Category Archives: Christianity

GCB: Don’t Laugh with the Other Side?


(This is basically the same as my vlog;)
I admit it. Not only have I been watching GCB over on ABC, I have really been liking it. I wasn’t sure I was going to watch it because I know what it stands for and was afraid it was just going to be Christian bashing. I watched pilot on Hulu the day after it came out but during the pilot I had a twitter conversation with the fabulous @GraceDuffy, while she was watching it live. I said that I was afraid to watch it because I thought I would both find it funny and be offended. She said I would;). Well, I found it funny and was just a little offended.

So what am I yammering about?

This last weekend I was at a women’s retreat with my church and a few of us were chattering as we were prepping things for the next morning. I don’t even remember what brought it up but I made comment about feeling old but yet still oddly relevant. I mentioned that on the previous week’s GCB (where they put on the musical) that the final song was DC Talk’s Jesus is All Right With Me and how that came out when I was in high school (and had front row tickets to the concert).

All of a sudden I hear, “Jackie, don’t tell me you watch that show!” I was thrown off there for a second and responded that I didn’t understand why not. Yes, I know what GCB stands for but it is actually about a specific group of girls and not just bashing Christians. I also said that it is so funny because we all know those people and well, it is funny. I mean I heard as a child it being that boobs make your cross hang straight. In real life!!! Now granted I have theological issues with their pastor but I am not attending his church (and I will probably write and complain about them in another post;).

You know the reason I was given as to why I shouldn’t watch it? Well, then non-Christians will think we are all like that and something about it then being ok to ridicule and dismiss us. And really struck a cord with me but maybe not to the same effect this person meant.

Do we think that if we don’t watch this non-Christian show and we don’t laugh with them they won’t know these people really do exist. I think it is actually our inability to laugh with people outside our faith about characters like these that makes people outside the church assume we are actually these characters.  I mean talk about taking ourselves to seriously! I think that it is seeing a real Christian in the face of farcical Christians that illustrate true Christian character.

And make no mistake, Christians laugh at themselves and others in the church. Churches hire comedians that make fun of not only the characters but things we actually do. Why is that ok? Is it ok to laugh as long as the other side doesn’t see you? If that is the case, I think it is a silly rule.  I laugh and I will probably laugh no matter who is laughing with me….As for that making fun of ourselves. Watch the video. Tim Hawkins even makes fun of ways people pray. It is hilarious;).

(And some time I will tell you how Ned Flanders was the best Christian on TV for a decade, until he started sleeping around;)

In All Things Love

My heart is fluttering as I post this. Not because I don’t believe what I said but because this is me, uncensored. And I don’t know how these bold statements will be received by those closest to me but I believe it is true. I am always told at blogging conferences that I should be more of me on my blogs;).

We as Christians have a right to our beliefs but we are commanded to love. After I recorded this I went and cried to last week’s Glee. Love people…

Oh and the last considerate is actually supposed to be consistent;). I was a little flustered.

Western Civilization & Christianity?

NerdDad sent me the quote today and I found it very interesting.

Last Sunday, more Roman Catholics attended church in the Philippines than in any single country in Europe. More Anglicans attended church in each of Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda than did Anglicans in Britain and Canada and Episcopalians in the U.S. combined. And in Europe the church with the largest attendance last Sunday was Kiev, and it is a church of Nigerian Pentecostals.

That was found in a very interesting article over at First Thoughts. I know people who go to the Philippines every year for a mission work. I just think that maybe it is the Philippines’ and Africa’s turn to come convert us;).

Theology Thursday: Cinderella in Christ?

I was watching Faerie Tale Theatre with the NerdPie last week and it was a major throwback to my own childhood. I remember being just a girl and watching wide eyed as Jennifer Beals and Matthew Broderick dance around the floor in Cinderella. It reminded me also of my misconceptions of what my Christian life might be.

Apparently many people hold the misconception that accepting Christ means that your life won’t have any problems or worries. But that wasn’t my problem. For some reason I never held that theory because I can’t remember a time in which I wasn’t familiar with “into every life a little rain must fall”. I knew that just because life was hard and people were jerks to you didn’t effect God’s love and grace for you and vice versa. Maybe it was because I had a less than idyllic childhood…. But I did have different kind of fairy tale picture for life.
When I read about those who faced trials and tribulations in the Bible they all seemed to have this odd kind of peace. Not seeing anyone who had peace in real life I went to fairy tales for my picture of what that would look like in “real life”. I thought my life would be more like Cinderella’s, and I mean the Disney version. While people may still treat you horribly and not love you for reason beyond your control, you would have a song in your heart. You know, the woodland animals and sweetly singing birds would come in and help you do your work. While you may be slaving away it wouldn’t be hard, it wouldn’t be lonely, it would be serene. You wouldn’t care that no one ever said any thing nice because you had a song in your heart.
As someone whose childhood was fairly isolated, lonely and sucked for huge portions… life didn’t quite go that way. We never see Cinderella really cry. We just figure that it doesn’t hurt. All because of that song in her heart. The one I didn’t get. Or so I think at first…. As I started thinking about this subject and how naive I was I remembered the music, the hope….
I didn’t have a lot of tapes but I had some Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, DC Talk and KDUV started when I was in high school. That helped give me that song in my heart. A song that helped me focus on something other than the fact I was pulled out of bed to finish the dishes or to get the bits of hair I didn’t clean off of the linoleum. A song that reminded me that I was loved unconditionally by the God of the Universe no matter how isolated I was from those who I wanted so desperately to not only love me, but love me in spite of my flaws. A song that told me that even though I didn’t have 1 friend who REALLY knew me, my hurts or my life, God knew and cried with me. A song that reminded me that God would give me a happily ever after, and I am not talking about the one I have with NerdDad (though it is pretty good) but the one that is to come.
So maybe, just maybe my misconceptions weren’t so wrong after all…. A life with Christ is a little like being Cinderella. But while we have this life on earth we get to dance with Him at various balls and someday He will come with a glass slipper to claim His bride.
(** This is a reprint of a piece I wrote in the beginning of last year. I am republishing it for this week’s Theology Thursday.)

Parody Joy

Ok, we can’t deny that Lady Gaga is super catchy and the kids would love it. But I don’t love the lyrics. So when I was looking at Hanukkah videos I saw numerous Jewish Lady Gaga parodies and we here at the NerdFamily have been watching a ton of them. And we love them!!! Who knew Hebrew and Yiddish would lend itself so well;).

These parodies have led to both interesting and hilarious results. Interesting because it has given me plenty of things to explain to the kiddos. Not only what is referenced in the videos on that face of it but why we keep and agree with some of those things and not others. The hilarity comes when you see your 7 and 3 year old girls singing about not seeing someone because they are engaged;). I rolled!

Theology Thursday: Why Celebrate Hanukah

Ok, why should we celebrate Hanukah? We have Advent, Christmas and New Years coming up. Do we really need another holiday?

I won’t start with the whole Jesus is Jewish so we should keep Jewish holiday bit (I will save that for another time). And yes, I am clear that it isn’t even in the Bible.

But… there is always a but.

Why wouldn’t you, or any God believing person, not celebrate Hanukah? The primary purpose of Hanukah is to celebrate God’s faithfulness and goodness. And who among us doesn’t need to be a little more conscious and grateful?

Hanukah is celebrating the end of a rough period in Israel that falls between the Testaments of the Bible. The evil Antiochus Epiphanies had come to Jerusalem, ruled harshly and desecrated the temple (yes, this is the abridged version;). A band of Jews led by Judas Macabee ( the Hammer;) defeated the evil does and retook the temple! But there was a problem! Within the temple there was a lampstand that was to burn 24/7 and there was only enough oil to last 1 more day. It was going to take 7 days to get more. Alas, a miracle occurred and the oil burned for 8 days and nights. God performed a miracle!

So why wouldn’t one celebrate Hanukah? We celebrate God’s goodness and miracles for those who are faithful to Him! And who doesn’t love a holiday where where you eat fried foods such as latkes and donuts to celebrate the miracle of the oil?

Happy Hanukah!

The “Hallelujah” I Needed

I love a good flash mob. I just do. I find them cute and entertaining. Who thought that is how God was going to minister to my soul? I have been having a hard day (those who follow my Twitter are probably sick of hearing about everything). This was shared by Lee and Sherri on Facebook so I thought I would check it out. Anything to brighten my mood a bit.

I love this piece because it is a true song of worship. “Our Lord God omnipotent reignth, Hallelujah!”. Is there anything else I really need to know or hold to right now? I don’t think so.

Check it out, it probably won’t make anyone cry but it was a good cry;).