bringing heaven / bringing hell

I hear a lot of conversation surrounding: How do we, as Jesus-followers, bring heaven to earth?

It is, indeed, the beautiful beginning place of the Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done — on earth as it is in heaven.”
This conversation is important, wonderful, great.

But, I think we could get a lot further in the conversation about bringing heaven to earth if we would start with any little conversation surrounding: How do we create hell / our own little hells on earth for ourselves and for the people around us?*

I’m just asking for confession: acknowledgement, agreement with God and others about the destructive ways we intentionally and unintentionally hurt the people around us. Until we do this well, Church, I’m afraid we’re just spinning our wheels in the mud.

 

 

*Credit to TVH for asking us this question in his sermon recently. Extra credit to TVH if he even reads this weblog, whatever that is…