Chic-Fil-A and True Religion

Now technically, if we're going to go straight Biblical here, true religion is to look after the widows and the orphans (and I have very strong opinions on how we need to be doing better about the orphans/ fatherless than we are... another post for another day).  But what I'm proposing is something that, while James does not directly mention it, I believe to fall under the whole "What would Jesus do" question.

I didn't go to Chic-fil-a yesterday.  It wasn't out of protest against Chic-fil-a's views.  I personally agree with the thought that marriage, as designed by God, is meant for one man and one woman to enjoy together. (Also other posts for other days would include diving into whether most Christian marriages are actually honoring God with how husbands and wives treat each other.  Does your marriage, does my marriage, reflect the beauty that God meant for it to have?  If not, I would question why it matters who can and can't get married since we're not really living out the story of God and his church through marriage either way... but that's for another day).

I didn't not go because I think it was a bad idea.  If you want to go out and support a local business that you like, go for it.  And if that happens to be on a day when tons of other people want to stand in line to go too, great.  More power to you.

I didn't go because I don't exactly think that God in the flesh would have been there in his car, waiting to be served tasty chicken to prove something to others.  Would Christ be there to show the world that true religion is supporting a business that morally thinks the way I do?  (Side note- I don't think supporting businesses that support similar morals as you or me is wrong, I just think we begin to walk a dangerous line when we see it as an act of showing the world our faith and stance on God and church and marriage.)

But- have no fear good-hearted, well meaning Christians.  We still have a chance to do some good, true, pure religion here. 

On July 19 the LGBTQ community called for August 3 to be National Same-Sex Kiss Day.  And, according to the Facebook count as I write 12,050 people are planing to attend with another 100,000+ still deciding.  That's some huge numbers of people turning out to show how offended or hurt or angry or fill in the blank that they are because of all of this.  That's over 100,000 people that we have the chance to show what Jesus would really do in this.  So here's my challenge:

Grab your I Love Jesus shirt, or a shirt for your church or youth group and as many ice cold waters as you can (because if your weather is anything like it's been here -113 today and not cooling off anytime soon- people are going to be hot even at 7:00pm CST) and head down to your nearest Chic-fil-a.  Then with sincere love and kindness offer the water and a smile and, if they'll let you, a hug, to each person that is there to show how wrong we are.  Show them the love of God and show them that they are people just as worthy of the love and grace of God as we are.

Ready, set, go.
 

What's this a picture of?

And I'll give a hint, it's not (as ISH said) a nostril

 

The Complexity of Genealogy

Perhaps it all the talk of genealogy with Mom going through all of Grandma's stuff lately or if it's something they've been talking about in school, but Geo has a sudden interest in where he came from.

"So," he began as we were driving, "I'm part German."

"Yes," I replied. "Your Great-Great-Great Granddad immigrated from Germany."

"And I'm part Irish."

"Well Scot-Irish according to the priest I met in Ireland."

"And I'm part French."

"Yes, Great-Grannie's family is from France."

"And Daddy's part British. That's why I can speak like Harry Potter so well."

(Non-commentating silence)

"So then ...." he paused pensively, "What's ISH?"

"ISH?!" I replied, looking at LK, "ISH is your biological brother."

 

You know it's time for a weather radio when

You reassure your eldest before bed- no need to worry baby. No anxiety. If there are tornadoes. If we need to take cover, they'll sound the alarm and we'll do our plan. It will be okay- that's why the make the sirens so loud. But then at 2:30AM, when the same said child comes into your bedroom, waking you from the dead. Telling you the sirens are sounding, you reply Shhh. Shhh sweet boy. Get into bed. That's not the sirens. And you roll over and go back to sleep. But oh yes, it was. Weather radio app loaded. Volume set on loud. If there are storms tonight- we'll be better prepared.

Tumbleweeds

That pretty well describes what's been rolling across this here blog lately.

After spending almost two weeks in Israel it's been catch up since I've been back. Which has, in turn, meant falling into bed rather tired at the end of the day.

 If only the suitcase would unpack itself and the laundry move itself over. Oh and if the chicken could get itself out of the freezer in time to be defrosted for dinner, that would be fab too. (No, actually chicken that can, at will emerge from the freezer would totally creep me out!).

One place I have tried to post lately is on my blog dedicated to thankfulness.

If you're looking for snapshots into my life, it won't have the crazy quips from the boys, but it will, hopefully, give you a sense of my life and what I'm thankful for in it (both the good and the why now moments).

Check it out and share the thankfulness.

 

Alan Bastyr

It's hard to describe Alan if you don't know him. He's a man I've known since I was in junior high. He's blind. And on most days I'd tell you that he's out of his mind!

I mean let's face it, this 50 something year old man goes around singing songs like Fishcakes and Heads while giving "Head Squishes" and calling young kids "Characters." You just kind of have to know Alan to get him I suppose.

But today, he turned on the serious side and blew us all away as he sang solo in the St. Anne's Church in Jerusalem.

I wasn't there when Dad and Alan were first talking with the fathers but apparently the song Holy City came up and Alan mentioned he had known it, but hadn't sung it since he was 16.  The fathers didn't have the song in braille but they made a copy for Dad and as Dad mumbled the words to Alan, he was able to remember the song.

Here is Alan singing Holy City (he was pretty excited to be able to, as he said, Sing Holy City in the Holy City).

And here is his encore!

 

The 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

One of the realities of raising boys in this sex-crazed-soft-porn-is-acceptable little world is the difficultly that it is to protect the boys of having such images burned into their little brains at an early age.

 I remember reading a story somewhere or hearing advice once about a mom who avoided the check out lines with magazines to protect her children from the sexualization displayed on the covers, opting to have a battle over candy bars now rather than facing other more subliminally ingrained battles later.

I remember there was a time I took that advice to heart, but somewhere along the way I forgot it.

Until today.

Today ISH and I were on our regular Monday grocery run and, after scoping outing which line was the shortest, I pulled into lane 8. And what should be there as a last ditch effort for an impulse buy but this season's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

"Ugh!" I thought.  "Lord please protect my boys."

And as the words were going from my mind to the Father ISH says "Oh."

"Oh?" I replied

"Oh, that-" he said pointing to the SI cover.

"Oh :( " I thought

"-that is really inappropriate." ISH said with as much disdain as can come from a six-year-old lisp-y little mouth.

"Yes. It is." I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Why do they want to put that on the cover?" ISH asked me.

"Because some men like her and some women want to be her and they think it's a good way to sell magazines."

"Well I don't."  (Lord keep this innocence about him)

"Me neither buddy." I said as I started to put my groceries on the checkout line belt feeling as though I had somehow avoided a storm.

"Now that-" he said with his eyes getting bigger, pointing the Food Network Magazine cover of a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese tart, "that's what they need to have on the cover.  That's what they need more of."

I giggled.

"Yes buddy, I agree."