I love my community. My community is a group of people who live grace and strive for forgiveness. We have moments of vulnerability and laughter. We live forgiveness and love.

But my greater community, should be one of love. As Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) Yet, we Christ followers fail in this and it breaks my heart.

I listened to a podcast with Kat Von D (whose last name is the bomb) and Allie Beth Stuckey (who probably never got drunk in high school). The former, I never heard of, but she is gorgeous. The latter is too slow for me, but cute as a can be. Apparently, the two women whose lives are so polar opposite are friends. The conversation held me. Kat Von D found Christ. Rather, in her words, she “fell in love.” And Christ touched her.

Jesus came and touched the blind, the lame, and the leper. He ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, and drunks. He met religious elites in the middle of the night and found people where they were and drew them to him. Jesus touched this sinner and saved her from her sins. Jesus found this goth woman who enjoys tattooing and gave her grace. This is the work of God – finding the seekers and giving them salvation and grace.

And we become this family of faith whom Christ commanded that we love our siblings, our brothers and sisters in Christ. The blind, the lame, the leper, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the drunks, the religious elites, the sinners all saved by grace.

This conversation of a cherubic lifelong Christian and this goth found grace highlights that God uses even the worst of us – cherubic and goth alike – for His Glory and our good. I am ever grateful for this sister in Christ named Kat Von D (with the cool last name) and Allie Beth Stuckey (who probably never got drunk in high school). One day we will be singing together and spending eternity learning more about God and each other.

Three things I learned from this conversation that I hope I will carry from now on and that you, my friends, might consider.

• Pray
• Learn
• Love

Pray

Kat Von D said that the church she attends told her that they were praying for her before she began attending. Corporate prayer is important. No. That isn’t strong enough. Corporate prayer shakes the foundations of space and time. This simple band of believers prayed for this woman in the neighborhood and she got baptized there. She is their sister.

Learn

Another quote from Kat Von D she mentioned about her attending church was that she was there to learn. She underscored the importance of community in worship, in study, in wonder of God. Church isn’t for high holidays or weddings. Church is the body of Christ, learning and loving and leaning ever higher. Your friends in Christ should be compelling you to know Christ more. You should learn Christ, love Christ, lean on Christ more. Truly, nothing in life can compare.

Love

Christians are called to love each other. And we are a diverse and crazy group with diverse and crazy opinions on life, politics, economics, adoptions, and every aspect of life you can think. Jesus’ disciple, Peter, was a Jew’s Jew – observant, upright, not stained from the gentile lifestyle. Yet, Jesus told him to go serve those not like him for what God has made clean let no man call uncommon. (Acts 10:14) So this pious Jew served a Gentile and brought him to the saving grace of Christ. Our love for each other causes those who don’t know Christ to be compelled by this God who came in the flesh to save us.

My friends, this blog is a call to my brothers and sister to walk in love, live grace. Life is short and our relationships flit away quickly. Kat Von D’s experience with brothers and sisters in Christ saying the most ungracious things about her faith and her person is heartbreaking. Christians should not be judgmental of others whom God has redeemed. Not in their dress or mannerisms. This is not love. This is not grace.

How do we live love? How do we show grace to each other?

Be kind. Encourage. Pray for each other. Speak life in social media. And love that believer who is different than you and who can witness to people you can’t. Be amazed at this Creative God who uses such diverse people to bring others into his forgiveness and grace.

Thank you for reading this blog, my friends. Thank you for considering living a life of Grace. May this God of Love bring us all into a more perfect harmony because of the work of Christ.

Here is the podcast if you are curious about these two sisters in Christ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLfIjbOXgY0