Love all?

"In order to see Christianity, one must forget all the Christians." -Henri Frederic Amiel

I saw this yesterday when I was searching for a quote to put in the newsletter for work. I've been so upset and bitter over the situation with my brother(s) and the church.

Drew had moved up to Huntington almost immediately after being arrested/bailed out. I was thrilled to say the least, because over the past few years those people have become like my family. They were going to help rehabilitate him, love him, control his environment, be there for him when he needed it, anything necessary to get him back on the right track. This is not exactly what happened.

First, they accused him of stealing money. He eventually admitted to it (whether he actually did it, or admitted in order to stay in the house, I am not sure), and things went back to normal for the most part. They left money lying around the house - like leaving Playboy everywhere for a recovering porn addict. The door is always unlocked, as is the church when anyone is there. They have a very false sense of trust with the community in which they live/minister. One night, Drew went with Eric(a recovering alcoholic) to a birthday party where they both drank. Apparently Drew got too drunk & very sick when he got home and Heath was really upset. Well why on earth would he have been allowed to go in the first place? Common logic apparently jumped out the window long ago.

About 3 weeks ago, Matt & Eric approached Drew accusing him of stealing money from the church & house. Drew said that he didn't and offered for them to search him/his belongings/his car - incredibly uncharacteristic of my brother. He remained calm and tried to explain to them that he hadn't done it and offered to let them search his things multiple times. Well Matt, who is irrational & acts on emotion as opposed to logic, told him that because he was lying he had to leave. I believe with all my heart that Drew is innocent, and I will stand by him until the end. It's sad that he was put in a position to lie and stay or tell the truth and get kicked out.

To everyone's surprise but my own, 6 iPods have been stolen since Drew has been out of the house. Sort of a moment of, "I told you so" .. but I think they'll realize that on their own. It disgusts me that people who are 'representing God' act this way. I would rather fault on the side of loving and accepting people than judging and condemning them. My place is not to judge, it's to love. I used to enjoy going to church on Sundays, I felt like I'd found a place that was so different from anywhere I'd ever been. I haven't. They're exactly the same, only with trendier clothes. I will probably not be going back once Heath & Hillary move.