Was Pat Robertson accurate? I don’t know. As believers should our first reaction to tragedy be condemnation? Should the first thing out of our mouths be “this happened because you didn’t…”

When people were in need, Jesus’ initial reaction wasn’t telling them about the things that they did wrong. When there was a need, he helped. When people were sick, he healed them. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong about this one.

As Christians, our first response should be to help those in need, not tell them why they were hit with disaster or illness. That won’t accomplish anything. The bible reminds us about how powerful love is (1 Corinthians 13). Love should be our first course of action.

I have a lot of respect for Pat Robertson. I believe that he has done some really good things in this world. However, there are times where he reminds me of a certain type of that uncle many of us have. I’m referring to the uncle that you can bear with as long as family members are the only people around. You don’t want to be around this uncle outside of your family circle, because he is bound to say or do something that will completely embarrass you. (like wear a checkered suit or walk around in his underwear) Although a little embarrassment may come, you still love him at the end of the day.

Where do we go from here? The worst thing we can do is to join in on all of the name-calling. I suggest that we continue to love Pat Robertson and keep him in our prayers. I also suggest that we continue to pray for the people of Haiti and help them in any way we can.

What do you think about Pat Robertson’s comments? Was God using this earthquake to inflict revenge on a nation?

There is a long line of "love" reality TV shows like Flavor of Love, I Love New York and A Shot at Love with Telia Tequila. These shows feature a main character and their search for love in what many people consider to be all the wrong places. I’m not going to sit here and bash the men and women who participate in these shows. Everyone has the right to do what they want to do, whether I agree with it or not. Their actions are between them and God.

Although these shows are entertaining on some levels, a deeper examination leaves me with one huge question. What have we done to the word LOVE? There was a time when the word LOVE really meant something. There was a time when everyone knew that "I LOVE YOU" was the most powerful phrase you could say to somebody.

Now, it seems that our view of LOVE is distorted. It’s not cool to tell someone you LOVE them, when the entire country knows that you just want to be on TV.  LOVE is not supposed to be the the magic word that allows you to have sex with someone. LOVE isn’t supposed to be a substitute for allakhazam, abra kadabra or hocus pocus.

To truly understand what LOVE is supposed to be read 1 Corinthians 13. Patience, kindness, long suffering, true LOVE is all these things and more. No matter what we may face in life, LOVE conquers ALL.

I’m not  encouraging you to stop watching reality TV. Just remember, what you see on the screen is not LOVE. They may call it LOVE, but it is not. I can call a Pepsi orange juice until I’m blue in the face. At the end of the day, it is still Pepsi and it will never be orange juice.

If we all practiced that 1Corinthians 13 LOVE, the LOVE that God intended for all of us, the world would be a much better place.

Happy Valentine’s Day