I share local businesses on this page all the time. Coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, farm stands, cookie spots, gem stores — if it's local and worth knowing about, I'll post it.
But I've noticed a pattern. The only posts that consistently pull hateful comments are the ones where I mention that a business is Christian-owned.
Not angry about it. Not surprised by it either. If anything, it's a reminder that following Jesus has never come with the promise of universal approval — He said as much Himself. His followers would face opposition. That's not new information.
"You don't have to share someone's beliefs to treat them with kindness and respect."
What It Doesn't Change
It doesn't change what I post. It doesn't change how I talk about businesses. And it doesn't change how I treat the people who disagree with me.
The response to that kind of opposition has never been bitterness or hostility — it's to keep loving people and supporting the community, even when beliefs conflict. That's the actual call.
So I'll keep highlighting great local businesses in Colorado Springs. If a business's faith is part of its story, I'm not going to pretend it isn't. Just like I won't pretend any other piece of a business's story isn't there.
Support Local. All of It.
I support Christian-owned businesses in Colorado Springs. I also support businesses owned by people who hold very different beliefs. I support women-owned, veteran-owned, family-run, and first-generation businesses. I support all of it — because this is my community, and communities work when people extend basic respect across lines of difference.
You don't have to agree with someone's faith to buy their bread, eat at their restaurant, or tell your neighbors about a place worth visiting. You just have to be a decent neighbor.
That's what I'm going to keep doing. And I'll keep praying that even in disagreement, we choose grace over hate. 🤍