How can I share Biblical truth from a Christian bubble?

A few nights ago I walked out of a patient's room in the ER I work in and made what was for me a startling realization. Without going into any details that would breach patient confidentiality (and HIPAA laws) I realized that the belief that sex outside of marriage is wrong no longer exists within the mainstream of our society. The number of people I encounter in the ER who are best described as "skanky" (best described meaning you immediately understand what I'm describing with just one word) seems to grow daily. Beyond that however is the fact that the ordinary middle-class "christian" people I meet seem to have embraced a completely new morality that seems oddly rule-less. The simple idea that some things are right and other things wrong has changed dramatically and it's almost as though while I was going "yeah, things are really changing" I didn't see how MUCH they were changing. I'm realizing that I've been in some kind of protective Christian bubble for the past 10-15 years.

Most of my friends are Christian, most of my contacts are Christian, most of the people I spend time with are Christian; and I'm not just talking about social Christians. They are people who have, like me, really devoted themselves to studying God's word and using the Bible as the foundation of their lives. Meanwhile, outside of my little bubble, the world (and especially America) has been going to "hell in a hand basket". Here are some things I've found out or heard in just the past few days; I discovered that a young woman I considered exceptionally moral and grounded in Christian faith is now essentially living with her boyfriend, a co-worker is wearing a beautiful wedding band on her left ring finger that is engraved with the Hebrew phrase "I am my beloved's and he is mine" without being married, (She excitedly told me how it was an "anniversary gift" between her and her boyfriend) a group of Christian teen guys left my dining room table littered with pieces of paper covered with questionable and obscene phrases after a long night of cards at my house, and the multitude of unwed mothers and people with "significant others" rather than husbands or wives that I see every time I work in the ER! It's like all the problems I saw in society from a distance have finally filtered their way into the "christian bubble" I've been hiding in. I'm left with the very uncomfortable feeling that we Christians (and myself specifically) have FAILED in our God-given responsibility to impact others. How did this happen?

This morning I read a really interesting article on Crosswalk.com and I'm putting the link here so that anyone else who's interested can see it. Soul Searching This author sites a book called Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers that I'm going to look for today.

I find myself wondering if it's too late for our society? What should we do? Are we supposed to say what we really feel? For example, when my co-worker talks about her quasi-wedding ring how exactly do I express the belief that anniversary gifts between boyfriend and girlfriend aren't the same as wedding rings and they don't express the same things? SHOULD I express that belief or does it come across as too harsh, too judgmental, too intolerant? I think the fear of seeming harsh, judgmental and intolerant has been one of the biggest things that has gotten our society to this point. Let's face it...children born to unwed mothers used to be known as illegitimate, but it felt like an unfair label was being put on a helpless child so we stopped using the phrase and became more tolerant. The result 40 years later is that there is no stigma at all and more than 30% of babies born each year are to unwed mothers. The real irony here is that our desire to not be harsh has resulted in a great deal more harshness! There is no arguing with the statistics. Children born to unwed mothers are more likely to live in poverty, be in prison, take drugs and commit suicide than those who are born to two parents! If you're interested in reading more check out Ann Coulter's book Guilty, specifically the chapter "Victim of a Crime? Thank a Single Mother".

I'm actually getting off track (what's new!) because the point I'm really trying to address is this; how am I supposed to act? What am I supposed to say? Actually, that's the easiest question to answer..and finally getting to the point of my title. The Bible TELLS us what to say "we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ" Ephesians 4:14-15 (NASB, italics mine) and when saying the truth in love is hard to do we need to remember two other important things: "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" 1 John 4:4 (NASB) and "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth" John 14:15-17a (NASB)

Every time I refuse to confront a sin, issue, or situation head-on I am guilty of endorsing it. Jesus said "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters." Matthew 12:30 (NASB) I hope the next time I'm confronted with a person who follows their own moral code rather than God's I'll be able to express the truth with love. I really don't want to be against Him in my desire to not offend someone else, I've got to stop scattering from the confines of my "christian bubble".

$3.95 service fee (WHAT SERVICE???)

Today we are celebrating my niece's birthday. Since she's seventeen the gift she appreciates more than anything is of course money so...I went trotting down to my local Kroger's to buy her one of those pre-paid Visa cards that she can use anywhere. When I went to ring up at the cashier the $25 card rang up as $28.95. I asked the cashier what happened, assuming she rang it up wrong and she told me "oh, there's a $3.95 service fee". She was also quick to make sure I understood the fee wasn't from Krogers but was instead from Visa. I quickly responded with "take it off, I'll just give her cash" so problem solved but here's what I find myself wondering...service for what?? I'm the one who drove to the store, picked up the card and will wrap it up for my niece, exactly what service have they provided?

I had a similar experience a few months ago at a local theatre. My daughter was in a production at Playhouse 1960 so I went online to purchase tickets (coincidentally the ONLY way to buy tickets as they don't have a staffed box office). I then PRINTED the tickets on my printer, using my ink (which costs more than the most expensive perfume!)and they charged me a "service" fee. Where exactly was the service involved? They didn't even provide a living person to talk to me and I'm the one who paid to print the tickets.

Has anyone else been charged a fee for imaginary service? Does anyone even understand what the word service means anymore? I'd love to hear your stories.

Catching Up

It's been a LONG time since I've written on this blog. It's funny how life just gets in the way isn't it. I started working in January and it was a big transition for me. I hadn't worked in nursing for about 5 years (the entire time we were in Singapore) and for a while there I wasn't sure I could actually do it. It wasn't the patient care part that got me...it was the ridiculous level of documentation. If I've heard "if you didn't document it you didn't do it" once I've heard it a million times and it's just as stupid a saying the millionth time as it was the first one. The truth is if you did it, you did it and documentation doesn't change that fact. It would be a lot more accurate to say "if you don't document it, you don't get credit for doing it". But the point I'm getting to is that the documentation has reached such a ridiculous level that it literally interferes with your ability to provide quality nursing care! Anyway...it's all the start of a rant I'm not going to get into right now.

My point today is trying to figure out just why this blog got put on hold for so long. Going back to work was of course the biggie but another thing that happened in January is that Chelsea moved back home. (and then proceeded to get parts in every single show she auditioned for!) She certainly is talented! She decided to transfer to the University of Houston and it seems to have suited her. She's changed her major to English Lit and wants to teach on the High School level. (she actually wants to teach internationally which I'm sure she'll be able to do someday since she's pretty good at accomplishing the goals she sets for herself) It's been very nice to have her home but she's planning on moving into an on-campus apartment in August so we'll be Chelsea-less again soon :-(

Stephen's gotten VERY active with church youth, particularly leading worship with the Youth Band, teaching guitar and also getting parts in every play he tries out for! Paul participated in baseball and found his love! He LOVED baseball and while it wasn't terribly time consuming it was yet one more thing to do!

So...there you have it, stuff we've been doing that I'm using as an excuse for not blogging but I'm going to get back on the soapbox here in the next few days and start back with my blog! I have to admit that the state of our nation really depresses me...and I'm NOT talking about the economy. I believe our moral bankruptcy is a much bigger problem than car companies, banks, healthcare and government. Guess you can tell where this blog will be heading in the next few days. Until then...