My view on Chic-Fil-A

I don't watch the news because we have small kids in the house and, let's face it, the news is not very uplifting for small ears. That being said, when I heard about the recent Chic-Fil-A controversy and how it has the media in an uproar, I didn't really see what the fuss was all about. Chic-Fil-A was founded in 1946 on the same Christian beliefs that is has today. So, why is everyone so surprised? They've stood by those beliefs for 66 years. Why do you think they will change their minds now because someone got offended? You know what, I get offended quite often. I'm sure you do too. We all have different beliefs and we all live our lives the way we "choose" to live them.

As most of you know, I'm a Follower of Christ. I believe in God. I believe in the Bible. I believe in the entire Bible, and not just the parts of it that make life easier. I believe that sin is sin no matter how you want to rate it. I believe that a man should marry a woman. I believe that we should not kill. I believe that we should not cheat. I believe that we should not steal. I also believe in unconditional love. Although I may not agree with your actions, your beliefs, your lifestyle, I will still show you love because that is what I'm called to do as a Follower of Christ. I will be there for you when you need me, and I will do my best to help you through this journey called life. We may not agree, but we can still show love ... and that my friends, is what I believe in.

Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." - No matter how easy or how hard that journey will be!

Come Down To The River

Since I've been working full time, I haven't had much time (or energy) to write lately. I'm not even sure who I'm writing this particular blog for, but I feel like there is a need for me to write it. So, whoever this is meant for, I hope that you enjoy it and you know that God truly loves you.

I enjoy music and how a good song can really speak to me. The song 'Lay 'Em Down' by Needtobreathe has been around for a few years, and it has a great message. This is a song that I believe anyone can relate to. This song is a good reminder that no matter where you are in life, that God is there to meet you right where you are. He doesn't care if you make a ton of money or are barely getting by. He doesn't care if you are married or single. He doesn't care where you live, where you work, or what kind of car that you drive. But ... He does love you. He does care for you. He is always there waiting to strike up a conversation with you. So, whether you have a strong relationship with God, or you're questioning his existence, or you don't know him at all ... this song is for you. He is for you.

Here is a link to the song with lyrics if you would like to hear it performed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bf9XY0nRcw

Here are the lyrics if you would just like to read them and find yourself in there somewhere:

Come down to the river
Come and let yourself in
Make good on a promise
To never hurt again
If you're lost and lonely
You're Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down

All you sinners
And the weak at heart
All you helpless
On the boulevards
Wherever you are now
Whatever evil you've found
Bring all of your troubles
And come lay 'em down

We're all tied to the same old failing
Finding shelter in things we know
We're all dirty like corrupted small towns
We'll bring our troubles
We'll bring our troubles
Lay 'em down

All you rich men
And the high above
All of those with and without love
All you burdened broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down

Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

"Don't Be THAT Guy"

If you live in the Tulsa area and you have to drive on the BA Expressway every day to/from work, then you know exactly how the people feel in this photo. That's me, the girl in the back ... after I've sat there for 10 minutes and only moved two car lengths while watching other cars fly by me just to squeeze in line at the front ... therefore, causing me to sit there for 10 minutes and only move two car lengths. I've taken 5 different routes to work and 3 different routes home. I've come to the conclusion that there is no faster way because you either sit in bumper to bumper traffic or you take the small roads with everyone else trying to avoid the BA. My 20 minute commute now takes 45-60 minutes. It's very frustrating.

So, as I sit in bumper to bumper traffic (because I abide by the traffic laws and merge when I'm told to merge) my anger slowly rises with each car that flies by to squeeze in at the front because their time is obviously much more valuable than mine. So, I try to use this time to think about life, pray, be thankful for what I have, but my eyes always look back over to the cars flying by and I get more and more angry.

So, what will I do about it? I will become THAT guy. Just once. I did it. This morning. I flew by everyone waiting. I felt the stares, the anger, the jealousy. What? Jealousy? Yes, you know that sometimes you want to be THAT guy. You want to fly by everyone, squeeze in at the front, and get to your destination with minimal delay. So I did it.

What lessons did I learn:

• It worked.
• I squeezed in effortlessly in front of a truck pulling a trailer.
• I had no delay. No bumper to bumper traffic.
• No anger.
• I easily shaved 15-20 minutes off of my commute time.
• I got to work on time.

That was not the lesson I thought I would learn. Maybe it was just a fluke or maybe God knew that I needed just one easy commute to work or maybe the amount of cars were down because people took off work for the holiday. Either way, that was too easy.

So, now what? Do I wait in line or fly by and squeeze in. We'll see...