May 2008

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“If you’ll live like no one else, then later you can live like no one else.”

~ Dave Ramsey ~

“Because you people are so arrogant. You think you have all the answers.”

When I saw this week’s quote, I was reminded of a conversation I had some years back with a friend who was, and is, an agnostic. He remains skeptical about the existence of the Divine Creator, but does not profess true atheism. Rather, he considers himself a questioner, perpetually searching for truth.

The Bible verse that invoked such a vehement response was John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

“See? That’s arrogant,” my friend argued. “You think there’s only one way to live, one way to achieve peace, one road that leads to heaven. That’s just over-bearing. What about all the people on this planet who believe differently? What about them?”

In my youthful naivete and enthusiasm, I continued trying to convince my friend until we agreed that, for the sake of our friendship, we would table the discussion, agreeing to disagree.

It was a conversation that virtually every believer will will at some point in his/her life. I believe that how we react to our friends’ skepticism and what we do after the discussion ends speaks volumes about our humanity and reveals whether or not we are appropriate ambassadors to the world of nonbelievers.

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It is a fabulous day to be a resident of the great state of California! Here is the headline from the Sacramento Bee:

There are reports from all major media outlets, of course, including the Los Angeles Times.

I will write later in more detail about the court’s ruling. However, the Court has ruled that the statutory language “limiting the designation of marriage to a union ‘between a man and a woman’ is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available both to opposite-sex and same-sex couples.”

The Court has also issued a writ of mandate “directing the appropriate state officials to take all actions necessary to effectuate our ruling in this case so as to ensure that county clerks and other local officials throughout the state, in performing their duty to enforce the marriage statutes in their
jurisdictions, apply those provisions in a manner consistent with” the Court’s decision.

I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34: 1-3

The Message

What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother or a mom like figure in your life?

When I was growing up, there were a number of different types of flowers in the yard of our family home. My mother was a wonderful gardener who tended to her pink carnations, red and yellow roses, pink geraniums, camellias, and many other varieties.

So when my fifth grade teacher announced that we would be making a special gift for our mothers — a construction paper greeting card and a carnation fashioned from facial tissue — I knew that I wanted to present my mother with something unique. When faced with a choice between pink or white tissue, I chose white. After all, my mother grew beautiful pink carnations in our backyard, so I thought she would be more impressed by and appreciate receiving something she did not have — a white carnation.

The teacher did not explain to the class at the outset that pink carnations are supposed to be presented to your mother on Mother’s Day, but a white carnation signifies honor paid to a deceased mother. (I had never heard of that tradition before . . . nor have I heard it since.)

So I worked diligently on my card and faux carnation, and was quite pleased with my effort. That is, until my teacher saw that I had chosen white, rather than pink. It was then that she told me about the custom.

And that was when I felt terrible because I would be presenting my mother with an inappropriate gift. It never occurred to me that my mother would not have heard of that social more. After all, at that point in my life, I still believed that my mother knew everything about every conceivable topic.

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