dangerous liasons

life has been happening, and i've been away for a few days...but itching to be back (and some'a ya'll been stalking me, like 'where is the blog!' ).....so here i am, back in effect, giving you a glimpse into my so-called life.

yesterday, i was driving back from a work appointment.....90 mins to and 90 mins from FARRR NW suburban Chicago, Crystal Lake to be exact. so, in between car-thinking, jamming to my 80s/90s New Jack Swing, and stuffing McDonald's down my throat, i Blackberry IMed with two of my friends...simultaneously...while driving....trying to give encouragement and insight to one about a dicey spiritual situation she was in....and soaking up encouragement from the other while i vented about my own dicey situation.

i know, i know...dangerous.

anyhoo, my friend in CA who i was soaking encouragement from, i'll call her the Doc, (who, by the way, i've been trying to convince to give me a FREE psych eval, cus sometimes i feel like i'm losing it, lol) made a very profound statement as were doing what we always do--dissecting life, love, and the pursuit of something called joy. she said to me something along the lines of "i don't go to church, or quote Scripture, but, what i do know is, it's truly about what His plan is and we may not see it yet, but we're not supposed to...and i'm a firm believer that whatever will be, will be and no one/thing can keep it from happening if its His will...NOTHING."

wow.

the Doc's statement was so relevant and right on time for quite a few reasons. we were talking about God's Will and how He is a gentleman and won't push, but He is also strategic and will place ppl and situations in your life--good and not-so-good--to get your attention. i started thinking about the ppl that are around me right now....how, after a tumultuous last 6 mos, i made the decision that i ONLY wanted positive ppl around me: ppl who loved and accepted me for who i am, who challenged me to become a better person, who held me accountable for commitments that i've made in various areas of my life, and who believed in the reciprocity of honesty, respect, support and encouragement that only comes with authentic friendship/relationships with others.

i don't quite remember specifically praying for those things or the ppl who have manifest them, but as i've stated in my blog before, when you project those attributes out into the world, eventually the Universe bounces them back to you, and they come back 100-fold. they are unexpected, happenstance meetings, strategically designed by the Master Matchmaker Himself.

ok, so where does the title of my blog come in, which is the biggest lesson of them all?

i have 4 good friends right now who aren't "in church." one is the Doc, who is still trying to find the right place for her. one is still trying to figure out where she falls on the spirituality spectrum. one is disenchanted with organized religion. and one has some issues with the hypocrisy that she has seen within some church settings, which turns her off a bit to the whole idea of it.

but, all of these women, have, along the way, given me sounder spiritual advice than some so-called super-spiritual churchfolk that i know.

to trust God's will.
to pray without ceasing.
to love anyway and take the high road, even when you want to do the opposite.
to release fear.
to not be ashamed.
to let go of baggage and allow blessings to come to you.

etc. etc.

and that's dangerous. it's dangerous to "churchfolk" who think that God can only use ppl who sit in a pew every Sunday, who can quote the Bible backwards and forwards, and who "love the Lawd" with all their heart, while secretly hating their neighbor.

it's dangerous to think that ALL are welcome at His table, to be fed by His Word, guided and directed by His Spirit, and forgiven by His mercy and love, even while one is YET figuring out which way to go.

it's dangerous to think that someone who is "in church" (me) can share with ppl who i love and cherish who aren't "in church" the Good News, without trying to shove it down their throat or make them feel bad about where they are.

it's dangerous when you can be mutually transparent, even sharing the struggles that you still face as a "saved" person so that one might know that being a Christian doesn't equal being perfect.

and it's dangerous for the Enemy that God, in His infinite wisdom, orchestrated each of these encounters, to fulfill His purposes on both sides, as i am as much here to teach and to share, as i am to learn.

so, i'm grateful that i didn't kill myself yesterday while i was living on the edge TWD--texting-while-driving--because that was dangerous too!

and i am especially grateful for these 4 ladies (whom i'm hope can figure out from the context clues that i'm talking about THEM) who inspire me each and every day, help me laugh to keep from crying, talk me off the ledge when i'm ready to jump, and speak the truth in love to keep me in line.

thanks for putting on your armor and walking into the danger zone with me.... so that we can slay the dragons that life throws at us.....together :)