Fear and Funny...Butts and Boobs

I somehow come up with Titles all the time. Weird phrases that pop into my head and need to be written down....so here are a few, just for your reading pleasure...

Of Snot and Stellaluna.
An interesting phrase...one that I'm sure I'll have to use as the title to the book I am sure to write about the raising of toddlers. This one came up as I was picking up a nice, wet, gooey tissue off the floor - right next to a copy of Stellaluna that had been left out, as well...

Fear and Funny.
We just drove down to New Orleans. From Michigan. Hmm...Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana. Can you see the fear pattern here, if you are a city boy driving an uppity fru-fru car? But then, the entire trip down we listened to the Blue Collar Comedy channel on Sirius. Phil almost drove off the road a couple of times, we were laughing so hard. His trip back, alone, should be funny and hopefully not fearful. I'll remind him not to listen to any banjo music...

Butts and Boobs.
Yah, this one will probably get a lot of hits. I was conversamailing (having a conversation via e-mail, not chat or text) my cousin and talking to her about what they (all the doctors) are going to do to me today. My pre-op appointments for my new boobs are all today. From what I've heard, they have to draw all over you. I told her that I will look like what John Madden draws on the monitors all the time. But not just one - several plays will be scrawled on my body, I'm sure. Front and back. So my question to her was, "Would all those NFL boys score more if they had to read their plays off of butts and boobs???" What do you think?

The Sin Meter

How do you deal with sinners? Do you stay as far away from them as possible? Do you think they should be put to death? Do you love them yet still not accept their actions? Just how do you deal with sinners?

Can anyone answer those questions without knowing the sins??? We should be able to. But can we? Can I? I can't. Not yet. I don't know if I'll ever attain that ability to truly give unconditional love to everyone.

I am a sinner. Today I yelled at my kids. I did not practice patience. Oh, and about a thousand other things. Will you stay as far away from me as possible? Should I be put to death?

But what about the "serious" sins. Murder. Molestation. "Real" evil. I become "righteously" indignant whenever I hear about these things on the news - especially if it involves children. I don't think I could love and forgive some of these people I hear about. I know I am supposed to. But that "righteous" indignation keeps flaring up and getting in the way.

I know Christ has no meter when it comes to sin. We are all sinners. Period. I've got that. But what about us - among each other? I know we are not supposed to judge, either. But we are also not supposed to accept sin, right? So is there some list somewhere (besides the Ten Commandments; I do know that list), that shows where a sin falls on the "sin meter"? What's the difference between "sin" and "evil" as we see it every day? I thought a bad thought today - is that a sin or am I evil? Some guy drowned his kids - is that just a sin or is that evil? Can I and should I accept him as he is - a sinner? Or, can I not accept him and publicly decry him, as he is evil? (As, I think, most others in our population feel?)

How can you love yet not accept? Do you love the person, but denounce the actions? It's hard. There are certain things I want to teach my children about this, but how do I do it properly? "Ok, little Johnny, that person is doing something bad, and it's something you should never do, but you should still accept that person and not tell him that he is bad. That is something between him and God." Am I way off base here?