Well, That Was Rare!

Do you remember the actress Kim Field from The Facts of Life and Living Single? She was on today's rerun of The Wendy Williams Show. Unlike many (most?) child actors, she took her money and ran off with it to college. Pepperdine, to be exact. She now has a successful career working with money-machine Tyler Perry as a producer or something (I didn't pay close attention here, as I am not exactly Tyler Perry's demographic.)

Anyway, Wendy was talking to her about the fact that she developed physically at a very early age, and that many young women struggle with body image, etc. Wendy then went on to ask her if she had any advice for young women who struggle with such perceptions.

I almost fell out of my chair when I heard her response. No kidding, I was genuinely shocked. Kim looked directly into the camera and said, "Girls, you were created by God himself in His image. God doesn't make mistakes. Go forth with confidence knowing you look exactly how you are supposed to. Have confidence." I may have butchered some of the last part of her quote but you get the gist.

To clarify, I wasn't shocked at the content of what she was saying, as I happen to agree with her.

Rather, I was shocked that a person worthy of being on national television would speak so candidly regarding God on national television.  You don't see or hear that very often. I am impressed with her courage to risk alienation. We should all stand up for what we believe in, and Kim's words to young women were very inspiring. Kim is not exactly an A-list celeb, but in my mind she is an A-list person.

Burned Out But With Good News

I'm burned out on religion stuff. I am supposed to be doing a course where I read the entire bible in 90 days (a tedious undertaking if you want to actually digest what you're reading), a women's bible study on the book of Ruth, and Crazy Love by Francis Chan for our "small group."

I think it is difficult to savor what it is you're trying to learn when you have so many other critical or important things you're trying to do. But! At small group tonight we were discussing a chapter of Crazy Love when I have my own revelation.

God is consistent. Sin is sin. What God views as a sin on Tuesday he will also view as a sin on Wednesday. This makes life very easy. You always know where you stand. Some people might resist this notion because it makes it hard to justify things but if you let the principle guide you, you'll probably do pretty good. It is when you approach with the attitude of, "Well, we're all sinners so I am bound to fail. I will just ask forgiveness later" then you're probably setting yourself up for failure in God's eyes and your own. Nobody has to fail. That is a comforting feeling to end my week with.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

Is anyone else watching this show? I find it intriguing, not to mention I love anything wedding-related.

I have noticed that as a whole, the group is devoutly religious. No pre-marital sex, no socializing with the opposite sex unless supervised, etc. So what I want to know is:

How can they be so "religious" but have no regard whatsoever for modesty? I mean, from the outfits on the guests to the bridal gowns, there is a TON of T&A! My wedding gown was strapless but I'm flat-chested and there was no cleavage to speak of. If I were busty, I would've worn a different style. I'm not anti-sexy but these are very young girls putting their goods on display. There is no way in hell I would've ever made it out the door in one of those outfits (call it the fear of the wrath of my Dad, LOL.)

So, do you think it is possible to respect your body while still leaving very, very little to the imagination?

A Follow-Up

As you may recall, we found a new church that we really liked. That said, we were on the fence about returning because the lead pastor had made a comment that we felt was derogatory towards another religion.

Since we were supposed to meet some new friends for dinner after the next service, we decided to go through with one more visit.

Lo and behold, during the opening commentary, the pastor's wife made the same, stoopid joke.

Mr. Case elbowed me and whispered, "Enough is enough. We're done here."

Truth be told, we did attend a third time. On Christmas Eve we went and brought my family simply because we really wanted to go to church and it was the only place we knew of and were certain of the special service times.

Needless to say, we won't be returning. If our friends ask, we will likely explain why we don't feel comfortable attending. And in the meantime, I am definitely going to email the pastor and let him know that the joke shared between him and his wife is tasteless at best.

I know it is not my place to judge the pastor and his wife, certainly as a Christian I should know better. But at the end of the day I feel the joke itself is un-Christian-like and I can't buy into someone's sermon if I disagree with them on an issue such as this.

The good news is, you can throw a pebble and hit ten churches so it shouldn't be too hard to find someplace new. Frankly, we're excited to start looking!

Freedom! Or, Thankfulness Project Day 7

Mr. Case is taking a class on religions of the world and part of his assignment is to attend various houses of worship. The fun part of his final two classes is that I get to tag along. Something you may not know about me is that I love to study different religions. 

Today I attended church with my friend Debbie. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (AKA Mormons but from what I understand that's not how they prefer to be referred to as.)

I had a fantastic time at Debbie's church. We attended what is known as "Sacrament Meeting" and it was a special day-during the first service of the month members of the church partake in what (I believe-Debbie correct me if I'm wrong and sorry for anything I butcher!!) is called "Fast and Testimony." Members of the church got up and gave their testimonies and it was a very special event to watch. 

So today, I am thankful for several things:

1. God and His love for His people. 

2. The blessing of hearing people give their testimonies. Even though I am not a member of her church, I was really moved by the stories people shared. I felt blessed to hear them.

3. The fact that I live in a country where I can go to pretty much any place of worship and not have to fear for my life or worry that I will face punishment for any reason. I never take for granted the liberties granted to me as an American.