Sometimes I Write

This weekend I was priviledged to go to my first Women of Faith conference. Me, and 16,ooo other women gathered at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver to celebrate our faith, and be encouraged by wonderful speakers, comedians, and musical artists. I have never in my life seen so much pink, purple and lime green in one room. There were women there of every nationality, shape and size. What a creative God we serve to make us all so different and yet knit our hearts together from the same material. I came away from the weekend feeling dearly loved by God, wonderfully blessed by the presenters, and depressed that I couldn’t buy all of the stuff they were selling. 🙂 Boy, there was definitely money to be made by all of the books, CD’s, DVD’s, t-shirts, tiara’s, mugs, etc. that were for sale not only for the conference, but for each of the presenters as well. I have self-control issues when it comes to buying cute tote bags and books to fill them, so it was a good thing we’re still a week or so away from payday. I enjoyed my $4.00 Pepsi and settled in the thought that if it’s a must-have (and I know it’s not), they have a web-site to shop from, and I have a Pastor Perks card for Family Christian Stores. It was not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy, buy, buy.

I loved listening to these six unforgettable women whose words reminded me all over again that we are ordinary people who have faith in an extraordinary God. They were dynamic speakers and performers. Hats off to Luci Swindoll, Marilyn Meberg, Thelma Wells, Nicole Johnson, Patsy Clairmont, and Sheila Walsh and special guests Jennifer Rothschild, Avalon, Nichole Nordeman, and the WOF Worship Team. You all were just awesome!

As I said, I got to see/hear Avalon and Nichole Nordeman in concert. Both were fantastic, but Nichole was the highlight for me. Her music and lyrics speak to my soul in a way that few others have been able to. I truly believe that she is one of the ways God has blessed me and spoken to me over the past six years. If you are unfamiliar with her musical genius, you’re missing out. If you have a MARDEL’S store anywhere near you, she is the artist of the month for August and all of her 4 CD’s are on sale for $9.99 each. Or visit her website at http://nicholenordeman.com

After all of that, I want to talk about an ongoing discussion my friend Jennifer and I are having about the Christian community. WE (me included) are our own sub-culture. We have our own bookstores, coffee shops, bumper stickers, radio stations, day care centers, dry cleaners, and t-shirts. The list goes on, but you get my point. This was all very obvious to me at the conference. We even have our own language which is politely referred to as Christianese. Now, some of these things aren’t bad in and of themselves. The problem arises when we have our own everything and don’t touch or get touched by the world around us. My initial argument was that I want my money, wherever it’s going, to further the kingdom of God, so why not support Christian based businesses? But now I’m thinking about what makes a business Christian-based. A fish symbol as their logo? How about being closed on Sundays so all of their workers can attend church services and spend time with their families? Or is it if the business is owned by people who proclaim Christ in their lives? Jennifer and I have both worked for “Christian” bosses that had very ungodly business practices, and treated their employees, and sometimes their patrons, like crap! So how do I decide where to spend my money? If I need car repairs done, I want an honest mechanic. How will I know if he’s a believer or not? I just want an HONEST guy who is mechanically gifted to fix my van. What about groceries? Walmart doesn’t have any Christian symbols in their logo, but that’s where I shop because it’s affordable and it’s one stop shopping for this busy mother of three. I guess whether or not it’s a Christian based business is a little irrelevant in some cases. No matter where I shop, I have the opportunity to share Jesus with others. Not just carrying my Bible around so everyone can see how spiritual I am, but talking and laughing with the check out ladies at Walmart, and smiling at the greeters and thanking them when they hand me my cart. Being polite to everyone I meet regardless of my mood or theirs. That’s really a challenge!

This discussion comes up during training with Dry Bones. We don’t wear WWJD bracelets and t-shirts on the streets. We don’t need one more visible thing that separates us from the street kids. It’s a barrier. We know we are different and should be acting like we are different, but not alienating them. We are to be IN the world, but not LIKE the world. Boy that’s open to interpretation huh? Are we in the world if we only deal with Christian people? Are we like the world if we dress like them? I remember talking with a kid that was in our youth group several years ago. He was not allowed to listen to Christian music, mainly Christian Pop/Rock because it sounds just like the “worldly” music and how would anyone who heard him listening to it know that difference. The assumption here was that he would be viewed as worldly and that would be bad. I remember fighting the urge to grab his parents by the neck and have a little chat about what they teach their kids. Afterall, I listened to all kinds of music, did that make me worldly? If I was so worldly, why would they let their kids be in our youth group? I guess I tend to get a little defensive, could you tell? 🙂 lol

So what is being “worldly”? My husband is tall, bald, wears a lot of black, has an 8″ long goatee and a tattoo. He loves the Lord and I’d say he’s a pretty spiritual guy. Some would SEE him and dismiss him as worldy. One of my friends, who will remain nameless to protect the innocent (me), is tall, cleancut, hardworking, responsible and provides for his family, but is not a believer. Is he worldly? It’s a hard word to define. Does it come down to what we value? My friend Webster defines worldly as “Of, pertaining to, or devoted to the temporal world; not spiritual or religious; secular.”

What about politics? I’ve been involved in this long debate on my friend Sarah’s blog. I’ve been criticized for some things I said regarding the possibility of a female president in the white house in response to Sarah’s post. It took on a whole new tone for me when a fellow believer (I assume she is because she went to a Christian college) said something about politics having nothing to do with morals. Boy do I take issue with that! I don’t believe we get to separate from our morals when making any decisions, political or otherwise. I pointed out to her that we are Christians before we are Americans and while we are Americans. Republican does not translate religious fanatic just as Democrat does not translate liberal heathen. How does the word “worldly” play into this debate? I must admit I was tempted to act very “worldy” and be nasty in my response, and sometimes when I don’t think before responding I am nasty. I want it to be second nature that I’ll respond in a loving manner and be thought-provoking instead of wrath-inviting.

Where’s the line? How can I best be a Christian woman in a fallen world, fit in well enough to have a positive influence, yet remain not of the world? How can I look enough like the world that they give me a chance, yet look different enough from the world that they see something they want or need? How can I touch the world as God made me to touch it without getting it on me? lol How can I touch the world without getting Jesus on them? So many questions…