Texas

Texas. How do I sum up such a place as this? It has in fact been a great trip- I have spent the last 4days with my best friend and we have spent the last four days trying to figure this place out. Now Texas don't get me wrong, you have taken pretty good care of my best friend since she has been here. There are just things that we from the north do not understand. For example, we went out to dinner with friends the other night and then went to Starbucks for coffee. We are sitting around outside drinking our coffee and chatting, when out of nowhere the three Texas natives start cracking themselves up with jokes, whos meaning completely alludes us. They were all in reference to a southern Baptist culture that she and I just don't get. Ok, I have seen Footloose- (but being s.b. I am not sure these boys have) and so I get it to a degree, but at the end of the night left the conversation no less informed on the s.b. subject other than to be much for thankful for the much less complicated Luthern upbringing that I had. Tonight we did attempt to bridge the gap even more by renting the movie "Saved". I am not sure it helped, it does leave me feeling happy as it portrays a happy ending and I love those- however the movie does what most movies do, they have twisted the plot in such a way that you see only what they want you to see. The final scene (is you haven't seen it skip ahead a few lines) shows a family of a single mom, a Jewish best friend, a gay father, an understanding 18 year old boyfriend an even more understanding Mom of the single Mom, and a happy little baby girl. The point of tolerence that the movie was striving for was achieved, but at what cost? Do we as the church Body act tooharshly in following the rules laid out for us in the most holy of books? Have we perverted the Word of God by acting in the way we deam truthful? Is the saying "What would Jesus do?" totally cliche? Or have we perhaps put ourselves in a place where the intolerence points at us? Have we let go of our influence on society to such a degree that what was once held to be general Truth is now seen as extreme conservatisim? In any case, what this movie forgot to tell us, the viewer, is this; the girl gets no sleep for three months because of the nightly feedings, diaper changes and the general hard work it takes to raise a baby on your own, the gay boyfriend moves to San Francisco with his new boyfriend, the Jewish best friend gets put in juvie, the Mom of the single Mom who is now supporting three continues the affair she is having with the minister of the school (setting the best example of course, personal pleasure above all) and the boyfriend gets tired of hanging out and goes to college. Ladies and Gentleman I think we have ourselves a fairytale ending.