What' On My Mind...

There are several things on my mind and deep in a comment the other day I left a dangling carrot about promising to post about how "Sex in the City" could possibly be related to hospitality and being a decent representative of Christ. OK, so I have a knack for getting ears ringing or pushing people out of their comfort zones from time to time. But I have to admit I was just too tired last night to post. I had to go to HUF to see the new store, and it is Awesome! I also found out that they are now involved in recycling for the Milton School District, so that is something else on my mind. The list (which may cause some aches and pains from stretching) follows below the next photo... No, this isn't sawdust, although it might as well be. It is ground flax seed that I heard and read is healthy for you so I added some to my oatmeal yesterday. Yuck. It was awful. It had the consistency of sawdust and some of the seeds which didn't get totally ground got caught in my teeth. I may hold on to it, though, because it might make good cat litter. All in the name of recycling. Which will bring me to the first of the other things on my mind...

RECYCLING:
I heard a really nasty rumor at Nicole's elementary school that the paper that is collected in recycling bins in all the classrooms is just dumped in the regular trash at the end of the day. Talk about lousy example and misleading and lack of integrity. So this morning I went in to ask the Principal if it was so. He didn't know for sure, but supported me 100% when I said I would like to cause some trouble and look into it. Apparently there are all kinds of restrictions about what can and can't be recycled. OK. They obviously need to take a lesson from HUF, where they take everything except Glass and it doesn't even need to be separated. So I have a call in to the appropriate powers that be. I know there are like minded people who will get on the band wagon. Yes, it takes time and effort. But our world is not a replaceable commodity.

COFFEE CONVERSATION:
That was a safer heading than politics...I just want to say I believe we all want the same end result for our country: hope, a better economy, peace...and a bright future for the next generation. But we disagree on who we feel is best positioned to get us there. I invite my friends and readers to not get too nervous about out of the box posts. My goal is not to offend anyone or compromise any friendships. So no nervousness, just love allowed.

DIRECT TV:
We switched to Direct TV and bundled it with Verizon phone and Internet a few weeks ago and my mother hates it and can't figure out how to use the remote. So every day I hear about how much she hates it and how stupid it was to switch. Of course never mind that my mom is the one who taught me all about frugality and she will go ten blocks out of her way in NYC to save a dime on a gallon of milk.

CHURCHED:
Matthew Paul Turner's book Churched released yesterday and with the help and support of several friends and fans it made it to #687 on Amazon.com. I finished reading it and have decided to muse and reflect on topics and stories from the book starting today and going through next week.

WIN THE BOOK:
Remember if you want an opportunity to win the book, you get entered in a drawing every time you leave a comment.

FUTURE POLITICALLY ORIENTED POSTS:
Will be posted separately, so if readers prefer to skip politics they can do so and still keep reading the parts they enjoy. I aim to please!

NATIONAL OUTREACH CONVENTION:
The first week of November I am flying to San Diego to attend the National Outreach Convention and can't wait. I will also have the chance to visit my elementary school friend who is courageously fighting breast cancer again. You may recall I spent her birthday with her in June.

That's it for now. On to Churched!
Peace.

What is the Christian Response?

This weekend I became very sad...I was the recipient of a couple of incendiary emails referring to Obama as the anti-Christ and evil among other things. I was also saddened by the following excerpt which was also included in the email:


"Dear Friends,
As I was listening to a news program last night, I watched in horror as Barack Obama made the statement with pride. ... ."we are no longer a Christian nation; we are now a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, . . . "
The email went on to urge people to pass the message along and make sure we didn't vote for this candidate because he didn't think we are a "Christian Nation."

I believe in Christian values, but I agree with the statement that we are NOT a Christian nation, we are a multi cultural multi ethnic country filled with Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. Are we a white nation? No, we are not a white nation, we have many ethnicities in our nation. Are these not my neighbors? Am I not to love my neighbor? To me Jesus is the way and the truth, but when Christians (meaning followers of Christ) represent him by propagating arrogant, misconstrued and exclusionary beliefs I don't find much appealing representation of Christ.

I believe I can vote Democratic and be a Christian. They are not oxymoronic mutually exclusive terms. I believe that a vote for Obama can be a pro life vote in a very full sense. Will Samson on his blog www.willzhead.typepad.com articulates this position with intellectual thoughtfulness that I so appreciate. Pro-life is not limited to an anti-abortion stand. I wish abortion were not necessary. I don't believe for one moment that this is a choice any woman rushes into embracing it as a wonderful option. Women hurt and suffer after an abortion, whether they recognize it or admit it or not. Is the church the first place you would go for healing? I know how I would answer this question. But thankfully there are pregnancy care centers that offer compassionate post abortion support and healing. They are serving as the church.

I read the two emails containing misinformation and spiteful vindictiveness over the weekend and was faced with a decision. Ignore and delete? Certainly that would have been the easier choice. But I felt like a fraud and a cop out making that choice, so I responded.

One email requested prayer for Sarah Palin as she moves forward in the political process. I took a deep breath and responded that I believed we needed to pray for all, yes ALL our leaders, but that I felt a need to state that I was not a McCain-Palin supporter. Then I received the Obama as Anti-Christ email and his remarks about America no longer being a Christian nation and suggested that truth is a value that all leaders should embrace and that the truth of statements circulated ought to be verified and that I respectfully requested that my name be removed from such mailing lists.

I wondered if my passions and positions were so vague that the senders of the mail actually thought I agreed with them. Because I passionately love Jesus (that makes me a Christian, right?) I suspect they did, but it was so far from the truth. Howie suggested that perhaps it was time for me to switch my game plan from defense to offense. Except I don't want to be offensive because I want to be a representative of Christ, who spoke to everyone, who loved his neighbor and who did value all life. All life. So that is how I got here. I value thoughtful dialogue and I respect other's opinions and beliefs. I don't value untruth and derogatory remarks. The Bible is pretty clear as to its view of gossip and I have to say I think half truths and repeating things not verified as true fall under that category.

Do I agree with late term abortion? No. No. Do I wish that abortion wasn't necessary? That for mostly economic reasons women didn't feel they had no other option? Absolutely. I have volunteered for Pregnancy Care Centers because I value and believe in the work they do. But it is such a complex issue. And my vote in November will be based on more than that one, albeit important issue.

Peace.