 Drama. The contest started, it was fun, exciting, I was getting to meet new people and discover new blogs and getting a chance to support the ones I love. Then Pagan Soccer Mom started moving to the top. Things started shaking up. (Isnt it interesting that it takes us being shaken sometimes to start focusing on the mission God gave us, the Big mission, the "Great" one, the one we are Co-Missioned to. To take initative to share the gospel and make multiplying disciples. God shook up the believers in Acts (11:19-21) and as a result, "a great number who believed turned to the Lord." Things started shaking, enter drama. Heated and hurtful but also caring and understanding comments were being made over at Time Warp Wifes Facebook thread (which Pagan soccer mom posted on her blog). Drama. Normally when I think of drama I think of it in a negative way, but what's wrong with drama? Isn't God's story dramatic. And God is writing this story. He is the Author. A worthy of your time read! Us vs Them "They" are not the enemy. They are ladies, wives, mothers... people created in the image of God. People dearly loved more than we could imagine, by the Giver of Life. They are misunderstood and have been hurt and possibly isolated for what they believe. Perhaps cut off from people who could give the very truth that could give ultimate Life. We can't afford to have an us vs them attitude. Jesus didn't. I think of the prostitute that Jesus let wash His feet with her oil. She was ostricized, but Jesus didn't see her for what she "did", but saw her. A person, someone His heart broke for, someone He was passionate about. If we stand face to face in opposition with people who need (and in some cases want) to hear God's offer for them, how can they receive it? When we seek to understand and communicate with respect because people are valuable, people hear. What do I do with these emotions? With hundreds of women in this contest, I'm not going to assume we all feel the same way. But when we live by our emotions instead of by what God says its true, well, it can just be bad news. So if you are feeling anything you're not sure what to with... Ask yourself 4 questions: What are you feeling? What are you thinking that is leading to that feeling? What does your feeling show you you're believing about God? What's true about God? Here's mine: I feel scared. Because I think, "What if our opportunity to have a Christian presence to 6 million other moms is illiminated?" "What if these 6 million women only have exposure to is pagan or witch blogs?" Believing about God? That He can be outwitted, controlled or is taken off guard. That He is not able to reach people. Ugh! Convicting! Whats True about God? That this didn't surprise Him, He is unfolding a great story, He is wooing more womens hearts than I imagine. That if He really didn't want things to be going the way they are, they wouldn't be. He is Powerful! Another emotion... I feel angry. Because I think, they took over the contest. (which now that it is on paper I am embarrassed. Why in the world would I get angry that something is not filled with all Christians! Nothing in this life is going to be all Christian... and even if it seemed like it, that is not a good thing. We need to get out of the Christian bubble. I guess it just shows a longing for heaven, where everyone is on the same page.) Show me I'm believeing about God? That He wants us to stay isolated, only surrounded by other Christians. That He doesn't care about the lost. What's true? That He passionately wants people to know Him. But how can they hear unless someone tells them? He see's the big picture, eternity and the lives of women wo will be effected eternally by this contest. And another... I feel worried. Because I think "what are other Christian's going to think of this post?" "What if they get mad at me for being harsh?" Show me I'm believing about God? That He wouldn't be able to comfort me and encourage me even if that were the case. What's true about God? He is the Comforter. He's experienced everything I will ever and has been there. He wont lead me somewhere He wont sustain me. He's rooting for me. "What we believe about God is the most important thing about us" AW Tozer. Why? Because every action, feeling and emotion is rooted in what we are believing about God. Remind yourself what's true. And if you're anything like me, remind yourself often. What now? Be part of the story God is writing. Don't run. God won't be mocked. He has different and may I add EXCITING plans that look very different than ours. What an opportunity to be in the world, shining a light for Christ but not of it. What a privledge to share the gospel. Seriously! How often do you get to share your faith with people who don't know Christ? It's like God brought it right to you... right where you are. Why run? Why not embrace what He wants to do? Why not love and dialog? Why not enter into someones life/blog and offer respectful, kind words of Life (oh man, scares me to say that since unsolicited advice is a huge pet-peeve of mine. So what I mean is to communicate. Ask questions, seek to understand before just spouting truth. But do say it., do share the gospel.. just be a listener... a learner first.) "Let your light shine before men..." (Matt 5:16) "Proclaim His salvation day after day." (1 Chron. 16:23) 
36 Comments
Robert L
5/27/2011 10:50:05 am
Just fyi, there is nothing wrong with Pagan and or Witch blogs. They are part of the world that you live in. I am part of the world that you live in. My child is part of the world that you live in, and we are all Pagan. Jesus was a witch. He walked on water, turned water into wine, multiplied food, healed the sick.. Mostly things that would be attributed to witchcraft over the past 500 years. I really admire your attitude. I have to admit, I was a little upset by all the pagan blogs on there that are getting all this attention and taking away from the true faith of the Christian women on the site. You have challenged me to rethink my attitude towards these women!
Robert, I re-read what I posted, I am not sure what I said that lead you to believe I think pagan blogs are not part of the world I live in. My whole point of this post is to address the very issue that things exist in this life that we don't agree with and we have to be respectful in how we deal with them. (But not forsaking what we do believe in) 5/27/2011 03:10:41 pm
Laura,
Rhonda
5/27/2011 03:28:28 pm
Laura this is so true! An us vs them attitude is not the attitude of Jesus. Your love for people is so evident!
Laura
5/27/2011 04:54:43 pm
I think you have it exactly right here Laura. I was complaining about somebody just the other day...they were doing or saying something that was contrary to my belief and my mom stopped me and said don't you think that Jesus died for them too? I know Jesus died for me but I wonder how many of us christians forget that its not just us but everybody, those that agree and don't agree. believing or not believing in Christ does not determine His sacrifice...He did it regardless. 5/28/2011 12:44:23 am
Beautiful. Truth. Standing with you Laura as a fellow blogger, Christian and friend.
Amanda Espinoza
5/28/2011 01:14:08 am
AMEN SISTER! Love this article, SPOT ON! Love you :)
Sharon G
5/28/2011 03:05:24 am
I would like to respectfully but firmly state that Jesus was not a witch, by his own declaration about himself. In Matthew 12 Jesus is accused of driving out demons from a man by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus states, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan dives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I dive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
Sharon G
5/28/2011 03:07:44 am
PS: Please replace the word "dive" with "drive" in the scripture reference above in two places! Sorry for the typo's!
Hello! I wanted to respond and do so without "rallying the troops" as with what happened in the earlier drama. So please understand that I am not posting to my blog or any other social forum about this so that I don't accidentally encourage any entourage to come here and speak. This is strictly me to you.
I have seen the comments you are talking about, talking about your family. I would be very hurt as well. I know what it feels like to have hurtful things said about you online (where I think it is easier to say mean things), I have experienced the same. But when it comes to your family, its a whole different issue it feels like, a whole different pain. I'm sorry your hurting.
Michelle
5/28/2011 07:30:50 am
Laura, I know you were worried about how to address the drama that had come to the Circle of Moms faith blog contest. So I wanted to tell you that I think you did an excellent job. Have no idea where Robert got his idea that you were saying "Pagans go away!" He must have only read your first paragraph. You did a lovely job of expressing love for everyone without compromising your own beliefs. Nothing less than what I expected. You rock!
Hello Laura,
Rhonda Denison
5/28/2011 02:35:02 pm
Laura you are so good at looking at yourself and seeing ways that you could think differently about things.
Summer_Faery
5/29/2011 04:09:43 am
Awww, from this Pagan to a wonderful Christian like you, the Goddess loves you too. =) I hope you'll always remember that. =)
Jo
5/29/2011 05:05:18 am
Laura - Well said! But if I may make one slight point - many Pagans come from a Christian background. Many Pagans were raised in a Christian home. I, for one, was a fervent, practicing Christian for 40 years. I am now a Pagan. I attended Christian schools all my life; my father is a Presbyterian minister; I have two uncles that were Baptist ministers. I was an Elder in my last church & preached many times while the pastor was recovering from cancer. I know the Bible & its theology very thoroughly - from many different perspectives. But I have chosen to walk a Pagan path. That is where I place my faith & where it will stay. The Pagan faith was here long before Judaism, Christianity & Islam. Much of what is believed & celebrated by Christians comes from the Pagan faith. And Pagans are very intelligent, moral people who probably know as much about your religion as you do. They know who Christ is & what he taught - and many of them in the contest, through this little brouhaha, have shown that they are more in tune with his tenets of love & forgiveness than some of the Christians. We are not cut off, we are not isolated, we are not in hiding. We are all over the place & in some places that would probably surprise you.
Thank you Jo for visiting my blog. And I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts.
Jo
5/29/2011 07:56:43 am
Laura - I did know Christ - I didn't just 'do' religious things - I knew him - knew his spirit - was on a daily conversational basis with him - but my path now is more affirming & comforting to me than my 40 years in Christianity. And it surprises me to have you ask where the Pagans are - after the brouhaha this contest has started & the hateful & nasty comments that have been directed at us, do you really think we are going to just walk up to anyone & state our faith? No, because we are still persecuted - we are accused of all sorts of stuff that is false & not given much opportunity to educate. That is why many stay in the broom closet a good bit of the time. I just recently lost a friend I have had since I was 19 because she couldn't come to grips with the fact that I no longer think the same as she does & it upsets her sense of security. It is very difficult for Pagans to be out because of this persecution from those who do not understand & do not want to understand. And one tenet of the Pagan faith, is that we do not proselytize. Our belief is that everyone is entitled to walk the path they chose, as long as it does no harm to anyone around them. Most I know do not even take revenge on anyone, because it could do harm. And we also have the golden rule - ours basically says that what we do comes back to us three fold, so that makes us very careful about what we put out there - we watch our words & our actions very carefully. TO get Pagans to be willing to come out to you, you have to be willing to not judge them based on their faith - and a lot of Pagans have not had a good experience with this.
Jo
5/29/2011 08:50:02 am
Last post - I can't let this slide. I am very tired of this condescending attitude that you seem to have. Please note, I am not stupid. I have an above average IQ & a very educated mind - I was in the church probably longer than you have been alive - I learned the Romans road when I was 10 - I have heard every method of presenting the Gospel that is out there - my father was one of the ones that first taught Evangelism Explosion - I grew up with some of the biggest names in the church being guests in my home & usually called them uncles. The gospel is not that hard to understand - what seems to be the hard part about it, especially for those that want to preach it to those that you judge inferior, is the living of it! The gospel is not just reciting a few scripture verses, saying the sinners prayer & then becoming superior to everyone - it is living a sacrificial life - sacrificing your ideas, your notions, your agenda, your way of thinking, your desires & dreams to follow in Christ's footsteps - to allow him to direct your every thought, word, action. That also means considering yourself lower than those you are ministering to - because how can you really minister with your whole heart if you continue to feel that you are better in some way? That you have all the answers to every question just because you follow a certain faith path? The admonition that those who would be first will be last does not just apply to the Christian hierarchy - it applies to the attitude you show towards everyone around you. By setting yourself up as above me enough to judge me, you are violating the words of Christ to love others as your would yourself. If you loved me as you did yourself, you would not treat me in such a condescending manner, because you would never treat yourself that way. I know that what I am saying will make no difference to how you believe or conduct yourself - but I had to say it. I have had to work very hard to deprogram myself of all those mindsets that were ingrained into me & I have a lot more work to do - but I can say that I am very thankful that my blinders are off & that I can truly think outside the box - and I know many Christians that can also think outside the box & I get along fine with them. Maybe one day you will be able to.
I think the last few posts - I had time to read them this time! - are a great example of the root of the animosity between Christians and Pagans. So this is me, engaging in dialog with you - what I call "frappuccino adventures" on my blog because these things are the most fun done over coffee at Starbucks. :) Because the nuances of attitude and tone are VERY hard to differentiate over the internet, I'm going to go ahead and state that what I'm about to say is in no way meant to be condescending, just an acknowledgement of what I know of your faith and a guess at your feelings and motivations. If I come off as condescending, it is not my intention!
Rhonda
5/29/2011 11:46:53 am
Laura you are not condescending. I know you and that's the last thing you are. Love you:)
Cameron
5/29/2011 11:57:27 am
Hi Laura - I've been watching this debate and upheaval over the blogs rise for a few days now. First of all, I am grateful for your thoughts here, and your willingness to engage and listen. Thats a hard thing to do. There are many misconceptions about witches and pagans in the Christian world. (and about an equal amount going the other way as well, truthfully.) I am going to throw a few random thoughts about this out in no particular order. First of all - Jo is right. A HUGE section of the pagan community start out as Christians, or within the organization of the Christian church. And unfortunately, the reason many of them walk away from their faith is the damage the church has done to them. Not God, the church. The church is a human organization, with human flaws and behaviors, irregardless of how Jesus would prefer his people to behave. I have talked to many people who have come from horror tales of abuse within the church, hypocrisy in the church, been caught in the power/politics of the church...some people manage to stay, or cope by changing denominations. Many leave. Some to be Christians outside of the church. Some to connect spiritually with other faiths. Some to deny all spirituality ever again. And we would be wrong in writing them off or condescending to them by witnessing to them or sighing that their faith just wasn't strong enough. How does the world know we are Christians? By our works, by the Bible verses we can quote, by the blogs we write, by coming out triumphant in a competition? In a word...NO. By this shall all know that you are Mine - that you have LOVE for one another. So when the church treats others with scorn and abuse and pain, and shatters lives - and Laura, it does. You ought to commit to listening to some stories sometime - we by our behavior, shatter the witness of the church. Show that we don't belong to Jesus. I have heard more than one person say that they view a difference between "christians" and REAL Christians that show the love of Jesus. And the so called body of Christ is how the world knows who Jesus is. Secondly...not every one is a good fit for Christianity. Or a good fit for a specific denomination. Some people find that they belong elsewhere. And that is totally their choice. Nor do we know everyone's fate or future. Remember, the Jesus says "I have sheep not of this pasture." Remember, the Pagan centurion who's servant Jesus healed - and Jesus said I have not seen faith like this in all Israel...and healed the man. He did not say that the man had to become a Christian, or a Jew - which is what Jesus was - he said that this pagans faith was greater than His own peoples. Think about that. Also , keep in mind that the Hollywood/medieval idea of "witches" and "witch craft" is a construct of middle ages Christianity and the entertainment culture of today. The word witch from the famous words in Exodus - thou shalt not suffer a witch to live - the word translated as witch is the word chasaph--which was mistranslated as poisoner. The day and era of the King James Bible was on the tail end of the the witch-hunt era in the medieval era. And most of the people burned or tortured as "witches" were Christians, caught up in the hysteria, and false accusations, or midwives and herbalists slandered by the rising power of the medical guilds. In the rural area, people turned to those who had knowledge of herbs and passed down knowledge of healing, and midwifery. And the medical establishment just forming politically opposed the rural wise person - not always a woman, btw - as an ignorant rival. The church also promoted the witch craft trials and hunts - those who perished in them, their property went to the church - and many a wealthy widow or widower conveniently disappeared into the furnace of the hunts. So called witches as the church defined them did not exist in reality. There was no league with "Satan". Any true pagan out there did not believe in Satan any more than they believed in God as the church defined it. So there were no black rites, or having sex with devils. These are all outlandish lies from and age of ignorance and venality, that is now the subject of Hollywood and
Cameron
5/29/2011 12:09:20 pm
(con't) getting a basin of water and washing their feet, covered with road filth and dirt, which was the job of the lowliest menial servant.What has anyone who has watched this play out seen, but squabbling and debate? To connect with other people you have to lay aside the debates, and the competition, and take up the basin and the towel. To connect with other people you have to start from a position of losing all your biases and what you think you "know". Because people can sense immediately when you do hold prejudicial uniformed incorrect views. You say you want a dialog? Then give the person you wish to dialog with the space to speak, without judgement, with the idea that they know what they are talking about, and that you can learn from them. And this is true across the board in every human endeavor. It does not mean you have to give up what you believe. It means that you will learn how to live what you believe in an entirely different way. I now show you a more excellent way...if we speak with the tongues of angels and of men and have not love, we are become as clanging brass. Ask Jo or any of the others who have written to you what they would like to say to you or need to say to you. Listen. Set aside your preconceptions. Learn. And love. And that is all that matters. Leave to God anything else. Not all who are Christians do good for God. And not all pagans are severed from God...and certainly none of them have anything to do with Satan anymore than you do. Start over and see what happens. Until you do...the world will not see Christ, they will only see the squabbling around the table...and not the one upon His knees.
Brenda
5/30/2011 09:20:39 am
I will not over flow your comments here, I just wanted to respond...
Donna
5/31/2011 06:48:22 am
"I do like to have spiritual discussions with people. So, if there were more pagans... all around me-in my life (like I have been told multiple times by pagans from this contest) why are they not speaking up? In person I am a very non-threatening person. I would love to dialog with them. That is what makes me think many people are perhaps isolated... b/c if you can't share something very important to you... I imagine that is very difficult."
Donna, Thank you so much for sharing. I can imagine that would be very difficult to deal with peoples reactions. And I totally understand about one-sided conversations. I'm sorry. 6/2/2011 04:39:20 am
Hello to all! I enjoyed the conversation over at the Journey to Beloved blog. Everyone was able to present what they believed was truth without compromising the integrity of their faith.
As the author of one of those Pagan blogs I have to say I have some mixed feeling about this post. I am a happy and proud Pagan Woman and Mother. And as a Mother and Blogger I have just as much right to be on that list as you do.
Thank you so much Lori. That is exactly what I am thinking, but put into words better than I could.
Sara
6/2/2011 08:24:17 am
Laura, I agree with you. Although I can't say that every Christian has the right motives or even has love in their heart for the person they are sharing with. Some may do it just because "it's what Christians do" or because they are right and need to let it be known. All that aside, Jesus' gift of Salvation is precious. Worth more than anything of this world. For us to not share it, for us to keep it to ourselves for fear of rejection, or because we don't want to come off as "condescending", truly is caring about myself more than I care about others. I feel tolerance is being pushed so hard these days that it makes it even more difficult for us to share Jesus' precious gift. Because, to receiving ears, being told that we are all guilty of sin and that ALL need Jesus...it doesn't sound very 'tolerant' does it? Laura, I want to encourage you and commend you for standing up so firmly in what you believe in and for truly displaying love and at the same time being firm about the Truth. Praise the Lord that it has already been won and that one day every tongue will confess He is God and one day every knee will bow. Still, the greatest treasure remains to those who gladly choose Him now. Lord, come quickly.
Valerie
6/7/2011 07:26:32 am
Hi there, I know I'm late to all of this. I'm a pagan mommy. My husband is atheist. Just had to throw that out there so you know who I am (kinda). I completely respect your beliefs, and enjoyed reading your take on this whole situation. I'll be honest, when it's all over with (the end of the contest can't come soon enough, it makes my head hurt), I've found some great blogs to read. Including yours, Julie's and handful of other Christian blogs, as well as blogs of other faiths. That part makes me happy. So with whatever ugliness started all of this, some positive came out of it. 6/9/2011 12:42:50 am
I'm Pagan and thank you for having a positive outlook on how we fit into this. Obviously we won't agree on everything, but it's a little easier when people are talking to us instead shouting at us. Positive attitudes can make a great difference and I believe God and Jesus believed this as well. Leave a Reply. |
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