Single! Young Christian Woman Nov/Dec 2013

single!

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F O N M Y O W N N O W M I N I S T R I E S

nov/dec 2013

Young Christian Woman

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Tips for the Trendy Penny-pincher

The First Christmas (My Version)

Breaking Free

From What Binds You

Elusive India

w w w. o n m y o w n n o w. c o m

in this Single!

Young Christian Woman NOV/DEC 2013, Vol. 5 On My Own Now Ministries, Inc., Publisher Donna Lee Schillinger, Editor Jonathan Braschler Editorial Support Contributors Gwendolyn Anderson, Sydney Clark, Katelyn Larson, Jason Moore Except where noted, content is copyright 2013 On My Own Now Ministries.

Articles may be reprinted with credit to author, Single! and www.OnMyOwnNow.com.

On My Own Now Ministries, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with a 501 (c) (3) determination. Your donations aid in our mission to encourage faith, wise life choices and Christ-likeness in young adults during their transition to living on their own.

We welcome submissions of original or repurposed articles that are contributed without expectation of compensation. May God repay you.

Visit us at www.OnMyOwnNow.com.

issue...

Center Ring

The First Christmas (My Version)

by Donna Lee Schillinger Straight Talk from the Proverbs Breaking Free, Part 2

by Guest Columnist Sydney Clark Spare Change

Shop Till You Drop - or Not 5 Tips for Trendy Penny-Pinchers

by Katelyn Larson The Recap

Elusive India

by Donna Lee Schillinger Can I Get an Amen?

Offended? That Doesn’t Make you Right

by Jason Moore

.3 .6

.8 .10

.14

center ring

The First Christmas

By Donna Lee Schillinger

(My Version)

Surely by now, you’ve heard of YouVersion, the Bible app with over 600 versions. Well, it’s missing one important one, and that’s my version! At the beginning of this year, I started, as a devotional practice, trying to rephrase the NIV Bible in words and phrasing I would use in regular conversation.

After completing the book of John, I had garnered so much understanding and perspective compared to the times I had just read the Bible that I decided to move forward with a chronological NIV of the four gospels and Acts. You can read my progress on my personal blog.

Here’s my version of the Christmas story. I have cited the corresponding NIV scriptures throughout the text.

Now let me throw down a challenge for you to pick a small New Testament book and try to put it in your own words verse by verse in the coming year, so that you too can have a version! Please don’t misunderstand the challenge. This isn’t an exercise in postmodern relativity where you can decide what you think the Bible should say. The point is to take what the Bible does say, ingest it, digest it and then reiter-

ate it in the way you speak in conversation, without changing the meaning. You’ll be surprised at how much more personal God’s word becomes to you.

The First Christmas (how I would say it)

One day God (the one and only Creator of the Universe) sent a representative from outside of time and space, a being named Gabriel, to the town of Nazareth, in Galilee, modern-day nation of Israel, to see a young woman named Mary.

Mary was a virgin, and she was engaged to a man named Joseph, who came from a famous family, and he had, among other notables, King David as a direct ancestor.

Gabriel located Mary and opened with, “Hi there! Well, aren’t you the fortunate one—a real favorite of God.” This was a highly unusual way to start a conversation with a stranger, and it freaked Mary out. But Gabriel said to her, “It’s OK, Mary, nothing to fear. God (a.k.a. my boss) is quite pleased with you--so much so that you’re going to be the mother of a son who you’ll name Jesus.

He’s going to be amazing and people will call him the Son of God. God himself will set him as

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center ring king in the Davidic dynasty. He’ll reign over all of your forefather Jacob’s descendants forever— and I mean forever, like never-ending forever.”

“Um, how exactly will this happen,” Mary asked Gabriel, “since I’m a virgin?”

He answered, “Well, let’s just say that God’s Spirit is going to come and sort of hover over you, and use the power of God to cause you to conceive, which is why the child will be called the Son of God. Oh, and, did you know that your relative Elizabeth is going to have a baby too—even at her age? Yep, people used to call her a barren old woman, but she’s six months pregnant now! God commanded it, so basically, it’s a done deal.”

“Well, my life is devoted to service to God,” Mary answered, “so I’m totally on board with this.” Luke 1:26-38 With some time to reflect, Mary’s reaction was: “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to God, and how happy I am that God has chosen me to be his child— even though I’m a nobody. Do you realize I will have a place in history? People will know my name—all because our powerful God has chosen to use me! He has so much compassion on all those—past, present and future—who respect him as their spiritual Father. It’s amazing how he shows his power: He brushes aside people who are full of themselves. He can bring down an emperor in a skinny minute. On the other hand, he raises the rank of people who never considered themselves deserving of honor. He gives the best provisions to the hungry, and sends the rich off to beg. Just look at all he’s done for the nation of Israel, just like he promised Abraham he would. Luke 1:46-55 Recall Mary was engaged to marry Joseph; but before the wedding, it became obvious that she was pregnant (with God’s child). Joseph was an

upright kind of guy and didn’t want to make a huge scene, so he thought he would just end the engagement quietly.

He was all but decided on this course of action when he had a dream in which an other-worldly being appeared to him and said, “Joseph Davidson, don’t be afraid to marry Mary. The child she’s carrying belongs to God’s Holy Spirit. It’s going to be a boy and you will name him Jesus.

And he’s going to rescue those who belong to him from the punishment their human condition deserves.”

When Joseph woke up, he went along with the dream and married Mary. However, he was careful not to have sex with her until after she gave birth. Matt. 1:18-21; 24-25 Around this same time, the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, who controlled the nation of Israel, issued a mandate for a census of the entire Roman Empire.

(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was the governor of Syria, FYI.) So everyone had to go to their ancestral home to register. This meant that Joseph had to leave his present home in Nazareth, Galilee, and go back to Bethlehem, Judea, which is where all the Davidsons were from. He took Mary along, baby bump and all.

Bethlehem was packed with people and there was absolutely no lodging, so they had to stay in a barn. While they were in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and gave birth to a son, her first child. Lacking the proper supplies for a newborn, they just wrapped him in whatever cloth they could find and used the animals’ feed trough as a cradle.

Some shepherds lived out in the fields near the barn. On the night Jesus was born, they were tending their sheep outside when, all of the sudden, they saw something amazing surrounding

All the credit goes to God who lives in the highest places outside of time and space. Peace to the people of Earth who God favors.

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them—not of this world—and then a being appeared to them. It was terrifying.

The being said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ve got great news that’s going to make everyone happy. Today, right over there in Bethlehem, the Rescuer has been born. He’s the one God has appointed to rule. You’ll know you’ve found him when you see a baby wrapped in rags and cradled in a feed trough.”

All of a sudden, there was a whole military company of these beings in the sky and they were saying, “All the credit goes to God who lives in the highest places outside of time and space.

Peace to the people of Earth who God favors.”

Then they were gone.

When the shepherds could speak again, they said, “We ought to go to Bethlehem and find this baby that… that… thing told us about.”

They rushed off and were able to find Mary, Joseph and the baby, cradled in a feed trough.

After seeing this, they told everyone they could what had happened and who this child was. Everyone who heard their story was amazed. Mary took careful note of everything that was happening and she contemplated it—not with her head, but with her heart.

The shepherds eventually went back to tending sheep, but for a long time after, they marveled and were in awe at how God announced the child’s birth to them and how they found the child exactly as the being had described. Luke 2:1-20 This all went down just the way God said it would hundreds of years earlier through the words of a prophet: “A virgin will conceive and give birth to a son who will be known as God with us on Earth.” Matt. 1:22-23 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, some philosopher/astrologer dignitary types from somewhere farther east (possibly modern day Iran, Iraq, India or China) arrived in Jerusalem wanting to know, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?

We’ve been studying the stars and saw the cosmic sign that he was born. We want to pay homage to him.”

This was news to King Herod, and not the good kind. In fact, it had all of Jerusalem in a clamor.

He called together all the top dogs of the church and the law and asked where this appointed child was supposed to be born, according to the ancient texts.

“In Bethlehem, Judea,” they replied. “An ancient prophet wrote, ‘Don’t belittle yourself, Bethlehem. Stand tall among the rest of Judea because you are going to be the hometown of a ruler who will guide my people, Israel.’”

Behind closed doors, Herod met with the visiting dignitaries and ascertained the exact time the star they mentioned had appeared. He sent them on to Bethlehem with instructions to, “Search out the child, and as soon as you find him, send news to me so I can come and pay homage too.”

With this, they left, and they were able to follow the celestial body right to the place where Jesus was residing. It just hung over the place.

They could hardly believe their eyes and were just plain giddy. Collecting themselves, they entered the house and saw Jesus with his mother, Mary, and they got down on hands and knees and pledged their confidence and service. Then they brought the first Christmas presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh—all really expensive stuff in those days.

Wise men that they were, after a dream warned them against Herod, they decided not to go back the same way they had come, avoiding contact with Herod entirely. Matt. 2:1-12 As for baby Jesus, well, he grew up and became a strong and wise young man. God had exceptionally gifted him. Luke 2:40.

Donna Lee Schillinger is editor of the anthology Purity’s Big Payoff/Premarital Sex is a Big Ripoff, winner of the 2012 Christian Small Publisher’s Book of the Year. In 2008 she founded On My Own Now Ministries to encourage faith, wise life choices and Christ-likeness in young adults. On My Own Now publishes the free, monthly online magazines, Single! Young Christian Woman and Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man.

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straight talk with Guest Columnist Sydney Clark

Breaking Free

Part 2

L

ast time we talked about three things that can help you start the journey of pursuing freedom from an addiction or changing a bad habit.

1. Wanting to be free Although it can seem like common sense, the first step towards freedom is desiring to be free. For most people that desire is not there initially. It is something that builds up over time or engulfs them when they hit rock bottom.

2. Telling someone about your struggle The most powerful aspect of an addiction, especially a porn addiction, is that it is often a secret. No one but you knows. It is even relatively easy to keep private. This allows the loop of negative and shameful thoughts to keep recycling and prohibits you from having any sort of support or accountability.

Telling someone allows you to bring the issue into the open and gives you someone to

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support you and hold you accountable.

3. Reclaiming your identity by speaking truth into your life As those negative and shameful thoughts recycle through your mind, your view of yourself becomes warped. Speaking truth to yourself and surrounding yourself with people who speak truth into your life is life changing! Examine Scripture and find verses that speak to the truth about who you are as a created and loved child of God. Now that we’ve recapped what we talked about last time, let’s talk a little bit about discovering the “why” behind your behavior.

Often addictions are band-aids that we use to cover up deeper issues. Digging up those deeper issues can be tedious and will be painful. Often it is helpful to have a counselor to talk through those issues with.

We are all relational beings. God created us to be in relationships with others. Our

from the proverbs behavior, even if done in the privacy of our own bedrooms, affects others.

You need to discover your triggers. What causes you to want to indulge in those behaviors? It is because you’re lonely? Is it because you desire emotional intimacy? Is it because you’re stressed out? Ultimately handling the “why” behind your addiction will offer the greatest freedom. Seeing a counselor can be a huge help in this endeavor.

As you’re thinking about your triggers, also become aware of the settings in which you allow yourself to indulge in these behaviors.

Do you typically engage in this behavior when you’re alone? Is it during the afternoon?

Where do you do it? In your bedroom? A certain friend’s house? If it’s a setting that you can avoid, do so! Flee from temptation (1 Timothy 6:11)! If it’s a setting that you can’t flee as easily, pray over that space.

Have others pray over it too. If you know you struggle at a certain time of day or that you will be faced with the temptation at a certain time, have your friends pray for as well during those specific times.

But how could your friends even know to pray for you if you haven’t told them your struggle? Accountability is of the utmost importance when trying to overcome an addiction. Find someone you trust, a friend, a mentor, a small group leader and tell them what’s going on in your life. They love you and want to know. Admitting your addiction to someone is powerful because it moves the issue from the darkness to the light. You are no longer fighting silently. You are no longer fighting alone. Yes, God was and will always be with you, but He has made us for community and relationship so partake in them!

As you get down the road in your fight for freedom, don’t focus so much on your addiction. Instead, actively think about things other than your addiction. Here’s the deal, if you’re solely focused on trying not to think about your addiction you’re actually still thinking about it in a roundabout way.

Instead, use your mental energy to discover

and pursue the passions that God has given you! Actively think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

For those of you who struggle specifically with pornography, like I did, there are a couple more strategic things you can do to overcome your addiction. First, keep your computer or tablet in a public place. I know that with modern technology your computer and tablet are no longer the only ways of accessing online porn, but I still suggest starting there. Second, have a filter on any devices that have internet access. When I first discovered porn the internet had just become popular and there weren’t even popup blockers let alone content filters! Now there are. Use them. I use Blue Coat K9 Web Protection and I’m very happy with it.

While these are all nice, strategic, offensive moves to combat your addiction, it is crucial that you remember that you are not going to save yourself. My journey through my addiction was what turned me into a Holy Spirit lovin’ person! When I realized during my sophomore year of high school that it was only through the power of the Holy Spirit living in me that I had any hope of regaining “control” of my life, everything changed. I switched from the losing team to the winning team and I haven’t looked back since. Choose to remember in the midst of the battle that you are a beloved daughter of God and that the battle is already won. And surround yourself with people who will choose that for you when you can’t.

Sydney Clark launched the Simply Sex(uality) project which seeks to encourage and empower Christians and the Church to interact with the topic in a more knowledgeable, positive, and Christ-centered way. Visit her blog at SimplySexuality. wordpress.com.

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Spare Change

Shop till You Drop… or Not 5 Tips for Trendy, Penny-Pinchers

by Katelyn Larson

R

ecently, I asked my roommate if she would like to go on a shopping date together sometime. Being the trendy type, she quickly agreed.

“But,” I said, “We should go in a few weeks so that we can set aside the money in advance and not feel bad about spending the money.”

Somehow I wound up shopping the next afternoon.

If you are like me, a plan, a budget, and a sheet of glass are rarely enough to keep me from buying that fill-in-the-blank that I have somehow convinced myself I need. So, to help me tame this insatiable craving, I have created a list of practical, simple tips to guide my future purchasing decisions.

Sleep on It Step number one is to sleep on it. Every once in a while, I am smitten by a scarf, love-struck by a lacey top, or drooling over a pair of denim jeans.

Whether you believe in love at first sight or not, it is important to remember that emotions often

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have a way of toying with rationality. I know what they say: when you know, you know. But I am here to say that sometimes they do not know what they are talking about. When you are struggling to pry your fingers off that gorgeous garment, allow yourself to entertain the thought of purchasing the piece as a reward for waiting 24 hours. Leave the store. Move yourself out of that mesmerizing environment so your mind can breathe in just a dose of logic. Then, if you are still madly in love the next day, no one is stopping you. Go get it, girl.

Bring Cash Only Step number two is to bring cash only. Part of the joy of shopping is pairing one piece with another; it is the art of match-making. You may think you are going in to buy a jacket, but at some point during the shopping excursion, you may convince yourself that the jacket needs a soul mate, a necklace or a blouse.

Here is a little piece of insight for you: your new jacket is not looking for a soul mate. It

may, however, be looking for a friend, or two, or three. Your entire wardrobe is essentially a community, one big circle of friends, and your new jacket is simply welcome to join the party.

So, when you are tempted to go searching for your jacket’s long lost spouse (I mean blouse), remember that it already has several new buddies waiting for him back in your closet.

Thrift Shopping (and Selling) The third step is to go thrift shopping (and selling). Back in high school, I used to think Goodwill was a terrible place to shop unless you were looking to satisfy a craving for crafting.

Then, I started buying my own clothes.

Suddenly, Goodwill and other local thrift stores were just as appealing as any department store.

However, in addition to being a cheap alternative to many department stores finds and brand name pieces, some of these secondhand shops have another benefit to offer. If you are looking for a way to make a little extra cash to add to your shopping funds, many of these adorable stores will often buy clothes from locals so as to make sure their collection is more selective and in season. These little shops have been very helpful to me in the past when I was looking to make a few extra dollars. In fact, now I have a habit of literally keeping a trash bag of old clothes sitting in the back of my car, so that I can swing into a local thrift shop any time to try and sell a few pieces. Look online to see if there are any stores near you that would take those older, though still stylish pieces off your hands (Yelp.com is a great resource as well).

Pick a Shopping Day The fourth tip is to pick a shopping day. As I mentioned previously, when my roommate and I decided that we would like to go on a shopping date together, we also concluded that it was important for us to pick a day in the future to look forward to and to postpone shopping until that time. While I am certainly not the most diligent in regards to this particular tip, it too has helped me in the past. It is a lot easier to

walk past a window full of stylish and attractive mannequins when you are telling yourself “wait” instead of “no.” Furthermore, this tip also provides you with the time needed to set aside a few $20s without feeling guilty that you are not spending it on food or gas. So, next time you are tempted to splurge on a new pair of boots or jeans, remind yourself to wait just a little bit longer. This too shall pass.

Layer Finally, my last tip, and probably one of my favorites, is simply to layer.

Since this is a financial column after all, let’s take a second and do a little math. If I had a total of six sweaters/jackets and six tops, how many outfits do I have? Any guesses? Well, I could come up with not six, not 12, but a total of 36 outfits. Instead of buying a number of unique pieces, sometimes the best way to dress is simply by getting creative and layering things you already have.

I just counted; I have a grand total of 24 sweaters and jackets. Obviously, my closet is a testament to my obsession for layering, but the best part about my wardrobe is that I still wear “new” outfits often, and I have not gone shopping in quite a while (well, excluding the recent outing after talking with my roommate).

For example, I have this gorgeous blue sweater that I have worn with a lacey white top and gold necklace, a gray top and a simple blue necklace, an off-white top and a patterned scarf, a black and white polka-dotted top, etc. My point is simply this: if you take the time to get just a little creative, the possibilities are endless.

Katelyn Larson is a freelance writer/editor, completing a degree in Business Management and English at Corban University. She has edited numerous devotionals for a small business in Portland, Ore., and is currently editing a book for the dean of Corban University’s business department.

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the the recap Recap

Elusive India

By Donna Lee Schillinger

W

hen you think of India (if you ever think of India), probably a short list of icons pops up in your mental window: Gandhi, yoga and curry. If you’ve been curious about India in the past, you might also have Bollywood, saris and henna among your icons. Beyond these favorites, however, Americans generally know very little about India, or any other country for that matter. (If you think that’s a harsh criticism, how many states does Mexico have?

Canada? See what I mean?) Most of what we do know about India has been packaged by Hollywood, which means we’re way off base.

To Hollywood’s credit, there is one obligatory scene in every movie where a westerner visits

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India that is true to reality. The westerner has just arrived and is being transported to his hotel in a taxi or rickshaw. The streets are frenzied with cows, goats, chaotic traffic, children begging at the window, people carrying all sorts of things through the streets. Yes, that’s truly India. (And the noise, but no movie can adequately convey the street noise.) Once past this initiation, the westerner goes on to find some mystic fulfillment in a guru, yoga, meditation or just ancient horse sense of the beautiful people of India.

Having just spent three weeks in India, I can see how the misconceptions have come about. We took thousands of pictures—about

90 percent of them were of the beautiful and exotic of India, which accurately represented about 10 percent of India. We were probably typical of most visitors to India. Who wants to see pictures of garbage in the street or mangled electric lines when you can photograph the Taj Mahal? Probably just this innocently, Americans have shaped an idea of an exotic, beautiful land full of old souls.

The reality of India is quite different. In fact, India is so diverse, it’s hard to even describe it in general terms. They do have a national dress: the saree, salwar kameez, and for the men, the sherwani, but in each state, and sometimes within states, food, language, entertainment and more varies. It’s not like the differences between Texas and New York, for instance, which slighty differ in foods, accents and mannerisms. Nonetheless, in both places, the day starts with Katie Couric and ends with Jay Leno. Transplant a Texan to New York and he can immediately communicate and relate to a shared body of literature, movies, music and sports. Not so in India. One Indian friend told us that if he travels 100 kilometers from his home, he has to drink bottled water because even the microorganisms have changed, and the water in the new location will make him sick. It’s just that different throughout India. There are 30 languages spoken by more than a million people in India, and even though the official languages are Hindi and English, many of India’s peoples don’t speak or read either.

In the context of this diversity, it’s easy to see how 80

percent of Indian people could be comfortable with Hinduism, a religion that has more than 300 million deities—so many that it is literally impossible to know all the gods. Think for a minute about how many people you know, or could even name without knowing them— characters from history, pop culture, fiction books. If you sat down to write as many as you could think of, you would probably top off at about 15,000. The New York Times reported one method of calculating that the average person knows about 600 people. My daughter has twice that many friends just on Facebook.

Multiply that by 100 and it’s still way, way shy of knowing 300 million. There’s no commandment in Hinduism to know all the gods, but when you consider that each of them has a particular domain, it seems a bit disconcerting not to know them all. Most Hindus know the biggies, and do their duty in worship to please those gods.

But what about all the minor gods they are neglecting—the ones whose names they don’t even know?

This Christian is glad to have one God who demands my whole-hearted devotion of mind,

the recap Gods and Gurus Patchwork of secular and sacred in a small sweatshop in the slums of Mumbai, decorated with images of Hindu gods and popular gurus.

soul and body to Him. It’s that simple. And He is quite easy to get to know—to the extent He wants to be known—through the Word he inspired: The Bible.

After observing the multiplicity of ways that Indians work each day to please all the gods they do know, I have a new appreciation for the simplicity of serving the one true God in spirit and in truth. Humans have an innate desire to

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know God, and a natural tendency to complicate the relationship. I think no other religion complicates worship to the extreme that Hinduism takes it. Hindus have a desperate hunger to know the one true God—it’s as plain as the third eye on their face.* It’s also way more than God asks of us. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). It really is as simple as that.

But if that’s not enough for you to live by, Jesus provided another short list: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind …

Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I went to India with great curiosity about the wisdom of an ancient culture. What I found was not one culture, but very many, with many religions too, for that matter. I saw pictures of gurus everywhere, but I found evidence of their wisdom, and reverence for the principle of karma, quite lacking in a society that is riddled with social issues as diverse as female gendercide, systemic

discrimination and plain old greed. In 21 days in India, I didn’t see anyone doing yoga or meditating, and most people I asked said those practices are old fashioned. Finally on day 22, on the way to the airport, I saw two people meditating in the median between four lanes of traffic. Was this the India I was looking for?

That elusive India with incense-laden mediation after morning yoga and a relaxing ayurvedic massage may not exist anymore (if it ever did), but an India full of searching souls is very real. Join me in prayer that Lost India will find the one true God and grasp the simplicity of worshipping Him. *The red dot in the middle of the Hindu’s forehead, called a bindi, is, among other things, a symbol of the invisible eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.

Donna Lee Schillinger founded On My Own Now Ministries to encourage faith, wise life choices and Christ-likeness in young adults.

On My Own Now publishes the free, monthly online magazines, Single! Young Christian Woman and Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man.

Photos by Gwendolyn Anderson Copyright

2013 Cracked Lens Photography.

One Billion Souls S

P I R I T U A L

H

U N G E R

I N

I

N D I A

A Photojournal by Gwendolyn Anderson and Donna Lee Schillinger

Look for the 2014 release of One Billion Souls: Spiritual Hunger in India, a photojournal

by Gwendolyn Anderson and Donna Lee Schillinger. Proceeds of the project directly benefit Christian evangelism efforts in India.

Learn more at www.OnMyOwnNow.com.

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Can I Get an AMEN

By Jason Moore

Just Because You’re

Offended A

Doesn’t Mean You’re Right

recent television commercial was met with outrage. The commercial shows a mother explaining how important it is to get a good price on the name brand clothes that her son wants to wear. Next, we see the young man eating lunch with friends at school as the mother’s voiceover continues, “I hear these clothes can make or break

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your year.” Poof! His friends disappear.

It’s clear from the mother’s voice that she was quoting something her son had said to manipulate her. Drama erupted days after this commercial hit the air. The company was accused of promoting bullying. People claimed that the company was endorsing the idea that kids should be alienated for not

having the right apparel. I used to twist my offended by what you say, but just because parents’ arms in a similar way. I told them you’re offended, that doesn’t make you that if I didn’t get the shoes, pants or shirt right.” As an entertainer, Gervais takes the that I desired, I would be mocked openly by risk of offending people to get laughs and the entire school. It was dramatic stuff, and tell a story. As an outspoken atheist, he takes sometimes it even worked. As the father of the risk of offending people to get his point three small girls, I hate that anyone might across. Gervais says some offensive things, be shunned because of what they are or but his words regarding being offended aren’t wearing. My kids wear quite a few and being right are absolutely correct. Just hand-me-downs, like I did when I was a kid. because we are offended doesn’t mean I certainly hope that doesn’t expose them we are right. We need to fight through to bullying. I hate the idea of any kid being the offense and have real dialogue about bullied for any reason. The Bible teaches our issues. But it seems there is a new that all people are controversy every created in the image week. Someone is of God and should always offended about When we talk about the be treated with something and the things of God, we should be dignity as a result. political correctness When I first saw movement has created able to talk honestly about this commercial, I a marketplace in didn’t view it as a which it is often what's right without having concerted effort to assumed that the to worry that, if someone promote bullying. I offended party is saw it as an attempt right. Even when is offended by the truth, it by a clothing those offended are retailer to sell pants. not right, protesters invalidates what we just said.

I didn’t expect can cause the offender such an uproar to back down. This concerning it, but happens locally and once it happened, I knew what to expect on the national stage. This atmosphere next. Predictably, the retailer promptly makes it difficult to say things that might be pulled the ad and issued an apology. Public deemed unpopular or offensive. It makes opinion actually seemed to be on their side, it difficult for the church to find its voice. but the customer is always right. In the Some take great pride in being offensive. marketplace, some loud complaints and a But there are others who welcome dialogue. little bit of controversy is enough to force Many churches desire to be a safe place change. It’s not so important to determine where people can talk humbly and openly whether or not this commercial was about difficult things. In a politically offensive, but it does serve to illustrate how correct marketplace, it can be hard to enter easy it is to offend in our current market and dialogue without the fear of being offensive how the offended party can quickly force the or offended. offender to change.

When we talk about the things of God, As actor and comedian Ricky Gervais puts we should be able to talk honestly about it, “Some people are always going to be what’s right without having to worry that, if

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Can I Get an AMEN someone is offended by the truth, it invalidates what we just said. We shouldn’t be constantly faced with the threat of being hijacked by the assumption that someone is right just because they were offended.

Otherwise, the truth of God may be stifled.

In reality, the basic message of the Bible is offensive to us all in one way or another.

This is easily demonstrated by one of the most well-known passages in the Bible: John 3:16. Jesus presents the beautiful message of a loving God Who wants to save people. If we take it one phrase at a time, it seems harmless enough. “For God so loved the world”...good... “that he gave his only son”...good... “that whoever believes in him would not perish”...good... “but have everlasting life”...good. Taken one piece at a time, this verse seems agreeable and not at all offensive. It’s much like the episode of Friends where Rachel accidently combines the ingredients of a trifle and a shepherd’s pie. She ends up with a dessert that includes peas, onions and beef. Eaten all together, the flavor is offensive. Everyone hates it except Joey. Ross looks at Joey and quietly declares, “It tastes like feet.” Joey responds, “What’s not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good.” Only Joey can appreciate the good in each separate ingredient. When we take all of Jesus’ words and put them in context, they become offensive. Why did God give us His only son? He was to serve as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus assumes that all human beings are sinners and need to pay for their sin.

That’s offensive! Not only are we described as sinners, but we are also so completely messed up that we can’t even save ourselves. We need someone else to do it. All the hard work and self-help books in the world can’t help us to be good enough before God. We can’t be more offended than that. Jesus assumes that all people not only die physically, but will also perish eternally. When we die we will either receive eternal life because of our

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belief in Christ or face the judgment of God. If we weren’t offended before, we certainly are now! The core of the gospel can be truly offensive to those who will not accept it.

What should be a glorious story of a God Who loves us enough to save us is perceived as offensive by millions of people who refuse to believe it. What we believe about God is so important. Rather than assuming we are right because we are offended, we need to pursue what is right even though we may be offended. The offended may simply need to lighten up. The offender may need to be more sensitive. Either way, we need safe places to enter into honest dialogue. By laying aside sensitive attitudes that are easily offended and by seasoning our words with grace and understanding, we can help create avenues of honest talk about the things of God. Jason Moore is a church-planting pastor with the Presbyterian Church in America. More than that, he is a child of God saved by His amazing grace. It is his hope that, come what may, God will use his life to display the love of God and make His goodness known.