Fired up....

As a former Pharisee, I am possibly acting like a reformed smoker here but man, these folks ticked me off! A Christian comedian left a status message on Facebook that said:

Evangelical Christians are so pro-marriage that 50% of us do it again

Ok, I know what he was driving at...But of course the majority of the responses were things like "Yeah! What's wrong with people", "Way to speak the truth, man!" "I've been married for 8 bajillion years and I'm all that because I have it all figured out!"...You know what I'm talking about. Well, since this hit close to home, I replied with:

"A large percentage of Christians also think it's OK to shame other Christians for their failures."

Which of course drew the age old 'we're supposed to label sin as sin...Paul tells us so...We're not being judgmental when we say that something that is wrong is wrong" And other such generalities. Some folks actually believed that most people divorce over one spouse leaving their socks on the floor...I mean, WTF?

I tell you, I'm not really struggling with shame anymore for divorcing, God has set me right about that...I am ashamed that I used to be one of these haughty people...God has shown me so much of my own pride lately...OUCH. I put my response here as a record of where I came from and where I am going (which I hope is closer and closer to the authentic message of the Gospel) Truthfully, this could have been written TO me just a few years ago when I thought I had life all figured out and that I was smarter than everyone else because I could quote Scripture. Now I think I get it.

Well, folks, until you have walked a mile in someone else's shoes, it's kind of hard to decide if their divorce was sinful. Do you know my story? Do you understand what happened between my husband and me that caused the destruction of our marriage? Do you understand how long we stayed together trying to make it work? Do you know the relationship I have with my Father God and how He led me through all this and how he told me from the start that He would be with me no matter which way I chose? And that HE is the one who began pulling me away from a sick cycle that was killing both of us? You all like it when someone stands up and speaks Truth - well, here's something, take your 'church discipline' and your legalism and go look in a mirror. The heart of the gospel is LOVE. Our Lord sets boundaries for us to live in so that we are safe. Guidelines to measure our hearts and make us decide if we are loving one another and the Lord. It isn't about slavery to the 'law' or about sitting on our high horses proclaiming one another's actions as sinful.

What makes any of you qualified to make a blanket statement that a Christian should be 'ashamed' of themselves for divorcing when you have no way of knowing what they have walked through?

The early church was a collection of small communities wherein people knew each other and walked with each other, were familiar with one another's struggles and could speak from that place of understanding, as has my beautiful church family who has held me, loved me, challenged me, listened when I was broken inside. No one dragged me through shame and guilt. And neither does Jesus.

If you want to judge me, go to my Father God and accuse me. I'm certain He will tell you, "I know this situation and it's not yours to speak into. Go about your own business."

Pandora Radio

I was invited to guest blog on a website called Stuck In the 80s

Here is a sneak preview of the blog...This is the "writers edit" It could be edited down...Dunno how it works...

Being a single mom of two ornery cats, one spoiled Jack Russell and a maltese with a heart condition (aka - a walking pharmacy) I have to skimp on some things - like CDs and i-Tunes purchases. I have loads of vinyl but alas, my turntable is as broke as my bank account. So when this girl is weekend cleaning and has a craving for some good music she turns to Pandora Internet Radio http://www.pandora.com/. Here, I can type in the name of an artist to create a station featuring songs by that artist and similar artists. While I enjoy Pandora overall, past station-creation attempts have been somewhat disappointing. It is, after all, something of a crap shoot.

One recent day, though, Praise be, I stumbled upon the key to Pandora's Box of 80s lovers nostalgia.

Write it down:

KAJAGOOGOO.

In the next two hours as I dusted and vacuumed and straightened and flung, I was transported from 2009 right back to those Wonder Years, in my childhood home listening to Casey Kasem count down the American Top 40 (pick any date in the 1980s). One song after the other, I celebrated upon each opening measure. Not once did I skip a song or wish for it to be over.

Too shy, I ran far away with a Flock of Seagulls. I spent a night in Bankok and visited Rio on a Reflex (extended version - thank you, very much - "Fla-Flex"). I couldn't break Matthew Wilder's stride but I melted with Modern English. I sent a long distance dedication of "Don't you forget about me". I learned to fly again on broken wings and I frolicked with 99 Luft Balloons.

You get the idea. It was one-hit wonder, 80s mega-hit paradise and I relished each and every moment. I encourage any true 80s child to plug in the secret pass code for a trip down memory lane. Once again:

KAJAGOOGOO.