30 Days of Discontent, Part 3

Nov. 12: I hate when people badmouth God. When they don't have respect for the creator of the Universe. When they call belief in God ridiculous. Or a fairytale. Or the natural reaction of dimwitted individuals. I cannot begin to explain how angry this gets me.

I have gotten into a habit of reading HuffPo Religion articles and the comments, which are awful. An article posted on Veteran's Day spoke about how churches are reaching out to returning Veterans. The comments were horrific: The church is manipulating our returning vets. Haven't the vets been deceived enough already? Churches are always on the lookout for new prey. The key to praying is talking to yourself and believing something intelligent is listening.

I get really burned up reading these comments. I have even commented to the contrary a few times and been personally attacked, so I try not to say anything any more. I know I shouldn't even read them, they make me so mad.

And I can't really explain why I get so angry about it. I don't think I feel personally insulted, like it is my belief that is under attack. There are plenty of things that I feel strongly about that others don't have to agree with and I don't get this upset. Make fun of my clothes, my choice of music, my favorite TV shows. That may annoy me, or embarrass me. But it doesn't come close to evoking this same level of anger in me.

I guess I am just completely offended that people can talk about the God of the Universe like that. I don't know how to respond or reply to it. I do have some friends who are nonbelievers, and we have interesting and respectful discussions, which I am completely OK with. But when people openly mock God, that gets me mad.

30 Days of Discontent, Part 2

Somehow I got a full week behind on my posting. Here is a quick rundown of more discontents.

Nov. 5: I hate that marriage is so disposable in our culture. I am lucky to come from a happily married family and to be in a good marriage. Growing up, I was one of the only one of my friends whose parents were still married. Today, I see marriages collapsing all around me (and not just the Kardashian variety). Sure, marriage is unbelievably hard work at times and the concept of forever is hard to swallow some days, but that's what marriage is.

Nov. 6: I hate that the laundry never ends. Yes, I am grateful to have clothes to wash, and a washer-dryer in my basement so I don't have to go to the laundromat, but there is always another load to be done, folded and put away. It never ends and I can never seem to get ahead.

Nov. 7: I hate Daylight Savings Time. Changing the clocks screws up my internal clock every time. And now that I am a mother, the ways it messes with my kid's sleep really makes for a bad week.

Nov. 8: I hate politics. I hate political commercials where one candidate just bashes the other. I have no idea what is fully true, what is outright false and what falls somewhere in between. I vote because it is my right, privilege, and duty, but I don't fully engage the process because I feel like everyone is lying and I don't know where the truth stands. It makes my brain hurt.

Nov. 9: I hate junk mail. For starters, it is mostly someone trying to sell me something and I don't even look at it. It is a waste of many resources — paper, ink, postage, to name a few — but it also contributes to my overall clutter problem. The sheer volume of junk mail received in this house is overwhelming. I even paid a service to opt out of junk mail, but it clearly didn't work.

Nov. 10: I hate procrastination. To look at the way I operate in life, you would think that I love to procrastinate. That I must get a rush out of putting things off to the last minute. But in reality, it stresses me out. I hate the way that I continue to put things off — that need to be done — until the last minute.

Nov. 11: I hate war. On Veteran's Day, I am extremely grateful for the sacrifices brave men and women have made for our country and the world. But I hate that war exists. I hate that families are missing loved ones overseas right now. According to iCausualties.org, Operation Enduring Freedom has resulted in 2,798 coalition fatalities and Operation Iraqi Freedom has resulted in 4,801 coalition fatalities. And those are just the figures for people fighting on OUR side.

30 Days of Discontent

Many of my FB friends are doing 30 Days of Gratitude for November. I'm having a hard time getting in the spirit of it and instead feel like posting 30 Days of Discontent. I will update this as the month goes on:

Nov. 1: I hate that so many people lie. Little lies, big lies. We are surrounded by lies. Politicians, bosses, employees, friends, neighbors. Everyone lies. Even I lie. Whether a white lie to my kid or begging off a social engagement because I'd rather lay on the couch and watch Real Housewives.

I can't count the number of times I've committed the biggest lie of our time: "I have read and accept these terms and conditions." Sure, it is a harmless lie, but I still hate that lying is normal, accepted and expected in our society.

Nov. 2: I hate feeling like everyone had their hand in my pocketbook. From "charities" to commercials to the cable company, everyone is trying to separate me from my money. We are blessed to have so much, but I feel like I can never get ahead.

Nov. 3: I hate that poverty exists. I lead a fairly sheltered life, so I don't need to confront poverty face to face on a regular basis. But I know it exists. I know that I have it so good in my warm suburban home, and I am grateful for it. I donate food and clothing to the church's mission closet, but it feels like teaspoons in the ocean.

Update: Nov. 4: I hate that ministries and ministers sometimes come off as greedy. It gives all Christians a bad name. For instance, this story tells about a bankrupt church whose pastor was allegedly collecting a lavish salary. It doesn't say how much he was getting paid, but still, stories like these do not do anything to glorify God. In fact, it turns a lot of people off of Christianity. And I really hate that.

Almost Finished the Book

I feel like I should throw a party. It's taken roughly six years, but I am almost finished reading the Bible. I bought the "read the Bible in a year" Bible around 2004, and needless to say, I've been sidetracked along the way. Not to jinx myself, but I've made it to "Dec. 26" in the Bible and its not yet Halloween, so I'm pretty confident I should be able to finally get to the last page before the last day this year.

Now that I'm almost at the end of the book, I feel I've finally earned the right to voice my opinon on what can be a very controversial subject.

The Bible is a very thick book. It speaks on many things, and recounts generation after generation of God's people and miracles. It's story after story of God using ordinary and flawed people to do extraordinary things. There is so much history and wisdom and warnings. It guides and instructs. It is filled with all range of human emotion.

Do I believe the Bible is the Word of God? Yes. Do I understand everything it says? No.

But I do understand that every verse needs to be taken in context, and now that I've nearly reached the end of the book, I understand the story as a whole and have a better grasp on verses within their context.

On Facebook this week, a friend posted: Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was… old, and Lazarus was dead.... Now, what's YOUR excuse?)

That is one thing that struck me so strongly in reading the Bible. From the beginning of time, mankind has been flawed, and yet God still loves us. David is called "a man after God's own heart" and even he fell to sin, some pretty serious ones at that (lust, adultry, murder). Yet he repented and God forgave him.

I know that we are all sinners and fall short of the Glory of God. All I can do is my best to follow its guidelines in my life. And since there is so much of the Bible, I would be overwhelmed to try to memorize every rule, I'm going to stick with the verses that apply to my life. Like ministering to the sick and broken hearted. To loving my neighbor and helping community. Sharing what I have with others. Clinging loosly to the things of this world.

I am sure to have a hard enough time following those to be concerned with verses that have no direct bearing on my life (ehm, Lev. 18:22).

If you have never read the whole Bible, I highly recommend it. Whether you believe every word or not, there is much you can take out of it to apply to your life. And there really is no other book I know of that is like it.

Lighthouse Looking for Diapers

Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center in Hawthorne provides an outstanding service in our community. A non-profit, faith-based crisis pregnancy center, Lighthouse is a safe place for women who find themselves pregnant under less than ideal circumstances. Through its network of volunteers, Lighthouse provide emotional and spiritual support, parenting advice and material needs to women throughout pregnancy and the babies first year.

In talking with Debbie Provincher, executive director at Lighthouse, it became clear that one thing these new mothers and babies need are diapers. Twice a month, on the second and fourth Saturday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m., the center' overflow center at the Rea Ave. Reformed Church in Hawthone is open to accept donations of gently used clothes, items and diapers (visit the website for a complete list of items needed).

You can also hold a diaper drive at your church or club, or even organize a baby shower for a new mom. For more details in our area, please contact me at RKAbma@gmail.com.

If you need help spurring you on to help, read this guest post at Rage Against The Mini Van: What I want you to know: Pregnant Out of Wedlock.

Opportunities Arise!

Praise God, freelance work has come my way! I've written a few articles for Patch and have another with Bergen Health & Life.

More exciting is the music and ministry opportunities that have come up in the last few weeks. Singing at church, Bible study, GEMS and possibly recording. It's all good and exciting!

This week, I had the pleasure of writing about Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center for Patch and attend a concert by Endurance benefiting the center. I have a special place in my heart for Lighthouse and have written about the center several times, always with a different director. I've been wanting to get involved but wasn't sure what I could do. Debbie Provincher asked if I would be interested in organizing diaper drives. I'm not sure what is involved with that exactly, but my heart cried yes. If your group or organization is interested in having a diaper drive, let me know!

I'm so grateful for all the blessings in my life and thank you all for your prayers and support!

Show & Tell

Some days, I have some really smart and really wise Facebook friends. My friend Linda shared this little gem today:

"I remember loving Show & Tell, because when a person brought something that was cool to them, it gave me a glimpse of who they were and I could know them better. If we allow Him, I believe that God wants us to be His show and tell...use us to help others to know Him better."

What a great picture. It got me thinking: What am I bringing for Show & Tell?

I'm not sure what people see when they look at me, but I can guarantee it isn't always a glistening reflection of God's love and grace. God, please help me with that.

I know a lot of people don't like Christians, not because they have anything against God, but because they think we are a bunch of cherry-picking hypocrites who twist pieces of scripture into intricate origami figures resembling whatever want.

That was made pretty clear to me on another Facebook thread this week. A friend posted about the controversial Lane Bryant magalog, to which a "Christian" responded with a "Jesus Juke" that started a heated discussion. Lines such as "that's what is wrong with organized religion" and "aren't Christians supposed to be loving and compassionate" peppered the thread.

As Christians, can we all try do a little better letting God's light shine in? Help us with that God, would you please?

Thank you Linda, for sharing your insight and reminding us all to bring better things to Show & Tell.