Ash Wednesday

Maybe I heard about it or read about it and it just didn't stick with me. But going home from work last night, I noticed a couple of people with a distinct discoloration on their foreheads. Then it dawned on me. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. That would have made Tuesday night be Mardi Gras and I didn't celebrate because I didn't even realize it. Narry a drink for me. Is this a sign I am getting old?

Growing up in rural Kentucky, most people were country Baptist or country Methodist or what is generally known as Pentecostal (including Assemblies of God, Charismatic, holiness and churches with "signs following.") We didn't have Mardi Gras or Ash Wednesday. We didn't have Lent. So that was a new concept to me just a very few years ago. We also didn't have people who practiced Judaism. When I first moved to New York City, it took me a short while to figure out why some people's offices or businesses were closed early on Friday.

Since moving to New York City, I have not met anyone who is what I call "Hillbilly Baptist," a term of endearment I apply to my faith. I have met people who are Catholic, Jewish, Episcopalian, Muslim and Buddhist. I know that there are "old timey" Baptists in the city because I have walked by their churches. There are even a couple in my neighborhood, but their services are in Spanish.

As a final note, I cannot speak of the many, many people who represent my Lord. But I can speak about those who most certainly do NOT, for we know a tree by its fruit. I am sure you will recognize a few of these names, and do be leery of them:

-Jerry Falwell
-Oral Roberts
-Robert Tilton
-Pat Robertson
-John Hagee
-Jan and Paul Crouch
-The gay-basher from the midwest whose name I refuse to type

Why do I make this claim? Simply because they espouse views of hatred and confusion. Those are two things that are distinctly UN-Christian.