August 2023
Steve Russo

There was a lot of talk by religious people, church leaders and media personalities about a performance from the artists who won the award for Best Pop Duo at the Grammys. The criticism was strong due to lyrical content and a devil-like costume. It was indeed a rather distasteful performance.

Unfortunately, I didn’t hear one person mention that we should be praying for this Pop Duo. It was as if they didn’t deserve God’s love and forgiveness because of their ‘sinful’ music. Apparently, the prevailing thought was these entertainers were not worthy. Why would we not want to pray for them?

I was invited to attend a networking meeting where business and ministry leaders get together to discuss ways to advance God’s kingdom. The objective is for business leaders to use their expertise to help ministries maximize, grow and develop.

One of the presentations that night focused on the major “toxic threats” in public schools. The presenter firmly announced that public schools were too far gone and can’t be fixed. He offered two options: put your kids in a private Christian schools or homeschool them. Being an attorney, he offered help in navigating around the legal issues that can arise with homeschooling. He had resource materials available that could help you fly under the radar to avoid legal problems.

Are there problems with public schools today? Absolutely. But I’ve also connected with some great dedicated teachers and administrators across the country. And we also have to be honest about some of the weaknesses with Christian schools and education.

Once again neither the presenter nor anyone in attendance even mentioned how important it is to be praying for the situation in schools and for the staff. Why wouldn’t we want to pray for all schools and teachers?

The Bible reminds us in 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) us that: “God does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

We may not like or agree with the lyrics someone sings, the way they dress, their politics, values or even worldview. God doesn’t ask us to approve of the way others live. However, he does call us to accept them and love them as Jesus does.