Televangelism (and mushrooms) make me sick… November 1, 2007

I’m home sick today. ( Mushroom pizza for dinner last night. Mushrooms don’t *usually* bother me, but I haven’t had an obstruction in almost a year, so I guess I was due. Curse the ostomy gods!)

Being home sick = too much time reading online. I ran across this article on clevescene.com and it made me ill ( and I thought my stomach was in knots from the mushrooms *roll eyes*). Now, I know my ultra conservative church friends may complain that Scene is a “liberal -left wing  media outlet” intent on bringing a bad name to Christianity. That’s fine, but I really think guys like the televangelists in the article have done way more to bring shame to the name of Jesus than any left wing liberal could hope of accomplishing. I’m ashamed that two of these guys resided in my state.

Reading crap like this makes me nauseated. The article is here

Grab a barf bucket prior to reading…

Brain Dump October 7, 2007

What’s going on. In random bulletpoints. Of absolutely no order of significance.

• We’re back from Florida. All in all, it was a good trip. Jaidin was so excited about her first plane ride, and this is the first trip to the ocean that she’ll remember (We went to Destin when she was 15 months). It rained the first two and a half days we were there, was beautiful the next two and a half, and was a rainy the last day. We squeezed in as much pool and beach time as we could and did indoor stuff the rest of the time. I’ll post the pictures soon.
• I read an entire book while we were in Florida, and boy, was it a good one! There’d been some buzz by some friends of friends about The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, so picked up a copy before we left for Florida. I have so many thoughts on this book but couldn’t even begin to put them to words right now. But I will be posting more, because this book has seriously messed me up and challenged me in a good way. So for now all I have to say is, if you consider yourself a follower of Christ…not a liberal, not a conservative, not a Protestant, Catholic, Charismatic or whatever…but someone who wants to seek a better way of doing life…this book is for you. Check it out.
• I just finished watching Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. I had to tape the finale while we were on vacation, but they just re-ran it right before they aired the reunion show, so I watched both. Not exactly quality viewing, but my goodness, what a guilty pleasure. What a train wreck of a reality tv show. Love it! And I’m SO HAPPY he chose Jess.
• Learning Hebrew has proved to be quite the challenge, but I am undeterred. I seriously spent one whole day at the pool with my Hebrew for Dummies book, and I really only conquered a few words and one simple sentence. It’s really hard when you don’t have a native speaker to “practice” with. I’m going to take lessons at a local Jewish college, but they only offer the course a few times a year, and unfortunately, right now doesn’t coincide with either of those times of year. So for now it’s me, my book and the ‘net. Maybe I should get some of the Rosetta Stone software. Anybody know if it’s effective???
• Bath and Body Works new scent Pumpkin Pie Paradise = A little slice of heaven. Can you say YUMMY? I bought the lotion, the bodywash/shampoo AND the home fragrance oil.
  
• I read an article lately about a new online dating site that caters to people with chronic health related issues. Prescription4Love.com I suppose I understand the appeal (being upfront about health related issues prevents the “big reveal” that those of us with chronic illness deal with in relationships), but as someone who has a chronic illness (Crohn’s disease) and some extra baggage…literally (ileostomy), I never felt the need to limit myself to having relationships with only other ostomates, IBD’ers or people with another health “issues”. More thoughts on this later…
• Cleveland sports suck. The Brown’…augh! The Indians are doing well (except for NOT sweeping the Yankees tonight). But I promise you, even if they make it all the way, I will NOT jump on the bandwagon. I’m too jaded. And another thing…I DON’T CARE IF LEBRON JAMES IS A YANKEES FAN!! OR THAT HE WORE A YANKEES HAT TO THE INDIANS GAME! He gets paid to win basketball games for Cleveland, which he does. Who he roots for in baseball is none of my concern. I can’t believe, with all that’s going on in the world, this is considered news-worthy. *rolling my eyes*

That’s all for now. Stay tuned…

Kathy Griffin, Petitions, Crazy Christians and Wasted Money September 21, 2007

This morning I received an email from a respected leader in my church, asking me to sign a petition created by a group of Christian actors in response to Kathy Griffin’s off color comment during her acceptance of a creative arts Emmy earlier in the month.

Here’s a link to the article that accompanied the request: http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=276713

I’m flabbergasted. While I think Griffin’s comment was controversial, I’m not at all surprised by it. Griffin is known to make off color comments about many subjects, religion included. She’s a comic…that’s her job. Her comment doesn’t offend me. In fact, I thought it a bit witty. How many times, as a Christian, have I watched an awards show where someone gets up and “thanks Jesus” for their accomplishments, all of us knowing full well that it’s probably just lip service? (I’m not judging here…just being honest. No one knows a heart except God, but He does allow us to examine believers by their fruits). Griffin has never (to my knowledge) claimed to be a follower of Christ. Why would we expect her to be respectful of our God?

But most of all I found Griffin’s statements sad. To get up in front of a national audience and claim that “this award is now your God” is a very bold statement, joking or not, and one that she will have to answer for one day.

So instead of organizing protests and petitions, why doesn’t this group of supposedly well intentioned Christians put their time and effort into praying for Griffin? And I don’t mean organizing a public, self serving “prayer service” to draw attention to themselves. I’m talking about asking God, in their secret closet of prayer, to soften Kathy’s heart and reveal Himself to her.

And then there’s the issue of the $90,000 + spent on an ad in the USA Today claiming “enough is enough”? The group claims they just want to “give a voice to those who want to stand up for Christ”. That’s all well and good…except I can’t help but believe that that $90,000 could have been put to much better use feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and a thousand other tangible tasks that exhibit the love of Christ.

I don’t know…call me crazy…

Lump of Coal June 5, 2007

LUMP OF COAL
————Lord, I always wonder why
When bad things happen to me,
How could You allow me turmoil
And roughen waves upon my sea?

If you love me, why allow such pain
And unnecessary strife?
I thought that You wanted me to know
Peace within my life.

I know that You really love me,
I know that You really care.
I know that You work in mysterious ways,
I know that You are always there.

“Child, you are pressed upon every side,
But you’re never really broken.
I will keep My every word
On the promises that I’ve spoken.”

“In time, I’ll make it clear to you,
For now, your character I build anew.
I allow such problems to persist
So that you’ll help others too.”

“You are a special lump of coal,
There’s a reason for the storms.
When coal is put under pressure,
Eventually, a diamond forms.”

~B.G. Wetherby

Thanks, Jamie. I’m waiting on my diamond too…

A Free For all Christmas December 15, 2006

I came across this article that so eloquently conveys thoughts I’ve been pondering in my head all week. I’ve had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. The world seems to be spinning out of control around me. So much is uncertain…things aren’t bad per se, just unsettled. I want to feel the “warm fuzzies” and genuinely want to exhibit “goodwill toward all men” in my thoughts and actions. But it’s not been easy. I haven’t been able to “psych myself up”. So I’m thankful that this article and some revelation from the Holy Spirit have reminded me that while the story of Jesus’ birth is about peace, joy, grace and salvation, it is as much about turmoil, tribulation and brokenness.

As the article says, “God didn’t prepare a pristine time where his Son could be protected and coddled!”. What makes me think I deserve a life free of difficult and sometimes scary circumstances and situations?

A Free-for-All Christmas?, by Phil Ware

Have you noticed that the Christmas season is more like “let’s get ready to rumble” than it is “O holy night”?

The midnight releases of video consoles, video games, movies, books and specialty gifts have caused rowdy stampedes. We’ve seen grown adults trample each other and get into fistfights over places in line and who got to a toy first. Yikes!

Then from many who come from the normally dysfunctional family, there is all the family baggage that gets unwrapped with the Christmas presents. Innocent statements are misinterpreted resulting in hurt feelings. Stiletto sharp innuendos are used to carve up folks who are supposed to love one another. And then fights break out because someone corrects or disciplines someone else’s child. Double yikes!

Even the pilgrimages back to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Christ are complicated by the ongoing war between Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the very place where Jesus was born. These tensions threaten all of world peace in the land where the Prince of Peace lived, died, and rose again. Triple yikes!

While there is much about the Bible’s account of Jesus’ birth that is precious and touching, I believe it is also important to remind us that the Jesus story is not all sweetness and light. One of the most horrific stories in the New Testament is centered around the birth of Jesus. This story is sometimes called “The Slaughter of the Innocents.”
Jesus’ apostle Levi the tax collector records it this way:

Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted
him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem
who were two years old and under, because the wise men had told him
the star first appeared to them about two years earlier. Herod’s
brutal action fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah:

A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah — weeping and mourning
unrestrained. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be
comforted—for they are dead. (Matthew 2:16-18 NLT)

What are we to make of this?

The Lord himself said, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed … (Matthew 24:6 NRS). We live in a free for all planet where sin has marred every level of relationships. The whole story of Jesus’ coming is tied to the real world in which we live. God didn’t prepare a pristine time where his Son could be protected and coddled!

Jesus was born into a vicious world of hate, war, struggle, and jealously. These fruits of hell would be ever-present for each step he took on the little blue planet he created. God had to use an angelic vision to warn Joseph and Mary to take the baby Jesus away to prevent his slaughter. Even from the first moments of Jesus’ arrival, even while listening to the angelic choir singing “gloria in excelcis deo”, we hear the rumblings of Herod’s jealous and paranoid bile.

So when things seem bleak or difficult or fractured in the coming days of Christmas, please remember, these are as much a reminder of why Jesus came as are the sweet sounds of angels, the excited presence of Shepherds, and the mysterious journey of the magi. Jesus came to save a broken world. He didn’t do it from afar, but from up close … in person … beginning in a manger … going to a cross … before conquering death and leaving behind an empty tomb.

Beautiful December 1, 2006

I can’t get this Aaron Shust song out of my head…I’ve been singing it all day.

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at his right hand
Stands one who is my savior

I take him at his word and deed
Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find a need
For him to be my savior

That he would leave his place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my savior

My savior loves, my savior lives
My savior’s always there for me
My God he was, my God he is
My God he’s always gonna be

Yes, living, dying; let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring
That he who lives to be my king
Once died to be my savior

That he would leave his place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my savior

My savior loves, my savior lives
My savior’s always there for me
My God he was, My God he is
My God he’s always gonna be

A Week in the Life… November 13, 2006

On a sultry Monday night, Jesus walks the streets of the big city. Upon entering a local bar, He seats Himself at a table in the rear. To His right are a man and a woman, deeply enthralled in conversation. Their vocabulary is not significant; their body language says it all. Rings on their fourth left fingers are gleaming in the smoky, mood-lit atmosphere. They are married, but not to each other.. When they finish their drink, they will leave and engage in adultery, because the family life at home is too agonizing to deal with. Jesus mourns for this couple. He wishes He could help them, but they would not want it if He offered. He has offered before.

Turning to His left, Jesus spots a middle-aged man sitting alone, hunched over the bar. Clutched in his right hand is a bottle of beer, in his left, a picture of a woman and a child. The man is divorced and an alcoholic. Jesus approaches the man and seats Himself to his right. The man turns, and recognizing Jesus, begins to sob uncontrollably in shame. You see, he knew Him as a child…so long ago. Jesus grabs the broken man, and hugs him tight until the sobbing stops.

Tuesday finds Jesus at the underground punk venue. Loud, throbbing music impairs any chance of having a conversation. Jesus watches as youth with shaved heads, wearing black leather and spikes, throw themselves violently into each other and enjoy it. As dawn approaches and the club goers spill out into the city streets, Jesus approaches the youth and engages them in a discussion. An 18 year old Nazi skinhead is amazed because a Jew is showing him more love than he’s ever experienced.

Wednesday, Jesus visit’s the hospital. After presiding over a few surgeries, He enters the taboo section of the hospital. This is where the AIDS patients are tended to. There is a heaviness in the air; the smell of death is overwhelming. Jesus approaches a young man who could be no older than 25. He was infected with the virus by another man named David who “forgot” to mention he was HIV positive. Jesus extends His hand and the young man grabs a hold for dear life. The young man and Jesus weep together.

Jesus makes his regular trip to the nursing home on Thursday. He heads for the Alzheimer’s unit and enters the room of a once beautiful woman, now decrepit with old age. Jesus sits at her bedside and strokes her hand, her once soft skin now wrinkled and leathery. He listens as she tells stories of “that nice man who comes to take care of her”; a man she once referred to as her husband. When she finishes one story, she quickly begins another, eager to be noticed and heard. Hour upon hour, Jesus listens to her with interest.

Back on the streets again Friday, Jesus walks alone looking for broken people. He approaches a prostitute. She is defeated and battered; her pimp has pounded her black and blue. She doesn’t want to sell herself, but her children must eat. And there is also the drug habit that helps her “forget” the pain of this lifestyle; she must support that too. She is addicted and reviled. With compassion and gentleness, Jesus carries her away, and for the first time, she understands what true love is.

It’s Saturday night, and lying inside a cardboard box, a homeless man is trying to sleep. He’s unable to drift off because of the bitter wind whipping down the alleyway. Jesus stoops down to talk with the man, and notices he has no shirt. Removing His tunic, Jesus gives His shirt to the homeless man and moves on to the next alley.

Sunday morning, Jesus pays a surprise visit to the most prestigious church in the city. The carpet is nicely colored and the pews are comfortably padded. The congregation is dressed in uniform, every woman a pastel colored dress, every man a sport coat and tie. Jesus takes a seat in the back row and begins to listen to the man in the $600 suit hollering about money from the pulpit. Almost immediately, an usher asks Jesus to leave because He is not wearing a shirt.

But Jesus is not offended. He has plenty of places to go…places like bars and punk clubs, hospitals and rest homes, and the streets. Places where He is welcomed.