Pancakes and Living

Listening to NPR on the way to work this morning, I got all hot and bothered hearing about the “vicotry” for witch-hunting down in Alabama (poor and desperate people doing to whatever it takes to bring their children to a land of freedom and opportunity are apparently the new witches) and then was greeted with this timely little gem in my facebook news feed:

A good word:

leeyounger:

What a minute… What? #1?

(That’s right - I didn’t start posting these things on tumblr until recently, so I thought I’d go back and post some of the earlier ‘Fairest’ posts - and while I’m at it, I thought a few revisions would be in order. Enjoy!)

He’s Not Of This World

John 8:23

…

(Source: leeyounger)

Our scripture lesson at church recently was Matthew 18 21-35, the parable of the unmerciful servant.  In case you haven’t read it, it is here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A21-35&version=NIV&src=embed

Now, if you are familiar with this passage, you will know it is a story of financial debt cancellation used to teach about forgiveness in general, but I am coming back to this scripture in a whole new frame of light now: financial debt! (isn’t it funny how things come full circle?) 

I happen to be a landlord (by necessity, not by choice or financial savvy) and am in the throes of a property crisis.  My current tenant has lost her job and can no longer afford to stay in my house.  She will be looking for a new, cheaper, apartment and I will be looking for a new tenant.  Now this alone is financially stressful, but there is the added problem of said tenant owing me several thousand dollars.  As I mentioned, I am not a landlord for investment purposes, so the several thousand dollars equals mortgage payments that have been paid by yours truly during months that my tenant was unable to pay rent for various reasons.  I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot of money for me!  When I found out that my tenant would have to move out, this nasty little attitude started creeping in and poisoning my thoughts: Bitterness

Over the last few days, I’ve found myself thinking: “How dare this woman just walk away and not pay me the money that she owes!  I am the one who has been responsible and dutifully paying the mortgage on time every month even during the months that she didn’t pay rent.  It’s not fair that she should get to walk away and get a clean slate and I have to pay the price!”  I have been filled with anxiety and almost a state of nausea over what I thought was fear of my own financial crisis, but last night I realized that the pit in my stomach that’s making me sick is not fear about my finances (I have savings, I have support, I know I will get through the money part and be ok)  It’s the insidious desire to go after this woman and get what I deserve.

This thought is not from God, this is the enemy trying to harden my heart and make me forget that 1) I am forgiven 2) my tennant is a child of God dealing with her own set of struggles 3) God is big enough to handle ALL of if and I just have to trust in him.   When I remembered these truths last night, the pit in my stomach eased and I was able to sleep.  I don’t know if my tenant will ever pay me back, and I don’t know how God will work out my mortgage, but I know that I won’t let bitterness rule my heart!

If God didn’t want us to eat the pig, why did he make it out of pork?

Whadaya have Whadaya have Whadaya have?

At what point did Christianity become synonymous with intolerance, and when did Christians decide they would rather be known for their judgement of the “wicked” instead of their Christ-like love for all people???  I’m pretty sure when Jesus said this:¹⁴“You are ^(R)the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

 ^15(S)nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

 ¹⁶“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may ^(T)see your good works, and ^(U)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

-Matthew 5

He didn’t mean you should be illuminating signs that reads “All (homosexuals, muslims, un-wed mothers, illeagal immigrants, drug addicts, etc. etc.) are going to burn in hell”  I don’t know about you, but if someone told me that the God of the universe was going to delight in my desctruction because I’m doing something that he declares a sin, I WOULD NOT glorify God as a result!

We all need to seriously just get over judging folks and start doing what Jesus told us to do: LOVE FOLKS!  And also read this, courtesy of the peerless Unka Glen:

POINT BLANK: I’ll tell you here what I have preached from the pulpit: “Jesus loves gay people, and I love gay people, and anyone who has a problem with that can meet me and Jesus in the parking lot” …there were no takers, by the way. I’m small but fierce. This is an easy question for me, because I’ve worked for the past 20 years with people who’ve done far worse than have a different sexual orientation from me. And these are some of my closest friends in the world.

Like many of you, I sure do wish that Christians would just frickin’ let it go. Dang. Think of all the issues in the world they appear to have no opinion on. Like, let’s say, world hunger. Now is no time to feed the hungry, I have to make a hateful protest sign! Anyway, all this is about manipulation, here’s how it works: a) be afraid of these people, b) let me protect you from these people, c) have your credit card standing by. Make no mistake, we are Christians, and we don’t tolerate persecution of anyone, ever. Period. When Jesus said love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, He didn’t mean that it’s okay to persecute people who are different from you.

But if you want to know what God really thinks about anything, it’s not about asking what’s sinful, it’s about asking what’s righteous. The most right thing for ANYONE following God is to give complete control of your sex life to Him, and allow Him to call all the shots there. This includes letting God tell you “today this needs to stop”, Him telling you “wait awhile longer on this”, or even “doing this is fine for now, we need to work on other things first, but someday soon I’m gonna ask for you to stop this”. Very few heterosexual Christians have truly allowed God to call shots in this manner, so why don’t we all work on submitting ourselves to God? Mmkay?

Bottom line: no matter what you’re on, Unka Glen loves you, and he knows where that love comes from.

Anna, age 7 (via leeyounger)

(Source: leeyounger)

HAVING been tenant long to a rich Lord,
            Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,
            And make a suit unto him, to afford
A new small-rented lease, and cancell th’ old.

In heaven at his manour I him sought :
            They told me there, that he was lately gone
            About some land, which he had dearly bought
Long since on earth, to take possession.

I straight return’d, and knowing his great birth,
            Sought him accordingly in great resorts ;
            In cities, theatres, gardens, parks, and courts :
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth

            Of theeves and murderers :  there I him espied,
            Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, and died.

-George Herbert

Mmm, good stuff!

(Source: leeyounger)

Stranger Than Fiction