One daily battle of an outsider family in a small town

Sorry I haven’t been around much; I’ve been dealing with some “issues” lately. I have been fighting a headache that started over a week ago and just wouldn’t go away. I knew it was coming from a high amount of stress and strain. One or two things is not that big of a deal but then when it is coming at me from every angle and every turn and I take it adds up and truly – it all is just the same thing with a twist.

I have been a bit mopey about a lack of friendships, the kind outside of my own home, (local or online) and just needing some way to foster a connection with other adults. It is so amazing how isolated I feel. I don’t really have time to talk on the phone (at a decent hour). I don’t have anyone to do anything, no buddies or meet up friends. Online friendships are kind of weird, too. It’s like I came to the game late and everyone already has their buddies and no time for more or new. I’ll find somebody I really have some strong things in common with and it seems to go nowhere. I usually just get no response at all when I try to make contact.

I know I have my hubby and my children, but even my hubby has his life long buds he talks to or chats with or e-mails all the time. I wish I had that. I wish my childhood had not been so isolated. And then I think about our children and my heart breaks into so many pieces for them and how they got ripped away from their good friends in Hattiesburg and how they don’t have any friends here. They made a few friends in school last year, but most of them proved quickly to be pretty outright mean. Mean girls do exist. This year we have made a very strong attempt to be a part of the home school co-op in this town and I am regretting almost every minute of it.

We are not fundamentalist in our beliefs. We don’t believe salvation is based on works. We believe works is a consequence of our faith, the result of our faith and love for God and that Jesus is the only way to heaven is the desire to do right and good things. Faith without works is like a screen door on a submarine. Works is the result of Faith NOT Salvation is the result of works. Because like it or not, without God’s grace and my Faith in Jesus as my Savior it does not matter how good I am, I will never go to heaven when I die.

I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and was buried;
He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the quick (living) and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic (universal) church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

I do not believe that everything that comes to me in an e-mail is true. I do not believe that everything that I read on the Internet is true. God gave me a brain; God gave me a good brain. I can think for myself and respond accordingly. I admit that I often react instead of respond. I have had my days of standing firm for something that I later learned was not based in all the facts. I have, many times, felt foolish for not knowing all the facts and having to step over to the “other side” of an issue once I knew more facts about the issue at hand. There have been many times that I just quietly slipped over, between some hole in the fence and never spoke about it again until some one noticed. There have been times I shouted from the rooftops about how wrong I was and tried to bring people with me to the “right” side of an issue – rather evangelical in my approach to some things I would say.

Then there are the times when an issue is bigger than me, or my family. Some issues are so big they affect the entire world and I feel so small and wonder what my little ole self could possibly do for that issues. One day, I realized just how much of a victim to that issue my own life had become and I decided to do something about it. I stood strong. I stood firm. I protected those I love and who were too small to protect themselves. I stood my ground like a mother bear whose cubs were about to be eaten alive and whose fear made them feel like they were already being attacked violently.

You know what I hate in this world more than anything? Yes, I used the word hate and I meant it. I don’t mean hate like “I hate broccoli” (actually, I love broccoli, but you get the point). I mean hate with a passion than has at times had me vomiting in anger, a passionate hate. So do you want to know what I hate?

I hate lies and liars. I hate gossip and gossipers. They go together I have learned.

I don’t even like church prayer chains, because all that is is a great big gossip-line. No information ever gets told and “shared” correctly. I could go to the doctor to have an ingrown toenail repaired and come out four hours later dead according to the prayer chain. ARGH!

Forwarded e-mails and chain mails are worse, the forwards about kidnapped children – either never was or they are grandparents by now. That email about the 9-ish year old boy with brain cancer who collects cards – he is an adult now. I am not saying that these people are not worth the forward or the need for help. I just can’t stand the gullible, too-lazy-to-check-the-truth attitude of people when these are forwarded. With the Internet the way it is one quick click of the mouse can send someone right into the heart of the original situation and find the truth – or at least much closer to the truth than they were just seconds before.

I remember when I first heard about the Harry Potter books. Number three had just been put on the shelves. I got a flier on my car windshield from a church about how we needed to ban together to have these books removed from school, store, and library shelves. They were evil and taught witch-craft and yada, yada, yada, and the author was a devil worshipper. I wasn’t so gullible that I fell for this, but I tucked it away in the back of my mind for a later day. The rebel in me said, “Oh, a book seeking to be banned – I must go read it”. The mother in me said, “Our oldest is still too young for these right now, I deal with this later.” The educator in me said, “When the time comes I will read them first and then use them for discussion spring boards.” I can also remember my good friend encouraging me to read them for myself.

One day, our oldest came to us and asked what all the hoopla was about and why couldn’t she read them. We had been fairly firm with not letting her read them, until the questions began. So we ordered the first one. I read it. I read it again. I loved it. I gave it to SmockDaddy who had been asking me to hurry because he had read some reviews and was now chomping at the bits to set his eyes on it himself. He read it. He loved it. We let Mog read it and she love it. I ordered number two and devoured it rather quickly not wanting to share it with SmockDaddy until I was completely done. He finally got his turn, then so did Mog. Number three couldn’t arrive in the mail fast enough for me to get my hands on it. Then, like everyone else we had to wait for number four to arrive in the stores months later.

So what does Harry Potter have to do with my hate of lies, liars, gossip, and gossipers? You mean you haven’t figured it out? Well, I’ll tell you. this home school group is very adamantly opposed to Harry Potter. The churches here teach the youth about how evil the HP series is and pass on all sorts of lies and gossip about the HP series and Rowling (the author). It breaks my heart that these children are being taught not to think for themselves or that the parents are too gullible to think for themselves either.

We have had numerous issues at the co-op with some of this and one family (child) in particular. My son developed an ulcer (now gone) over this one girl and the way she treated him and the things she has said weekly to him. We had a discussion with the parents to try to calm things down, but that didn’t work, they only attacked us saying they had proof that J. K. Rowling was a devil worshipper and had demons living in her house that she talked to and that the spells in the books were real. Well if that’s the case then how come every time I lose my car keys and I point my wand and say “accio keys” they don’t come flying to me. Accio is Latin, not some made up word. Following their train of thought, I guess doctors and lawyers and scientists are all evil and devil worshippers too since they study Latin and use it in their professions. Okay, so maybe lawyers really are. Just kidding.

My point is this, the next time that eight year old brat tells any of my children that we are going to hell because we read Harry Potter and worship the devil I am likely to slap her so hard the cops are going to have to come after me. Alright, not really, but I have to admit I’ve thought about. It’s a weekly battle as we hear it weekly. Summer will be nice – she won’t be around.

My children are begging me not to do co-op next year because of these idiots. They all think they have to pray for us because we have read Harry Potter. They have told my children that Christians don’t listen to rock and roll. They have told my children that Satan was the song leader in heaven before he got thrown out so music that is not from the church is bad. (Have you heard some of the stuff that churches are using these day? It’s bad.)

I think one the saddest parts about all of this is just how much of the Gospel and redemption is told in the Harry Potter books. The story is about good verses evil – good wins. The story is about love verses hate – love wins. The story is about family and friends. The story is about how we must learn to use the gifts we are born with for good, not gain. The story is about salvation and sacrifice and grace and mercy. The story is a good one.

I am going to tell you about my favorite part of the entire series and what I think is the climax and point of the whole thing. I am going to tell you about it as if you have not read the books. Yes, it could be a spoiler, but by now, you probably have heard anyway the gist of the story.

Here is what you need to know for now: Dumbledore is a good guy, the guy in white. Voldemort is a bad guy, the guy in black. Voldemort’s pet is a snake. Harry is a good guy. Fawkes is a Phoenix and a good guy. Fawkes is Dumbledore’s pet. A phoenix is the mythical bird that dies in a flame of fire and is reborn from the ashes, being made new. Please follow the symbolism here. Different kinds of spells produce different colors to project from the wands. The spell of death which is only used by the bad guys produces a jet of green light.

The set up: Voldemort was attacking Harry. Dumbledore came to the rescue. Voldemort and Dumbledore – the two strongest wizards alive are about to battle it out.

There was burst of flame in midair above Dumbledore just as Voldemort reappeared, standing on the plinth in the middle of the pool where so recently the five statues had stood.
‘Look out!’ Harry yelled.
but even as he shouted, another jet of green light flew at Dumbledore from Voldemort’s wand and the snake struck -
Fawkes swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak and swallowed the jet of green light whole: he burst into flame and fell to the floor, small, wrinkled and flightless. At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his wand in one long, fluid movement — the snake, which had been and instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke; and the water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass. . . .
He [Dumbledore] did not look at Harry at first, but walked over to the perch beside the door and withdrew, from an inside pocket of his robes, the tiny, ugly, featherless Fawkes, whom he placed gently on the tray of soft ashes beneath the golden post where the full-grown Fawkes usually stood.

Don’t you see it? That is exactly what Christ did for me – he swooped down and swallowed my curse, my death, and my sin to die for me only to rise again defeating death. That death was meant for me!

Here is what I want from my lovely readers today. The truth. Plain and simple, from you.
I want you to tell me if you have read (or let your children read) the Harry Potter series. If you do, tell me your favorite book and your favorite part.

If you do not then tell me why you do not. I am not out to attack you, I want your opinion, seriously. If you have some comment about it’s evilness to make I want you to back it up though. And seriously consider reading this book.

One more thing you have to answer. Do you think of yourself with this issue as being consistent? In other words – do you let your children read Peter Pan and Cinderella? Do you or have you read The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings series. Do you maintain that all stories containing fairies and magic and make-believe are evil?

Help spread the word about this here little post, because next week there will be a surprise based on this post and the contents here in – you know, a bloggy giveaway. But just so you know – it is not a book from the Harry Potter series.