I had an interesting phone call today. A person driving by our church was highly offended by our church sign and wanted to make sure I knew about it. This person is a stranger to me, and I don't know if our paths will ever cross again, but the conversation left me a little conflicted. I don't know how I feel about offending people. As Paul teaches in 1 Cor. 8, we should lay down our own freedoms if necessary in order not to offend. On the other hand, speaking the truth can be offensive to some -- even the cross is called "offensive" (1 Cor. 1:18-25). I'm going to change our church sign today, partly because I simply don't like offending people. (It is also time to change it, regardless of the situation.) Even if it takes a bit of creativity, I think it's possible to find an encouraging and uplifting message that also can make you think a little. Because in the end, that's why we have a church sign. We have a message that the world needs to hear! So, if you are the person who was offended by our church sign, please know that we didn't mean to offend. And thanks for noticing. To everyone else, you're dying to know what the sign said, aren't you? I guess that will have to be for a later blog. Pastor Chris