Your Passion Says It All

My mother once said to me, “Vicki, it’s a good thing you are a preschool director, otherwise, people would think you are weird.” That was said after I explained one year what I was going to do in celebration of Halloween.

It’s no secret to those who know me that I am just a big kid at heart. I love anything to do with having fun in celebrating holidays. And that brings to mind an issue of faith.

People don’t know that I love celebrating holidays because I tell them or forward an email. They know because of what I do to show my interest through actions. The same, I hope, could be said of my faith.

I don’t believe that people are truly converted to any religion by force or guilt. Jesus certainly didn’t teach that way, and as far as I know, I’ve never heard of leaders of other religions successfully doing so either. You can make people act a certain way, but you cannot change hearts unless the spirit within the person is willing. I trust that God is the one who makes that happen.

When the right opening occurs, I am happy to share my faith, but I also hope that my actions are conduits for those opportunities. I am far from perfect, and I try very hard not to commit egregious errors that will make others question the Christian way of life. After all, the Bible is quite adamant about not leading others astray.

 
Matthew 18:6 states: “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” OUCH! That assumes, of course, someone is already a believer, but I am guessing that if one’s actions push a potential believer away, that isn’t too good either.

So, show your passion for what drives you, but don’t ask me if I am saved. Don’t send an email to me that tries to guilt me into passing it on in order to show my belief. Instead, show me how you live. Give me inspiration to live my life better. Let your actions speak for the truth, and then celebrate life. That’s what I hope to do.

Have a great and safe Halloween!

 

 

 

A Pleasant Surprise

I recently attended a performance of "Fox on the Fairway" at the New Dinner Theatre in Overland Park, KS. Dyan Cannon was to be the celebrity actor, but we did not see her until the end of the show when she came onto the stage with her crutches. The accidental injury to her ankle prevented her from appearing in the play.

Ms. Cannon took the opportunity to say hello and even offered a Q & A to the audience. That's when the surprise occurred. She described herself as an old-fashioned, moral person, and a believer! I later learned via her book, Dear Cary (the memoir she wrote about her marriage to Cary Grant) that she is also Jewish.

Why was I pleasantly surprised at her announcement of believing in God? The previous night I watched just 45 minutes of a movie, and despite some well known and respected actors (Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Topher Grace, Amanda Sigfried), the film was both vulgar and profane. I decided halfway through the movie that Netflix could have it back and it would get a one-star rating from me.

I'm not a prude, but I sometimes wonder what the people who make some movies are thinking. Some screenwriters not only fail at basic grammar many times, but their vocabulary doesn't seem to be extensive when it comes to writing colorful words in the dialog. Does using the same curse word over and over again (you know what one I mean), and gratuitous nudity really make people come to see the movie?

Perhaps my biggest concern is that some moviegoers think the vocabulary and behavior, spoken and shown in the movies, are representative of real life. Personally I don't think it is, but if I'm wrong,  then I wish to remain blissfully ignorant of the real world. The same goes for what passes as entertainment on some reality shows.

But my big question is why such talented actors chose to do such a low-class film? Perhaps they do not understand, or even care, that some individuals like myself will be very hesitant to see what movies they make in the future. In any case, I'm not the one to judge their actions. I'm just the one to decide if I want to waste my time watching bad cinema.

I keep thinking about Proverbs 11:27 - "He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it." I guess you know what this optimist chooses!

A Personal Reminder Lessson

I have just completed my notes for a presentation that will be given tonight to fellow Stephen Ministers. The subject is "How the Bible Tells Us to Make This World a Better Place." The difficult part was narrowing down the subject matter because the Bible is full of examples and guidance.

This past weekend I attended a writers convention in Wichita. It was extremely well run and there was an opportunity to meet many wonderful and talented people. The volunteers who had organized this did an exceptional job, but once again, I was reminded about judgment. The Bible has much to say about judgment and there are many admonishments about it. Avoiding it is one thing I will address in my presentation, and I will give you an example of what I experienced at later in this blog.

Every time I read a letter to the editor in our local paper, I cringe when someone tries to cite a Biblical passage to support his or her view. While some may be justified in what they say, I know of no one who has been converted because someone has judged and admonished them in a particular manner. In fact, it can sometimes have the opposite effect.

Corinthians 2:11 says "For who among men knows the thoughts of  man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." Personally, I'm very glad to leave judgment up to God, especially on more controversial matters. For the record,  I'm not talking about obvious topics like murder and stealing.

Now to the matter of my experience this weekend. One of the volunteers was very stoic and I never saw her crack a smile. She didn't initiate any conversations, and quite frankly, she didn't look all that happy. She was definitely someone who most of us would choose to avoid.

I again encountered her in what we call a read-around, an opportunity for writers and poets to share their works with their peers. She read two poems and I did not have an opportunity to talk with her until the next day. I then made a point to do so.

I told this person that I truly enjoyed her poems, and was rewarded with one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. From then on, she was friendly and talkative. She was, like many people, just an introvert.

I have been misjudged and I don't like it. But worse than that, I'd really not want to know how many times I've misjudged.