Avoiding Social Media Nonsense

Ten year old Donna could never have even imagined the world we live in today. Such innocent times I grew up in. I grew up with no car seat, often nekkid in a creek, running a Girl Scout Cookie Mafia, going to church, visiting family and their churches, swimming, catching my own bait and fishing, living on a dirt road "exploring," talking, riding bikes, being tortured by my little sister, conspiring against her with my cousin, talking, singing, singing in any church I could, digging holes and getting in trouble for it. (Turns out, adults don't appreciate a proper hole in their roads...something about shocks and u-joints or something.)We spent our weekends at the deer camp (usually with family) where the children had to be "outside" regardless of the temperature or weather patterns, on a deer stand or at the rifle range. It was a time before many of the conveniences and technologies of today. I was just myself because I didn't know I could be anyone else, nor could I have even begun to imagine how one would do that or why? What you saw was what you got. Not a single person on this planet (except for my Grannies and my Pawpaw) hung on my every word and no one asked to see a picture of what my Mama cooked up for supper. (At our house we had supper, not dinner. That was for high fa-looting city people.) People in my very small world knew the real me. My likes, my dislikes, my faith and how I wore my hair every day. They knew that I was never still and that I was a talker. When I got a new toy, I told everyone I knew and they knew what it looked like because they had one too. If I was excited, I was excited!!! Everywhere!

 I grew up in a time where my Daddy's policy was "What everyone else thinks about me is none of my business." He was always himself. Always. Everywhere. All day. Every day. While I didn't go to work with him, I was often surrounded and loved by those he worked with. I heard their stories. Don't like him? He didn't care. He was a hard working, well respected and honorable man. His word was good and his handshake was as good as his word. For reals. He was always the same person. The light he shined was "man's man." No shadows.

Fast forward a few...lot...of years. We now live in a world where you can be anything you want to be. Maybe not in real life, but in the online world you can create an image that may or may not be the real you. There are entire virtual worlds dedicated to allowing people to be someone else. Not satisfied with who you really are? No problem. You are not bound by your looks, your weight, your job or economic status. You can role play online and make a virtual "who you wish you were" and get a second life or whatever is popular now.

We also have bunches of social media sites where we have "friends" or "followers" or what have you.. Many of them are very popular, there are new ones every day. and much like being seen on the the nerd side of Sonic, heaven forbid you get caught logging into one who's "out." I have an account on most of them and check in every now and then. As a parent, it's my responsibility to stalk my children and to know where they hang out, even online. Also, I'm a people-ish person. I like to keep up.

Lately, I've become convicted about something and I thought I'd share it with you. Here's my first huge realization: I choose the light I shine before this world. My real world AND also my online world.

As a child, my life was one big open life. As modern adults, we compartmentalize our worlds (home, neighborhood, work, church, weekends, hobbies, spare time, etc.)We really don't mix it up much anymore, at least not in my 'burb. We have different people who see and participate in different areas of life. So very few people really, really know me these days and that is hard. Especially when your opinion of me is not the same as my opinion of me.  I believe that I choose who you think I am, what you think I do, where you think I go, what I want you to think my passions and hobbies are and how much about my life you get to know. I can choose to weight it any way I choose.

There's another thing I noticed the other day while perusing Facebook, I noticed that what I think of many people is largely determined by what they post and the frequency and weight they give their "stuff." For example, there are people I truly assume just sit in their house watching "Duck Dynasty" all day. Do they sleep? I don't know. There are people I mistakenly believe live and die for the product they are selling. There are some who I believe live in utter despair because that's what they share with me. There are people who are grandparents and that is all they are anymore. There are runners, gossips, drinkers, crafters, knitters, potty-mouths, brainiacs, funny people, people of faith, people of no faith, pet people, dieters, complainers, scripture quoters, sad people, perpetually happy people, parents, artists, preachers, students...you get the gist. But in my mind, they are very one dimensional. I only know of them what they choose for me to know.

Which led to my second revelation: I only control what they see, I don't control their opinion of me. I control the flashlight but I can't control the shadows that are cast. I can minimize the negative that is out there by being very careful what I share publicly.

To most of my "friends," I am one dimensional. If you only know me online, you know I have a twisted sense of humor, have puppies and have no problem being a ridiculous person on this planet. You know that I'm a Longhorn fan. You know I say I love Jesus, but you can't know if I walk the walk. You know I love people, and their kids and grandkids. I love their pictures. You also know I'm married to Mr. Perfect. I'm almost never publicly down, a few organizations that I'm passionate about and some authors I follow. You know I'm sassy and I don't generally use foul language. You will know that I have kids. You might know their ages or have see their pictures.  But that's about it.

If we attend church together, and we "chat" for 3 minutes every couple of weeks, if we run into each other on occasion or sometimes end up out with a group together, you will know a bit more. You will know I have a weight problem and that I don't always act like is a problem (trust me, it is) that I used to run a Women's Ministry and you might have noticed I don't drink coffee and have a big Dr. Pepper problem.You might even know the names of my children and that I'm proud of them. You may think that I'm an emotional robot with no feelings. You might assume, based on other people you've known, that I'm judgmental and have never sinned.

 Come a little closer, say if you're someone who is in Bible Study or in a volunteer organization with me. You will know I'm opinionated. Strong willed. Tenacious. That I really work hard to practice what I preach and that I am always at war with my hair. You know that I'm so proud of my babies that I could bust. You know I'm not only a Longhorn fan, but I hate sports on TV. You know I'm endlessly fascinated with what most people consider minutiae. And that I'm still a talker. You will assume that I don't wear my hear on my sleeve, but you'll know that I care about "people."I begin to take on a second dimension and I'm not what you expected.

But if you are one of the few who KNOW me, really know me, you will know so much more. I then become a real girl. You will know that my heart only truly breaks when I think that the heart of God is breaking. You will know that I'm aware that the person guilty of it is often me. You will know my children. You will know that when their hearts break, I've got the car gassed and ready to roll to "handle it" Mama style and I only don't do that because I've been forbidden. You'd know why I'm proud of them. You would know that one of them rarely allows me to speak of him on Facebook because he doesn't think I'm as funny as I think I am. You will know that I am a Longhorn fan because I'm a Longhorn married to a Longhorn and I'm terrified of stadiums because of that one time. You will know that I'm self-conscious. You'll know that I'm not good at showing emotions and I will almost never (only once) lose control of my emotions but they are there and they are strong.You will know that that sassy is sometimes covering up insecurity and that I am often almost eaten alive by those insecurities. You will learn to recognize when I'm NOT saying what I wish I was saying because I am very opinionated and outspoken and sometimes it physically hurts to shut up. You will know I'm learning to keep my mouth shut. Learning. You'll know I rarely suffer fools and generally know how to handle my business because my Daddy raised me not to need anyone. You'll also know that Perfect is my rock and I desperately need him and love him second only to God. You will know that I will walk through hell barefoot to try to drag out one methhead or alcoholic or depressed person or abused child (or almost anyone who need it) with me. You will know that to me they are simply people, just like me. You will know that I'm unshockable. You will feel the mercy. You will know I can't judge. You will know I struggle and come from a family that is no stranger to addiction. You will know my past. You will know that I have a will of iron and a backbone of steel and that if I am crashing, it's a BIG deal. You will know my Mama and my sister. You will also know that I stink at small talk and am almost incapable of it.  Awkwardness and social anxiety runs high in this one. You probably don't understand my fascination with politics and the law but you know I sometimes like to sit in court hearings and trials for no reason. You'll know that the things that terrify me are small to most people and the things that terrify most people usually don't bother me at all. You will know that I'm a loyal friend forever and I've never lost a real friend. You will know that I'm fanatical about knowing and understanding God's Word. I love theology. I love to hang out in the Christian Book Store in the Pastor section. I love Jesus with everything I have every day. You will also know there are dark days where I wish I could stay in bed and there are days filled with pain. You will know that I am actually funny. That I can sing and am a compulsive harmonizer. That I am a frustrating, complicated, beautiful bundle of me. I sin. You will know that I'm a real girl. You will also know that I'm not just a woman AND a broad, I'm also a lady. These are people who don't just "see" my posts. They "see" me and I "see" them. They are relationships sown and watered and cultivated in real live life and over time.

 The point of all of that is this: Don't assume you know people you don't know. Try not to judge them by the small slice of their life you are privy to. They, like you, like me, are so much more. Good and not so good.

Lastly: When you make posts on social media, blogs or whatever, remember that you are heavily influencing what people think of you and for those who aren't in your inner circle, that is the light that will shine brightest. If you are a child of God, please shine your faith the brightest. And if you ever get the feeling that I'm shining anything else brighter than my Savior, call me on it. Because I need you to know that He loves you. That He died for you to save you from a real and actual hell and that I really do, after all these years, believe it with all of my heart. And after that, I really don't care too much what you think of me, It's none of my business.

Still Putting Up With Nonsense

Wisdom from this old woman: Sometimes we are fickle, fickle people. Sometimes people won't like you. Sometimes you will spend years giving to people content to take. Sometimes you will listen to the troubles of people who are at the bottom of life till your ears bleed and when you try to give them words of life, they will slap you in the face. There will be times when you try to help and they will want not only what you gave but what you kept. There will be people who say things about you that aren't true. There will be times some of these people will try to destroy your character. But here's the deal. SO WHAT? You live your life for Christ. You comport yourself in such a manner that anyone who's paying attention will know that lies aren't the truth. You don't exist to please man. You will go crazy trying. You minister to "the least of these" because your Savior told you to do so, not for accolades here on Earth. When those who hurt you come running back for help that you are able to give, what should you do if you are hurt or tired or DONE? Help them anyway. Don't hold grudges. Let it go. Be generous and kind anyway. You will be taken advantage of again. So what. The blessing will still be the same. Jesus reminds me daily that it doesn't matter what I think of people. They are His and He loves them and so should I. Period

There does come a time when, the words of Matthew 10:14 come into play. Just be sure that the conviction comes from the right place. "And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. " I can only do that when I have peace. Until I have peace, I'm still there. Even if it hurts.

Time to re-visit the Easter Circus!

It's getting close to Easter. The time of year where Christians pause to remember the death of our Savior and praise Him for the sacrifice. We are humbled by the price paid to redeem our souls from hell. We spend time in meditation thinking about the heart of a Father that would sacrifice His only son for such unworthy beings. This is the holiest of all of our Christian holy days. Without Easter, there would be no reason for any of the rest. Or a Church. Or anything else in Christendom.

So why do we also cheapen it with taking as much "Church" out of church as we can, dumb down our messages that day or use it as an excuse to inflate our rolls (remember "Great Day in the Morning," Southern Baptist Church Growth Movement?) I've been disturbed by what I refer to as the "Easter Circus" for many years. So this week, I thought I would re-post a couple of my Easter posts. Be warned, they are a bit rant-y. I intended to go back and edit these but that hasn't happened yet (because I up and got myself a life. More on that later.)

This first post is from way back in 2009. This is not about any one local church and more about the universal Church. I love the Church, I love MY church, God has called me to the Church, I serve in a Church (that has changed since the original was written, you may notice) I am not attacking the church in any way, but I do feel the need to sound the alarm: CHURCH, WAKE UP!

Rants...Easter Circus...Rant...Regenerate Membership- After rereading this there is so much more I'd like to say. Some of the ideas need to be better fleshed out and better explained, such as "hospital for sinners not haven for saints." I will probably re-write this one some day soon, but for now, if you know me and know my heart, you'll understand it.

Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer also fits here. These rants are my own, the opinions are my own and may or may not reflect the feelings of Mr. Perfect. Please don't hold him responsible or accountable for the opinions of his saucy, spicy, super cute, "question-asking-tell-it-like-it-is, strong-warrior-woman, stream-of-consciousness-blogger for Jesus" wife.

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.

If you miss the rant-y Donna, you'll love this!

I haven't had a "Rant of the Day" post in quite some time. I've been trying to be a kinder gentler Donna, but guess what? I hate kinder, gentler Donna. She's not really kinder...in her head, and nobody knows what to do with gentler Donna. So, she's out and rant-y Donna is back. I know a few of you have missed me.


Rant of the Day 1: http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/urgent-message.html From David Wilkerson's post:

"AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE - EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US."

If you think that God has given you inside information on the end of the world, please smack yourself. If you have several times in the past made the same declaration and put a (wrong) date on it, please check in at "False Teachers Anonymous" and be happy we didn't stone you. If you don't have a basic understanding of scripture, please don't speak for God. Matthew 24: 36 says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." And church, let's stop bowing down in front of every wacko who proclaims himself a modern day prophet. It makes us look like a bunch of ignorant, stupid people. Then we wonder why they don't want our Jesus. Seriously, we should all use some discernment. We live in a wonderful, blessed country. The poorest person in America is prosperous compared to most of the world. However, I wonder what Christians in China, N. Korea or other countries where the church is seriously persecuted think when we declare that if something bad happens in America, it's the end of the world. Come on. If you believe this, you need to go down the hall to "I'm an Ignorant, Stupid Sheep Anonymous."

Rant of the Day 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0CyolAOeWQ

Dr. Hagee speaks regarding his book and says his book, In Defense of Israel, will prove that "Jesus did not come to Earth to be the Messiah," (20 seconds in) and that "...since Jesus refused by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered?" (32 seconds in).

Edit: The above video was removed by Hagee so here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m6pPnQjn7w&feature=related


This guy has been making me crazy for years. Mostly because while he is a Word/ Faith teacher and teaches a prosperity doctrine, you have to listen for a while to hear it. He's sneaky. His website seems to say that he holds to the "essentials"of the Christian faith, yet when my father was dying from cancer, someone gave him a tape where Hagee proclaimed that if you were sick it was because of your lack of faith or unrepentant sin. Period. THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE ARE EITHER ILL OR POOR. Now, he is coming out and saying that Jesus didn't come to be the Messiah, that he REFUSED to be Messiah and the Jews will be saved another way. John 14:6 says "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." No man means no man. Shame on you John Hagee. You go on and check in at "False Preachers Anonymous."

Rant of the Day 3: If your name is Benny Hinn, if you use the term "seed-faith offering" or if you offer to send either: a) salt pouch, b) anointed cloth, c) Jerusalem candlesticks, d)"I'm a fool who was parted from his money" toe ring (OK, I made that one up), etc. in exchange for my "partnership," please smack yourself. I've decided that "seed-faith" is a term used only by false teachers. You have a reservation at "False Teachers Anonymous." Check in ASAP.

Rant of the Day 4: If you have a show on either TBN, CBN or almost any network that calls itself "Christian," please sit down and consider that you are a bit of the problem. Not too long ago, TBN and the like only showed "Name-it and Claim-it, Blab-it and Grab-it" preachers. Now, in an effort to give a little diversity, you can catch some old Billy Graham Crusades and some other mainstream teachers. I've even seen Beth Moore on the schedule. I wonder how many people tuned in to catch the (NOT WORD/FAITH PREACHER) Rev. Graham and stayed for all the false teachers to follow. Either way, I need the people behind those two networks (Paul & Jan Crouch and Pat Robertson) devoted to false doctrine masquerading as "evangelistic" doctrine, to both smack themselves and then...you guessed it...slide it on into "False Teachers Anonymous."

Now, on to other serious business. I regretfully have to put my right eyelid ON NOTICE! for aging faster and drooping farther than my better behaving left eyelid. This is beginning to give me the appearance of a stroke victim and is freaking out my mother who is sure I've had an "incident." I'm telling you, either snap back or I will, WILL introduce you to a lovely plastic surgeon who will handle that for the both of us. However, the cost will make Mr. Perfect's head blow off and then I will be lonely and have to get a job. If I have to get a job because my eyelid couldn't snap back into place I will be cranky. SO until I re-achieve symmetry in eyelid-dom, you, right-eyelid are ON NOTICE!