Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.

I saw this quote from Saint Francis of Assissi today and love it. So many of us, myself included, shy away from the idea of sharing our religion with others. And since I spend my life expressing myself (well, mostly expressing others) through words, I sometimes forget there are other ways. But I should spend more time letting my actions be good brand ambassadors for God.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately as some very, very sad things happen around us in the name of religion. Americans (and probably most Westerners) like to think of Muslims as the crazy religious zealots, but there are plenty of recent instances of Christians behaving in extremist ways. Whether Islamic or Christian, it's usually the few making a bad name for the many. But since I am Christian, Catholic specifically, it's those incidents that sting the most.

The one that's top of mind for many of us is the murder of Dr. Tiller. The backwards logic of this is the most baffling. I'm not alone in wondering how killing someone is a good way to prove the point that "killing" is wrong. Then again, how many people believe in the death penalty or, as an everyday example, in spanking to show that hitting is wrong? Still, "Thou Shalt Not Kill" does not have an asterisk next to it. There are no exceptions, right? It doesn't seem at all ambiguous, but of course it is, or there wouldn't be two sides of the abortion argument to begin with.

The other really disappointing thing for me recently has been the passing of Prop 8 here in California. Again, I feel that people are using religion to put a shield between themselves and their fears. And again, it's all in the spin. It's "oppression" when women in other cultures aren't allowed to marry whomever they choose (or in a recent story, when their families can choose to have them divorced), but here we can do it in the name of family values. As if that isn't the same reason others would surely cite to support their biases, or the same reason we've used in the past to prevent interracial marriages or women's rights.

I suppose this is part of why I'm hesitant to share my religious viewpoint with others. On the one hand, it is my truth, so I shouldn't hesitate to say so, at least in "appropriate," e.g., non-work settings. On the other hand, I risk association with a few zealots and a few antiquated rules that stand out above all the good there is.

I guess it's like life, though. It's up to us to choose to focus on the positive over the negative. It's not about keeping a tally or worrying what others will think.

Until recently, I thought of myself as "mostly Catholic." I'm terrible about going to church, and I vehemently disagree with some of the doctrine. But I had a revelation one day. I was thinking about how commitment is actually very freeing; it lets you bring in that one foot that was out the door, and allows you to fully focus on making things work instead of wavering over a decision. And I realized that I spend too much of my life waiting for the perfect conditions. It's cost me a home, and likely some great friendships. But nothing and no one is perfect. I don't say I'm "mostly married" because Hubs freaks out when he can't find something that is often right in front of his face, or because we don't spend as much quality time together as I'd like. I am married to him, through and through, and if someone doesn't like what that says about me, too bad (not that anyone has said that, I'm just sayin'). That day, I decided I would no longer caveat my religious choices any more than I would put disclaimers on the ones I love.

I've seen a bumper sticker with this quote from Gandhi:"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." If Gandhi really said this, my first thought is WTH? Like he met every single Christian. It seems so un-Gandhi-like to make such a vast and poopy generalization. My second thought is, he's surely not the only one who feels this way.

What people choose to see and how others choose to act is out of my hands. But it is well within my control to help there be more positive examples of Christianity in this world. I will work to do that more and, after this here post, I will only use words if necessary.

The New David Sedaris Is Hilarious

Nuff said.

Weird Things That People Are Proud Of

1. How fast they got somewhere ("making great time" - especially big with our parents' generation).

2. How big their babies are (height, weight, percentile).

3. Doing the crossword in pen.

4. The ability to pick things up with their toes. (OK, maybe this one is just me! :)