Baby got back...
There have been two issues on my heart this week. One, I mentioned before. Feeling torn about hanging out with this "newer" group of friends. They are amazing people and I see Jesus in each and every one of them. However, my concern has been that by hanging out with them, others are excluded. I was speaking with my friend Reid about this lastnight. As I know what it feels like to be on the outside of this group, I am perhaps overally cautious about spending time with them as to not allow others to feel the same way I did. I realize that was a confusing sentence, but stick with me here...My roommate and I had a good talk about it Monday night. She stated that perhaps God has me hanging out with these new friends so that there is someone aware that others feel intimidated, excluded, etc. This is not to say that the group portrays this at all...It's just like any other situation...Any other place...You have your group of friends, you don't exclude others, but you tend to hang more with your crew. So, I was torn/concerned about this b/c the last place I want people to discover feelings of inadequacy or insecurity is within our church community....
Last night when I got home, Janessa and I sat on her bed and had a good discussion. I told her how interesting I found it that now that I have hung out with this "crew" twice, people will actually talk with me, joke around with me and treat me as there friend at church functions. I said, "I find it so interesting b/c they never did before that." She pointed out the clear fact that, "You talk to who you know." Which is so correct. I mean how often do I ever try to talk to anyone that I don't know at church. Perhaps the intimidation factor works both ways. It's not an attempt to appear elite, it's simply life. I found this passage in Hebrews 10:
So here's the other thing that's been on my mind. "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mixalot is perhaps one of my favorite songs. I love to sing it, dance to it and bump it in the car when I am driving. Rumor has it I once got on stage in Miami and sang the song. Here's what I am getting at. I love to dance. Music is in my soul, my blood, my mind...Ask me to repeat word for word what my boss said in our meeting yesterday, I'll draw a blake. However, ask me to repeat word for word any song that I have truly enjoyed--or any country song for that matter--and I'll recite it right back to you. I am a music orientated person.
That being said, I have no problem getting out on the dance floor. In a country bar, you'll catch me line dancing in my boots. At the club, I'm out shaking my booty. I wasn't raised in such a way that there was anything wrong with dancing. My parents are great Christians and very open minded. Sometimes they even come out dancing with me. I've been dancing for as long as I can remember and I love it more than most things. I get a beat in my head and it is immediately in my body. I swerve, I sway, I shake, I am all over the place. Friday night I went out dancing with a group that I have never been dancing with before. I had a blast!
Here's what I don't get. That night I had someone comment, "I didn't know a Christian girl could dance like that." Sunday at church people were asking me if I was drunk Friday night. Some people described my moves as "promiscuous" (my word, not theirs). Some people were still coming up to me on Wednesday evening and discussing it. A few of my closer friends who were there built me up about it. "BJ, you're really a great dancer..." Yada Yada. They could tell I was frustrated with comments I had received. The point is...I don't get it. In all honesty, I feel like if I would have been out with my friends from home (Christians, but not the "Christian Community") nothing would have ever been said. Yet, I go out with this group and it's still being discussed days later. WHY? It really bugs me. Like, are we as Christians not supposed to be able to shake it? Is it innapropriate for Christians to appear have moves? Does one have to be drunk to be fearless on the dance floor? I don't think so.
Perhaps I'm making too big of a deal out of this...I probably am. I don't enjoy being a topic of discussion and I tend to be very self concious. Oh well, worse things could happen in life. At my college things like this were a huge issue on a regular basis. Even in my suite, half the roommates would get upset if we would go out dancing and have some drinks. The other half of us, had a grand time. I guess that sometimes I just have a hard time seeing this line that seems to be clear to others. I don't really see my friends from church taking notice of this line, but I do see a large amount of my college friends looking boldly at it. What line you may ask? The grey line that sometimes gets pointed out, the line that divides this Christian world and the Secular world. Where I come from, there is no such line. I really hope I never see it, because when I do begin to see that line, that's when I stop looking at everyone as my brothers and sisters in Christ and start seeing folks as Christians and Non-Christians. Maybe that's why I loved Bethel so much. I really enjoy when I can challenge viewpoints I disagree with. I especially love it when someone has no idea why they believe or think a certain way. I'm a firm believer that if I am going to believe in something, I had darn well better have done my research and be able to back up my thinking. This post will probably upset some people...That's ok b/c it means that I got them thinking.
Last night when I got home, Janessa and I sat on her bed and had a good discussion. I told her how interesting I found it that now that I have hung out with this "crew" twice, people will actually talk with me, joke around with me and treat me as there friend at church functions. I said, "I find it so interesting b/c they never did before that." She pointed out the clear fact that, "You talk to who you know." Which is so correct. I mean how often do I ever try to talk to anyone that I don't know at church. Perhaps the intimidation factor works both ways. It's not an attempt to appear elite, it's simply life. I found this passage in Hebrews 10:
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Loving each other has been on my heart a lot lately. God is really teaching me that we need to show love, in the little things, to everyone, at all times...Even to that person who speaks poorly of you, ridicules you or ignores you...As they walk away, say to yourself, "I love you, I love you, I love you..." It's harder than you think.
So here's the other thing that's been on my mind. "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mixalot is perhaps one of my favorite songs. I love to sing it, dance to it and bump it in the car when I am driving. Rumor has it I once got on stage in Miami and sang the song. Here's what I am getting at. I love to dance. Music is in my soul, my blood, my mind...Ask me to repeat word for word what my boss said in our meeting yesterday, I'll draw a blake. However, ask me to repeat word for word any song that I have truly enjoyed--or any country song for that matter--and I'll recite it right back to you. I am a music orientated person.
That being said, I have no problem getting out on the dance floor. In a country bar, you'll catch me line dancing in my boots. At the club, I'm out shaking my booty. I wasn't raised in such a way that there was anything wrong with dancing. My parents are great Christians and very open minded. Sometimes they even come out dancing with me. I've been dancing for as long as I can remember and I love it more than most things. I get a beat in my head and it is immediately in my body. I swerve, I sway, I shake, I am all over the place. Friday night I went out dancing with a group that I have never been dancing with before. I had a blast!
Here's what I don't get. That night I had someone comment, "I didn't know a Christian girl could dance like that." Sunday at church people were asking me if I was drunk Friday night. Some people described my moves as "promiscuous" (my word, not theirs). Some people were still coming up to me on Wednesday evening and discussing it. A few of my closer friends who were there built me up about it. "BJ, you're really a great dancer..." Yada Yada. They could tell I was frustrated with comments I had received. The point is...I don't get it. In all honesty, I feel like if I would have been out with my friends from home (Christians, but not the "Christian Community") nothing would have ever been said. Yet, I go out with this group and it's still being discussed days later. WHY? It really bugs me. Like, are we as Christians not supposed to be able to shake it? Is it innapropriate for Christians to appear have moves? Does one have to be drunk to be fearless on the dance floor? I don't think so.
Perhaps I'm making too big of a deal out of this...I probably am. I don't enjoy being a topic of discussion and I tend to be very self concious. Oh well, worse things could happen in life. At my college things like this were a huge issue on a regular basis. Even in my suite, half the roommates would get upset if we would go out dancing and have some drinks. The other half of us, had a grand time. I guess that sometimes I just have a hard time seeing this line that seems to be clear to others. I don't really see my friends from church taking notice of this line, but I do see a large amount of my college friends looking boldly at it. What line you may ask? The grey line that sometimes gets pointed out, the line that divides this Christian world and the Secular world. Where I come from, there is no such line. I really hope I never see it, because when I do begin to see that line, that's when I stop looking at everyone as my brothers and sisters in Christ and start seeing folks as Christians and Non-Christians. Maybe that's why I loved Bethel so much. I really enjoy when I can challenge viewpoints I disagree with. I especially love it when someone has no idea why they believe or think a certain way. I'm a firm believer that if I am going to believe in something, I had darn well better have done my research and be able to back up my thinking. This post will probably upset some people...That's ok b/c it means that I got them thinking.
posted by Bethany at 5/05/2005 07:26:00 AM
2 Comments:
I also was accused of having too much to drink,... i figure when I get accused of that, I know I am dancing well.
What can we say? We both have moves!
I look forward to talking about this situation more with you... and getting to know you better my new friend.
First off, you need to see this...
http://ockhamist.com/pics/movies/Baby_got_Book.wmv
Secondly.. I used to always say I needed 10+ drinks to even step foot on the dance floor.. At our Lutsen skip trip this year, 20+ upper roomers on the floor, many of us going nuts and many of us not having had anything to drink. I even had an older woman rty to dance with me. I must have been good. I was probably worse when I was loaded, nobody would dance with me.
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