Fed up on Facebook? My manifesto...so to speak.

I shared this on my Facebook page this summer and I decided to share it here too. It's just all about me. Wanna know me? This is me. I won't edit it for now, I'll post it as is. Enjoy. Comment. I'd love to hear from you.

OK, don't say I didn't warn you. This is Facebook, not FaithFreeBook. This odd little place where you and I meet is an interesting experiment. It's a place where some people share every thought that passes through their mind, and some people just watch. Some people share their faith and politics. Some people complain about people sharing their faith and politics. I love all of it. If I either sent

 you a friend request or accepted yours it's because you are someone I care about and I care to know you better. These things help me know you. However, if you will give me your ear for a few minutes, I'd like to share a few thoughts with you. Then you can do with me as you wish. I assure you this is in no way personal nor aimed at any one person.

I love Jesus. I believe He is the Son of God. I believe he died on the cross for my sin. I believe in eternal life. I am a passionate, sold out, freak for Jesus. I gave my life to Him when I was young and that has never changed. My life is dedicated to His service. I had the privilege to grow up in a church and have a family that taught me to think for myself and to search things out for myself. "Test all things," if you will. I have done that. I am not a sheep. I do not blindly follow any man. If you know me at all, you know my stubborn nature would simply not allow me to blindly follow any man. I care for you. I believe in heaven and I want you there. YOU SHOULD BE OFFENDED IF I AM NOT SHARING MY FAITH WITH YOU, NOT THAT I AM. My decisions and passions are informed by my understanding of Scripture. I wake up and attempt every day to put on the full armor of God and to grow in the grace and the knowledge of God's Word. That said, I love you. I do not hate you. I don't hate anyone. Not even those who hate me. My Jesus tells me to love them too, so I do and I promise you it's brought more rewards than punishment. It isn't easy though. However, I assure you I can also flip over the tables if need be. If you only think Jesus exists only to love and tolerate all things, we don't know the same Jesus. However, I'd love to converse about it with you.

That said, there are THINGS I can not approve of. But make no mistake, while I may not approve of people's actions or the actions of a business or institution, I love you. Period. My heart is hurt however by all of the divisiveness I see. Politics and religion divide. I understand it, I just wish it weren't so. If you've known me 10 minutes in real life, you know I am passionate about both. Many of you are on the other side of the spectrum from me. I appreciate that most of you are very respectful and we have great conversations. Knowing we differ doesn't offend me, it may make me sad, but it doesn't offend me. If you accuse me of being hateful, THAT offends me. I hate things (not people) I believe to be sinful. That starts with my own, though I promise you I'm working on it. You can love me and hate my sin. My Mama has managed to do it for years, as have many of you. I feel the same way about "you."

If you differ politically, I don't hate you simply because I disagree. I am passionate about what I do believe, and you are free to do the same. It helps me know you. Our founding Fathers gave us the right to speak freely and that includes ALL of us, not just people who share your opinions.

So please stop yelling at me (or on your feed) when you disagree. Please stop thinking Christians are hateful because we are not approving of things we can not believe are OK- you'd think us hypocrites if we didn't stand for our beliefs, and rightfully so. Also, please know that some things are not both faith and politics. (I'm a HUGE 2nd amendment proponent and it does not negate my faith one bit.) If you think something is not OK, feel free to exercise your first amendment rights. I will read it and give it thought. I won't hate you. Please know however, that if you are mean I will hide you, if you slander my Jesus, I will hide you. I still won't hate you. Feel free to respectfully disagree with me, but don't expect to change my mind. I'm too old and (honestly) too well read and educated in my faith to be argued into a different life, but I really do respect that you care enough about me to try. If you are of a different faith, I expect you to talk about it too. It doesn't offend me. You go ahead. You comment on my Jesus posts about your beliefs and we'll have a great respectful conversation. I'm going to keep on being my sassy self (and YES!!I"m going to keep on preaching about Christians and lady porn and anything else I feel necessary.)

OK, now feel free to either hide me, or if you must, unfriend me. But before you do, copy down my phone number and email address (I've changed it from my Facebook one to my real one just for you.) We don't have to meet here. You may free yourself from knowing one more thing about me, my family, my dogs, my politics or my religion. But if you ever miss me, even just a little...pick up the phone and call. I will probably want to talk to you about my Jesus, but I will try to let you get a word in edgewise.

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 This is why I care.

Dear Former English Teachers, please excuse my stream-of-consciousness writing, bad grammar and anything else that needs excusing. You did teach me better, I just got in a hurry...as usual. :-)

19 Shades of Not So Magic Men... Part I

Well hello! It's been a while. This is a topic I've wanted to personally address for a while, but quite frankly, I had to calm down first. You see there is a phenomenon that has overtaken women this summer so I've dubbed this summer "The Summer of Lady Porn." "50 Shades of Grey" and "Magic Mike" have women shamelessly all atwitter. "Not Christian women," you say. YES, CHRISTIAN WOMEN! I just don't understand it at all. In the words of a dear pastor friend of mine, "This is the summer women lost the moral high ground." If men were flocking to these things you would see us women having Texas sized hissy fits all over the news because, we would not be having it. Husbands would be burned in effigy and any woman prettier than us would be the subject of creative vandalism. We are fully aware that what goes into your brain through your eyes can be just as sinful and as damaging as what your body does. I don't know any woman, Christian or not who is OK with her man perusing, reading, watching or making pornography of any kind. No matter our faith, we know we can't measure up to a fake perfect image.
I don't know any "Magic Men" but I know a lot of good and godly men who are not magic at all and I think that's much better. So I thought maybe a good way to address this is to tell you that there are still good men out there. They exist. You don't have to imagine them. I know so many of them I can't count them. So I'm going to introduce you to just a few. They are all godly men. Everyone. These are men who understand God's call to be men of honor. Good faithful men. They walk in integrity, they honor their marriage vows and love their wives like Christ loves the Church. They stand firm in the faith. They are strong. Some are young men keeping their way pure by guarding their hearts and storing up God's Word in it so they won't sin against Him. I'll tell you a small bit about what makes each one a "good man" other than his godliness, which they all share. These men are not to be the objects of lust. These are real men. Doing what real men do. Not fake, impossibly perfect men. Those would get boring in a hurry. I'll take real any day. (Some are not still living here among us, but helped shape me and were good men whose name is still good today.) Here is "19 Shades Of Not So Magic Men."

This is John. He's married to my girlfriend Pam. I've known him most of my life. John works in a high pressure big important job but his heart is in the country with his family. Every day he makes a nasty commute to provide for his family so they can live their simple life of tractors, sweet tea, front porches and fresh-from-the-garden vegetables. A simple life loving man who will still race with the rats is a good man.

This is Greg. He's married to my girlfriend Lisa. He and John have a lot in common. Greg is also a country boy who loves a simple life. Greg loves his wife so much that when he speaks of her there is an unmistakable giddiness in his voice and his smile is bigger than his face. He also has two adopted boys that he is raising to be godly men and a daughter he's raising much like my daddy raised me...in the woods with a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other. A man who can't stop grinning about his wife, dotes on his little girl and will take in someone else's children and make them family (like our Heavenly Father has done for us) is a good man.

This is Frank. Frank is a devoted family man. This man was so excited when he first heard there was going to be a baby girl in the family that his heart was wrecked before he ever met her. God loves his attitude so much that he blessed him with a girl twice! Frank gets to be married to my girlfriend Kristin. I think that's how he would say it. He is proud of his woman! When she is the subject of conversation, you can tell that he is just gobsmacked that he gets to be married to her. I think he feels like he won some sort of wife lottery. A man who is wrecked over a baby that isn't even born yet and is gobsmacked over his wife is a good man.

This is Alex. Alex is married to my precious and unforgettable girlfriend Laura. Alex serves as a missionary with the Miskito Indians in Honduras. He is a man to whom God said "take your family and go" and he said "will do." He loves his family and has a special heart for orphans and the fatherless. He puts his shoes to the road and lives out that calling every day. He has 4 children, a mixture of natural and adopted. Doesn't matter which is which because he's Daddy to them all and NOW there is a new precious baby girl to love too. A man who will devote his life to His call and still keep a tender heart for "the least of these" is a good man.

This is Jimmy, or Jim to his friends. He's a cousin and is married to Karen. They call each other "Pal" and have two boys they call "The Wonder Boys." Jim is a successful composer who lives in Hollywood yet still manages to live out his faith every day. Not only does he stand for Christ in Hollywood, he teaches classes and has written a book to help others share their faith. A man who is a "pal" to his wife, recognized the "wonder" in his boys and gets that making disciples is the Great Commission is a good man....who makes great music.

This is my Uncle Don. He's just a straight out good old God loving country boy. Need a hand, he'll lend you both of his. He is a craftsman and a loving husband, father and grandfather, and he's one of the men I love to call family. He is my Daddy's brother and he is super funny. I bet we got our sense of humor from the same place. His grand kids call him "Dino." Who doesn't love that? He's married to my Aunt Mary who is, as far as I know, the perfect woman and a super great aunt!

This is Clay. He's married to my girlfriend Collette. Clay has 4 children and several beagles. He says he's not a "kid person," but you just hurt one of his and you'll see that he loves his kids ferociously. Clay loves Disney only slightly less than he loves Collette. He knows that he hit the jackpot when he landed his woman. This man is always ready to lend a hand, to pitch in or lend an ear. He's a good friend, husband and father. He is always pursuing knowledge in an attempt to understand God's Word as well as he possibly can. A Disney, beagle and family loving man who is a good friend as well as all those other things is a good man.

This is Usarian. He's married to my girlfriend Kristine. They have five boys. This man recently spent six or seven days with all of his boys by himself so his wife could go "home" to a wedding. Then just yesterday he searched high and low to find a restaurant that served his wife's favorite soup so he could bring some home to her. He has several reasons to complain, yet I never hear him do so. A man who will take his vacation and spend uninterrupted time with his own FIVE BOYS and then search out secret soup just for his wife is a good man.

This is Chip. Do you see that smile on his face? It's because he gets to be married to my best friend Laura. They have four children (mostly now adults,) who are all dedicated to serving others. He works harder and longer than your average bear. He has always been on Laura's side, no matter what the other side was. I have seen this man get his own behind up off of the comfortable couch just to get her a drink or warm up her coffee. This man is completely unaware that there are other women on this planet because he simply can't see them. A man who only has eyes for you, is on your side, helps you raise servant hearted adults AND will fetch a drink for you because you're thirsty is a good man.

This is Marcus. This man is married to my girlfriend Tricia and he is near and dear to my own heart. This man saw potential in my child when he was just a quiet and painfully shy 7th grader. He mentored him and taught him guitar, which changed his life. He gave my boy an outlet for his godly passion and a way to serve Jesus. As you can tell he's an amazing youth minister but he is also a devoted father to a precious boy that I love almost as much as my own. He works harder than any man I know and I'm not sure he sits down. He is super busy yet is never to busy to be a good friend to me. He has spent his summer hauling kids all over several states for camp at the expense of his family time. A man who will invest in your children and haul them all over the world for you and still be a great husband and father is a good man. That's only the first half. Stick around for the second half. Some of my favorites will be there. Please leave me a comment telling me about a "not so magic man" that you know and what makes him a good man.

19 Shades of Not So Magic Men, Part II

This is Buddy. He's a cousin married to Teri. He's Dad to three beautiful, smart and charming girls. He spent years in law enforcement keeping us all safe, though I did hear that back in the day (before Teri) he would pull over pretty girls because they were pretty. This man has also walked through his own personal hell and while it was touch and go for a while, has come out on the other side with his sense of humor intact. He's a great coach and someone I really like a lot. He picks on me so I know he likes me. A man who will serve and protect, deal with great pain and emerge on top is a good man.

This is Zachery. He's one of those godly, servant hearted kids raised by Chip. Right now, he's serving in the Marines. We sleep safe at night because of good "men" like Zachery. This is how we know that the next generation is not hopeless. I've watched this boy grow up and he's always been an amazing kid. He is now an amazing man and a husband to the beautiful Estephany, who is also a Marine. They are deployed overseas. A man who loves his country, his wife and his Jesus and who manages to serve all three is a good man.

This is Joel. I dare you to find a picture of him without a guitar in his hand. He is married to my friend Becky. Joel was my first Youth Minister growing up. He encouraged me in my music and also taught me Bible. When my girlfriend Pam (married to John) and I decided several times to invite ourselves to visit him in Ft. Worth when we were in High School, he and Becky were gracious hosts, even though he was a poor seminary student at the time, and our visits probably put them out a lot. This was a fact we never stopped to consider. He always gave us his ear and always prayed with us. He never told us we weren't his problem anymore because he had moved on. He is a father to three godly kids who are grown. He is the best musician I know and that's saying a lot. I love this man more than words can say and he gets a lot of credit for lighting my passion for Christ. He's moved on from youth ministry and into music ministry but still goes touring with his youth choir. All these years later, he's still investing in the future generations. A man who encourages youngsters and still serves the Lord is a good man.

This is Dale, or at our house, Grandpa. He's married to Grandma, Jeanene. This is a very dignified man and the patriarch of our family. He's the tent pole that holds up the big old Lawson tent. He's been an engineer, deacon, Sunday School teacher and father too. But my favorite thing about this man is a memory I treasure. When Ashley was about 18 months old, I walked into her playroom to find her serving high tea in her finest dress up outfit and Easter gloves. Grandpa was seated on the floor at the table, wearing her Easter hat and participating in this very serious tea party. He just looked at me and smiled and asked me to please excuse myself. And they proceeded to have high tea. A very dignified man who has accomplished much in life yet will still come correct to a toddler's tea party is a good man.

This is Bro. Bill. He was my first Pastor and other Daddy. He was married to my other mother Becky and was Daddy to two girls, one of them is one of my oldest best friends Kathy. I spent a lot of time at his house. This is my favorite picture of him because it shows his personality. He had the biggest, most infectious laugh. But he also was a teaching pastor and was "no respecter of persons." He loved me and everyone else equally. I saw in this man what a follower of Christ should look like. He taught me scripture, but he also taught me to search things out for myself. He was often my personal counselor. He drove Kathy and I to the mall more times than I can count. When God called this man home, it left a hole that has never been filled. We are all blessed to know this man. A man whose good attributes cannot be contained in a mere blog is a good man.

This is Glenn, but to me he was Daddy. He is pictured here with my daughter Ashley who was the light of his life. My Daddy was a man's man. He was married to my Mom Glenda. I always thought of them as Fonzie and Sandra Dee. My Daddy was cool and handsome. In this picture he had just gotten off work. While it isn't his best he's breaking his rule and SMILING. He usually didn't smile in pictures, but when he was holding a grandbaby, that was different. He worked hard every day of his life. If someone needed a hand with just about anything, he was there. He was an avid outdoors-man and family man. He loved me enough to have a hard time letting me go. This man was invincible as far as I was concerned. However, when this tough hunter and fisherman found out that a grand child was coming, something took over his body. He started going in to work early on the day the "Good Housekeeping" magazine came into the work room so he could make a list of all the recalls. He would then make sure my mother told me all of the things I was not allowed to have for "our baby." He loved both of the kids so much that it physically hurt him to be apart from them, yet he understood our need to be independent because that's how he raised me. I get my personality and sense of humor from him. I miss him. A man that will love you and your mama and your babies and leave this Earth with a good reputation is a good man.

This is K.D., Kester to his friends and Papa to me. He loved me so much I was sure I was his favorite. Of course, we all were his favorite. He also was silly proud of my kids. This man always had ice cream when I came to visit as a child and that was a lot because we only lived twenty minutes away. He still had it years later when my kids would come visit. He spent a lot of time at the mall with my Granny and I because we were world class shoppers. He never complained. He was married to my Granny for well over 50 years and always had her back. When I was in college, he'd slip some money, ranging from a twenty to a hundred into my hand and tell me not to tell my Granny...then she would do the same. This man delighted in his family. It was not wise to speak against any one of us. A man who will hold the purse at the mall and spoil his grandchildren and then great-grand children rotten is a good man.

This is Terry. My husband and my heart. His nickname is "Mr.Perfect" and it fits. This man has put up with me for almost 25 years. We've been married just shy of 23. He would make a great stay at home dad but he goes to work, and is the best at what he does, so I could stay home and raise our kids. He married a thin woman and 3 months later, through some medical "incident" no one could ever diagnose was married to a not thin woman. He's loved me anyway. He has been the best daddy in the world to our two kiddos.He has never used the word "babysit" in relation to his own children. He has spent lots of time with them while I was out doing my thing. He never complained. He is patient and kind. He is wise and solid. He has a heart for people and is tormented that maybe he isn't changing the world. He's wrong, he's changing the world for the better ever day. He has showed up and been present every single day for almost 23 years. He's also super handsome. A man who will love you fat or thin, sick or well, smart or stupid is a good man.

Finally, this is Tyler. He isn't married to anyone because he's only 18. This is my boy. He will be off to college soon and he will do whatever he wants because he's got the "stuff." He's smart, but not obnoxious, handsome but oblivious, talented but humble. He treats everyone with respect. This first picture of him is just my favorite. He was in Honduras, visiting with Alex and his people. He is praying with a lady who is pregnant. She has lost two children to preventable diseases. My shy boy stepped out of his comfort zone to pray with her. He has spent his last summer before college serving others. Like Phil, with my children, my heart goes walking around outside my body. This young man, along with his sister and Daddy, holds my heart. He is another reason why I know that the world will go on. This young man loves Jesus. His faith is his own and not ours because we have taught him to "test all things" as we were taught. He knows why he believes what he believes. This young man is respectful to women. This young man is mostly responsible, unless he needs to clean his room. I'm not ready to let him go but he is ready to be let go. A young man whose mom can't think of a single negative thing to say is a good man.I know this was long. I'm going to break it into three. The last one will be extra pictures should you like to see them. I hope you see now that common everyday men trump "Magic Men" every time. Ladies, don't lower your expectations. Maybe you just need to change your opinion on what makes a good man. The best looking man may not be the one that will love you for life no matter what comes. Look for one that will love you for life. Here's a hint: if he loves Jesus more that you or himself, that's a great place to start. Also, I don't want to, but I'm putting all of the hot and bothered Christian women ON NOTICE!!! They know better!
Please leave me a comment telling me about a "not so magic man" that you know and what makes him a good man.

19 Shades of Not So Magic Men...the Pictures, Part III

John with his girls

Greg with his boys

Frank, daddying...yes, I made that word up. Isn't this picture too precious?

Alex, loving on a little one in Honduras.

Jim with his Pal Karen

Clay and his bride Collette. Believe it or not this is the day they met. I think they were married about 20 minutes later. He knows he's met the one!

Usarian, his wife Kristine and the WHOLE crew.

Chip and his oldest, Zachery, the Marine. Interestingly, Z grew up to look just like his Dad.

Marcus with his pride and joy Malaki.

Buddy and the beautiful Teri.

Joel, in the 70's. This man was trusted with children in that get up. All I can say about it is..."I SHO HATE IT!!"

"Grandpa" Dale. With the sweet Ashley

Glenn, my Daddy. With baby Tyler and baby me! He loved babies!

Kester, my Papa. He's holding me up.I was the oldest. He sure loved me! Can you tell?

Terry, Mr. Perfect with Tyler, Ashley and me (a long time ago.)

Tyler with a precious little girl in Honduras and now a couple of bonuses...

Those last two photos are from Creative Designs 14:7. Hit them up for all your graphics needs. (shameless plug.)http://www.creativedesigns147.com/
Please leave me a comment telling me about a "not so magic man" that you know and what makes him a good man.

You Can Get Right Out

Tonight, I've been studying in the Book of Jude. It's an often ignored book of the Bible chock full of history, warnings about apostasy, false teachers and other cool stuff. The part where it talks about the Archangel Michael arguing with Satan over the bones of Moses caused me to put this comment in my Bible: "Say WHAT? Cool." I promise you this is the only place where I've written "Say WHAT" in my Bible. My mind began to wander and so I began to try to write a little ditty to summarize Jude and write it to the tune of "Hey Jude." That's a work in progress but it reminded me of another time I composed a little ditty set to a different tune. By the way, if you'd like to read one of several posts I've written about false teachers, here's one: If You Miss The Rant-y Donna You'll Love This!

A few years ago, our pastor was preaching a sermon on marriage. The special music that day was (I lie to you not) "We Can Work It Out" Beatles version. If you aren't familiar with the lyrics, here's a sample:

Try to see it my way Do I have to keep on talking Till I can't go on? While you see it your way, Run the risk of knowing that Our love may soon be gone. We can work it out We can work it out

Can you believe it? Not exactly the prescription for a godly marriage. As the worship leader is singing all I can do is think about The Beatles declaring themselves "bigger than God" and here they were being glorified in His house. Plus at the time Michael Jackson owned the song and we know he was not a Christian. So I was LIVID! So I re-wrote it and I thought I'd share a little bit (all I can remember) with you. If you wonder what I'm doing when something in God's house makes me want to be all rant-y but decorum requires me to be quiet, now you know. I'm probably ranting away to some tune in my head.

You Can Get Right Out- Queen Of Nonsense (Now you see how I earned this name) I won't see it your way. Michael Jackson owns this song and he don't love the Lord. Now it's up in my church, And you're ignoring lots of godly really great love songs. We can't work it out. You can get right out.