"Don't lose Jesus in the bathwater."

Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

First of all I have to get something off my chest. Our Cinco de Mayo bread was a hot mess. Not the message, nor the content, I had written the bread when Esmeralda suggested that I translate it into Spanish for the holiday. I thought that was a wonderful idea, so I did. Then I promptly deleted the original bread that was in English. Once I deleted the English version I realized that the message would be lost if the reader could not translate the message into English (I know I have a translate button in my blogsite, I never trust those things). So I went to Google translate, and well you have seen the rest. I hope the message came through the "Hotness".

There, done with that nonsense.

My good friend Frederick (Frederick the great as he is commonly known, unless you went to college with him and know him as "Siete cajas de cerveza Coors" for reason unbeknown to me), sent me a message after reading the "May the 4th be with you" conversation we had together. 

If we all remember correctly, the message was on Grace, and where do you get your "force (4th) from, your strength, identity if you will. Is it you doing good things, or Christ in you? After reading all that he came away with: 

Patience is a virtue

Virtue is Grace

Grace is a little girl who wouldn't wash her face 

It is good to know that I am making such a positive impact on my readers. I can only imagine the conversations  Frederick (Frederick the great as he is commonly known, unless you went to college with him and know him as "Siete cajas de cerveza Coors" for reason unbeknown to me) will have after he reads this!!!

Still ruminating on my mess up with the Cinco de Mayo blog.

I woke up this morning, turned on the news (Probably not the best way to start one's day) and the news lady (Is that correct, or do I say person, persons, multi-dimensional being/beings? I can never tell anymore, and what ever I say ends up wrong, if not today, 30-years from now). And she (I am going with she. She looked like a she) said that now today is May the Sith Day. It is no longer Cinco de Mayo, but "May the Sith be with you day." Why couldn't we just keep Cinco de Mayo and have May 6th be May the Sith be with you? May 6th and Sith seems more closely related than May 5th and Sith unless one has a lisp. 

Once again, adventures in missing the point.

Speaking of missing the point, it seems that between my "Cinco de Mayo" blog and  Frederick (Frederick the great as he is commonly known, unless you went to college with him and know him as "Siete cajas de cerveza" Coors for reason unbeknown to me) response to the "May the 4th be with you" blog we have missing the point pretty well covered, just say-in.

Why is it that we spend so much time and energy taking something that is meant for one thing and attempt to change it into something completely different? Why can't we just see that one thing for what it is and celebrate that, or work with-in it's framework. Frankly, if that "something" isn't something we agree with, well than go to the work of making our own "something" and not spend time trying to change someone else's something so we feel better. 

That is exactly what George Williams (The founder of the YMCA) did back in 1844. He saw something he did not like, but instead of insisting that "they" change there stuff, he started to provide a new "something" and that is how the YMCA started. And that new something was working with young men to see the world they lived in differently along with how they interacted with-in it. Where did George get this radical idea? Well he got it from modeling what Jesus did. 

Cinco de Mayo was a good object lesson. 

I have been thinking about this, how can I work with a mentality of positivity instead of a mentality of negativity and see things for what they are, not try to change them but be comfortable with-in them and work on being even more inclusive and loving. To complain less about the way things are, and create new ways for all humans (the YMCA has grown from just young men to all people) to see the world and interact with-in it. Once again not a radical new idea, no, just a radical old idea. An idea that Jesus modeled some 2,000 years ago. You have heard the term, "Don't lose the baby in the bathwater,"  I like to say, "Don't lose Jesus in the bathwater." Simply meaning that we should be careful not to lose Christ in the murkiness of the dirty water that pervades our life and society. To Christ with-in the mudpuddles of life and continue to be His hands and feet.

God has been nudging me again. He is a pesky God after all, never giving up on me nor forgetting me. It is as if He loves me or something.

How has God been nudging you ?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,Roger