Second Class.

            I am a Christian. I believe in the Bible and Jesus. I am not confused by the words that are there. I feel I need to say these things because I believe some of you are. The Bible is very clear on what followers of it are to do and be. It outlines in both halves rules for morality that are clear. Where both halves agree, I take note. Where they are different, I follow the words in red. Meaning, the teaching of Jesus trumps all. This is my way of life. This is my truth. I know that it is a good way to live. I have no right to force another human to live the way I live. I have no right to treat another human badly because he or she lives a different way than I do. I am called to do the best I can, share when sharing is wanted, and to encourage other believers when needed. Encouragement is tricky. Sometimes the encouragement is an affirmation of doing the right thing and other times it is a call to stop doing wrong things.

            Believers, we are doing wrong things. Despite my hopes that Indiana would be a place of religious freedom, we all must acknowledge that it is a place of religious oppression. Personal choices and lifestyles cannot be mandated by law. Whenever I try to impose my beliefs and lifestyles on others, I become a tyrant and tyrants are evil. This week Indiana proved that the powers of religious oppression and discrimination are large and in charge. This mess is set to pass the state senate. http://wlfi.com/2015/01/03/bill-would-allow-hoosiers-to-refuse-gay-weddings/This article is about a bill that will allow business owners to deny customers **who have the money to pay for services rendered** because they do not agree with them about religion.

            Dear Indiana, This is America it has been based on a free market, capitalist system where the only way to encourage your beliefs is by the goods and services you seek to sell and offer. I am a Christian. If I were to open a store, I would carry goods that reflected my beliefs. I would then allow whoever wanted to to come in and read, discuss, and buy. If I were a florist that did weddings, I would carry trinkets and baubles that reflected my views, but I would make bouquets and arrangements for every single couple regardless of orientation and gender and charge the same rates to all. WHY?? Because that is the Christian thing to do. It is the way of life that protects my way of life as well as theirs. There will come a time when being a Christian is discouraged and discriminated against, probably because wackadoodle behavior like this. Who wants to have a bunch of bigoted haters around? I can think that couple is making a mistake or committing a sin but listen up, IN MY FLOWER SHOP THAT DOES NOT MATTER. If I gave the flowers away, that is support. If they buy them and I make them, THAT IS BUSINESS WITH PROFIT. Jesus did not refuse service or deny flowers. He was friend and servant to all.

            I believe in the American ideals of integration, capitalism, freedom for all, and the right to choose. Discrimination is an end to all of those ideals. Because of this, I must make a difficult announcement. If this bill becomes law, I will have no choice but to boycott any business that denies paying customers because of religious oppression. This means I will not be buying goods and services from people who are Christians. (Added to clarify, I will boycott only the Christians that discriminate against customers over religious difference.) This hurts me, but as we live in a capitalist market, it is the only way to make my opinion truly heard. I finish with the famous quote from Martin Neimoller. He was a German pastor in the Lutheran church. He refused to listen to Bonheoffer until it was too late. When the Nazi’s came for him, he was alone.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
            Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
            Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
            Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me

Leonard

“When you let me take, I'm grateful. When you let me give, I'm blessed."

Last post I mentioned a doughnut meme. Here it is in all it’s glory.

 I have to be REAL right now.  I am a metaphorical doughnut eater. You give me an inch; I will take a mile and make you happy about it. It is a skill. But see, if you aren’t careful and you miss the other side of me, you might miss that I am on a journey of giving. You give me I mile, I am willing to give you two miles if you want them. I will dance and laugh and make you enjoy the journey in spite of it all. I guess if you wanted to, you could get all bent out of shape about what I have taken OR you could take a few doughnuts yourself.

            I wasn’t going to go into the doughnut meme at all until I read Leonard Nimoy’s thoughts on taking and giving. It is so perfectly in tune to basic human function. We all need to take from time to time, but if that is where we stop, we miss the point. Giving is the heart of it all giving is the true joy.

            Once you have been in the position of needing and someone gives, you truly understand the joy of giving. You see that you are meeting needs, alleviating hurt and making one person’s day just a little bit brighter. Giving also helps us to feel useful and needed. Useful is a basic need. We seem to be designed to need to serve a purpose. Each of us is good at different things and each of us compliments others that lack our skills. I posit we descend into less if we stop seeking useful, I know I do.

            This past week I have had an odd viral infection that sidelined me. I watched my spouse cook, clean, care for me, and keep children safe all in one go. I absolutely could not stand, but lying in bed listening to him ride the emotions of frustration and joy that come along with my job, hurt me. I was a sponge and I was missing out on the rhythm of my family; my life. I was grateful for the care I was receiving, but I needed to bless I needed to give. So, this week as my strength returns, I’ll be cleaning and doing, loving and caring for.  Taking is good when I must, but giving is life.

Weakened

          

          Addiction is in my genetic code. My friend sent me a silly meme that illustrated a point about personality types using doughnuts. I carried on good conversation about the meme, but kept up the doughnut metaphor. Now, real, actual doughnuts are my downfall and undoing. I was sitting outside the grocery having this conversation. I knew the doughnut rack was in there and all I could think of was the glazed, yeasty, chewy crunch. I have a family member who killed herself with doughnuts. She had horrendous diabetes, but could not say no. She lost her toe, then toes, then foot, and when the surgeon came for her leg, she died of complications in the hospital. Her demise was her inability to give up her dozen doughnuts every day. She was strong, beautiful, capable, and brilliant in every other capacity but one. Oh. I cannot eat doughnuts. I cannot have doughnuts. Unchecked doughnuts will kill me. With. Out. Doubt.

            I recently saw a wonderful video found here from Russell Brand (gorgeous, irreverant, English funny-man who exudes sexual fervor) where he sat behind his laptop shirtless in bed talking about how his mind (his wonderful mind) had been weakened, hampered, hurt, and addicted by porn. He said, “I saw a visual of a woman and I didn’t think, ‘Does she get along ok with her dad? Does she have diabetes? …What of her soul?…No, I only think she looks nice.” He goes on to wonder what harm will come from “great ice bergs of filth flowing through homes on Wifi.”  He wonders what the psychological impact will be when people who have completely turned women into a commodity grow up and try to run the world. He sites the Journal of Adolescent Health and the opinions of sociologists.

            Another great addiction is constant comparing ourselves to other people. There is a rush of chemicals that comes from seeing others as less than ourselves. When we see the lady who likes loud music and includes people regardless of race, gender, and religious preference, we can see her as inclusive and kind or wanton. We can pat ourselves on the back knowing we aren’t her. Ah the rush of chemicals that comes from being better than fills our minds. So we sit at computer screens giving nothing out but constantly taking in and making notes and judging like mad because we need to fill some deficiency in our hearts. Thank you pinterest for that.

            Addictions strip our credibility. When I am on a sugar filled high fueled with doughnuts, I am unable to focus, to hear, or to formulate the best advice. I am unfit. So, as a responsible human let alone, mother, wife, daughter, and friend, I work hard to purge out that which weakens me. See, I could sit here and quote scriptures and they would apply, but the needs of humanity at large apply too. We as a people group need to stop feeding our chemical needs and reaching out to a higher way of being; solely because it is the right thing to do.