at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.

The "sea life" exhibit. We're planning another trip in a while so that we can see the King Tut exhibit.

I was reading another blog (I'm not going to name it) the other day and couldn't resist commenting. I generally try to not go to other people's blogs just to disagree with them (if there's an ongoing debate, I will participate - but I don't want to just be disagreeable).

But...this just kind of upset me (due to a couple of other things that have come up in my (real) life.

(Questions do follow the main post, but here they are now)
1) Do stupid choices in your past exclude you from a ministry today?
2) Can some stupid choices in your past actually equip you for a ministry today?
3) (for some of us) Can our lack of (certain) stupid choices keep us from getting close to those who made those certain stupid choices?
4) Can our attitude toward those who did make those choices impair our credibility to others who made the same stupid choices?

The short story is that a Christian radio host had an ex-prostitute and porn "actress" on for an interview and the host asked a lot of "what was it like" questions.

The blogger lamented that she just didn't understand how a person could take a Christian heritage and throw it away. (I listened to the radio interview and although the guest said that she had been brought up in a Christian home, she also said that she had been sexually abused at age 9, that she had dressed up as a playboy bunny at - and her mom thought it was "cute" and took photos; at age 8 her parents "drifted away" from God and she was not close to her parents or encouraged to be close to God. As a teenager she was rebellious and at 18 she was asked to leave home.)

The blogger further stated that she is "sick and tired" of testimonies of those who were "just plain stupid and disobedient towards God". She ended the post with "Who says that one has to go through such trauma to be used of God in order to glorify God’s healing and love."

In the comments (replying to me) she said, "She deserves her STD’s. She deserves the hardships of single parenthood and she deserves every other thing that comes with her stupid choices, and to say that God is happy with her stupid choices and chooses to use her now for a ministry is insane."

The attitude bothered me. Yes, what the woman did was sin. Yes, a Christian upbringing is a gift (although one could question if that was what this guest had). No, you do not have to be a prostitute in order to have a ministry to prostitutes. I get all that.

But the attitude. I have this vision of an "I lived a better life than you" club. We see it all the time. In my co-worker who doesn't want single women to hang out with married couples. The church who doesn't allow divorced people in. The "group" that excludes single moms.

That last sentence in particular. I can say that God is very unhappy with her stupid choices, yet still believe that He could choose to use her now for a ministry. Stupid choices in your past should not exclude you from ministry today.

Even though my past hardships were not choices that I made (miscarriages, a marriage with rough spots, early widowhood, etc.) I can easily minister to people who have those things going on in their lives right now.

• Can a person who made stupid mistakes minister to others who have made the same mistakes?
• Do stupid choices in your past exclude you from a ministry today?
• Can some stupid choices in your past actually equip you for a ministry today?
• (for some of us) Can our lack of (certain) stupid choices keep us from getting close to those who made those certain stupid choices?
• Can our attitude toward those who did make those choices impair our credibility to others who made the same stupid choices?

I'm proud of my daughter (although the spelling is a little "off")

Both my kids have blogs and this was posted on Manda's last Wednesday:

I hope all goes well for my mom tonight. She has a meeting with Pastor Bryan. A couple weeks ago we had dome people from new oraleans come to preach at our church. It was so wrong ... just wrong! The chick was calling herself profetess, and the guy was calling himself apostle. Like i said ... wrong. We are a Christian Reformed church. Not an apostic church. What did they think they were doing ... and the chick spent more time at the polpet then the pastor did it seemed like ... she said 5 minutes and went on for half an hour. and then she "imparted" the gift of profecy onto our pastors wives. Only God can gives us our gifts. And Pastor Dave is going down the same path they are. oh and "Apostle" Sherman L. Shelton told us something along the lines of God put our Pastors in authority we should submit to their authority and follow them even if they're leading us in the wrong direction. Thats the dumbest (i dont think thats even a word) thing i've ever heard! but my mom is going tonight to talk to Pastor Bryan about it, i really do hope all goes well and he understands and acts on her complaints ... GO MOM!