What's More American Than Fried Chicken, Anyway?

I have a soft spot in my heart for taking part in insanity. That's why I've slept for no more than 3 hours (sometimes, not at all) on Thanksgiving night for the past 10 years so that I can stand in line with the thousands of people for stupid free trinkets from stores that I don't even shop at on Black Friday. So last night when I drove out of my way to stand in line for a Chick-fil-A sandwich, it really wasn't something out of my character. However, my motivation was entirely different this time. I wasn't there for a free sandwich or to buy anyone a gift at a discount, in fact, the end result was really quite selfish- a delicious #4 Spicy Chicken Deluxe with pepper jack (er...provolone...) cheese and some waffle fries. Last night, my motivation was through conviction, not entertainment.

In case you're not aware of why everyone suddenly had a craving for chicken yesterday, let me catch you up. In an interview with the Baptist Press on July 16, President and COO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, explained the Christian ethics and beliefs that Chick-fil-A was founded on and operates on. The article was descriptive about the principles of the company's operations, highlighted the successes that God has blessed the company with over the course of their 45 year history, and mentioned scriptures that drive Chick-Fil-A's "way of life", if you will. And then towards the very end of the article, in the midst of gathering Mr. Cathy's opinion on other topics, the issue of traditional marriage came into play. With the simple statement of "Guilty as charged" when asked about the company's conservative position on the matter, Chick-fil-A became the center of a circus that it didn't even ask to join.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said in a statement, "Chick-fil-A doesn't belong in Boston. You can't have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population." Chick-fil-A has recently been considering opening a new restaurant in the city, posing the question of whether it is ethical (or constitutional, for that matter) for an elected official to halt commerce over a social issue. Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, also addressed the statement by saying, "Chick-fil-A's values are not Chicago values." So there you have it.

See, everybody's making a big deal about the gay marriage issue, but that's not what bugs me. Absolutely, positively, 100%- I disagree with gay marriage. I believe that marriage is not only an institution and a legal recognition of relationship, but a sacred, holy union created by God, for God at the beginning of time. Adam couldn't find a helper, God created Eve. (Genesis 2:20-23) And through the next two verses after that, the shortest wedding ceremony ever was officiated by God and that was that- marriage. The Bible is a metaphor for marriage. We are called to use marriage to understand the Bible, and to use the Bible to understand marriage. The purpose of marriage itself is for sanctification, to become more like Christ as we love and respect our spouse as He loves and respects us. So, yes, I don't agree with gay marriage. But no, that's not the reason I went to Chick-fil-A yesterday.

I enjoyed my chicken sandwich to show appreciation for the freedoms of my country. Nowhere in Mr. Cathy's interview was anything mentioned about Chick-fil-A not serving homosexuals. No mention of blatant intolerance, no mention of turning away gays or spitting in their food. He simply said that they support a traditional, heterosexual marriage and that they have personally been blessed by God's goodness in that way. How did Chick-fil-A get drug into a firestorm of controversy? I can't understand how anyone is legitimately surprised by their statement. It is no secret that the restaurant is a Christian organization. The doors are closed on Sundays, the bowl game they host in Atlanta is the only bowl game including an invocation and will never be played on Sunday, and for goodness sake- can you think of any other fast food joint that says, "My pleasure," after you've gone to the counter for the fifth time asking for more ranch and Chick-fil-A sauce? So if no one is offended by those Christian stances that the company takes, why are they offended by their Biblically-parallel view on marriage?

It's not an issue of politics or religion, it is simply an issue of hypocrisy.

In 2008, then Senator Barack Obama claimed a Christian faith and supported traditional marriage, opposing same-sex unions and making no promise to ever change legislation regarding the issue. Suddenly, in May of 2012, an election year (nice timing, huh?), he has abandoned those Christian principles that he ran on and is a supporter of gay marriage. It's funny to me how in 2008, most gays were still voting for Obama despite his personal views on their potential marriages. However, when a private business owner (no matter how big the business is) states his beliefs, he and his company, employees, and patrons are hateful bigots who are denying people their "freedom". What the gay community and its supporters are forgetting is the first amendment; you know, the one they lean upon as a crutch whenever they want to protest, make bold homosexual statements, or put down these "bigots" who defend one of God's best creations, marriage. Freedom of speech. How dare they react so immaturely and harmfully to a man, his family, his company, and his customers for holding a belief they are entitled to? This was a private interview with a private man that happened to publicly blow up overnight. No one asked for this attention, but the gay community decided it would be the "hate flavor of the week". If that wasn't enough, there is the hypocrisy of Mayor Menino discouraging commerce and jobs in his own city through a time of economic drought and unemployment simply because his views do not align with the store's president. There are reasons that Congress (and mainly democrats) worked to pass cases such as Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board of Education, Title IX, and so many others- equality and choice. I guess this is what happens when they don't like the outcome.

Enough of my soapbox, I'll leave the crazy democrats, liberals, gays, gay supporters, and delicious chicken sandwich haters to sit in the corner and pout.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the workers at the Chick-fil-A on 86th Street in Indianapolis and across the country. Alexis, Alex, Steven, Taylor, Ryan, Amy, and all of the other servers that I forget never stopped smiling. Not when the protestors were standing outside with their "Stop the Hate" posters, not when the occupancy of the store was doubled and then some, not even when the computer system crashed and the orders had to be taken by hand. It was always "their pleasure" to serve the Americans who love their freedom. As I watched hundreds patiently wait in line for hours and families pray publicly for their meals, I realized the pride I had in my country and my freedom. Where else would you see such a band of strength come together to support a belief system, all while smiling?

And after all...what's more American than fried chicken?

....USA....USA....USA....(sorry, I just really wanted someone to start chanting in the restaurant but it never happened...so I'll have to just do it here.)

A Walk Through The Word: Genesis 1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Welcome to the Bible. 

I'm fairly certain that any Christian, and probably anyone who has any knowledge of Christianity, could spew off Genesis 1:1 out of their Biblical file cabinet with a distinct ease. I can't say with that same certainty that most people understand what Genesis 1:1 is saying. It seems fairly simple, but it's not simple at all. It probably was for God Himself in that very moment, but it would not be easy for us. 

Can we just take a minute to think about what it meant to create the heavens and the earth? The perfection in planning of how the whole "heavens and earth" thing would play out? 

We are perfectly placed between two spiral arms of our galaxy in the universe. This is no accident, God put us there for safety. Those bands are vicious arms of stars and planets that culminate in a string of fire. However, God placed His precious Earth in the quiet place in between. If the earth's crust was any thinner, we would suffer from immense radiation that would kill us. If the crust were any thicker, the electromagnetic field would be thrown off and all of a sudden we would have electromagnetic storms all over the earth. To me it seems like He cared enough about our planet from the very beginning to protect us just in our perfect location. 

See, we can't overlook Genesis 1:1 just because it's a commonly known verse. The first words of this incredible book express His power and majesty, and do so for a reason. Why would He start His word any other way? Let's go on...

Verses 3-5 can be kind of confusing because when God says, "Let there be light," (v. 3), He doesn't say, "Let there be sun." Although it's hard for us to comprehend having light without the sun, I think of this light and this darkness and picture it as that quiet time right before and after the sun rises and sets. I imagine a watercolor kind of light.

Verses 6-14 talk about the sky, the oceans, and the plants. Pay attention to the order of His creation. We know today that plants need light to grow. Although the sun was not placed in the sky until after vegetation had been created, plants weren't on earth until after the light was there.

Verses 14-19 finally bring the lights that we know into our solar system.

Verse 16 kind of blows my mind as much as verse 1 does.
"God made two great lights- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars."

The sun is not this bright white light bulb chilling above earth that makes us hot and sweaty in the summer and warms us up on winter days, all while blinding us at the same time. The sun is a raging ball of fire. We are precisely placed 93 million miles from the sun. If we were 5 degrees closer to the sun, we wouldn't exist because of the intense heat that would burn us all up. However, God hung the sun close enough to us that we don't freeze. If we were 5 degrees further away, our world would be a massive snowball.

And the moon? Well somehow, in some way I don't understand, the tides of the oceans are affected by the placement of the moon. We tend to think of the moon as a fairly harmless place, but if we were placed even 1/5 closer to the moon, we would have tsunamis on all of the beaches with up to 50 foot waves twice each day. Our earth would be swallowed up by flood waters. Thankfully, God has promised us that will never happen again, but we'll get to that in a few chapters.

And those stars? Don't get me started. I'll have to let you know of their power in a different post all it's own. But if you want to know, they aren't just twinkling up there for beauty. The sun is a star. Look at that picture up there. That is no "twinkle, twinkle, little star," that is a raging ball of fire, like every star in the universe. We haven't discovered every star created yet, but some scientists believe there are as many stars in the universe as there are grains of sand on the earth. And God knows each one by name. 

Verses 20-23 bring forth the first living creatures, the fish and birds to take advantage of the expanse of water and sky that God blessed Earth with. 

Verses 24-25 introduce livestock, wild animals, and the creatures of the ground. Also realize that these creatures who would need vegetation to live weren't created until after vegetation was created. 

Verses 26-27 give us our big moment! "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."

I love this. First of all, listen to what God says here. He says, "Let US," as in the trinity, as in Him and His Son and His Spirit. He wasn't talking to the animals that He had just created and saying that man would be created in their image, He was talking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Once you understand that, understand that we, you and me, were created in His image, everything changes. We were created to be like Him. The more we follow Christ, the more we begin to look like God. We have a pretty good start, we are created in His image. 

I rest my Biblical case for agriculture in verses 28-30. He tells us that we are to, "Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground," (v. 28) and that He has given us, "every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole  earth and every tree that has seed in it," for food. Verse 30 continues to tell us, "everything that has the breath of life in it- I give every green plant for food." 

Verse 31 wraps up this first chapter of God's word by beginning with saying, "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good."

Very good, indeed. Thank you, Lord. 

A Walk Through The Word: An Introduction

I don't really have many words for this picture, except that without it, I have no truth, nothing to believe in, no hope for my future, and no grace for my sins. 

I'm going to be reading this cover to cover, and I'm going to be dissecting it on here. I'd love if you would want to follow along with me! :)

Selfishness & Saltwater Tears.

What’s so special about saltwater tears, exactly?

I’m a selfish person. I never realized it until a couple of weeks ago. I was talking to my beautiful friend Jennifer about something one night on the phone, and all of a sudden, it clicked. I’m incredibly selfish. Not exactly the revelation that I had wanted to walk away with from the conversation we were having, certainly not the revelation I had expected to walk away with. But God doesn’t tend to care about what I want, He would much rather deliver me with what I need. And apparently, I needed to know my selfishness.

So after I hung up the phone, I prayed that God would keep my eyes open to how selfish my heart can be, how impatient I can be.  And I went to bed, and I woke up the next day, committed to keeping a spotlight on my heart so that I was always aware of when something got in the way of the light God shines on me. 

I quickly realized that all of my fears and worries stem from selfishness. The doubt wouldn’t be there if I wasn’t afraid that my agenda wasn’t going to be met. My problem isn’t that I don’t know what God can do. I have a grasp (not a tight one, not an unshakeable one, but a grasp nonetheless) of God’s power. I know He moves mountains. I know He brings beauty in all things. Yeah, I know. But that doesn’t stop me from doubting whether He will bring beauty in certain situations in my life. I tend to think that maybe I just need to relieve Him of His duties. As if Heaven is a business and there’s a shift change right at the point of the day when it’s time to make the decisions for Olivia’s life. I start to feel like at that point, I should give God a break. I’ll hop up on that throne and I’ll take over those decisions. He doesn’t need to worry about me, I’ve got this.

Selfishness. That’s selfishness. It’s impatience, it’s doubt, and it’s an underestimation of an overwhelming God.

Which leads me to the saltwater tears. Funny that you should ask why they’re so special…

I talked to Jennifer on a Thursday night, and throughout the weekend, this idea of my selfishness just kept running through my mind. I became so aware of it, and I kept praying that He would remove it and help me to serve others in whatever way I could, especially in prayer. I decided that I was going to turn my selfishness into prayer. I made this decision on the side of a gravel road located somewhere near SR 28 in Tippecanoe County, although I have absolutely no clue where.

As I drove back to school that Sunday night, I pulled over on the first spot of road that I could find far enough away from a house that flashing hazards wouldn’t worry the owners, and I cranked my music loud. I rolled down my window so that I could feel the words, and I got out of my car, and I looked up, and I cried.

Something about NEEDTOBREATHE singing “Something Beautiful”, and the crisp late winter air, and the bare, flat Indiana cornfields that went for miles, and the stars, it was over. Those stars. Man. I hope that every one of you has had the chance to see the stars from a country sky.  If not, get on that. That’ll teach you about God.  I was just overwhelmed by His bigness. Like I said earlier, I know He’s big, and like I said earlier, I have a grasp on that. But it’s moments like the one I had on that side of the road that loosen my grip and make me question my understanding of anything. I think those are the times that God laughs at me most. He’s just sitting up there thinking, “Oh, Olivia. You thought you had me figured out. Well, you didn’t. I just threw an extra thousand stars up in the sky just to put you in your place. Nice try.”

Take this in. 

God overwhelmed me. He flooded over me like a tsunami. He whipped me around like a hurricane. And the tears streamed down my face like rain. Saltwater tears. It was no more than 23 degrees outside, and I am no scientist, so maybe my idiotic logic is completely wrong. It probably is. But it makes for a good blog title. I stood out there for 5 minutes. Crying, freezing, praising, freezing, praying, freezing…you get the gist. But none of my tears ever froze. Is it because they’re saltwater? Maybe, maybe not, but that’s not what mattered. What mattered was that God showed me how big He was through something as small as a teardrop. He created tears to not freeze. How much would it suck if I had stood out there and had a frozen stream of water running from my eyes? But I didn’t. He is big enough to create the thousands of billions of stars that I couldn’t even see, yet miniscule enough to care about my tears not freezing.

Saltwater tears. Because God is that amazing, and because with a God like that planning my life, I have nothing to worry about. He told me so…

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out; plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” [Jeremiah 29:11, MSG]

Apparently God is okay with working a double shift. I may need the money, but I’ll let Him handle the planning of my life. He seems to be enjoying Himself at work.