Sometimes we wonder if there is a definite order to things, and if there really is an omniscient God overlooking our daily interactions and affairs. And then, you see a pattern that confirms all that we have wondered.
In July of 2007, I took the scenic route up Route 2, over Stevens Pass, to get to the Gorge in George, WA, home to music festivals that range in genre from jazz to hard rock. I could wax nostolically about the beautiful drive over the mountains, through the charming town of Leavenworth, and about the natural, awe inspiring ampetheatre much like Red Rocks, but that's not really the point of this post.
The point, you see, is for me to openly kvetch about the fact that there is some cosmic reason why God will not allow me anywhere near Chris Tomlin. Maybe He's helping me to avoid a restraining order, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's a little bit annoying.
Get this. I manage to get to the very floor of the place, and I'm so close to the stage that I can smell the roadies. I'm surrounded by eighteen year old fans, all of whom love Tomlin because he's annointed, which I suspect is Christian for "hot!" Annoying, but worth it because we're talking about Chris Tomlin, after all, and he's both annoited AND hot....oh yeah, and talented, did I forget to mention that?
So his set starts, and I am....You've heard the term, "So close, and yet so far"? That sums it up, since I was a stone's throw from the stage, and should have had an unobstructed view. But directly in front of me was an obstacle that could not be moved. Specifically, a huge security guard.
I'm a tiny little thang, folks. I'm a towering 4'11''. I have learned that if I were only one inch shorter, I would be considered a little person; it is the one thing I am too tall to be. This guy was about 7 feet tall, and possibly as wide. And I swear to you, every time I moved, he moved.
If my description is not doing it for you, I urge you to go to YouTube.com, and look up Creation 2007, and check out Tomlin's set. To the right of the stage, you will see a big guy in a red shirt. That's him. I am somewhere directly in front of him.
If it were a regular concert, I would be able to slither in and out between the bodies, and observe from a different place. But this was a Christian concert, and we're expected to behave ourselves. Drat.
Okay, so a few months later, I decide that it's time to leave Washington and see about warmer climes. I have family in Texas, and I have always had a longing to live there. So I sent resumes all over the state, including Austin Stone Community Church, of which Tomlin just happens to be a founder. And that is not, I repeat, NOT the reason I faxed my resume to them, but I would be lying if I didn't think it would be cool to work with him. Not long after I sent the resume off, he moved to Atlanta to found a church with Louie Giglio.
Not long after that, I thought about how cool it would, in fact, be to work with Tomlin and company. Folks, I am a pretty good preacher and I have always felt that I would have a bigger audience than I do now; Not that I'm a narcicist, I just feel like I have a lot to say. And again, I sent resumes out to several ministries, including to Mr. Giglio. Of course, if you have an idea, you can bet fifty million other people have the same idea, and I got the same email that everyone else got: Thanks, but no thanks.
Recently, I was working the graveyard shift, and in the dwindling hours, the radio announced that it was going to give away tickets to see none other than Chris Tomlin. I had a feeling I could win, so I called and got my name in the drawing. And two days later, I was surprised but not shocked to learn that I had won four tickets.
To cut a long story short, I didn't get to go, and neither did the three others I had invited with me. I one had to work, one was sick, and one went to jail (Read my debute post, "In the beginning" and you'll instantly get it). So I decided to donate the tickets to the place where I work, a group home that cares for at-risk teens in the foster care system. And I was glad to do it, because they needed to have a night of hope, and hearing that God loves them.
And yet, I still wondered if there was not some plot that God had in motion, to keep me from being in the same building with Tomlin. I have to wonder, if I met him, would some horrible catastrophy occur? Would buildings crumble, would the sky grow dark, would locus be unleased? Would my meeting Tomlin, even for a second, even if the exchange was nothing more than brief eye contact, signal armageddon?
Last night, I applied for a volunteer position at this year's CreationWest, and guess who is going to be there.
So we will see what happens this year. I don't plan to go to any great lengths to meet this cute little Texan, but I sure would like to talk to him about music and about Texas (he went to the same college as my father). I'd also like to see his dimples up close (I am a sucker for dimples).
Will I meet him this year? Probably not. But be ready for evacuation, just incase I do.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
A prominent priest was caught canoodling on the beach with his girlfriend, and now the whole world wonders if the Catholic church should finally change it's policy on priests not being able to date and marry.
Well, thank God! After all the talk about the Swine Flu and the economy, it's time we started focusing on really important stuff like the sex lives of priests!
I always wondered why the Catholic church likes her priests unmarried. Celebate, yes. I got it. After all, we Christians on both the Catholic and Proddy sides of the aisle agree that sexual activity is only blessed when in the context of marriage. But is there a biblical basis for being unmarried?
The idea, so I have been told, is that Jesus was unmarried, and therefore, a priest following His example should be as well. True, He is our example, no debate there. But just because He was unmarried does not mean He expects anyone who is called to ministry should be single as well. I can back this up because A) He never said as much and B) Some of the disciples (later to be apostles, the fathers of the Faith) were married.
Despite what Dan Brown may think, the best historical sources (including those outside of the Bible) report that Jesus was single, and I think this was for practical as well as spiritual reasons. Jesus came for the single purpose of bringing us to God, and in so doing, was meant to die. I can't see God settling down with a woman knowing He would make her a widow. I also think that being the Savior of the World would get in the way of being a husband. Most women have a fit if their significant other goes out and spends the night partying with the boys. Imagine the conversation in the Bar Joseph household:
"Honey, the guys and I are going fishing. We'll be back in....six months."
"I don't think so, Yeshua! You promised to clean out the stable, and I need you to do some carpentry at my parents this weekend."
"This is really important. I have to go."
"Oh, FINE! But no hanging around with Mary and Martha. And if you go changing water into wine and I hear about it, so help me You, you'll be back to sleeping in the manger!"
Yeah. Marriage for the Savior probably wouldn't be a good idea.
Also, God doesn't love one person over the other. True, there are those who are closer to Him than others, but that seems to be because the person desires God more than most people. But that's another post.
An argument in favor of priests being able to marry is that, if you repress human sexuality, terrible things happen. Alter boys get molested. Pretty parishoners get hot and heavy breathing phonecalls in the middle of the night (not so much any more, what with caller ID but you get the idea). But this is not the case. Actually, when a person is sexually inactive for a long period of time, the hormones in both males and females decrease and the libedo goes dormant until it's woken up again. So, a person who is celebate will be less likely to go crazy and indulge than one who is active.
Also, priests who molest children do not become molesters because they can't have access to women. More likely, they were child molesters to begin with and, just as they become doctors or teachers to have access and trust of children, they become priests. It isn't the vocation, it is the opportunity.
As a minister in a nondenominational, proddy church, I hope to get married. I am supposed to be celebate, and for ten years I was (I would be lying if I said I didn't fall off the wagon occasionally, but don't think for a moment I didn't repent and try again). I do hope it is in God's will that I marry. And why shouldn't I? Okay, it wasn't the Apostle Paul's thing, but that doesn't mean it's wrong.
So let the priests date, so long as it's done in a Godly manner. And let them get married. My only protest is this: Please keep it off the beach, Father. It's classless, and there are too many places where the sand can go.
Well, thank God! After all the talk about the Swine Flu and the economy, it's time we started focusing on really important stuff like the sex lives of priests!
I always wondered why the Catholic church likes her priests unmarried. Celebate, yes. I got it. After all, we Christians on both the Catholic and Proddy sides of the aisle agree that sexual activity is only blessed when in the context of marriage. But is there a biblical basis for being unmarried?
The idea, so I have been told, is that Jesus was unmarried, and therefore, a priest following His example should be as well. True, He is our example, no debate there. But just because He was unmarried does not mean He expects anyone who is called to ministry should be single as well. I can back this up because A) He never said as much and B) Some of the disciples (later to be apostles, the fathers of the Faith) were married.
Despite what Dan Brown may think, the best historical sources (including those outside of the Bible) report that Jesus was single, and I think this was for practical as well as spiritual reasons. Jesus came for the single purpose of bringing us to God, and in so doing, was meant to die. I can't see God settling down with a woman knowing He would make her a widow. I also think that being the Savior of the World would get in the way of being a husband. Most women have a fit if their significant other goes out and spends the night partying with the boys. Imagine the conversation in the Bar Joseph household:
"Honey, the guys and I are going fishing. We'll be back in....six months."
"I don't think so, Yeshua! You promised to clean out the stable, and I need you to do some carpentry at my parents this weekend."
"This is really important. I have to go."
"Oh, FINE! But no hanging around with Mary and Martha. And if you go changing water into wine and I hear about it, so help me You, you'll be back to sleeping in the manger!"
Yeah. Marriage for the Savior probably wouldn't be a good idea.
Also, God doesn't love one person over the other. True, there are those who are closer to Him than others, but that seems to be because the person desires God more than most people. But that's another post.
An argument in favor of priests being able to marry is that, if you repress human sexuality, terrible things happen. Alter boys get molested. Pretty parishoners get hot and heavy breathing phonecalls in the middle of the night (not so much any more, what with caller ID but you get the idea). But this is not the case. Actually, when a person is sexually inactive for a long period of time, the hormones in both males and females decrease and the libedo goes dormant until it's woken up again. So, a person who is celebate will be less likely to go crazy and indulge than one who is active.
Also, priests who molest children do not become molesters because they can't have access to women. More likely, they were child molesters to begin with and, just as they become doctors or teachers to have access and trust of children, they become priests. It isn't the vocation, it is the opportunity.
As a minister in a nondenominational, proddy church, I hope to get married. I am supposed to be celebate, and for ten years I was (I would be lying if I said I didn't fall off the wagon occasionally, but don't think for a moment I didn't repent and try again). I do hope it is in God's will that I marry. And why shouldn't I? Okay, it wasn't the Apostle Paul's thing, but that doesn't mean it's wrong.
So let the priests date, so long as it's done in a Godly manner. And let them get married. My only protest is this: Please keep it off the beach, Father. It's classless, and there are too many places where the sand can go.
In the begining....
Something you should know right off...This is not my first time.
I've blogged before, but they were practice runs. Sure, I still have a blog on WordPress, but haven't updated it in a long time, mainly because I can't remember my password. Also, the longer I wait to go there, the more awkward it feels; kind of like when you mean to call your friend, and you just don't get around to it, and the longer it takes the weirder it is. I know, not the same thing, but close enough.
Like old boyfriends, I had a different relationship with each blog. Some I ended simply because the chemistry wasn't right. Others had begun spontaniously, but lost fizzle. And some were just not user friendly.
It is strange that I would liken old blogs to old relationships, since I recently had a relationship end. It was a bizarre setup anyway, being as how we were between friends and lovers. We set the goal, but just couldn't get there (His drug use may have had something to do with that), and like him, there are blogs that you just love and always will, but there are too many things in the way.
So here I am, trying once more to get my opinions and views out there for the whole world to read. I aspire to be the PerezHilton of the Christian set, only less gay and angry. The trouble is, how do I make it happen and stand out against the countless blogs out there right now?
Oh, how I want to be one of THE bloggers who get quoted on CNN and who are invited to weigh in on hot and heavy topics. I want to see my name in Time and Newsweek. And darn it all, I want to be a judge at the next Miss America pagent and ask controversial questions like, "Miss North Dakota, what do you think about intelligent design?"
Just as I had high aspirations for my last relationship (and until he decided he loved meth more than he loved me, I had reason for such high hopes), I also have high aspirations for this blog. And as long as said blog doesn't go out seeking one night stands and scoring anal nitrate, we should be fine.
But enough about him.
I am hoping to be the irrevernt Christian voice. Godly, but funny and real. I don't know how that's going to go over, to be honest. There are those who think Christians can't have a sense of humor, and if that's the case, I've been Hellbound for years because I do tend to poke fun at things that I probably shouldn't. And I take issue with things other people tend to ignore, or atleast pretend not to notice. Hey, our God is perfect. The rest of us need a lot of work, and we may as well face that reality and do something about it.
The church is in trouble. One of the reasons for this is not the theology, but the people. I have met several people who have no problem believing in Jesus, but darned if the church doesn't get in the way. Ghandi himself said that he liked Christ, but not Christians. And I have been in the faith, not to mention in the pulpit, long enough to see what he meant.
But lest you think my mission is to point a boney finger at what is wrong with the Christian community, let me say that it is not (Although there will be some of that). Nor is it to aim said finger at the ills and evils of society (there will be some of that as well) or to point out the folly of the people we elect to, ah, lead us (Oh, there will be lots of that!). It is simply to give you my perspective, as a person, as an American, as a woman, and most of all, as a believer.
It's my hope that this blog serves as fodder for discussion, debate, and that it causes you to laugh now and then. And if it inspires Perez Hilton to call me bad names because I don't believe in two dudes cornholing under the guise of marriage, well, perhaps I will get that mention on CNN after all.
I've blogged before, but they were practice runs. Sure, I still have a blog on WordPress, but haven't updated it in a long time, mainly because I can't remember my password. Also, the longer I wait to go there, the more awkward it feels; kind of like when you mean to call your friend, and you just don't get around to it, and the longer it takes the weirder it is. I know, not the same thing, but close enough.
Like old boyfriends, I had a different relationship with each blog. Some I ended simply because the chemistry wasn't right. Others had begun spontaniously, but lost fizzle. And some were just not user friendly.
It is strange that I would liken old blogs to old relationships, since I recently had a relationship end. It was a bizarre setup anyway, being as how we were between friends and lovers. We set the goal, but just couldn't get there (His drug use may have had something to do with that), and like him, there are blogs that you just love and always will, but there are too many things in the way.
So here I am, trying once more to get my opinions and views out there for the whole world to read. I aspire to be the PerezHilton of the Christian set, only less gay and angry. The trouble is, how do I make it happen and stand out against the countless blogs out there right now?
Oh, how I want to be one of THE bloggers who get quoted on CNN and who are invited to weigh in on hot and heavy topics. I want to see my name in Time and Newsweek. And darn it all, I want to be a judge at the next Miss America pagent and ask controversial questions like, "Miss North Dakota, what do you think about intelligent design?"
Just as I had high aspirations for my last relationship (and until he decided he loved meth more than he loved me, I had reason for such high hopes), I also have high aspirations for this blog. And as long as said blog doesn't go out seeking one night stands and scoring anal nitrate, we should be fine.
But enough about him.
I am hoping to be the irrevernt Christian voice. Godly, but funny and real. I don't know how that's going to go over, to be honest. There are those who think Christians can't have a sense of humor, and if that's the case, I've been Hellbound for years because I do tend to poke fun at things that I probably shouldn't. And I take issue with things other people tend to ignore, or atleast pretend not to notice. Hey, our God is perfect. The rest of us need a lot of work, and we may as well face that reality and do something about it.
The church is in trouble. One of the reasons for this is not the theology, but the people. I have met several people who have no problem believing in Jesus, but darned if the church doesn't get in the way. Ghandi himself said that he liked Christ, but not Christians. And I have been in the faith, not to mention in the pulpit, long enough to see what he meant.
But lest you think my mission is to point a boney finger at what is wrong with the Christian community, let me say that it is not (Although there will be some of that). Nor is it to aim said finger at the ills and evils of society (there will be some of that as well) or to point out the folly of the people we elect to, ah, lead us (Oh, there will be lots of that!). It is simply to give you my perspective, as a person, as an American, as a woman, and most of all, as a believer.
It's my hope that this blog serves as fodder for discussion, debate, and that it causes you to laugh now and then. And if it inspires Perez Hilton to call me bad names because I don't believe in two dudes cornholing under the guise of marriage, well, perhaps I will get that mention on CNN after all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)