Coming out of the closet.

I am blessed beyond description to have found one of my favorite online ministers sermons are not blocked through my work filters. So at work I've been listening to sermons quite a bit - I'm looking forward to posting a clip of one so you can enjoy perhaps the same breakthrough I had.
But in one of his sermons he said just a fast statement that stopped me in my tracks.

"You praise what you love."

Man, have you seen that new movie Avatar?? The graphics are AWESOME!
Have you got the new Itouch 4? The apps on this is just amazing!
The Cowboys are definitely going to make it to the superbowl this year, their players are more sober and less drugged up than any year before!
Have you seen the pictures of the Audi A9??? MAN that car is Saweeeeeeet!
Wow! I just bought a new Wii and this thing is the best gaming system I've used yet!
Have you been to the China Dragon? Chicken Fried Rice man, it's the best I've ever had.

And the thing is, I don't care who you're talking to, you'd be willing to say those things. I'd tell a vegetarian how great the chicken fried rice is, and I'd tell an Amish man how great the Itouch4 is (if there even is such a thing... I don't have it, I made the name up.. I think).
But when it comes to telling the world how great Jesus is, first we skirt through all our knowledge of a person, consider how easily they're offended and how likely our specific praise is to set something off, then we consider things that have happened to them recently to make sure our "good news" isn't stomping on their "bad day" which might make them even angrier.
All that speculation just to say "Hey, last night I was really discouraged but wow... God touched me and I've got joy this morning that just doesn't make sense.

I honestly feel stuffed in a closet. And if homosexuality can come out of it into the public world, then the Gospel of Jesus Christ most certainly needs to get out of it. For I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel, but I am too timid about it.

It's time for that to change.