I found out this morning that I’ve been the hot topic of conversation among my extended family for the last few days. Perhaps I can attribute at least some of the increased weekend traffic to my blog to family members burning up their data lines to read my myspace page and my blog. Apparently my cousin saw something on my myspace blog post that alarmed her.

I’ve been watching a few movies and reading a few books. All of which you can find out about at the other blog. I’ve been watching Last Comic Standing. Big Brother finally got started again. That’s fun. Oh, I’m addicted to Miami Ink. I’ve even got Danielle watching it. I just love that show. I’m thinking about getting a tattoo. Maybe just to freak everybody out and forever sever my chances of pastoring another fundamentalist church. LOL. I may just be hooked on the show, so I’m waiting to make sure it’s not like in college when I had a Botany professor so good I almost considered becoming a botanist.

Of course, being responsible and concerned for my well being, rather than asking me about it, she told our family members that I was getting a tattoo and never preaching again. Neither of which are entirely true. My comment was clearly “tongue in cheek.” I had been playing with the idea of getting a tattoo, mostly just as a joke between my wife and I everytime the show came on, but now… maybe I should just for the hell of it. As for preaching, I did that yesterday for the record. I’ll blog about that later.

I suppose the funniest thing to me about this incident is that they took offense at a joke. If you’ve been frequenting my blog for any length of time or especially if you know me well, you would know that there are many other sins and shortcomings in my life by which to be offended. I am passionate about wine. I’m fond of beer. I truly enjoy inhaling the sweet aroma of a warm pipe. I watch movies not suitable for children, and occasionally swear. Those are just the PG skeletons in my closets.

You might not appreciate why people would be bothered with such nonsense, but you would have to know my family, paternal and maternal. Few members of either side of my family tree have ever been very religious. Few people were supportive of my decision to enter the ministry in the first place except for my grandparents and my grandmother, but as time went on it became a matter of convenience and pride to have a preacher in the family, especially for weddings and funerals.  Aside from those occasions, I never hear from most of my extended family on either side.

When I left pastoral ministry, some members of my family and churches that I pastored were confused and critical. Some interpreted my departure as an indictment of an institution, and well they could, though I said nothing to the fact. Naivete is a coping mechanism that helps many people to sleep at night, especially fundamentalists. Many people don’t know what goes on behind the pulpit or closed doors. The inner workings of the church can be pretty ugly at times and the private lives of ministers are not showcases of perfection.

The real scandal of the gospel is that God intervened in humanity through the illegitimate son of a Jewish carpenter and even yet that God continues to speak through the lives of unlikely messengers. Another of those myspace blog posts was apparently overlooked:

I’ve observed that my favorite characters on screen and in print are dark, flawed, and complex, Tony Soprano, Alan Shore, and House for examples. I think that probably says something about me or at least the way I feel about myself. I don’t have a grand resolution or prescription for this diagnosis mind you. I don’t run from who I am, at least not any longer. I don’t think wholeness comes from perfection. I think we find wholeness in accepting our brokenness. By putting our weaknesses on display we disarm the critics and open doors to new friendships with other wounded travelers.

Update:
2 years & 2 months later…

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