Some New Thoughts

I was driving through the Central West End in St. Louis just last weekend. I was there with three good friends, showing them the sights and introducing them to pizza so delicious that Obama had it flown into the White House. If you're in St. Louis, eat at Pi. There are 3 locations. The CWE location has math on the walls of the bathroom, if you're into that kind of thing.

However, this is not actually another write-up of the STL. And while this post may be thought-provoking, I guarantee it won't be as good as Laurel's.

While we were in the CWE, the girls and I were admiring the streets lined with beautiful houses. There are a number of them in that area, and quite a few of them are dead end streets. Not because they are cul-de-sacs, but because one end of the street has a beautiful wrought-iron fence blocking any ingress or egress. As we were leaving the CWE, we passed a universalist church, and one of those science churches. We were talking about what they believe (basically, anything goes), and the contrast suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.

We love the idea of exclusive neighborhoods and inclusive religions.

But what about the reality?

It's easy to say that what we believe is for everyone, especially when there's a place of retreat behind a barrier.

I have been a member of a Southern Baptist church for the majority of my life. I'm a big fan, but I also have reservations --some with the SBC, and some with the church in general.

I'll get a little personal first, then go from there. I'm a 29-year-old single female attorney. The church does little to support those attributes. As a woman, my leadership roles can be limited. As a single, my place is that of a leper (but with more disease - don't believe me? go here. I have too many points to count). And I have a profession. You can see more support for women who work, but there is still little in today's church to support a woman who's not raising children.

And what about divorced people? Aside from putting them over in divorce care, is there a place for them?

And the gay community. If God is the answer, why aren't they welcomed into the sanctuary? In your dislike of this topic, don't confuse that question with a suggestion that we alter Biblical teaching.

If God is for everyone, why does the color of someone's skin affect what church you attend? Racism (again, covered much better by Laurel) is an embarrassment to our nation's past, present, and future. Cultures may be different, but respect and grace can often transcend those minutiae.

By advocating for an inclusive religion, let me reiterate that I'm still a person who believes that the Bible is God-breathed and that all of it matters. I'm not suggesting the Bible is deficient and in need of alteration. I'm suggesting maybe I am. And maybe our churches are.

But I'm not suggesting that we need a new church or a new denomination or a new mission/faith statement. These things, they're problems. They're going to follow us wherever we go, unless we turn around and face them head on.

How do we forge a place for the unloved, the unlovely, or just the unpopular?

I'm no theologian or Biblical scholar, and I'm not naive enough to deceive myself into thinking that there are easy answers. These are tough questions. But if we only answered the easy questions, we just end up walking around yelling out Baby Sunday School answers, and never help anyone.

Wordless Wednesday

Winston Churchill

When I began reading John Perry's short biography of Winston Churchill, I was sure that the book would largely center on Churchill's faith, since the book seems to be part of a series titled, "Christian Encounters."

However, instead of a book that centered on Churchill's faith, the book danced around issues of God and church. If you're looking for a quick read with insight into the people who shaped Churchill, this is an excellent source. But don't expect to find that Churchill spent his life dedicated to God, as his rousing speeches that called upon God's help might lead you to believe. Rather, he appears to have done a lot of talking about God, but not much living a life of service to God.

At the same time, he lived an amazing life, and, through a harrowing experience early in his life, believed that he was destined for greatness. And insisted upon living that way at all costs. Don't read this book expecting to hear about a great conversion experience, or about how his entire life seemed dedicated to God's purposes. Do read this if you're interested in learning about the realities of the intersection between faith, politics, and public perception.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a postitive reivew. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions' 16 C.F.R. Pt. 255.

I made a Bucket List

Hmm. So here's the deal. I live in St. Louis right now, but I'm currently praying that I'll be able to return home to Arkansas very soon. However, I want to leave knowing that I've made the most out of my experience here in the STL. When I was in Minnesota, I met another girl from St. Louis (no, you are not reading that sentence wrong), and we were talking about how my term in St. Louis will end in November, and she asked me if I had a St. Louis bucket list. I had not even though to compose one until now, but now I have been inspired. So, without further ado
adieu delay, my STL Bucket List:

 

1. See Wicked at the Fabulous Fox theatre. This is not negotiable.
   
2. See a show at the MUNY theatre (it's outside!!), possibly Damn Yankees. I'm hoping to invite my mother and trick her into using profanity.
   
3. Attend the Taste of St. Louis. All the delicious food of St. Louis in one place. The real question is: why haven't I been before?
   
4. Go to a Rams game. I've been to the Cardinals, and the Blues. The trifecta must be completed.
   
5. Go to the Magic House. To complete this task, I'm going to need a child. Therefore, if you're looking for entertainment for your small child, let's go. This sounds much creepier than I've intended.
   
6. Grant's farm. I hear it's great. People always ask me if I've been. I feel like a failure when I say no. So I must go.
   
7. A Murder Mystery Dinner at the Lemp Mansion. Really? You need more explanation? It's a murder mystery dinner. At a fancy mansion.
   

 

    If these options capture your fancy, let me know. Join me. We'll have good times.

 

    I've already been to the Arch (3 times!), the City Museum, Cardinals games, a Blues game, the science museum, the art museum, the Hill, Soulard, Benton Park, and lots of other places. Feel free to suggest a location that you think I've missed. If you come to visit me, feel free to ask if we can go to any of these places. Even if we've already been, I'll take you. But if I take you to the Arch, you have to buy me a present.

 

    There are a lot of trips and vacations I want to take - Vegas, Ireland, Cherry Blossom Festival, Europe, somewhere with a warm beach. I have no guarantee that I'll ever get to these places. But I am here in St. Louis now, and I intend to make the most of it.

Back in the Saddle Again

It's almost funny how many times I sat down to write something, then abandoned the effort before finishing. I have written at least 4 full-length blog posts (whatever that means), then stopped before actually posting them. Maybe someday I'll dust them off and use them as a retrospective, but right now I can't.

When something really matters and is really important to me, it takes me forever to have the words. My entire vocabulary deserts me and I'm left with a gaping mouth and, often, tears. Since Christmas, it's been hard times in my family. Hard, devastating, tragic, savage times. And I just don't have the words. I don't have anything to pull it all nicely together, except to say that life goes on and that God is who He says he is. Beyond that, I've got nothing. So, even though I've spent two ridiculously emo, rambling paragraphs on it, that's not what this blog is about. Because some pretty amazing and wonderfully life-changing events have also occurred.

Internet, please meet my niece, the incomparable Jaycie Raine:


But do not even get me started on the injustice of her living halfway across the country from me. Just don't go there. But seriously, she's so great. I can't wait to watch her grow up. It's going to be amazing. She has been, by far, the best news of this year.

If you've met me in person, or known me for any real length of time, you'll already know that I like to read. But saying that I like to read is sort of like saying that Jesus was a good guy. Seriously, I truly believe that reading has kept me sane on more than one occasion. I love it. See: this is me on Christmas morning (please kindly ignore the fact that I'm not looking my best while simultaneously taking in the glee on my face - that glee is largely due to the stack of books in front of me. . . and the polka dot scarf):

So offering me a free book is sort of like offering a drug addict some cocaine base (crack) - sorry, occupational hazard. Anyway, I found out about this thing called Book Sneeze, where bloggers get a free book just for writing a review of a Thomas Nelson (which is a Christian publishing company) book. I read about it and signed up for it in less than 5 minutes, I kid you not. Now, fiction is my favorite, and sometimes those are available, but not this time. So, look for my review of a biography on Winston Churchill, coming soon. It's good times. It's a free book, and all I have to do is review it in 200 words or less. Suddenly, life is beautiful.

But don't tell any person who has ever helped me move. For some reason, they do not love the library I am amassing. I say, what's not to love?

That's a Lot of E-sponses

A Grief Observed

On Wednesday night, tragedy struck.

This little baby girl was sick and needed specialized care of the highest order, but there had been a plan. Before the plan could be implemented, Ashlyn Grace Roach was ushered into the arms of Jesus.

Her parents weren't prepared to say goodbye. They were prepared for a long, hard road, but not for this. Even her doctors were stunned. What is left is devastation and the long road through the maze of grief. But her parents aren't alone in their grief. Her entire extended family and growing network of friends was counting on knowing her and rooting for her. We are all grieving this little girl.

As we start a new year, things are supposed to look better and brighter. Please pray for Corby and Matt, Ashlyn's parents, and the rest of the family. May God carry them through this time.