People are so beautiful. We are all such sinful, beautiful people.

- The boy who witnessed to a girl he had been sleeping with.
- The gay guy who explained why homosexuality was a sin to his boyfriend.
- The boy who wouldn't run for class office because he still masturbated and wanted to remove all the sin from his life first.
- The girl who wants to be a missionary, but always purges after eating.
- The old woman who joined church prayer lists to gossip.
- The woman who left a church she loved to appease her abusive husband's neo-conservatism.
- The boy who molested a little girl.
- The boy who always calls me out on swearing and pats himself on the back for not judging.
- The boy who focuses all of his energy on not sinning.
- The 85% of TFC students who look at porn.
- The girl who slept with a married man.
- The boy who will do anything to be a bad-ass.
- The worship leader who is sleeping with his girlfriend.
- The RA's who go out drinking.
- The girl who always condemns people for their downfalls.
- The mother who neglects her daughter.
- The father who hates his gay son.
- The girl who cuts herself ... every day.


These are (a sampling of) my friends. I love them. Some people feel that my theology is too radical. Some are afraid to talk to "the liberal." I see a whole world full of hurting people - people who haven't been touched by the americanized, conservative, political, or law-filled gospel. I know a lot of people who feel that there are rules (extra-biblical rules) that Christians have to follow. They can't cuss, drink, smoke, or be liberal. Too many Christians believe in a lilly-white Jesus who spoke softly and supports George Bush and Karl Rove in politics (no exceptions.)

I believe that if Jesus was here today - he would be in bars, gay bars, comedy houses, coffee shops, Wal-marts, and other "houses of ill-repute." Jesus wouldn't give a damn what the religious leaders thought (he didn't then ... why would he now?) I can't shake this feeling that Jesus would be so much more radical than we give him credit for.

I'm re-committing myself to loving when it's difficult. People are going to spread a lot of rumors about me. A lot of people will (continue to) refuse to even make eye contact with me. Some people will believe that I'm going to Hell. I don't care what they think. I'm going to keep telling people about God, His Grace, His Freedom, and my Life Change. My story is nothing special - but I've got this crazy notion that God will use it to change lives.

I'm going to apply for the youth ministry position. Maybe not until January, but I feel I have enough confirmation and that this Gospel that God has given me to share is bigger than my personal shortcomings. Praise God.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you." - Jeremiah 29:11

What a lovely prophecy for the death march/exile. Nothing like warm and fuzzies to die by. So often we can't see beyone the pain, morning, or obstacle. We serve a God who sees , no ... makes, the future. When God had this message for the people being exiled he saw what lay ahead - he saw Jesus bleeding, dying for His people. He saw freedom in their future - freedom beyond anything we could ever see. I've been sick since he beginning of August, and (coupled with a mood swing) got really depressed today when my throat started hurting again. Praise God for His plans for our lives.

I had to leave a class today because I was so agitated and restless. I was really enjoying what we were learning - but I was so on edge that I decided to leave before I broke down.

Now, on to blogging.

We keep trying to give babies chocolate bunnies to eat.

My sister's first Easter was spent with an unruly great aunt and the rest of the fam. The older woman was holding Rebecca and brought out the Easter gift, a chocolate bunny rabbit. It was Rebeccca's first solid food. She could have only been a month or two months old. Rebecca quitely ate a good portion of the chocolate bunny before our great aunt gave the baby back to mom - who quickly took the gooey chocolate mess away from my sister. Rebecca was very sick for a good while because of the "chocolate bunny fiasco."

I love hearing this story. Mom tells it so well.

I think of this story when I hear my friends debating theology - especially when they are talking to struggling Christians, pre-christians, or hostile non-christians. These wonderful people are talking to people who are barely drinking spiritual milk ... and they are trying to get them to eat chocolate bunnies.

Does every Christian struggling with living out his or her faith need a proper eschatological viewpoint? Do non-christians really need to know whether they are a calvanist or a wesleyan-arminiast? Does a spritual baby need to eat chocolate? Does chocolate have any nutritional value to a baby? No. Could it hurt the baby? Yes. Could debating unnecessary things about theology hurt a new Christian? Heck yeah.

I'm all up for debate. But, we need to work our way up to solid food ... and maybe later we could try some fat inducing chocolate.

I'm considering taking a job as a youth leader. Since I'm on mood swing inducing steroids right now I'm not allowed to make any major decisions. But, I'm really praying about it. I know that the church doesn't have much of a youth ministry right now --- and for some reason I feel so very called to youth ministry.

I'm continually unsure ... but so many things seem like the right thing to do. I know that I need a nap. Does that count for anything? Thanks for the prayers.

I have been offered a job as a youth leader ... again. I think that this is God's way of showing that His sense of humor is really very very funny. Over the summer I was basically offered a job as a youth leader at a United Methodist church. I was so shocked - I'm only 19 and have no experience. I never applied. This Sunday I was basically offered a job at a different United Methodist church.

I'm on steroids that give me mood swings and I'm not allowed to make any major decisions while I'm on them. I, for the first time, can finally see myself in a position like this. I see how God has been preparing me for a ministry like this. My involvment with youth ministry at the local, district, conference, and jurisdictional level is a great amount of experience. I know exactly what my limitations are. I know that I'm not a charismatic personality. The fact that I am young is exciting to me. I'm also mature enough to realize what a church will go for and what the will rebel against.

I told God very specifically that I would not do youth ministry. I didn't particularly like teenagers. I didn't have much interest in ministry with youth. This summer God blew all of my perceptions about youth ministry away. I want to have engaging relationships with youth and help them on thier path towards God.

So, I'm praying about that. I just feel that God will work out all of the details if I am really called to do it. With the drama ministry and the new church plant I'm not sure how things will work out, but already I feel a peace about it. I'm just waiting to be off the steroids and see if that peace is just a continued mood swing or if it is the real thing.

I'm on my second day of steroids. I am hungry all the time. All the time. I am also experiencing mood swings. I cried yesterday because Johnathan wanted to watch Star Wars and I didn't. I have Pleuresy - I'm in so much pain - and my roomate doesn't understand why I'm so crabby ... I don't look sick.

I went to the Hayride (the social event of the seasons at the Falls) and I realized how superficial the Fallsies are. Why should such a large group of Christians need such a superficial social event.

I also am beginning to think that I am doing it again. I have this problem of thinking that a girl loves me when really she is just being polite to the socially awkward fat kid. I get so angry at myself when I do this. I thought that Liz really like me - sometimes I'm so wrong. I just hope I'm not doing it again.

Yeah. Mood Swings. I'm going to go shower and nap.

Perhaps I'm not the most eloquent theologian. Perhaps I swear a little too much. Maybe I don't know all the answers. Maybe I'm too confident when I proudly proclaim that I don't know the answer to a question. Perhaps I speak a little too much heresy. Maybe I take a "your mom" joke beyond the level of decency - perhaps all sex jokes go beyond that level of decency.

I love the story of Hosea. I just finished watching "Memoirs of a Geisha." It's a beautiful modern day Hosea story. In the final scene the Chairman; the man she has loved since she was a little girl, the man who had caught her in a horrible sex act, and the man she still loved even though she felt trapped in a horrible world that prized her sexuality; tells her that although the other men who have loved, used, and abused her don't have it in their character to forgive - but he forgives her. He still loves her.

"I'm sorry, I'm too much of a whore to listen to you." - Me. I'm a whore. (It's okay I'm still a virgin and I don't do any of the "big sins.") I run from God some times. I get angry at God some time. I choose my sin over my savior some days. I'm not proud of it, but I do it any way. I understand Paul - as often as we try to elevate Paul into the Saint we have built - but he chose his sin over his savior some days.

My "Elitist Lover," Rachel, and I were talking about her passion for writing and if she always enjoyed writing. She asked me if ever got tired of telling peopel about Jesus. The answer? Yes. Some days I lose all compassion, inspiration, and faith. I don't want to tell people about Jesus on those days. I don't want to tell my friends about His grace - let alone build relationships with strangers to share my faith. I'm not proud of that.

I believe that God's grace is sufficient. I hate to oversimply the Gospel ... but when we have a message that has been over complicated and stripped bear of love ... well, I don't mind oversimplifying the Gospel. I love grace - at times when I least want to think of theology, anthropology, or church politics I can think of His grace - it makes things better. That's what it does. It makes my whorish life better. It makes my compassionlessness better. It makes my sense of humor better. I'm so thankful for grace.

Perhaps I'm not the most eloquent theologian. Perhaps I swear a little too much. Maybe I don't know all the answers. Maybe I'm too confident when I proudly proclaim that I don't know the answer to a question. Perhaps I speak a little too much heresy. Maybe I take a "your mom" joke beyond the level of decency - perhaps all sex jokes go beyond that level of decency.

I love the story of Hosea. I just finished watching "Memoirs of a Geisha." It's a beautiful modern day Hosea story. In the final scene the Chairman; the man she has loved since she was a little girl, the man who had caught her in a horrible sex act, and the man she still loved even though she felt trapped in a horrible world that prized her sexuality; tells her that although the other men who have loved, used, and abused her don't have it in their character to forgive - but he forgives her. He still loves her.

"I'm sorry, I'm too much of a whore to listen to you." - Me. I'm a whore. (It's okay I'm still a virgin and I don't do any of the "big sins.") I run from God some times. I get angry at God some time. I choose my sin over my savior some days. I'm not proud of it, but I do it any way. I understand Paul - as often as we try to elevate Paul into the Saint we have built - but he chose his sin over his savior some days.

My "Elitist Lover," Rachel, and I were talking about her passion for writing and if she always enjoyed writing. She asked me if ever got tired of telling peopel about Jesus. The answer? Yes. Some days I lose all compassion, inspiration, and faith. I don't want to tell people about Jesus on those days. I don't want to tell my friends about His grace - let alone build relationships with strangers to share my faith. I'm not proud of that.

I believe that God's grace is sufficient. I hate to oversimply the Gospel ... but when we have a message that has been over complicated and stripped bear of love ... well, I don't mind oversimplifying the Gospel. I love grace - at times when I least want to think of theology, anthropology, or church politics I can think of His grace - it makes things better. That's what it does. It makes my whorish life better. It makes my compassionlessness better. It makes my sense of humor better. I'm so thankful for grace.

Of S, Z, and Theology

I love my sociolinguistics class. We are learning how our mouths move to create the sounds we make. It is to prepare us for learning a foreign language - an ethnocentric American learning a foreign language would just use the English language sounds to speak the foreign language (like people leaving out the twirling R in spanish) but the well learned cross cultural studies major will figure out how the mouth moves to form the non-English sounds. It's very interesting to think about how we make the sounds we do.

The most interesting thing so far is learning two very different letters. Make an S sound and then slide into the Z sound. Did you try it yet. It's okay - everyone around you already thinks you're weird. Your mouth doesn't move. At all. Your lips, tongue, and teeth all stay in exactly the same place. The only difference is that one is voiced and the other isn't. You make a weird humming throat sound to differentiate. S is the most used letter consonant in the English alphabet. We only use Z for zoo, zebra, and xylapho... no wait. Sorry.

So, here's my thought. In Christian theology we have a left and a right. We bicker constantly and often doubt the other's salvation. People damn me to hell for being a liberal - I guess because God's just been too lazy so they will help Him out (?). We consider our theology so far from the other side's. I think that in all reality all theology is so extremely close.
(Disclamer: I'm not including groups so far to the right that they expound hate for everyone different than themselves - or those so far to the left that they deny the deity of Christ) It's all in how we view it. I don't think any of the mainline views are wrong. I don't think any of them are right. I think that being theologically independent is a good thing. I know almost no Christian that I don't consider a brother.

We view S and Z so differently and we veiw the left and the right in the same way, but really they are closer than one would ever think.

Being a Man

Today at the church dinner Ms. Cheek the vice-principal of the elementary school where I work asked for men to be mentors to the children at her school. She brought up one of the men that has been a mentor for 3 years. It takes half an hour a week to be a mentor. Jerry told about the boy he has been mentoring - in first grade you want lots of green strips and the boy he was mentoring didn't have any. Jerry promised the boy a fishing trip if he got all green strips. In a few short weeks all of his strips were green and Jerry took him fishing. I work at the school and there is a significant number of at risk kids. I am a father figure - I might be the only man that has ever played on a playground with them or has ever read to them.
Ms. Cheek concluded with, "We need men. I need men to be mentor's to these boys. These boys need a father figure - a man who doesn't come home and yell at them and beat them and then go out and do drugs. Will you mentor a child?" I tear up just re-reading this line. Guys from my church went forward and signed on to mentor a child. A whole mess'a methodists mentoring chil'en. Jerry (and the other men who are going to mentor these at risk kids) is a man. A true man.

In Forrest Dorm every Wednesday night they have a video Bible Study titled Authentic Manhood. Today they learned how to heal your wounds if you father was distant or if you love your mother or if you were lonely. A bunch of guys go every Wednesday night to learn how to be men. They get together and feel manly. A few of my friends recommended highly that I attend. (Translation: I'm not manly enough.) I asked these friends if they would mentor a kid at my school. None agreed. I can't throw a football or shoot a hoop if my life depended on it (I had a distant father) I might really enjoy cooking and baking (I love my mother) and I might get anxious when I'm around a bunch of guys acting like fool headed jerks to prove their manliness (I was a pretty lonely kid).

But, I am a father figure. I love who I am and respect myself. I am a man of God - some men of God don't know how to tie all of the boy-scout knots. Some men of God really enjoy Jane Austen novels. I can't help but think that in the grand scheme of things it is a much manlier thing to mentor a kid with an abusive or absent father than it is to gather and listen to a video explain why I need to give fewer hugs. There's something very manly in the notion that I might be the only father figure one of those kids ever has. I'm proud to be the manly man who happens to bake cheesecake that God made me to be.

"Veronica Corningstone and I are in love and I don't care who knows it." - Ron Burgendy

Discretion is the name of the game? Anyone? I'm in love with my friends. My love for them has gone beyond casual friendship. If there could be an opposite to "friends with benefits" that involved love I think I would be in it right now. We hung out in Rachel's room for "Open Dorm" and then Rachel and I went out for soup. It was a heavenly day - as it always is with Dustin and Rachel. I just love being around them. We walk too closely together to be TFC approved. We hold hands and skip. We swing at the swingset at church after dark. We share so many common points of interest and we all meet each other's basic love. I think that I am really figuring out what the church and what all Christian love should be.

There's a lot of freedom in grace. There is a lot of joy in freedom. There is a lot of life in joy.

So that's where I'm at right now in my faith. I am alive. There's something growing inside of me that makes me to love generously, to live openly, and to not be afraid of sin. I believe that something is my Savior, for I have nothing - no strength, self-discpiline, or passion - within myself which can cause this change.

I watch far too many Christian daily who live out the opposite of this.

There's a lot of fear in the law. There is a lot hopelessness in fear. There is a lot of death in hopelessness.

Oh, they wouldn't admit it. When they are constantly looking over their shoulder to make sure that they aren't being followed by sin, praying for a better and more fulfilling prayer life, and running in fear of the enemies attack they are not running towards God. They try and find an inner strength just strong enough for them to wake up every morning and decide to live another day without any sin/fun. They live for self-disciplined action - reading the Bible daily, church attendance pins, and QT!!!!1!! - which isn't enough to give them joy.

I've sat, pondered, and debated with far too many people in need of accepting God's omni-sufficient grace. People who hide in fear of an angry God who will smite them for their sin. They fail to realize that the wrath of that God - who needed a burnt offering for all of our sins - was all directed at that Christ - the man who bled, died, and took on the sins (and therefore their punishnment) of the world - so that sin (wether there be various levels of sin or wether all sin is punished in the same fashion) doesn't matter. Christ took all of the punishment for all of our sins. It takes a lot to kill God. For Jesus the Christ it took the weight of a world full of sinful people -past, present, and future- to bring Him down.

They ask me how I could possibly condone any church member who still has evidence of sin in his or her life ... It's simple, really. When I look out on a congregation I see Christ in every pew. It is either a bleeding, dying Christ or a raised victorious Christ. With every bleeding, dying Christ my job is that of Joseph of Aremithea - to simply take them to the tomb and let God do the rest. Joseph went against the rest of the religous people of his day, he broke the law and found himself "unfit" for the Jewish holiday for touching a dead body, and he did the right thing.
A lot of Christians are afraid to touch those in the church or community who are not yet resurrected. We are afraid that their sin will make us dirty and unpresentable to God. I want to be like Joseph and not be afraid - to not be pragmatic - and to just do what I know is right in God's eyes. I want to take bleeding, dying, sinful people to that tomb of our Lord and let God do the rest. I will probably be chewed out, looked down upon, and mistreated by a lot of the religous types ... but I don't care. I can only imagine the amount of vindication that Joseph felt when that tomb was found to be empty. He might have been unclean for the Jewish holiday - but Christ had made him more than sufficiently clean for the new everlasting holiday. Praise God.

"Salt is offered when you make an agreement with me, so sprinkle salt on these sacrifices." - Leviticus 2:13

This verse is one of many obscure verses from my Bible Chapter Summaries. I had to read the whole book of Leviticus this morning. This one verse stuck in my mind.

Jesus' "You are the salt of the earth" rings in my ears as I read this. I don't know how theologically correct this might be (frankly I don't care if I'm theologically correct - I'm not going to get it all right anyways) but, I think this thought is beautiful.

Jesus made an agreement with God and God with Jesus. They decided and agreed together that a sacrifice must be made - once and for all - for all man. Jesus was the sacrifice. We are the product of that sacrifice. Because of Christ's sacrifice - we as the salt of the earth - are offered to God as part of the agreement. Maybe we as the salt are offered to the earth to make it an offering to God as well. I don't know, but I believe that there is a beautiful connection.

I hate the Bible when I am doing Bible Chapter Summaries - I love the Bible when I find beautiful connections.

I don't know why there aren't more fat men on TV. Everytime I can think of that I've seen a fat man on TV they have made about all of their jokes off of the fact that he was fat. We get it. Carl Winslow was fat. Tommy Boy was fat. Even "normal" size guys get a little bit of ribbing for being overweight. Why can't they ever portray a fat man as sexy? Kathy Bates gets to be portrayed as a sexy fat woman. Where have all the sexy fat men gone? I'm not ashamed of the fact that I'm fat. I have a better body image than almost everyone I know.
There are a lot of people who have bodies to kill for who hate their bodies. It's pretty sad. I read a quote in Newsweek about a Madrid fashion show that fired all of the superskinny models. They wanted to portray that you can be healthy and still be beautiful. When is it newsworthy that someone thinks that healthy is beautiful? When the world thinks that paper thin is in. Celine Dion or Mariah Carey said something to the effect of "Everytime I see those TV ads for starving children I feel so bad. I'd love to be skinny like them, but I couldn't deal with all those flies and death and stuff." Sometimes I wish there were more freak tour bus accidents.
Back to the original topic. I'm happy with what I look like. I would like to be healthier, of course. But, I think that my view of myself is healthy enough to compensate for about 100 lbs. Now I just need to lose the other 30 I need to be a normal weight for my height.

We are learning why evoltuion is wrong. I am the only voice of opposition. Do I say something? No. I would rather not die, today. I survived this pneumonia and I sure do intend to survive this class.

On a side note ... I really like this picture of myself. I look so happy and unaffected by Old Testament Bible Classes.

"Are you going to be Postmodern or believe the Word of God?" - Prof Hildenbrand ... I'm so saddened by classes that force me to conform or recant. Argh.

One of the biggest problems people have with my liberal viewpoints in the Christian faith is they are afraid I'm going to be soft on sin. I rebuke that. It just isn't true (* Michael erases his "softon/ Bill Clinton" joke because it crossed the line of decency) I confronted a friend today about a sin issue in his life. I have really felt compelled to talk to him about it. See, the problem was no one else saw it. It wasn't a noticable sin or one of the bad ones (cursing, dancing, sex, or dancing) ... but, rather, it was that he was living his life to avoid sin. He wasn't living for Christ any more - he was just trying to avoid sin so that he could be a perfect Christian. It doesn't work like that. He comes from a family where they take Jesus literally when he says that all you have to do to get to heaven is to be perfect like God. He had never considered that Jesus might have meant *apart from accepting Christ as savior* all that you could do to get into heaven was to be perfect. Yes - you can get into heaven without Jesus ... all you have to do is to be perfect like God. Good luck, but if I were you I would accept Jesus and his grace.
So I had breakfast with him and explained grace and tried to explain why he had to stop beating himself up for his sin. He didn't understand that Christ took that beating in his place ... he didn't have to take that beating (from himself or anyone else) because of his sin.
I'm not soft on sin. I'm just really hardcore on grace. I think it is sufficient. Funny, I know.

I had a thouroughly engaging, fulfilling conversation with a certain Miss Rachel Mandrino. We went to broken bridges and I told her about my mother winning Citizen of the Year. We drove all over Toccoa and talked about faith. We walked on church street and discussed our lives and how they connect with those of others. It was an excellent conversation.

I feel so often that I don't make for good conversation. I feel that I am too concerned with being right (or at least being seen as being right) to be an effective conversationalist. Sometimes I'm too random, too eager, or too pesimistic. But, tonight I had a lovely discussion. I have come to the point in some of my thoughts that I realize I have something worth saying. Not that I have everything figured out (I can't even do my own laundry well.), or that I'm always right (I don't have the willpower to put down a fricken donut.), or that my viewpoints are inspired (my prayers still bounce off the ceiling sometimes), or that my liberal grace filled view of Christianity makes me a nicer person (I'm practically Prof Collier I'm so sarcastic.) --- But, I feel that I've made a lot of mistakes to get to the point where I am that I don't want my friends to make.

So, I'm going to make it a point to have more good conversations. I'm going to make it a point to talk to more people everyday. To make my points known and to tell people about this God of love and grace that I serve. There is something freeing about grace that I think is important enough that I don't mind falling on my face a few times to get the message out to the people.

I just finished watching "Transamerica" with my friend Tony. He's really conservative and when we were at the video place picking up "Sense and Sensibility"(I missed class today and wanted to finish the movie. I'm absolutely certain that the girl at the video store thinks I'm gay.) he said that he had wanted to watch it. It won a good number of awards and I decided to get it. It was a good movie (some awkward nude scenes, though) and it really made for a good conversation. I got to share with my friend Tony about the need for Christians to reach out to the marginalized.

How much better would the church be if we reached out to the marginalized. I pray that all of my ministry always pays attention to the marginalized.

I love the Bible. I veiw it as a beautiful piece of living, breathing art. I believe that God inspired (very) fallible humans to write what He had placed on their hearts. I believe the words of Jesus - the red letters - I take everyone of them as a source of hope, life, and liberty. Without them I would be completely lost. I consider the law that which points us to our own brokeness. The prophets point us to Him who can heal our brokeness. The poetry and wisdom help us to live out our lives in a Godly fashion. The writings of Paul show how the early church dealt with division - that they met and prayed and argued and loved and fought and loved and re-stated and then compromised or split. The prophecy stands to show us that it's not over, yet. There's more to come.

Now for the liberal part that could get me expelled from TFC. I believe in (and love) an errant Bible. A perfectly errant Bible. Not that the Bible is wrong, really, but that people make mistakes. God only ever used one perfect person and he never wrote anything down (except in the sand). God used fallible people to do everything else - everything recorded in the Bible. These people had ups and downs - doubts, fears, and moments of triumph. Why would we believe that they couldn't make a mistake while writing the Bible for God.

I believe that everything in the Bible is useful for teaching. Sometimes our lives only serve as a warning to others. God shows how his people have messed up and sinned, but we often idolize their lives. Paul gives his own opinion and even sometimes teaches a practical teaching for the people of his day that doesn't apply to us today - we try and live those out even though they don't fit our cultural context and muddle the message of Christ. Some churches still don't allow women to preach because of a cultural teaching of Paul.

The Bible does contradict itself. Who showed up to the tomb first? Try and figure that one out. It doesn't matter to me. I feel that a piece of art can still be perfect and have contradictions. When you view the Bible simply as a textbook there is no room for error. If the Bible has a contradiction that means that our faith has to fall to pieces and we all have to become anarchistic athiests and tear our clothes. When you see the Bible as art and truth and life ... well, the contradictions are beautiful. I can't explain this feeling any better (much to the dismay of the moderns I am surrounded by who can only live their lifes in absolutes.)

The Bible is not part of the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There are three parts - the Bible is a joint effort between God and man. That can only be fallible.

So that's my liberal confession today. I believe in a perfectly errant Bible ordained and orchestrated by a perfect God given to a very imperfect people. Praise God.

There once was a little boy who lived in a very nice place and had a very naughty puppy. The boy loved his puppy, and truthfully so did the mother.

Every day the mother would let the puppy go outside. The boy was not allowed outside for he was a sickly child and the mother was very concerned for his health. She never let him get dirty or have any fun.

It so happened that one day the puppy came running back inside a very dirty mess. He ran to the boy and his mother, but the mother picked up the puppy by the scruff of it's neck and threw it outside. She went out and hosed the dog down. The puppy came in clean and played with the little boy. The next day the same thing happened. And again after that. The mother tried training schools and firm punishment techniques. She never went outside to find where the puppy was getting so dirty, but she knew that in the back yard there were a lot of places that had been dug up by the puppy.

One day the boy was watching from his bedroom window and saw the puppy getting ready to dig in the dirt. He couldn't stand seeing his puppy get hosed down again, so he made a plan.

The boy climbed out his window, tore his pants shimmying down the rain pipe. He realized that he happened to still be wearing his Sunday best. He didn't care. He filled in all of the hole that his puppy had dug, he showed the puppy that digging was bad. The puppy understood the one that it loved so dearly. That day the puppy learned a new trick - how to avoid digging holes.

The boy went inside when his mother called. She didn't let him past the front door. She was so angry at him. She hosed him down like she had done so many times to the dog. The mother was so angry with the boy that she didn't notice the dog's muddy prints going through the house. When the boy was clean and had spent time in time out the mother went and saw him. He explained the holes, and the mother decided to plant new grass all over the lawn.

Sometimes the dog still digs holes. The mother still forgives him as he sadly walks in. She doesn't hose him off though, she picks him up and washed him in the sink. Sometimes he comes in clean and get's to play with the boy. He realizes that he doesn't have to dig holes to have fun, and really when he doesn't dig holes he always has a lot more clean fun playing with the boy.

This was originally posted by my lovely sister, Rebecca Airgood. She asked me to post it on my blog since I recieve a much greater readership. Ha. It is a great blog so I am much obliged.

Life lessons from Sesame Street

Everyone loves Sesmame Street. And everyone's favorite character is Elmo. You tickle him, and he laughs! Who doesn't love the pure childhood fun contained inside that red, furry fluffball? Matt Lauer interviewed Elmo on the Today Show this morning. And also introduced the person behind the voice. I imagined a white woman mid-thirties with 3 children that just loved her silliness. Instead there was an hearty African American man who, when speaking for himself and not Elmo, had a very deep voice. I think this is a wonderful illustration for us to learn from (as is Sesame Street's goal). You cannot judge a puppet by its color or voice. This is why we must love all people because you never know who that person you are judging may actually be. You may have passed this man on the street and passed him off as someone of no importance. When, in actuality, thousands of children love him and admire him for how happy and special he makes them feel. Thank goodness for Sesame Street! This post was brought to you by the letters G, O, and D.

I breathed a satisfying breath this morning. It was exciting ... however that was 5 hours ago when I woke up at 4 in the morning. I'm so stuffed up right now that I can't breath. Oh bother.

Some exciting things in my life that I'm not sure I have fully updated everyone on:

I am working at Liberty Elementary school reading to kids and trying to improve literacy in the south. I am working with just one kindergarten class but every day instead of once a week. It's working really well.

I have pre-applied with the Mission Society for United Methodists to be an intern this summer. They are going to send me an actual application now. It is the conservative evangelical missions agency which is sort of connected to the United Methodist church. I'm really excited. I wrote that I was interested in Evangelism work in the middle east, arts and drama ministry in Russia, or orphan care in the third world. Pretty open, but still that leaves narrows it down to where I will be happy and yet doesn't constrict too much.

I'm doing well in almost all of my classes. I have an Old Testament class that I have missed 4 times. I think I will just bomb this upcoming test and then try for really good grades from now on.

The drama ministry is starting back up for the school year.

I have been officially released from attending all chapels - so I won't have nearly as much stuff to complain about now, but I will be much happier.

I still haven't recieved an on-campus parking ticket!!!!!

I'm still going to the Charles Trogdon Wesley sunday school class (the new name for the "pairs and spares" class from the 40s-60s) and really enjoying it. They love me. I am thinking about going to the breakfast that they serve to kick off the older adult ministry. I've heard that I won't need to eat for the rest of the day. Score.

I'm still in the Spiritual Gifts Bible Study on Wednesday nights.

Dr. Smith has mentioned me in more than 6 classes this semester. I think he misses having me as a student. Even conservatives like some degree of diversity. I love all of my professors. Dustin Gardy said, "This school would really suck if it wasn't for the professors." Amen to that.

"We were on that road on mission with God." - Dr. John Penland in reference to the automobile accident which almost took the lives of he and his wife in the Dominican Republic.

Sometimes the Christian life isn't fuzzy and wonderful. Sometimes when we are following God closely bad things happen. That's okay. God is sovereign.

We talked about Mary in class today. It's not often that we discuss Mary at Bible College. I mean, we hate catholics because they talk about *cough worship cough* Mary. (The second cough was especially deep since I have an unidentified disease which makes me sound like I'm coughing up both lungs.) We also don't talk about her because she is a woman ... and whenever a bunch of fundamental evangelical conservatives start a discussion about a woman who God used in a powerful way everyone gets a little uncomfortable. Especially since it was her uterus that made her so special.

We talked about how God used her - how God chose, called, coveted, prepared, sent, guided, and used her to be more specific. It was nice to be able to talk about Mary. She was a tough ol' woman. I'm not talking about the fact that she birthed God in a manger - eh, it happens -, but rather that she watched them kill her son without lashing out at God. I lash out at God when I don't get the cookie I wanted for desert. I have pneumonia (i found out in the middle of writing this post) and I really want to lash out at God. How tought must Mary have been to watch her son - of whom God had promised great things about - die a criminal's death.

God wants to use all Christians. That still some Christians don't believe God could call a woman to preach is hilarious to me. Oh, yeah, women can birth the son of God, but they better not speak in church. Give me a break - Give God a break.

Yes, my walk in closet is so big that today I had to hang artwork in it because I don't have enough clothes to fill it up. That's what I call suffering for Jesus - right there. That ... and the whole ... strep lung thing. Yeah, that too. ( I hung both of my Monet pieces that didn't match the thematic presence of the rest of my normal wall hangings.) I really like my walk in closet.

"You ought to live your life with so much freedom and joy that most uptight Christians doubt your salvation." - Steve Brown

I won't lie. A lot of people probably doubt my salvation. I know it probably sounds pretty strange to hear that for most of you who know me, but in reality a lot of Toccoa Falls students don't think I'm a Christian. All of my friends from the community know where I stand on everything. My friends at church know how dedicated I am to my God - they know that I'm forgiven.

I won't play the TFC games.

The TFC Games:

1st event - pretending to be perfect
2nd event - pretending to be at least better than most people
3rd event - pretending to not doubt
4th event - pretending to have compassion
5th event - pretending to love everyone

The games are a grueling event - and when you throw in finding a spouse and keeping decent grades - it's too much for any one person to handle. So people come to Toccoa being good devote Christians, play the games for 4 years, and leave disollutioned and unhappy.

I don't have the energy to play the games. I won't play the games. But, everyone will like me ... and if I want to have friends ... and ... what if people find out who I truly am?

Here's who I truly am.

My name is Michael Blaine Airgood. I'm a Christian, a United Methodist, and a fighter. In that order. I love God and I try to love others. I mess up - a bunch. I don't love others enough. I've never loved God enough. I believe in Grace - it's sufficient. I don't know if I believe everythign in the Bible. I know that's alright. I sometimes doubt God. But, I can always see the change he has made in my life. I'm a liberal. I am a moderate politically and an independent theologically. I live liberally, I love generously, I screw up hard core. I think that makes me a liberal. I don't want to put God in a box, but I know that when I say that I put up some boxes in my mind I want to keep God in. I don't love money, but I like having it - I love being generous with my money. I love God and I try to love others. I'm a Christian, a United Methodist, and a fighter. My name is Michael Blaine Airgood.

That's who I truly am. I won't win any awards in the TFC games this semester, I won't be popular, and I might lose some friends. I won't regret it. I don't think you can ever regret following God's will.

My friends and I traversed to Buford, GA to get fitted for our tuxes for John wedding. I had to try on a shoe, but I didn't have socks on. This being a respectable establishment they gave me a piece of foot hosiery. After trying on the shoe I took off the hose and was playing with it. Ann and Dawn told me to try it on my head. I did, and it looked like a yamulka. They both said, "You look Jewish." A man looked over sharply - and I played it off by saying ... "always picking on the jew." The employee who had looked over now came over. He proceeded to inform me that he had my back - we now had a special connection - since we were both Jewish. He introduced himself as Rich Goldman ... er... Goldburg ... or Jewy McJewerson (I don't remember). I introduced myself as Michael - only Michael. Michael (Zieg Heil) Ehrgutt just didn't seem to flow in this case.

So now, I'm pretending to be Jewish? I have a strong Jewish nose, great curly sideburns, and a "Fiddler on the Roof" t-shirt. I looked the part of a Jew. The man talked a good bit more and wanted to know what a "good Jew" was doing in Toccoa, GA. Going to Bible College didn't seem to flow either. He showed me his jewabilia hung proudly around his neck. It was so awkward and yet so so so funny at the same time. I owned a bagel shop - I tried the "lock, stock, and barrel" joke, but after I said it I didn't remember if that was Jewish or German. I figured it was Kosher.

Then i went and ate Chinese food. I skipped the Por Fry Rye (Pork Fried Rice) - maybe kosher doesn't sound so bad.

I'm very sick today. I've had a pretty rough run around with the doctor. I went to see a doctor yesterday. She did a rapid strep test - which came back positive. Since I had just been on an antibiotic that didn't work she decided to grow a culture of it out and see what anti-biotic worked. They told me this morning that the test wouldn't be done today and that I wouldn't know what medicine I was on until Tuesday.

The test did come back today, but it came back negative for strep. That shouldn't happen. So, they called me and told me it was probably viral and that I would just have to tough it out. 15 minutes later they called back to tell me that the doctor had been consulted and that I would be put on penicilin. Yay. I just went to Wal-mart (and to get some food) and my perscription only cost $15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Here's to hoping it will work.