The Sickness unto Faith (Part 1)

As well as your lack of action!

Faith is Action….Are you acting in Faith?

I was out of town on business awhile back and I stopped at a McDonald's for lunch. It was a chilly rainy day- the kind of day that makes a person want to stay in bed for the duration. While looking around and trying to choke down my lukewarm, sub-par "Filet of Fish” sandwich, I saw a man walk through the door.  By the looks of him he obviously had spent a great deal of time outside in the elements. He also had the countenance of a man who is being put through the winepress. The man sat down at a booth adjacent to my table and just put his head in his hands. I could almost feel the pain this man was dealing with. I prayed at that moment that I or someone else could help relieve his suffering. Almost instantly a man sat down at the booth across from me and directly behind the suffering man. In the time it takes for a carnivore to take two bites of an artery clogging Big Mac, the suffering man took his head out of his hands; tears flowed down his cheeks and you could tell that he was visibly embarrassed. The man seated behind the distraught man took notice and said: “How are you doing Jerry?” They obviously knew each other. Jerry said: “I’m OK, but I've been better”.  The man in the booth said: “I have not seen you in church lately.” Jerry responded by saying- “I recently lost my wife to cancer, and I've been going through a rough patch.” Booth-man says: “I’m so sorry for your loss!” Jerry then tells him that in the past 9 months he has also lost his job, his home and is currently sleeping in public parks. Booth-man, being very uncomfortable with all Jerry's negative talk, changes the subject to local sports and weather. After about 5 minutes of this idle banter, Booth-man somehow summons the godly-courage to address Jerry's original problems. He said:“Jerry I will pray for you…and really, I hope things get better for ya. Good luck buddy!” Booth-man then gets up, dumps his half eaten Big Mac in the garbage, puts on his raincoat, and exits the establishment- leaving Jerry in exactly the same state he was before. At this point, I was absolutely mortified! What a missed opportunity! This is the problem with so-called Christians: they have this misplaced conception that “prayer” is some sort of spiritual currency; they believe that prayer replaces action.

They are wrong!

Grasping at the Straws of Christian Persecution

I know, I know, I have the tendency to lay on the sass. But sometimes sass is needed. And I am just so exhausted by the claims that American Christians are persecuted.

                   Downtrodden. 

                                                  Discriminated against.

 I mean, seriously. Does anyone spouting this stuff actually believe the crap coming out of their mouths?

Wasted Time, Wasted Grace

Languid conjecture brings on the desires of a new year. My thoughts are a bit jumbled and scattered so I hope you can bear with me while I try to mold them into some semblance of organization.

Alzheimer's is a Nasty Bitch

This is not that kind of blog. It is not a chronological history or our personal tragedies. But I wrote this account, as I do from time to time and I haven't written much lately and haven't posted in an entirely long time. So here it is. And the title? Sorry about that. But it is honest and I have no other way to summarize this post. 

I unwrap my mother’s Christmas gift. She can’t unwrap it, won’t unwrap it.  Can’t, won’t- I can’t decide which it is. I write her name on the pillow made to support back sleepers 5 different times with a cheap gel pen. I left the sharpie in the truck and I’m much too lazy to traverse the parking lot to get it.  I put my mother’s Christmas gift into a pillow case I grabbed from my linen closet. I notice a small brown stain on the pillow case and mutter a curse under my breath. My husband and I discuss very ineloquently whether to put the nursing home issued flat pillow in Mom’s closet or leave in on the bed.  We are leaving. I could not convince my mother to leave the common area to come to her room to open her gift or walk the halls. She ate the cookies I brought though. She ate them with a ferocious hunger that I can only guess comes as her last vestige of pleasure, food. I can understand that. 

Christians should Rejoice in Election Outcome!

Sorry Joseph, I let ya down!

Immediately after the presidential election my first instinct was to throw up a blog about how the Christian Right is in bed with the Republican party and how fear, materialism, and pseudo-nationalism seem to be the driving force behind the right-wing machine…But I didn't...I waited. I wanted to see how and where everything landed once the dust settled and buttholes ceased to pucker. That being said- I’m still waiting.

Contrasting Desires

Sometimes all I hear in my head is the resonating refrain of my own wants and desires.

I want to lose weight.

I want to have more time to read.

I want to have more time to write.

I want to spend my days languidly drinking coffee and discussing literature with my husband.

I want to have more some peace and quiet.
    I crave peace and quiet.

I want the words I speak to sink in and mean something to the person I speak to.

I want more energy.

I want my family to visit more.

I want a baby.

I want a maid.

I want to matter.

I want my mother to be healed.

I want more patience.

I want less challenges and more relaxation.

I want to sip more wine.

Offering up Anger

Last month you were either angry at Chick-fil-a, or you were angry at the people who were boycotting Chick-fil-a. Well at least that’s what everyone was angry about the first week of August. By the third week most people had transferred their rage to something else. Some people are mad that Mitt picked Paul and that they both wear pleated khakis. Others are angry that Obama keeps talking about anything besides the economy. Either way, everyone is pissed off and chances are everyone feels righteous in their indignation. If you’re pissed, and you’re righteously pissed, it seems that you can be both hypocritical and rude in your anger- but never wrong.  No one is ever wrong in their anger. It’s cool, everyone is doing it, so go right ahead, be an asshole to those you disagree with. Your point of view is, of course, right and anyone who has a differing point of view is, of course wrong, and deserves to endure your spewing vitriol. But that seems to be all anyone has to offer. If you are angry that the rights of a group of people are being infringed upon, you can offer your anger. If it’s obvious Paul Ryan blatantly lies at the RNC, you can offer your anger.  Everyone spews their opinions all over facebook, twitter, and the blogosphere. People who disagree are disrespected, threatened, and made fun of. But it seems that all anyone has to offer is their poorly framed, hate –filled statements. No one takes any action. No one risks anything but an unfriending  and some angry comments on the internet. No one moves. Everyone sits idly slinging insults at faceless opponents. No one actually takes a stand. It is so much easier to sit around and stew in their anger.