“I am going to the lesbian bar”

Posted by GregQualls

July 19, 2007

I must say that last night was a night to remember. Our church recently started gathering on Wednesday nights for something we are calling S.O.M.A. It’s been really cool. We’ve been learning about loving people and building relationships.

So I’m sitting in our group discussion when my phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. Wondering who might be calling me on a Wednesday night, I pulled it out to check the caller id. To my joy, I had received a text message from my wife. I think somewhere in the Bible it says that it’s a sin to read a text message during a church group Bible study, but I did anyways. So I flipped open my phone to read,

“I am going to the lesbian bar call me when you are done”.

Many thoughts and feelings went through me at that moment: First I laughed a little. Then I thought to myself “the” lesbian bar…I thought there would be more. Does she want me to pick her up? Should I leave and call her now? I need to show this to Keith and Sandra (some friends in the group). Should I text her back? A lesbian bar? Is that Pulse or is that a gay bar?

But the main thing that had happened, was I had this immense sense of pride come over me. While we were in this classroom talking about loving people and building relationships, my wife was out there doing it. You see my wife works with a wonderful lady who is a lesbian (we’ll call here Lisa). Unfortunately Lisa’s experience with Christians in the past has not been that good.Last night everyone from my wife’s job went out to eat together. Afterwards they decided they were going to the lesbian bar to watch Lisa sing karaoke.

Now the typical response that Lisa might have received from a Christian would have been two fold. One it’s a bar…so no. Two it’s a lesbian bar…so hell no (although they probable would have said heck no or something like that). But my wonderful wife’s response was, “Really, I can come!” (I love my wife). I don’t know if Lisa will ever become a follower of Christ, but I do know that she will know what it is to be loved by a Christian. In the words of my wife when asked by another one of the lesbian ladies there:

“Aren’t you going to try to save me?”

“I don’t do that.”

I think we all need to step back and realize that we don’t save people…Jesus does. It’s just our job to love them. Where are the places that you wouldn’t go? How long have you been talking about loving people and yet you still don’t do it with your actions? Who is in your life right now that you are trying to save…when you need to be loving and let Jesus to the saving?

p.s. I was really bummed that I didn’t get to go…but they said I can go next time.

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