he made a habit of encouraging those who struggled with their own issues. And Matthew made a definite point to tell them about Jesus. Now others are learning about Christ's love through the courageous faith of Matthew's parents.
As Rick shared in the interview and then tweeted this evening, "In God's Garden of Grace, even broken trees bear fruit." If you are broken today my friend, there is One who has more than enough grace to see you through. After all, just look what He is doing for Rick and Kay. That kind of power goes way beyond words alone.
If you think you know all about Christianity, why don't you watch this interview just to compare it to any of your preconceived notions. You might see something here that you had no idea was even possible.
Remember. The miracle of Christianity extends beyond true doctrine. And that's what confirms it is real.

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