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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Watchdog' helps recover rare kingsnake from Medford pet store ... Scrambling for eggs ... Our View: Commons construction schedule raises questions ... 'Watchdog' helps recover rare kingsnake from Medford pet store ... Scrambling for eggs ... Our View: Commons construction schedule raises questions ... Marketta Gregory: There is only one enemy Comment By Marketta Gregory More Content Now MailTribune.com By Marketta Gregory More Content Now Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Marketta Gregory More Content Now Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News Dear Christians, I try never to exclude people, but today I’d like to focus only on you, the people who share my faith – the people I know best. We’ve had a lot of disagreements in the past. Some of us have even split off from one another over doctrine and hurt feelings. And we haven’t always been kind. Many of us are convinced we have all the right answers, when in reality, we haven’t asked enough of the right questions. We haven’t asked and asked until we found common ground, until we found a way where we could work together. We’ve used bumper sticker phrases like Band-Aids, but the scars from our arguments are still there. And those scars? They’re distracting when we try to talk to people about love and mercy, about forgiveness and healing. Belief has mystery all around its edges. We can use that to badger one another or to build one another. I know I’ve wrestled with my faith. I’ve tested and tried. I’ve searched scripture and I’ve cried to God for answers. I suspect you have, too. Just because we disagree on things today doesn’t mean we’ll always disagree. God never changes, but I pray I do. Clearly we have many battles to fight in this world, many causes we are called to support. But we shouldn’t confuse the number of battles with the number of enemies. There is only one enemy. And the lie he tells us is that we are all enemies. I hear it from the talking heads, the experts on TV. I read it in the newspapers and watch it scroll through on Facebook and Twitter. We act as if there is no hope for the left and for the right, and we forget – as one body – we share the same heart. We forget that the baby in the manger came addressed to all of us. We forget that God calls us beloved. Beloved liberal. Beloved conservative. Beloved sinners, all of us. Beloved. Beloved. Beloved. Jesus had kind words for prostitutes, thieves and murderers. He had harsh words for religious people who thought themselves better than others. We have much to do, you and I. We must be up and about our Father’s business – and his business is love. I pray we can all agree on that. Your sister, Marketta Marketta Gregory is a former religion reporter who now shares her own journey of faith with readers. She lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband, their three young boys and one very vocal Pomeranian. To contact Gregory, email [email protected] or write to her at P.O. Box 12923, Rochester, NY 14612. You can also visit the Simply Faithful page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter (@MarkettaGregory). By Marketta Gregory More Content Now MailTribune.com By Marketta Gregory More Content Now Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501