Live. Laugh. Love.

Visualize a Christian in your mind. I'll do it with you.

When I think about a Christian, I think of a chubby, obnoxious, preachy, humorless white person who never has any fun (because God told them that they couldn't) and thinks everybody else should be the same way.

Now visualize someone of another religion.

Ah, now. There' s a person with whom I'd want to be friends. Why? Well, they're interesting. They dress interestingly. They know how to have a good time. They have a culture of their own. When I really, honestly think about it, I would rather make friends with someone of a different religion than someone who was a Christian.

Here's the thing: I'm a Christian. And I'm not just a Christian-in-name-only-- I'm a pastor's wife. I have a degree in Christian Worship and Ministries. I've devoted my life to following Jesus. But I'll be honest with you; sometimes, in that deep, dark, honest place in my soul, I almost wish I hadn't. And it's not because I don't believe in Christianity. It's because American Christianity has become so incredibly lame.

Go back to that original mental picture of a Christian. White, rigid, impotent. Do you know who the original Christians were? Middle Eastern people with a deep and rich culture and heritage. They were strong, powerful people. They accepted those who the other religions at the time rejected. I would want to be friends with them.

I'm sure that, when He was on earth, Jesus laughed. Do we think that we're more pious if we can't? Jesus accepted other people who were as far from being like Him as possible. Do we think we are holier if we don't? Jesus lived and participated in a rich culture when He took on humanity. Do we think we are more righteous and wholesome if we won't?

Let's take back our culture. Let's laugh. Let's love.

Youth, like the scent of fresh lemon

So here it is.

I had given up blogging almost two years ago because I decided it was, in my post-angst cynicism, "so stupid." However, when I gave up blogging, I unintentionally gave up writing altogether. A few months ago, I realized how very much I missed writing and I toyed around with the idea of starting another, less angsty blog. I found a thousand reasons not to, but I kept coming back to the one reason I should: I missed writing. One good reason finally outweighed a thousand weak reasons, and here I am.

In the spirit of blogging, let's introduce ourselves. Since this is my blog, I'll go first.

My name is Maggie. Not Margaret, just Maggie. I actually had a fight with an elementary school teacher about this once.

I am 23 years old and fresh out of college. I never heard much from my parents about this time of their lives. It seemed like they skipped from college to having me. I'd like to remember what it felt like in that space between college and full-blown adulthood.

I'm married to a pastor. I suppose this means I'm a "pastor's wife." This was not a job for which I was prepared. None of my family are pastors. However, I fell in love with a pastor right before he became a pastor, and here we are.

I have an unapologetic love for clothes. I'm constantly building my graphic t-shirt collection. Graphic t-shirts and skinny jeans are pretty much my uniform.

I grew up an hour from Chicago, and now I live in the middle of Indiana. I've lived in Indiana all my life, but I only realized when I came here for college and then officially moved here a few years ago that I didn't really grow up in Indiana. The Indiana I grew up in was really an extension of Chicago; meaning we had coffee shops and ethnic food other than Mexican and we ate vegetables that weren't fried or drowned in butter. I'm now living in a small, depressed and depressing town in the middle of real Indiana, and I've had just about enough.

My husband and I are moving to Kentucky in a few weeks. This will be the first time that I have lived outside of Indiana, and I couldn't be more excited. I never thought I would see Kentucky as a boon of culture, and yet it is for us. It's wonderful.


That's a little about me. How about you?