If you bow your head it is not gossip........

I grew up going to church where you had to wear the holy bun, dresses to your ankles, no jewelry, no makeup, and they really preferred you didn't curl your hair. TV was a definite signal that sin was at your doorstep. Going to dances or to the movies was sure to send you to Hell.

One preacher referenced the Nazarenes as being worldly and from the pulpit stated that if he saw someone that he felt was not living the Christian life he would cross the street rather than speak to them. HMMM Then there was the pastor that said if he came to visit a home and saw a television antenna he would not go to the door. HMMM There was the pastor that preached on a woman's hair was her glory, now I had just cut my hair to shoulder length, a young man pointed that scripture out to me after church letting me know that I may have just committed the big one, being the person I am I quickly answered that I thought God probably appreciated my hairdo much better than his mother's. I continued "look at her hair it is partially in a hairnet and the rest is straggling all over her face". He shut is bible and walked away, guess he thought I was a lost soul.

The one thing I remember the most from this group of people was their feeling and belief that they had the right to judge and that somehow their sacrifice was far more superior than anyone else. The best example of this was the treasurer of one church who stood to give the annual report.

She started this way:

As most of you know we have had a bad year of giving. So I have struggled to keep the lights on and to pay the expenses. Now paying the preachers salary was difficult and to pay his utilities. As some of you know he was going to marry my daughter but when we were planning the wedding we found out he wasn't ordained. He says he has been working on it and it is almost done but now we will have to get someone else. This has been really stressful. I think his salary was based on bein ordained. Did anyone else know this? (the preacher is sitting behind her) Also, most of you know how I have been saving for a winter coat and almost have enough saved to buy it. But I stand here with all these bills and well, I put my coat money in to pay the utilities even though I will have to wait now till next year to buy that coat.... Everytime I share this story and think about it I have to chuckle... Sacrificial giving is rarely known, it is so personal.. this annual report had offered an opportunity to tell a bit of gossip.. no matter who it hurt...

One church would not let the trio I sang with sing because I had a class ring and short hair. Finally someone advocated for us and when we got up to sing everyone looked down. I guess if you look at someone sin rubs off. HMMM... Funny thing I see many of those same people now and miracle of miracle, they have curled their hair, dropped the hairnet and in some cases may have TV's but we may never know since antenna's are no longer needed, wouldn't that have put that preacher over the edge.

Then there is the pew preacher that when time to testify takes to the aisle and goes down each aisle pointing at different people covering the areas of each person's fault that they want to cover for the preacher. Sometimes the person sitting there is blindsided by the things the finger pointer is sharing with the other parishioners. Cause,if anyone knows what you are doing wrong, they do, usually they are driving past your house and checking on you.

My last one I saved because it was so, so, I went to church with my grandparents and the older preacher was of course preaching about things. As he got heated up and pounding the pulpit he said " the devil has many ways to pull us in with all the modern devices. First we have the the electric lights and now the bathtub it is just the devils way to pull us in to a way of the world" " Sin, Sin, that is all these modern do dads are" So those of you who use your tub and lights you might want to pray for forgiveness first. If you have cable, well, I don't know. it may take a village to save you.

Let's be careful when we have a platform to speak from that we are using it to serve those who are in need and those of us who have positions of influence let's remember that we are privileged with lots of information that needs to remain private.