Baby Jesus, forgive me!

Christmas is all about The Baby. I mean, who doesn't like The Baby? It's a great story and full of hope and face it... (most) babies are just darn cute. I have no doubt that the holy glow about Jesus made him cuter than most.

Even Talladega Nights paid homage to The Baby before every dinner:

Dear 8 pounds 6 ounces... new born infant jesus,don't even know a word yet.

or

Dear Lord Baby Jesus, I want to thank you for this wonderful meal, my two beautiful son's, Walker and Texas Ranger, and my Red-Hot Smokin' Wife, Carley

or

Dear Lord baby Jesus, lyin' there in your ghost manger, just lookin' at your Baby Einstein developmental videos, learnin' 'bout shapes and colors. I would like to thank you for bringin' me and my mama together, and also that my kids no longer sound like retarded gang-bangers.

Usually, I don't even like those types of movies, but this cracked me up. So, why does Baby Jesus need to forgive me?

Well, first of all for laughing at that movie.

Mostly though, it has to do with Christmas. Christmas Eve to be exact. This should be a time of celebration of His birth. Instead, millions of parents across the country come home from midnight candlelight service and turn into a amateur Santa Claus. That is not the bad part... the bad part is what comes out of my mouth when it's 2am and I can't figure out why the playhouse is not fitting together. (No way am I buying her a bike for Christmas) Seriously, I don't celebrate my daughters birthday by a barrage of evil thoughts and words only suitable for HBO against toy makers and why instructions always seem to lack one important piece of information. So, why does this seem impossible to avoid on Christmas Eve?

I may pray in the wee hours Christmas morning, but it is admittedly a selfish prayer. Somewhere along the lines of, "Dear Lord, Pllllllleeeeease help me figure how why piece H is not snapping together with piece G. " In retrospect, there is nothing holy about staying up until 230am on Christmas morning being Santa Claus.

This is why my parents always gave me socks and underwear. They don't need instructions.

I do not understand people.

originally posted on myspace 8/15/2007

I don't understand how you can ask a person, "how do you feel about {insert some current event here}?" and they respond with, "I really don't know" or "I don't pay attention to the news" or "That doesn't really affect me."

But I guarantee if you ask that person:

"How many days did Paris stay in jail?"

THEY WILL KNOW!!!!!?!!!!!!?!!!!!

argggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(in my best charlie brown voice)

WTF? A "Christian" telling someone else they are going to hell?

Every time I hear a variation of this story, I get angry:

* Christian finds out someone else isn't baptized.

* Christian goes on to tell the person how they will burn.

* Christian is not apologetic or explains position

* Christian is smug and walks away not even knowing what they did was very not Christian-like.

(based on a true story that happened to one of the few people I consider a true friend this week)

I get angry at the so-called Christian who put themselves up on a pedestal above those they perceive not only as non-Christians, but lesser-Christians.

I am angry at their arrogance that they would tell a stranger, a waitress in a pub, that she is going to hell.

I am angry at their ignorance of the scope of God's love, which is obvious when they tell said waitress she also has condemned her son to hell.

I am angry that this "Christian" would dismiss and try to invalidate in front of God a marriage of love, mutual respect, and deep commitment based on some assumptions the patron has made.

I am angry that non-Christians (or nominally religious people) have more encounters with these types of "Christians" ( do I have to keep calling them that?) rather than ones who can share The Light with them.

I am angry that this "Christian" thinks they know enough to know the mind of God.

I am angry that this patron of the pub, I think, exemplifies what most non-religious people think of Christians.

I am angry.

I am embarrassed.

(maybe there is some irony in me implying the "f" word in my title and calling myself a Christian, but that is not directed at someone, and is strictly between God and myself)