What tipped me off? I saw this bumper sticker on the truck in front of me, and it broke my heart:
Dear Lord, please save me
from Your followers
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas1mmt8Hy4rI9vMVsuphrK0GmDeeFFfKEOGKffhQgP887D-6Jddk_Bw7oLImfWksyQ5-n3VJJP55t6XbHiVUkx26SOremS0WRr-iQdwz7NWOmKX-sALlZtgKyUyeXjv4553kPuhFkeic/s200/bible_thunper.jpg)
I wonder how many people have had hurtful experiences with closed-minded, argumentative, dogmatic Christians with really poor social skills? I wonder how many times that closed-minded, argumentative, dogmatic person has been me?
My guess at the answer to both questions is: way too many.
The kind of person who has been hurt in this way, and chooses to respond by putting that bumper sticker on their truck is like a broken tree, isolated and pushed away from an orchard, and that makes me very sad -- especially when the damage was done by someone who says they are following Jesus.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXn5WrlFYhwind5vzXYbHpisJ3H-ITnMAIrE4TPe5xnUdO6LQVXdTFtkPHAUX1Q9MAsX9BKUBfDx7-k_GjNucLVSI_-QMtJ25NVYcRKB-RyVbbET4a97sq1QCrX7IPQCxVlbesoyLIJvI/s400/BROKEN_PINE_TREE_ICE_COVERED_STORM_DAMAGE_FOREST_PHOTO_1.jpg)
~ Keith